“Of course it isn’t your fault.” Lina squeezed her hand. “I’m fine. Just a little tired. I don’t remember…” She trailed off as the events of earlier in the evening came flooding back. “Oh my God,” she whispered. “Oh God.” Her eyes filled with tears, and she rolled over onto her side, turning her face into the pillow.

“Leave us, Megan,” Phil said.

“Why is she crying?”

“Just leave.” His attention was focused solely on Lina. He stripped off his wet shirt before stretching out behind her. “I’m sorry,” he whispered into her hair. “I’m going to make this better.”

She realized he thought she was distraught over the text messages, which she was, but at that moment she was consumed by an overwhelming sadness at the awareness she would no longer be able to have Nick in her life, not if she stayed with Phil. She thought of Phil’s infidelity and her shoulders shook harder, and then she was just crying. Minutes passed before the tears abated, and then she became aware of Phil’s warm body behind her, the hard muscles of his thighs pressing against the back of her legs and the feel of his chest sure and strong against her back.

“You saved me,” she whispered. “If you hadn’t come home and—”

“Shh. That would never happen. I’ll always keep you safe, Lina.”

“How did you know where I was?”

He pressed his lips against the back of her head. “I just did.”

She turned in his arms and looked into his eyes. “I need you, don’t I?” she whispered, trailing her fingers down his cheek.

“Yes,” he said deeply. “We need each other.”

Her eyes drifted over his face, his full lips, his strong jaw, the scar in his eyebrow from the impact of a lacrosse stick at seventeen and the laugh lines that had begun appearing around his eyes a few years earlier. A lump formed in her throat, and a lone tear ran down her cheek. “You hurt me,” she whispered.

“Oh, baby.” He brushed his lips gently over hers. “I love you more than anything in this world.”

“You broke my heart.”

“I know.” He kissed her again. “But I’m going to fix it.”

“How?”

“By loving you,” he began, kissing her softly on the lips, “and cherishing you.” He kissed her again. “And putting your needs before everyone else’s.” He kissed her again. “For the rest of my life.” He kissed her deeply, his tongue stroking against hers as he pushed her back against the mattress and moved his body over hers.

Lina kissed him back, desperately seeking the security she craved. They kissed for minutes as he seemed intent on communicating his love through just one kiss, and then his hand reached for the knot of her robe.