For a second she felt panic that he was leaving her, then told herself not to be foolish.
“I could help you.”
“Your Dad’s going to take you home and sit with you until I get there, because you need to sleep, and I won’t be able to think if you’re near. So you go on and get some rest.”
“Don’t be long.”
“I won’t I promise.”
He kissed her, right there in front of everyone again, and the smiles on her friends’ and family’s faces told Katie they were happy, just like her.
After a long showershe ate the food her father cooked and took the pills her mother had given him. She must have slept, because when she heard Cubby arrive it was dark. She heard the rumble of her father’s voice and then his car starting. Switching on the light, she got out of bed to go to Cubby.
“What are you doing out of bed?” He appeared in the doorway and reached her in two strides.
“I heard your voice.”
He picked her up and lowered her back on to the bed.
“The paperwork took a while, then I had to check in on mom and take a shower.”
She watched as he stripped off his clothes and climbed in beside her. Lifting her onto his lap he settled back on the pillows and Katie rested on his chest.
“You feeling okay, Princess? You need me to get you anything?”
“I’m good now you’re here.”
“Marry me, Katie McBride, and never let me go a day without doing this,” he said, holding her close.
“Marriage terrifies you.”
“Being without you terrifies me more.”
“All right, if you insist, I’ll marry you.”
“Yeah?” He smiled down at her as she looked up at him.
“Yeah. After all, you were the one I created all those fake weddings around when I was a kid.”
“It’s fate then; I just took a while to catch on.”
“I guess you did.”
“I love you, princess, and as I’ve never loved a woman before, I should warn you it will be fierce and no holds barred.”
“Just the way I like it,” Katie said against his lips.
Chapter Nineteen
Cubby found Katie in the water when he drove up to the houseboat, three weeks after the Hot Foot race. He usually found her that way, floating about in a bikini that showed vast amounts of her lovely flesh.
When he was on board, he stripped down to his boxers and dived in. She was waiting for him when he swam to her side, and wrapped her lovely legs around his waist as she kissed him, a long familiar kiss that he’d never tire of and had become addicted to.
“E.J. called today to tell me they’d arrested the Alessi brothers and that they would be going down for years,” she said when they’d come up for air.
“That makes me happy,” he nibbled her neck.
“Me too.”
