“Baby, I, uh . . .” My heart began beating triple time. The words were on the tip of my tongue but wouldn’t come out.

“What is it? What’s wrong?” Concerned, Dominic wrapped his hand around mine and squeezed.

“I just want you to know how thankful I am for having you in my life. And I want you to know how much I love you.” My voice cracked. I sat there gazing into his eyes, waiting for a reaction. The nervousness bubbled inside me, and if he didn’t say something soon, I was either going to laugh or cry. I was betting on crying.

I wasn’t sure if I was sharing my feelings with Dominic too soon or not, but it made me feel like an emotional mess. I tended to feel everything so fiercely; it didn’t matter the emotion, I wore my feelings on my sleeve for all to see and I’d release each one in an outburst. And then, after the outburst, I would wonder if I had overreacted because I had never been able to judge for myself. I felt an overwhelming love for Dominic, and I needed him to know. He was always so giving of himself that I wanted to give him something of me in return.

His hands cradled my face, and he looked deep into my eyes. Never had I spoken words so sincere, and he saw that.

“I love you, too. So very much.” I felt the vibration of those loving words pitter-patter against my mouth. His eyes were closed tight when his lips touched mine once again. “Thank you,” he cried, his voice cracking.

His hands went to my shoulders, and he pulled me close to him, wrapping me in an embrace. I buried my face in his chest and slid my arms around his back. Dominic crashed his lips to mine and kissed me with all he had. His hands wrapped around my head, cradling my skull as if he was afraid I would back away. I would never have considered it, so I matched his passion and then doubled it. I wrapped my hands around his shoulders, pulling him closer to me.