The essence of Marjorie wends its way to the front of the store, but I don’t care. I ignore her disapproval completely. I have to ignore it to survive, because my throat has gone tight and my eyes are damp with tears. “I hate it.” I mean to keep my voice even, but I fail. “It’s a good purchase if you like heavily scented soaps, but I didn’t—” Roman takes another step closer. “I didn’t like the film it left on my skin. There are others—” I can’t help breathing him in. I simply can’t help it. He smells so good, so fresh, so manly. My fingers ache to dig into his skin. My body aches to be his again.

He’s six inches away. Half a step, if that. It hurts not to touch him.

“There are others in the store you might like better.” I force the words out in a rush. “But don’t buy this one. Whatever you do.” I swallow hard. “That’s the whole truth.”

“The whole truth?” He tosses the bar of soap to a nearby table and reaches up to cup my chin. “Well, Jenny, here’s my whole truth. Every day that you’ve been gone has been a terrible day.” A sob escapes my lips. “Every day that you’ve been gone, I’ve cared less about a stupid photo and more about throwing away a chance at the love of my life.”

“The love of your life?” My lips are shaking, unsteady. “Don’t bullshit me, Roman.” I briefly leave my body at how romantic this is, then slam back in when he brushes his fingertips over my arm. “I’d deserve it if you took revenge, but I don’t think my heart could take it.”

“You want the whole truth?”

His face, this close to mine, is everything. I don’t care that we’re in Little Soap Kitchen and that Marjorie will probably fly off the handle. I don’t care about anything at all, except his hand on my skin, his eyes on mine. “Yes. The whole thing.”

“I love you. And I don’t care if it’s stupid. And I don’t care if you spent the last decade researching who you wanted to become. You were always that person on the inside. The outside is just window dressing. It’s fucking gorgeous window dressing, but it’s you I want. No matter what.” I gasp in a breath. “I love you, in case you didn’t hear me the first time.”

“Do you want the whole truth?”

He laughs, and if I could, I’d bottle up that sound and sell it for an insane price. It’s pure joy. “I think I’ve made that clear.”