“Have I ever told you before that you talk too much?” Roan asked, the corner of his mouth turning up into a smile as he leaned down and cupped her cheek with his hand before pressing his lips to hers.
The tavern erupted into cheers, and Abigail sighed with relief as she returned his kiss, throwing her arms around his neck and holding him tight.
“You might have mentioned it once or twice,” she said, fighting back tears. Beastie, sensing a celebration, jumped up on the two of them, resting her large paws on Roan’s arm.
“Beastie knows,” Roan said. “I love you, too, and I hope the three of us can be together for the rest of our lives.”
“I would love nothing more,” she whispered, dangerously close to tears as Roan shook Beastie off.
“I’m sorry that I doubted you for even a moment.” He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer, using his other hand to tuck her hair behind her ear. “I should have known you would never be part of that. Especially after what you told me about your childhood, I should have known better. For him to claim you as hisdaughter when he appeared surprised me so much that I couldn’t think straight.”
“But you still stepped between us,” Abigail pointed out, resting her hand on his chest and smiling up at him.
“I would have, too,” Tanner shouted before several voices told him to hush.
Abigail laughed and rested her head on Roan’s chest, hoping to hide her blush from the men in the tavern. “I don’t suppose you want to take this to your office?” she asked quietly.
“That sounds like a grand idea,” Roan said, and she didn’t have to look up to see the glare he was directing at the men. “Conrad’s in charge.”
He leaned down and scooped her up in his arms to a cacophony of cheers. Abigail laughed, sure that her face was as pink as his grandmother’s dress as he kicked the door open and walked down the hallway to his office.
“You didn’t have to carry me,” she teased.
“I wanted to,” he said as he nudged the door shut behind them and set her down, backing her up against it.
Any other man, and she would have been intimidated.
Even a week ago, this would have been too much, but now she felt nothing but happiness as he leaned against thedoorway on one forearm and ran his fingers through her hair.
She felt safe.
“You saved me,” he said. “If you hadn’t been here, I never would have found someone that I could care for more than a tavern. None of those idiots in there would have been enough.”
Abigail snorted. “You mean you wouldn’t have fallen in love with Tanner?”
Roan rolled his eyes. “Tanner needs to grow up,” he muttered. “The boy is going to drive me to insanity if he doesn’t.”
“I don’t suppose anyone else would have helped you clean the tavern,” Abigail said, pretending to think hard.
“As if that’s the only reason I fell in love with you,” Roan muttered.
Her eyes filled with tears again. “You love me.”
Roan smiled as he leaned down. “I do. I love you very much. And I intend to spend the rest of our lives making sure you don’t forget it.”
He leaned down, and she pressed up on her tiptoes to kiss him once again, and the whole world disappeared until it was just the two of them.
Was this really happening?
“You know what?” she asked.
Roan raised an eyebrow.
“I think my father cursing you might be the best thing that ever happened to me.”
Roan let out a harsh laugh. “If you had told me that a week ago, I would have laughed at you.”
“You just did,” she pointed out.
