“I should have never left you alone with him.” Guilt and regret weighed down Lane’s voice. “If I hadn’t left to grab my phone, none of this would have happened.”
Needing him to really hear her, she shifted to stand in front of him and fisted the neck of his shirt in her hands. “He would have found another way. He was scared and desperate and way more of an asshole than I realized. Now he’ll never hurt me again, and the FBI got their hands on the people behind the gambling ring that Kevin got involved with. We can put this whole mess behind us.”
The side of Lane’s mouth hitched up.
“Sometimes bad things happen that we can’t control. But you stepped up and you showed me you’d do anything to get me back. And I don’t just mean getting me away from Kevin.”
“I know it’ll take time for you to completely trust me.”
She placed a finger on his lips. “I do trust you. With my life. With Parker. With the future that’s waiting for us. I love you, Lane. I always have and I always will.”
Lane dipped his head down to rest his forehead on hers. “I don’t deserve you.”
“That’s where you’re wrong—where you’ve always been wrong. You deserve the world, and I’ll remind you of that every day if I have to.”
Settling his hands on her hips, he grinned. “I can think of a lot better things to do every day. When you’re up for it.”
She kissed his lips and smiled, happiness filling her to the brim. “I can’t wait. We’re in for one hell of a ride.”
Three days later,Lane woke to sun streaming into the bedroom. Groaning, he rolled over and caught Celine around the waist, nestling her against him.
The heat of her body sparked his system to life faster than the world’s strongest cup of coffee.
A soft moan escaped her lips, and she snuggled closer.
“Keep moving like that and we’ll have a great morning,” he whispered in her ear. His body craved her—hell, it always had. But he hadn’t wanted to hurt her since her ordeal and kept his hands to himself.
That might change this morning.
“That sounds nice,” she said, turning to face him.
He grinned. “I like waking up to you.”
She smiled back, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes.
“What’s wrong?” Frowning, he slipped a strand of hair behind her ear. Even without a stitch of makeup she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever laid eyes on.
“I agreed to stay here because I was in danger. Then I stayed longer because I was too sore and needed help with Parker. Now that I feel better…”
Her admission hit him like a punch in the gut. “Do you not want to be here?”
“I don’t want to overstay my welcome.” She dropped her gaze, refusing to meet his eye. She rubbed the soft material of the blanket between her fingers.
He tipped up her chin, forcing her to look at him. “That’s not possible, but if you aren’t comfortable here, I don’t want to make you feel like you can’t go home. I love you, and I love having youand Parker here full time, but if you need to take this slow…need to take a step back…I’ll understand.”
“Iamcomfortable here. With you. I can’t imagine waking up without you next to me or not having a partner to help me when Parker’s up at night and refusing to go back to sleep. It hasn’t even been a week, and I can’t remember the way life was before. I don’t want to remember. Don’t want to go back there.”
The tension in his shoulders dissipated. “Then will you move in here with me? Permanently?”
A mixture of fear and excitement clashed on the lines of her face. “Are you ready for that? Truly ready for the kind of commitment?”
“I’ve spent my whole life figuring out where I belong only to realize it was always here with you,” he said, brushing the pad of his thumb across her cheek. “I’m ready, Celine. For you, for Parker, for whatever life throws our way. I want you to pack your things and help me turn this cold, heartless place into our home. Because youarethe heart. You are the purpose. And I want to be around for every second of our son’s childhood. I want to share in those memories with you as our family grows.”
She nibbled her bottom lip and waited a few beats before she said, “Can we still get that dog?”
He let out a hoot of laughter. “Honey, we can fill that barn up with whatever the hell you want, as long as you’re here with me take care of them.”
She grinned. “Deal. Now can you do me one more favor?”
