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He pulled her against his chest, hugging her so tightly she thought he might crack a rib. ‘Oh,tesore mio, I’ve gone through hell and back, not just tonight but the last three weeks.’
Addie eased out of his hold to look up at him, her heart beating so fast it was hard for her to speak. ‘Y-you have?’
His eyes lost their look of despair and a smile turned up the corners of his mouth. ‘It’s so wonderful to see you. I’ve missed you so much.’
‘Y-you have?’
‘I have been a fool. A ridiculous fool to let you go. Can you ever forgive me?’
Addie was trying not to get too excited unless she was mistaken about his reason for coming here to see her, but how could she not feel anything but excitement? Nothing could have prepared her for this. It was like a miracle to see him standing before her, begging for her forgiveness. ‘Of course I forgive you.’
Vic hugged her again, his chin resting on the top of her head. She breathed in the scent of him like it was a drug to ease her cravings. ‘I can’t believe I didn’t realise what I felt about you until now.’ He pulled back to look down at her with earnestness shining in his dark gaze. ‘I love you to the core of my being.’
Addie’s heart missed a beat, her stomach went into freefall and her hopes got out of a coma and did a happy dance. ‘You do? Really?’
‘I love everything about you. You have changed everything for me. You made me realise how locked down I was, how cowardly I was to block myself from feeling like this. I love you so much and want to be with you for ever.’
Addie blinked back tears. ‘Are you…?’ She couldn’t finish the sentence because she was so overcome with joy.
‘Yes, I am proposing, but I’ll be damned if I’ll do it in an animal hospital in front of a dog and her puppies,’ Vic said, smiling broadly.
‘First time for everything,’ Addie said, smiling back at him.
‘I don’t have a ring yet. The shops were closed when I finally came to my senses. I went straight to your flat, hoping to find you at home.’ A flicker of anguish went through his gaze and his throat moved up and down over a convulsive swallow. ‘I thought I might have lost you before I got to tell you how much I love and adore you. I can never forgive myself for being so stubborn and too proud to own what I felt.’ His voice was rough around the edges and his eyes glistened with moisture. ‘Will you marry me,tesore mio? Will you make a family with me and live part of the time at the villa?’
‘Yes, a thousand million times yes,’ Addie said, but then she gave him a puzzled frown and added, ‘But isn’t the villa going to be a hotel?’
He smiled and gathered her close again. ‘That was another thing I was ignorant and stubborn about. The villa holds so many good memories after our time together there. I can’t bear to part with it now. I want it to become a home again even though it’s too big, but we can have a couple of kids, maybe more and—’
Addie’s heart skipped and danced with joy. ‘You want kids?’
‘I haven’t until now,’ Vic said. ‘But realising how much I love you has made me want the whole package. The fairytale as you call it.’
‘You deserve it.’
He looked at her with such love it made her heart contract. ‘I’m not sure I deserve to be this happy, but I can’t imagine living my life without you by my side. You have taught me so much about being true to myself. I haven’t been living the life my father wanted for me. He would want me to find love like he did and support and protect my family to the best of my ability.’
Addie hugged him and choked back a sob. ‘You are such a wonderful person, Vic. Your father would be so proud of the man you’ve become. It’s so sad he isn’t here to share our joy, but he lives on in you, in the qualities he gave you.’
Coco shuffled in the crate behind Vic and one of the puppies gave a little squeak as it came off its mother’s nipple. Addie turned with Vic to look at the mother and babies, his arm firm around her waist.
‘This has been rather an eventful day for Coco. She had an emergency caesarean this morning and now she has witnessed your proposal,’ Addie said with a beaming smile.
Vic turned her in his arms, his eyes glinting. ‘There’s one more thing I have to do.’
‘What’s that?’
‘This.’
And he leaned down and kissed her for so long Coco gave a contented sigh and went back to sleep.