Roman and I haven’t said a word to each other, and we’ve been in the car for an hour. When I got in, I crossed my arms over my chest, looking out the window. Roman pried one of my arms away from my body and held my hand in his lap. He didn’t say anything, and I could feel the anger rolling off of him, too, but he kept my hand in his lap, rubbing circles on it since we left the driveway.

“What do you think the little nugget is?” Roman says, breaking the silence.

“What?” I ask.

“The baby, our little nugget. Boy or girl?”

“Boy,” I answer automatically.

Roman smiles, looking over at me, raising my hand to kiss my knuckles. “Why?”

“When the test read positive, I immediately pictured a little boy running around, trying to be just like his dad.”

“I think girl. A girl just a stunning as you who won’t date until I’m dead.”

“Good luck with that.” And just like that, Roman pulled me from my sour mood and made me laugh and smile. He kisses my hand again with a smile on his face. “I can’t believe you’ve only taken me on one real date and I’m pregnant.”

“Okay, let’s make this a date.”

“A car ride to Dallas that could potentially make our lives messier is going to be our date?” I ask skeptically.

“Don’t think about the destination, put it out of your mind for now. Fact is something neither one of us can even guess is waiting for us a few hours away. Second fact is that no matter what it is or how all this bullshit settles, there’ll still be you and me. We’ll still be us, not a damn thing in this world will ever change that. I just got you back, I’m not wasting another second of it. Ten years was too damn long, Sugar.”

“Okay,” I say, trying to get my swoon under control. “We’re on a date.”

“Did you date anyone seriously while we were apart?” Roman tenses as soon as the question is out in the open. He glances at me before flicking his eyes back to the road. In that one second, I can tell this has been weighing heavily on his mind.

“No.” I shrug. “I never made it past date three with a guy.”

“Why not?”

“As much as I wanted to hate you, none of them were you. Roman, you set me on fire with one look, you have from the first time we met. When you touch me, I feel it everywhere. Being around you is like a sensory overload. If a man couldn’t make me feel even a fraction of that, why bother?”

“Christ,” Roman breathes. “How did I get so damn lucky?”

I smile, shaking my head. I’m the lucky one. “Did you date anyone seriously?”

“No, Sugar. Never. I didn’t even try. I won’t lie and say I’ve been celibate all these years, but everything I’ve done to become the man I am has been for you. Serving our country, rising in the ranks, earning my degree afterward, starting a successful company, investing the inheritance from Santiago, all of it. It was all for you. It took me too damn long to get here, I own that mistake. But I knew I would come for you one day.”

“Why did it take so long?” I ask. I don’t need to ask him how he knew during our separation that we’d find each other again. If I broke myself open and dug around in my inner most thoughts, I thought the same. I’ve belonged to him since I met him. My heart started beating for him the first time he kissed me. My soul bound to his irrevocably the first time we made love. No other man could ever truly have me. They didn’t lose before the game started, they were never even in the game.

“I never thought I was enough for you. I hated where I came from, I hated that your parents and Santiago pitied me.”

I cut him off. “They did not pity you. My family, no matter their faults, loved you. You were Sadie’s hero. Mom and Dad loved you like a son, knew you would be their son one day. Have I ever told you what my mom said to me after she met you?”

“No.”

“You walked out the door after dinner that night and kissed me on the porch. I was leaning against the door when my mom came into the foyer. My heart was still racing from your kiss. She was smiling so big, Roman. She had tears in her eyes as she watched me catch my breath. Then she said if anything ever happens to her, she’ll never have to worry about me. She said I’d be taken care of and she’d be damn proud to have you as a son-in-law. She’d never seen anyone so in love at such a young age. She solidified every thought I was already having. I already knew I wanted to marry you, but I worried I was just being a silly high school girl. I wasn’t, though. I just happened to meet my soulmate young.”

Roman breathes deeply, taking in everything I told him. After a moment, I squeeze his hand. “They never pitied you. Continue. Why did it take so long?”

“I wanted to be someone who deserved you, who could give you the type of life you were accustomed to having. Your dad could provide you with anything. I wanted to do that for you. Even after the inheritance and success with the company, I still never felt like I was enough. Told myself you were better off.”

“I wasn’t better off. I was missing my heart.”

“I still don’t think I deserve you, but I’m done staying away. The moment I walked into your room, I couldn’t even see you, just your hair, but I knew I’d do anything to hear you tell me you love me.”

“I love you, Roman.”

He looks at me, bringing my hand to mouth, pressing a gentle kiss. “I love you, too.”

We pass the hours getting to know each other even more and catching up on the ten years. My favorite part of the drive is when we argue about baby names. Even being able to do that feels monumental. By the time we pull into the bank parking lot, I feel ready to take on the world.

“Ready?” Roman asks, staring up at the tall skyscraper in downtown Dallas.

“Yeah,” I say confidently. “I have you and we can get through anything.”

Roman and I walk into the bank holding hands, marching toward one of the teller windows with purpose.

“How can I help you?” a sweet older woman asks.

“I need inside of my safe deposit box, but I lost the key.”

“Okay, dear. Please take a seat in the lobby and I’ll get a manager to help you.”

“Thanks,” I say before we walk toward two chairs next to each other.

Before either one of us can settle in for our wait, the manager comes to sweep us away. After checking my ID and verifying my social security number, she leads us into a vault with safety deposit boxes from floor to ceiling. The manager uses a key to unlock the box but doesn’t open it. “I’ll give you some privacy.”

“Thank you,” I say, not taking my eyes from the box in front of me. It’s one of the smallest in the room, just a thin cubby.

“I’m right here,” Roman whispers, wrapping an arm around me.

My shaking hand pauses right before it touches the handle to open the door. I take a deep breath, preparing myself. When I open the door, I’m confused. There’s a single sheet of paper with nothing else. It isn’t in my father’s writing, but Uncle Santiago’s.

I show Roman the note after I read it. His eyes pop up to meet mine, mirroring my confusion.