If I Only Knew(75)

“How long are you here for?” Milo asks as we lie tangled in the sheets.

The last two hours have been great. We’ve been together, happy, and kept things light. Really, we’ve barely talked other than a few words here and there.

Now, I guess we should get to it.

I sit up, pulling my knees to my chest. “That’s up to you.”

“I’m not following you.”

I chew on my bottom lip, trying to think of how to say this without pretty much inserting myself in his life. Do I blurt it out? Do I work my way up? I’m not sure because Milo and I are still kind of new.

Fuck it. I’m here. I might as well figure my shit out.

“I quit my job,” I say and then wait.

“You what?”

“I no longer work at Dovetail in the United States.”

Milo runs his hand down his face. “Did you get another job?”

“Well, I was offered another position,” I explain.

I see the anger starting to fill his eyes. “My fucking brother fired you?”

“No,” I clarify. “Remember, I quit. Your brother didn’t do anything.”

He gets out of the bed and starts to walk around the room. “You’re defending that prick? Seriously? He sends my arse over here because his life is too bloody perfect to move here, and now you’re on his side?”

So, I’m doing really well here . . .

I need to stop beating around the bush, then.

“Please sit.”

“No, I will not sit down,” Milo bellows.

“Milo, I flew all the way here to have this discussion with you. I’m exhausted, missed you more than you’ll ever know, quit my job, called a realtor to list my house, and asked my kids if they’d like to move to England, so . . . sit the hell down.”

His eyes widen, and he stops moving. “You want to move here?”

“Not really, but it’s where you are.”

He grins. “You want to be here? With me?”

Is he listening to anything I’m saying?

“I want to be with you. If you’re in London, then that’s where I need to be. That is, if you want me to be.”

Milo sits beside me. His hands hold my face. “If I want you to be? Are you blind? I promised you that I’d be back because this is fucking torture. I want you beside me. No, that’s a lie. I need you beside me. All I think about is finding a bloody nurse to live with my mum so I can get on a plane.”

“Well, it’s torture for me too, and . . . there’s no reason I can’t live here. Each time I found an excuse, it could be negated.”

“You’re telling me you want to move here?”

I nod. “I’m telling you I want you more than anything else.”

His smile grows wider. “And the kids?”

“Ava is already practicing her accent and Parker just wants to be close to you.”

“And your job?”

“Irrelevant in comparison. I know this is fast, and maybe you’re not ready for me and my kids to move here—”

“Marry me,” Milo cuts me off.

Now it’s my turn to be stunned. I stare at him, waiting for the punch line. There’s no way he just said that. He can’t be serious.

I open my mouth to speak, but his hand covers it before I can reply.

“No, hear me out. I love you. I’ve spent more time away from you than I ever will again. I would sacrifice everything for you, give up anything if it meant I could have you. Nothing else in this world matters. So, I know you wanted slow, but I don’t. I want it all. I don’t want to spend another day without the world knowing that I love you. If it’s too fast, we can have a long engagement. I’ve spent my entire life looking for someone who would make me feel this way, and here you are, my darling. You’re here and I’m right in front of you, asking you to see what’s inside of my heart.” He takes my hand, bringing it to his chest. Milo’s heart is pounding as tears are falling down my face. “I want to marry you, Danielle. I want you to be my wife, and I your husband. So, Danielle Joanne Bergen, will you marry me?”

Through blurry vision I look at this man I love. He didn’t hesitate a second. Everything he said was everything I could’ve asked for. Yes, it’s fast, but we’re not getting any younger. I married a man once who didn’t make me feel the way Milo does, and I was happy, but Milo makes my world brighter than it’s ever been. He tore down the old ideas of what love looked like and painted me something breathtaking.

I flew here to find a way for us to be together, and here it is.

“Yes,” I breathe.

“Yes?”

I nod. “Yes, I’ll marry you.”

He practically tackles me, pulling me in his arms, holding me close. The smile on his face takes my breath away. There’s no fear in his eyes, only love and happiness.

After a lot of kissing and smiling, he pulls me to his chest and we just stare at each other.

“I’ll get you a proper ring today.”

“I don’t need a ring.”

“Well, that’s very sweet of you, but I need you to have a ring.”

I shake my head. “Why?”

“So the world knows that you’re most definitely not on the market.”