She slowly released Kelsi and surprised Dylan by pulling him into a tight hug too. “Thank you,” she breathed against his shoulder.
His throat worked hard to let air into his lungs. All he could do was give her a nod in acknowledgment when she stepped away from him.
His mom walked out of the house next and the whole process was repeated. By the time they were done, each of them was teary-eyed.
Dylan and Kelsi spent the rest of the evening in each other’s arms, telling their moms what had happened. They cried again hearing about Kelsi’s abduction and how McGuinness had hurt her, seethed when they heard his confession, clasped each other’s hands tightly when Dylan explained how he had worked with their friends to find her. By the time they’d finished recounting everything, Dylan’s body ached with exhaustion. Their moms gave them another round of teary hugs, before Kelsi finally exclaimed that she was enacting a tear ban and everyone had to be happy from that moment on.
As Dylan held Kelsi close in his arms, not at all trying to conceal from their nosy moms that their relationship had finally taken a turn, he was in awe. In awe of the girl who’d stolen his heart years before and never given it back. She was so strong, and resilient, and stubborn,so damn stubborn, and she was his.
He pretended to ignore their moms flashing each other smug grins as he bent down and gave Kelsi a light kiss on her forehead. She gave him a shy grin in return, cheeks flushing in embarrassment over a display of affection in front of their moms. He didn’t care about that. Let them see that she was his heart.
When the oven timer went off, Karen ran into the kitchen to grab their dinner from the oven. Lasagna, of course. They wouldn’t have anything else.
* * *
“I am so so sorry, Kelsi. This is all my fault.” Banksy had tears in her eyes as she looked at the two of them in her office a few days later.
But, as Dylan expected, Kelsi wouldn’t hear a word of it. “No. This was not your fault. This is McGuinness’s fault. The only thing you did was your job, and that is nothing to be ashamed of or feel guilty over.”
Banksy, whom Dylan had only ever seen act cool and collected, sniffed as tears spilled from her eyes. Kelsi got up from her chair and walked around the desk to wrap Banksy in her arms, meeting Dylan’s eyes over her head. He understood how Banksy felt. After all, he should have been there for Kelsi when she was kidnapped. He lived with the guilt of letting her get taken too.
Kelsi’s eyes narrowed at him, as though she could read those thoughts in his brain, and she shook her head. He looked away, unable to bear the guilt that weighed his shoulders down, and the fear he still felt over what could have happened. The dark possibilities were in an endless loop in his brain.
“Okay, that’s enough. Both of you.” Kelsi’s voice was firm and held no room for argument as she scolded them. Dylan looked over and saw her standing there, hands on her hips, in a posture that said she was not budging. “I am fine. Okay? It’s no use worrying about things that could have happened. Let’s just be glad we’re all okay and get back to work, yeah?”
Dylan and Banksy blinked at her for a few moments before nodding. She relaxed slightly, letting her hands fall from her hips as she moved over to Dylan’s side. “I do think we could maybe use a few days off, though, if that’s okay.” Kelsi grabbed Dylan’s hand and tugged lightly, indicating she wanted him to stand with her.
He complied, keeping a firm grasp on her.
Banksy’s eyes widened slightly when she noticed their clasped hands, and she smiled through her tears. “Absolutely. Take all the time you need.”
CHAPTER 51
Kelsi
6 Months Later
“Where are youtaking me?” Kelsi asked, laughing slightly as Dylan’s hands guided her forward while a blindfold was fastened tightly over her eyes. She groaned as her shin hit a stair, and he swore under his breath.
“Sorry, Red. Crap, I’m bad at this. Okay, there are six steps in front of you. Take it slow, but if you fall I’ll catch you.”
She snorted and crooned, “My hero.”
As he led her, she allowed her mind to wander and catch on what had happened in the span of a few short months. With McGuinness gone, their workloads had settled. Sheridan accepted the deal Tom offered and pleaded guilty, accepting the minimum sentence for all his crimes. He would still be in jail for a long time.
Turns out, his wife didn’t know about any of it—other than the gambling—and very quickly filed for divorce when she found out the extent of his issues.
Kelsi and Dylan dove headfirst into their relationship together without a stalker looming over their shoulders, andwith the truth between them now, they’d been steady. It was the happiest six months Kelsi could ever remember.
Together, they made it up the stairs and he ushered her over a threshold. He undid the knot of the blindfold, and it fell away from her face, revealing his home. Pembrooke.
Her heart thundered loudly in her ears, and she was sure he could hear it. She was stunned. “You finished it. This ...this is exactly how I would’ve decorated it. I think I have these paint colors and that exact couch on my Pinterest board.”
She studied him, hardly daring to breathe. He’d stayed at her house almost every night since the trial. Dylan had told her that his house wasn’t done, and he had special additions he wanted to make before showing her again.
“I looked at your boards,” he confessed, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly with pink cheeks. “I wanted this all to be perfect for you.”
Her heart stopped, then resumed beating double time.
