“You did?” She shifted, turning to face him, one hand still gripping the railing, as if that would support her through whatever happened next.

“A Chicago talk show mentioned some panel you would be appearing on. I had the time and place and everything.” He ran a hand through his hair. “This will probably sound creepy—at best cheesy—but I took it as a sign.”

“I keep telling myself I don’t believe in signs,” she said, “but I might have to change my stance on that. And I’ve discovered I like cheesy.” She cocked her head, watching him curiously. “If you knew I was at the panel, why didn’t you come find me there?”

“I considered it,” he admitted. “Thought about bursting through the crowd with an epic apology.”

“Like Hugh Grant?”

“Exactly.” A shy smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. “But I didn’t want to jeopardize my chance to speak to you with another attempt at a grand gesture.” He exhaled, breath shaky. “I’m afraid I’m going to screw this up,” he admitted. “Or screw it up again. I already screwed things up by not being honest with you from the start.”

“I wasn’t honest with you, either,” Julia reminded him. “I kept coming up with excuses not to tell you. Made lists of reasons for why it was okay to keep who I really was hidden. But it wasn’t okay.” She leaned closer. “It was wrong, and I’m sorry.”

“I’m sorry, too. Sorry for everything. I shouldn’t have tried to win you over with something showy.” His shoulders lifted and dropped. “The thing is,” he continued, “I will likely screw up again. No…” His smile turned tight and self-deprecating. “I will definitely screw up again. I will mess up and be imperfect.” He reached for her hand. “But I’m hoping it is an imperfect you can accept.” He pressed a kiss to her knuckles. “An imperfect that is perfect for you.”

“Luke,” Julia said hoarsely. His honesty had completely disarmed her, stripped her of her planned defenses.

“The last time we saw each other, you told me you didn’t want to hear what I had to say,” he blurted, meeting her gaze.

“I remember.”

“This time I want you to know I’m serious.”

“Serious about what?” Julia’s heart hammered, every muscle tense as she braced herself. At the hotel, she’d refused to hear what he had to say because she wanted to keep her heart closed to him. Now she was afraid to let him back in. But as she looked at him, Julia realized that Luke was already in her heart and had been since that first collision on the beach.

Still holding her hand, he dropped to one knee. He placed his other hand on top of their joined fingers and looked up at her. “Do you think you could tolerate being with someone like me?”