"Let me do all the talking, okay?" Daniel took a deep breath, and then began. "Let me preface all this by saying I'm an emotional fuckwit."
Sophie bit back a smile at his honesty, which Daniel noticed, which made him smile slightly.
"It's true."
Sophie nodded, but said nothing.
"My cousin Cassie, who, by the way, still wants to meet you and apologize for the misunderstanding last night, also agrees with me. But she told me some things that helped me sort out all of this in my mind."
Daniel took another breath, and then kept going, his words suddenly tumbling out of him, unable to be contained anymore.
"I care about you more than I ever thought I would care about anyone," Daniel said, his eyes searching hers, needing to see them to be brave. "What I feel for you is much stronger than what I felt for… her… all those years we were together. This is all incredibly new to me. I miss you when you aren't around, I miss the sound of your voice, the touch of your skin, the way you laugh with abandon. I miss all of that when you aren't around."
Sophie blushed, but Daniel continued.
"I love that you are scared of mice and spiders. I love that you tell me off when I'm being a prat. I love that you didn't know how to use the Aga or drive a car but came here anyway. But now you do – I also love how much you've grown since you've been here. And you've helped me grow too. I think you are so incredibly brave for coming here alone, and even more brave for taking on an emotional fuckwit like me head on, and for not taking any of my shit."
Sophie's eyes began to fill with tears, but Daniel soldiered on.
"I can't seem to be without you, but for some reason, I seem to be stumbling all over my emotions," Daniel admitted with a hang dog look. "I know what I feel, but I can't seem to quantify my heart and my head. My heart knows how it feels, but my head keeps arguing that I have no concept of these sorts of feelings."
Sophie bit her lip, listening intently.
"Soph, when I saw Peter try and grab you, when I saw him try to possess you, to try and take you away from all this, away from me, something… snapped. Something snapped into place for me, and I realized you were IT. You were it for me, and I could barely restrain myself from breaking his neck to keep you safe. I want to protect you, I want to care for you, I want YOU for the rest of my life."
Sophie swallowed hard, but continued to remain silent, per Daniel's request.
"I know it's taken me too long to come around to getting this square in my mind, and now I know I've lost you, but I still wanted to say it. I… I had to say it," Daniel said, his voice breaking slightly. "I can't help being with you, but I'm scared to say it out loud. Why is that? Why can't I just tell you I love you?"
Sophie's eyes widened, and her jaw dropped slightly.
"Because I do, Sophie Roberts," Daniel said, finally looking up, his fiery blue eyes meeting her green ones squarely. "I love you with all that I have."
Sophie nodded, her eyes swimming with tears. "Can I say something?" she whispered as they looked at each other.
Daniel nodded and gave her a small, shy smile. "I wish you would."
"I love you too," she whispered, and Daniel's face broke into the widest, happiest smile she'd ever seen.
"You love me?" he repeated just to make sure.
"And you love me?"
"Yes," the both answered in unison, laughing together.
Sophie unwound her legs from beneath her and stood for a brief moment before collapsing into Daniel's lap, her arms immediately winding around his neck. He pulled her close, shutting his eyes and breathing in her scent, feeling her body against his. Opening his eyes again, he tugged down her face until she was inches away, tangled his hands in that fiery hair of hers and then kissed her.
The most tender, emotional kiss of Sophie's life.
Neither of them even noticed the tears she cried as they sat, cradled together in the sunlight. "Promise me you won't let go," Sophie whispered, pressing her forehead against his.
"I'll never let go," Daniel promised, his arms tightening around her. "I'll never let go."
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