Page 107 of Outlier

“I’m not making fun of you, love,” I said softly.

And then I did what I should have done weeks ago—I gathered her in my arms and pushed the hair back from her face,keeping it tilted up towards me so that I could look into her eyes as I said the rest.

“You are all of those things, Victoria Harding. But most of all, you are the woman I am madly in love with.”

There was a long pause. It felt like the entire pub was collectively holding its breath.

Vicky blinked up at me: fear, anxiety and hope all warring behind her eyes.

“You love me?” she whispered.

“From the moment you told me that being in my house feels like being hugged all the time.”

“I loved you the first moment I saw you,” she said.

I laughed. “Vicky, baby, you were six.”

She nodded. “I know. You came into Buckingham Manor carrying an injured hedgehog. Your hands were bleeding from the spikes, but you didn’t care. You’d walked two miles holding that hedgehog.”

Jesus, I’d forgotten that Vicky had even been there. How could I have forgotten her? But then, I barely acknowledged her the few times I’d seen her as a child.

“I’m sorry I ignored you back then,” I told her.

“It’s fine. I was?—”

“It’s not fine. I was an insecure piece of shit with a chip on his shoulder, and I took it out on you then, and again, a few months ago, when you first made your move. But now that we’ve straightened everything out, now that you’re mine, you’re never going to accept that type of behaviour from anyone ever again. Got me?”

“I’m yours?” she whispered, hope overcoming fear as her features became more animated than I’d seen in weeks, and that was it for me.

No more waiting to claim her. No more tiptoeing around.

Both my hands went into her hair, and I kissed her.

She jolted in shock for a moment, but that was all it took for her to melt into me, and her mouth to open under mine.

But then, the first cheers started, and she stiffened.

Affection as a whole was new for Vicky; public displays of affection would need to be eased into.

Plus, there was the fact thatmy motherwas sitting a few feet away. So I pulled back to tuck Vicky under my arm.

“We’re leaving,” I said to the table, all of whom were smiling up at us.

“About time, Mayweather,” muttered Felix.

“I may have to bleach my eyeballs, but I’m still so happy,” my sister said, bouncing on her seat.

“You look after her now, love,” Mum said in a soft voice.

“Yes,” said Margot. “Don’t fuck it up, Michael. I’ve gone to a lot of trouble to sort this out.”

I rolled my eyes and pointed at Margot. “No more interfering.”

“Well, of all the ungrateful…”

“Margot,” said Lottie, amusement in her voice, “I think Mike might have a point.”

Margot huffed. “Nobody appreciates my efforts.”