“All sorts of things.”
It’s my turn to wrinkle my nose, even as his thumb strokes over the back of my hand. “Erika said that Vigo,” I whisper the name, so Emma doesn’t hear, “was here and he trashed the place.”
“He was. But don’t worry, I’ve got Vigo under control.”
I look at him, my eyes wide. “Rush. You look like…” I don’t want to question him on whether he or Vigo won the fight but…
“Killian did this,” he says with a smile. “He was very angry when I fired you.”
I gasp, both appalled and relieved. “You don’t mean it.”
“He’s very serious about your and Emma’s safety, I can assure you.” He pulls me closer, wrapping an arm around my body. “And I will be fine in a few days. I’ve got five brothers. We might be men now, but sometimes we still resort to fighting out our problems.”
I make this noise in the back of my throat. “I don’t like that I caused this. I deserved to be fired. I…”
“We find all sorts of reasons to punch each other, Gigi. It’s a thing you might need to get used to. I do promise you that notone of my brothers would ever hurt a woman or a child. On that, we are of one mind.”
“I know that. Trust me. But…um…what do you mean, I’m going to have to get used to it?” The blood rushes in my ears as I watch his face, looking for clues.
“I thought this was serious.” His face doesn’t even twitch, giving no indication of how he’s feeling.
“You fired me. I thought…”
“I’ve got a new position in mind for you,” he says as he turns his head to meet my gaze. “Wife.”
My mouth falls open. I rushed into one marriage. It’s what got me here.
He must understand, because he shifts his gaze, looking down at Emma. “Take all the time you need to answer.”
“Rush, it’s just that…” I swallow down a lump. “The way I feel about you is completely different than any other man?—”
“How do you feel about me?”
“I love you,” I whisper softly.
He looks back at me then. “I love you, too.”
I lean close again, lightly pressing my mouth to his. “If I say yes, could we have a long engagement? Really get to know each other?”
He gives me a wide smile. “So you’d wear my ring, but we’d wait to get married? I could live with that.”
“Good.” I don’t want to rush into the marriage part, but I wouldn’t mind knowing that I’m safe in a future with a man who feels like my home.
“One caveat,” he lifts a finger. “If you become pregnant, our baby will not be born out of wedlock.”
“Deal,” I whisper, snuggling down into his side. Because this is so different from my past and this moment has felt so…right.
No secrets. No fear. Just love.
“Is that chicken I smell?” He looks over at the table. “Is that your untouched dinner on the table?”
“Feeding me again?”
“You know it. I like my woman soft.” And he pushes up. “Can I have some too? I’m famished.”
I get up, clearing Emma’s plate and fixing one for Rush. It’s this quiet moment that just feels so…right.
CHAPTER THIRTY
