He nodded against her head.“I know.Humour me.”
“I knew you would come after me,” she whispered.“I just needed to stall Johann long enough.I don’t think even he had decided what he was going to do after I signed the contract.”
He rubbed her back and shuddered at the memory of the butcher’s knife.“I’m glad we didn’t find out.”
“I can’t believe you got to me so quickly,” she said.
“There weren’t many options.Rhys found the development, and we figured that’s where he would have gone.”He pulled her over to the sofa.
Before sitting, she hesitated.“Can we talk?”
His muscles tightened, and he nodded.“Of course.”
“I’ve been thinking.”She let go of his hand and walked to the window, looking at the garden.
Part of him screamed to distract her, to stop her from saying whatever she wanted to say, because it didn’t sound great.He stepped forward, and she turned with a shy smile on her face.
He kept his mouth closed and waited.
“The money from the company is more than enough to see me through the first year at Lilydale.”
Ethan’s breath caught in his throat, but he didn’t dare move as hope blossomed.
“I love it here.It’s the only place that ever felt like home.”
He managed to nod.
“I’m going to stay here and build a business and a home.”She stepped towards him.“If you’re still interested, I’d like to do it with you.”
His muscles unfroze, and he swept her into his arms, relief and happiness making him dizzy.“Yes.”
She laughed and the sound filled his heart.
“I love you, Ethan.”
“I love you too, Chelsea.”He kissed her, tasting the sweetness of her lips, capturing this moment in his memory.
When they broke apart, she was trying to be stern and it looked so cute that he bent to kiss her again.She held up a hand to ward him off.
“But I have one condition.”
“Anything.”
She frowned.“You shouldn’t promise before you know what it is.”
“I’ll do anything if it means I get to spend the rest of my life with you.”
Her frowned morphed into a smile.“No more doing things for my own good without discussing them with me first.”Her gaze hit him and he couldn’t look away.“I might not agree with you, but that’s my prerogative.I want to be fully informed.”
He sighed.“OK.I’m sorry, it’s part of wanting to protect you.”
“Being informed is a type of protection.”
She was right.“Yeah.I can’t guarantee I’ll always be able to tell you about work, though.In the army it was classified and depending on how Dobby sets up his new security firm, some of that might be classified too.”
“All right.”A mischievous look crossed her face.“So, how does marrying me in a spring wedding in the gardens of Lilydale sound?”
His heart felt like it would burst.“It sounds like a dream come true.”
