“I’ve spent a lifetime loving you, Lilah. It was always going to be us. Even when you hated me, I loved you. Even when I thought I hated you, I loved you more.” His hand skims up my neck and grips the back of my head, and my entire body tightens with the anticipation of his next words. “I figured out a long time ago that I’d never stop loving you. I just needed you to be ready to hear it. Remember what I said . . . When I kissed you, it was going to be welcome home, I missed you. I fucking missed you so much, princess.”
