her arms. ‘No, you shouldn’t have.’
‘I don’t know what’s wrong with me. It’s like I just keep saying or doing the wrong thing with you. Time after time.’
Nicole bit her lip, silently willing him to leave so that she wouldn’t be tempted to forget why she’d left in the first place. ‘There’s no need to say anything. I told you to go and live your life separately.’
‘That’s the problem, Nicole.’ He shook his head. ‘I don’t want to be anywhere else but right here with you.’
The air in the cabin seemed to thicken around them as his words echoed in her mind.
He continued, watching her intently. ‘That day with the photographer, when I walked out and saw you terrified and bleeding, I swear to God something seemed to rise up and choke me from inside. I’m a grown man, and yet I was afraid of how utterly helpless that made me feel. You had already told me to either love you or leave, Nicole. But what I didn’t realise is that I’ve been trying not to lose my mind over you from the moment I first saw you.’
‘Rigo, I meant it when I said I wouldn’t settle for half a relationship…’ Nicole breathed, her mind swimming with the effect his intense gaze was having on her.
He closed the gap between them, taking her hands in his and making her look at him. ‘I won’t settle, either. I want it all, Nicole.’
This was an entirely different side to him than she had ever seen before. He was completely bared to her, saying things that she had only ever dreamed he might say. She didn’t dare to speak, fearing she might break the spell.
‘I was a complete fool to think that I had lost myself after my relationship with Lydia. The truth was I was shielding myself from ever being hurt like that again. Even from Anna.’ He shook his head. ‘I know I don’t deserve it, after all I’ve done, but I couldn’t let you get on this plane and fly away without taking a chance and risking rejection. I want to be your husband, Nicole, in every sense of the word. Let me love you like you deserve to be loved.’
‘Are you telling me that you love me?’ Nicole breathed, her heart soaring in earnest.
‘Tesoro, I’ve been in love with you since the moment I slid that ring on your finger and made you my wife. I was just too much of a stubborn fool to realise it.’
Nicole felt her heart melt completely as she looked into his deep blue eyes. She couldn’t think of a single coherent thing to say. She settled instead for wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him with all the passion she had to offer.
Rigo felt Nicole’s lips touch his and his heart almost burst right then and there. He lifted her up from the ground, kissing her with all the love he possessed. She felt so good in his arms, so right. How had he ever thought he would be happier without this woman in his life?
The thought of how he had hurt her so many times made his gut clench. He broke the kiss and slid her down to the ground, smiling as she groaned in protest.
‘Nicole, I understand if I have messed up too many times for you to trust me, but I want to make that right. If you give me the chance I promise I will never walk away from you again for as long as I breathe.’ He laid his forehead on hers. ‘I want to spend more time with my family and stop working myself into the ground.’
‘You would do that for us?’
‘For all three of us,’ he said earnestly. ‘I never want to be away from my family for longer than I need to be.’
‘Not even if I leave my underwear strewn all over the bedroom floor?’ She raised a teasing brow.
‘Especially then.’ He smiled. ‘I love you, Nicole. So much.’
‘I don’t think I’ll ever get sick of hearing you say those words.’ She draped her arms around his neck, nestling her face into his collar.
‘I’M FINDING IT hard to adjust to the sight of my husband driving his own car.’ Nicole smiled, resting on her hand on Rigo’s forearm as he guided the SUV around another tight bend in the narrow French country road.
‘I’m probably taking the concept of Sunday driving a bit too literally.’ Rigo gestured to the leisurely speed on the digital panel. ‘I chose luxury over speed, seeing as the Ferrari wasn’t an option.’
He looked briefly over his shoulder and smiled.
Nicole followed his gaze to where Anna slept peacefully in her car seat. How had an entire year passed since she had first laid eyes on her baby girl? When she thought back to that day in the hospital, holding her daughter’s tiny hand and wondering if Rigo had any idea he had just become a father…
Never in her wildest dreams would she have expected to be sitting next to him on their daughter’s first birthday, married and planning a long, happy life together.
The object of her thoughts laid his hand on her thigh, jolting her from her smiling reverie.
‘Do you recognise the road yet?’ He raised a brow, a devilish smile on his lips.
Nicole shook her head and peered out at the rolling French countryside, trying in vain to spot anything familiar. They had headed away from Paris on one of the many motorways that wove in networks across the country. Her attention had been monopolised by Anna for the first half of the journey, so she had no idea where they were.
Rigo gestured to the road ahead of them, where a sign was appearing on the horizon. Nicole squinted, trying to make out the small black lettering. Suddenly her breath caught. Her eyes darted to her husband’s face before flying back to the road as a tiny town came into view.
‘You’ve brought me to L’Annique?’ she whispered. ‘Oh, Rigo…’
‘I thought it would be a nice tradition to spend Anna’s birthday here every year.’
Nicole fought against the wave of emotion rising in her chest as they passed the small church on top of the hill and looked down on the place that had been her first slice of normality. La Petite was the farmhouse where she had started to become her true self—where she had let go of the pretences of her old life and embarked upon a new adventure.
‘You are a true romantic, Rigo Marchesi, do you know that?’ She smiled, grabbing his hand and putting it to her face, feeling an overwhelming love for the powerful man by her side. ‘We could have lunch in Madame Laurent’s café. It’s nothing special, but I used to eat there regularly.’
‘Actually, I had something else in mind.’
He guided the car around a corner and began driving up a familiar road. The last time Nicole had seen this laneway it had been filled with paparazzi, but today it was blissfully clear and lined with beautiful summer wildflowers. The gate to her rented house came into view, along with the familiar blue-grey roof of the farmhouse that had been her home.
She fought the urge to jump with excitement when Rigo drove into the courtyard and brought the car to a stop. They stepped out into the glorious sunshine, and the familiar smell of cut grass and bluebells washed over her. This place was like a balm to her soul, reminding her of that first choice she had made on the path to becoming the woman she was today.
She walked over to the small fountain on the lawn and ran her fingers across the ageing stone. ‘I’m not sure the owner would like us trespassing, but I’m glad you brought me here. Thank you, amore,’ she whispered, walking back to lay a single kiss on his lips.
‘Oh, I’m sure the owner won’t mind,’ Rigo said, turning to peer through the window of the car. ‘She seems to be sleeping at the moment, but you can ask her