“I know what a human you are,” she said, her voice raspy. “I just wish you’d told me about it before Lawrence did.”
“So do I. So much. But I was so afraid of losing you if you knew the real me. I wasn’t prepared to take that chance.”
“I want to know the real you.” She shook her head. “I’m not afraid of your past, Daniel. I’m not going to run away because you’ve made mistakes and have been hurt.”
“But you left last night.”
“I wanted to leave because you lied to me. Or lied by omission, anyway. It messed up my mind. I couldn’t think properly. I didn’t leave because of the baby. I’m so damn sorry about the baby. I can’t even imagine the pain that kind of loss causes.” She brushed her lips against his. “I just wish you’d told me.”
“I’ve spent my life trying to be perfect. It’s hard to admit that I’m not.”
“But nobody’s perfect. We can’t be. Why is that so hard for you to admit?”
He ran the tip of his tongue over his bottom lip.
“I guess I always felt like that’s the only way to be loved. My dad…” He shook his head, sighing. “It’s always the damn parents, isn’t it?”
She smiled softly. “So I hear. Your mom said something about your dad pitting you and Lawrence against each other.”
Daniel nodded. “I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t compared to him. Wasn’t told that I needed to be better, faster, stronger than him. To be fair, Lawrence probably had it worse. He was the oldest son, therefore he should have been all those things. Yet he was constantly compared to me, too.”
“Your dad got off on your rivalry.” Her voice was low.
“I guess he did. He enjoyed having us compete for his love. Encouraged it. Even after he died, Lawrence and I still hated each other. And then things started going wrong between Melissa and me, and I guess he saw his chance.”
“I don’t like Lawrence.”
Daniel chuckled. “Good. And you don’t have to. He’s not a big part of my life.”
“Nina wants him to be. So does your mom.”
“My mom wants everybody to be happy. She adores you, by the way. Thinks you keep me on my toes.”
“I like her, too.”
“Does that mean there’s a chance for us?” His chest felt like a vice was wrapped around it.
Becca nodded. “I think there is,” she whispered. “If you promise to stop clamming up when I try to talk to you about something difficult. I can’t take you telling me to leave again. And if I try not to overreact every time something goes wrong.”
He winced at the memory of their argument. “I don’t want you to leave. Ever. I’ve never wanted anything as much as I want you to stay with me. I love you.”
Tears filled her eyes. “I love you, too.”
He brushed the teardrops from her cheeks with the pad of his thumb, then softly kissed her, marveling at this beautiful woman loved him.
Warmth rushed through him as she pulled away from their kiss, smiling shyly up at him. He reached out to trace the line of her lips with his fingertip. “You don’t know what that means to me. I don’t know what I did to deserve you. I’m so afraid of messing this up.”
“Maybe you could change your thinking,” she told him, her lips moving against his finger. “Rather than being afraid of messing up, figure out how you’ll make it better when you do. We’re not perfect, we’re going to make mistakes. I’m going to get angry with you sometimes. And you’ll get furious with me, I’ve no doubt. But if we keep talking, if we’re honest with each other, maybe we can really make this thing work.”
“I want that more than anything,” he admitted, his voice gruff.
Her heart gave a little leap. “So do I.”
“How did you know that you’d fallen for me?” he asked her, his expression so open it made her heart hurt. Vulnerable Daniel might be her favorite.
“I’d been thinking about it for a while. But the moment I was certain of it was when I saw you covered in mud, your jeans stinking of pigs and farms. I never thought anybody would go up against my brothers for me. But you did, and I fell for you.” She pulled her lip between her teeth. “And you? When did you know?”
He closed his eyes, a smile playing on his lips.