"That was so passionate of you, Mrs. Thorne," Maeve slowly turned around and immediately felt mortified after seeing the faces of older men gathered behind her.
Some were looking somewhere else, obviously avoiding her eyes to give her face, however the old man at the center was smiling widely at her.
She immediately felt her cheeks burning up from the embarrassment.
How can she blurt it out just like that?!
She cleared her throat and tried her best to muster her usual blank expression. The best she can do for now was to act like nothing happened.
"I'll talk to you later," she said without looking back at September who was now suppressing a smile.
"Stay," Maeve halted as she was about to took a step out of his office.
She turned around to face him and awarded him with a sharp glare but September, being the mean guy that he was, just sheepishly smirked at her before turning his attention to the group of men watching their interaction with amusement dancing on their faces.
"Mr. Quintaña, would you mind if we set this schedule for tomorrow? My wife and I had something important to talk about," September gaze back at his wife who was still glaring at him.
"Sure, son. We'll be back tomorrow, I'll let the secretaries work on the schedule." Mr. Quintaña nodded before turning back his gaze at the young lady who was silently waiting at the sides.
"Looking forward to see more of this, Mrs. Thorne. Keep up the good work!" The old man said and even imposed a thumbs up with a playful grin on his face before he turned around to leave, the other man immediately following him.
She closed her eyes tightly and covered her face with both of her hands.
Oh my God!
Talk about embarrassment!
"Close the door," she took a deep breath before she took her hands away from her face and once again glared back at her husband.
"What? I didn't know Mr. Quintaña would be coming. And I really didn't expect you to barge in and confess like that," he defended himself but the smile on his face never vanished.
He rested his back on his swivel chair and asked her to closed the door once again. She stared at him for a while longer before she walked up to the door and closed it just like he ordered.
"Come here..."
Maeve shooked her head and remained standing in front of his desk.
"Come here, hon," September called out in a softer voice.
He sighed when his wife didn't even move a bit. He stood up from his chair and walked up to her, his hands inside his pockets.
He stopped when she was only a few steps away from him. They stared at each other for awhile before September took out one of his hands to put her stubborn hairs behind her ears.
"Can you say that again?" He asked gently.
Maeve remained silent and just like a child sulking, she was looking down and not meeting his eyes. September sighed once again, and using his pointing finger, he held her jaw and made her looked at him. But to his amusement, her eyes immediately went somewhere else, not meeting his.
"You're actually being shy now?" He asked playfully.
"Shut up." Maeve hissed without looking at him.
He chuckled and took a step closer to her. His arms snaked around her waist and he immediately pulled her closer, closing all the gaps between them.
Maeve was left with no choice but to stare at his eyes with the distance they have. She saw love and happiness in his eyes. She didn't even know how she was able to name those emotions. But she was sure it was what it was.
If there's one thing in this world she can't doubt, it would surely be September's love for her.
It was clearer than any picture. September's love for her was pure. It was drowning and now, she was willing to drown with him.
"I love you," she immediately saw September's eyes wavered after hearing her say it once again.
"Can I hear it once more? I keep on thinking that I was just hallucinating---" his words halted when Maeve held both of his cheeks and smiled at him sweetly.
"I love you. I love you. I love you." She said and she keeps on repeating those three magical words until a smile broke into her husband's handsome face.
She watched how his eyes glowed brightly while he was staring at her face lovingly.
She couldn't understand what makes her special. What made this man love her to this extent? What he sees in her that made him look at her this way.
Just a few months ago, she wouldn't ever dare thinking of having a husband and building her own family at that matter. She wouldn't even have thought about marrying!
But here she was, in the arms of a man who loved her so dearly. She finally found someone she can call her home.
When she was younger, her mom told her that someday, she'll meet someone who can give her a home. She laughed at that. Thinking that what her mom was talking about was a house.
She thought she can just buy one for herself, no need to pass the burden of providing for herself.
But with September, she realized that a house was indeed different from a home.
September was now her home. He was now her refuge. She can't recall how she was able to live her life alone before he came barging into her life.
"I love you," she whispered once more before she leaned towards him and closed the small gap between them.
The kiss was sweet.
It stated all the words left unsaid. Things that goes beyond those 'I love yous'.
September's hand moved to her nape as he tries to deepened the kiss.
"I love you, Maeve. I love you so much." He whispered in between kisses.