I catch her easily, holding her as tight as I dare without crushing her.
"You’re a bloody miracle," I whisper into her hair."And you’re mine, if you’ll still have me."
She leans back just enough to look at me, her smile a blinding thing even through tears.
"I love you," she says, laughing through her sobs."God help me, Callum Abernathy, I love you so much it hurts."
"Good," I murmur, grinning like an absolute fool."Because you’re stuck with me."
And then she's kissing me—wild, hungry, reckless—and the watching world can bloody well go hang, because nothing else matters but the feel of her mouth on mine, the way she fits against me like she was made to be there.
When we finally break apart, breathless and grinning like lunatics, I wipe the tears from her cheeks with my thumbs.
"I've got a lifetime of making this up to you," I vow."Starting today."
From somewhere inside the house, I hear Dr.Finnegan bellow: "Nadine says get inside before you scandalize the neighborhood!There's coffee and nazook!"
Just the mention of the Armenian pastry has my mouth watering.I glance down at Karina who snorts, hiding her face in my chest.
“God, welcome to the madhouse,” she mutters, the words muffled against my shirt.
"Wouldn't have it any other way," I murmur into her hair."I didn’t just fall in love with you, Karina.I fell for the whole damn circus."
"And you still want in?"she teases, tilting her head up to meet my eyes.
"Forever," I promise, sealing it with another kiss, the cheers of the nosy neighborhood kids echoing around us.
And for once in my life, I don't give a damn who’s watching.
Because for the first time, I have everything that matters.
And I’m never letting her go.
From the street, a child's voice calls out: "Awesome!Wait till I show my mom I got the Kilted Casanova's autograph AND saw him kissing the hashtag lady!"
"Hashtag lady," Karina repeats against my lips."Is that going to be on my business cards now?"
"Only if you want it to be," I reply."Speaking of which, there's an opening for Marketing Director at Abernathy Corp.I hear the CEO's a bit difficult, but the benefits are excellent."
"I don't know," she teases."I've received a very compelling offer from Ariana Reeves."
"I'll double it."
"It's not about the money."
"Then what would convince you?"
She pretends to consider, eyes dancing."Well, I have heard the CEO looks magnificent in a kilt..."
I groan, but there's no real dismay behind it—only the lightness of finally, finally being exactly where I'm meant to be.
"For you," I tell her, "I might consider it.But only for very special occasions."
"Deal," she says, sealing it with another kiss—this one witnessed by her mother, Dr.Finnegan, and what appears to be half the neighborhood, all documenting what will undoubtedly become the next viral moment in our unexpectedly public love story.
And for once, I don't mind at all.
31
