Page 179 of Stolen By the Heartless Duke

He stopped. His throat tightened. “I have never been so afraid.”

Jane’s expression softened. He continued, “Not when Evan disappeared. Not during the search. Not when I thought I might never find my brother.”

He looked at her. “Nothing compared to that moment.”

She swallowed. “Why?”

“Because you are not simply my wife.” He stepped closer. “You are my home.”

The words sounded strange as they left his mouth. Not because they were untrue, but because they were the truest thing he had ever said.

“My entire life, I have believed love was another responsibility.”

Jane’s eyes remained fixed on him, so he continued. “I loved Evan, but even that love came with fear. Fear that I would fail him. Fear that I would not protect him. Fear that I would not be enough.”

He took a slow breath. “And when we spoke about children... I was afraid because I knew what it meant to love someone completely. I knew what it was like to build your entire life around protecting someone. I knew what it felt like to believe that if you failed, everything would fall apart.”

Jane stepped closer. “Hector...”

“But when I thought I might lose you tonight, none of those fears mattered.” His voice lowered. “Not the title. Not the future. Not the uncertainty.”

Only her.

That was the truth.

“Only you.”

Jane’s eyes filled.

Hector reached for her hand. “I spent so much of my life trying to avoid pain that I forgot avoiding love meant avoiding everything good that came with it.”

A tear slipped down her cheek.

“I want a future with you.” His thumb brushed gently over her fingers. “All of it. The fear. The uncertainty. The family.”

Her breath caught. “Even children?”

“Even that.” He nodded. “I cannot promise I will never be afraid. But I can promise I do not want fear making my choices anymore.”

Jane covered her mouth as another tear fell. “I thought...” She laughed softly through her tears. “I thought you married me because it was convenient.”

The pain in her voice made his chest ache. “Jane.”

“No, I know you care. I knew that. But I thought perhaps...” She shook her head. “I thought perhaps I was simply the safest choice.”

Hector stepped closer. “You were never the safest choice. You were the impossible one.”

A small laugh escaped her. “That sounds like an insult.”

“It is not.” His eyes held hers. “You challenged me. You frustrated me. You made me feel things I had spent years avoiding. And somehow, despite all of that, you made me want more.”

“I love you,” Jane said.

The words were quiet. Simple. But they struck him harder than anything else had tonight. He stared at her.

Then slowly, he smiled. “I love you, too.”

For once, saying it did not feel like a risk. It felt like coming home. Jane stepped into him, and he wrapped his arms around her. The kiss that followed was not desperate. It was relief. It was trust. It was two people finally admitting what they had both known for far too long.