His brows lowered. “I don’t understand.” He’d done all of this to change everything.
“That money is enough for a down payment on Aunt Betty’s house, but I know she met with someone to sell it. And even if I somehow was able to convince Aunt Betty to let me have it instead, you’re leaving soon. You’ve made me fall in love with you and you’re leaving.” Her words came quickly through her sobs and Logan wasn’t sure that he’d heard her correctly.
His heart skipped a beat. “What did you say?”
Tears streamed down her cheeks. “I said you’re leaving.”
“No.” Logan took a step toward her. “Before that.”
Erin closed her eyes and shook her head. She winced as she said, “I love you.”
She loved him?There were still so many things they needed to sort out, but he couldn’t even think about all that when Erin, the woman he’d loved for so long, finally felt the same way. He took a step forward. “I love you too.”
“Please.” Her eyes pleaded with him. “Please don’t say you love me when you’re leaving. It hurts too much. I don’t think I can take it.”
“I’m not leaving.”
Erin’s eyes, still glistening with tears, went wide. “What?”
He took another step toward Erin. His fingers itched to touch her cheek. He certainly was close enough to, but he kept his hands at his sides as he hurried to explain. “I took the job at the Chamber. I’ve been doing new-employee paperwork and learning the ropes with Ellis when I’m not working on the house.”
Her brows lowered. “What about your job in Florida?”
He shrugged. “I love you. I love Samantha and Parker. I realized I couldn’t leave.”
She took a shaky breath. “And the house? I bumped into Ms. Reynolds the day I went looking for a job. I heard you and Aunt Betty talking about her.”
“Aunt Betty was meeting with Ms. Reynolds to put me on the deed.” When Erin’s mouth popped open, Logan hurried to explain. “Just in case something happened. You can live there for as long as you want. You can buy it with the money you earned tonight.Whatever you want. She was just worried about what would happen in the unexpected event of her passing. She didn’t want you to be homeless. No one is kicking you out. I’m going to stay in the guesthouse.”
Erin’s face flickered quickly through different expressions. He was sure everything he’d just said was very overwhelming, and he wished, not for the first time, that he’d had a chance to ease her into all of this.
Logan raked his fingers through his hair. “I’m sorry to put all of this on you all at once.” “It’s a lot.” She reached out and touched his arms, pulling them from his hair and bringing them to his sides. “You’re really staying?”
Logan lifted his arms and cupped Erin’s face in his hands. “I’m not going anywhere.”
She bit her lip. “You promise?”
He held her gaze, hoping to convey the earnestness in his answer. “I promise.”
“Good,” she said, her cheeks turning pink. “That means I can do this.”
Logan opened his mouth to ask what she met, but before he could, Erin lifted up on her toes and pressed her lips against his. Logan lowered his arms and wrapped them around her back to pull her closer.
This moment was something he’d never imagined happening beyond his dreams. There were years of pent-up feelings that Logan hoped to express without words. As he deepened their kiss, he told Erin how much he loved her. How he’d made his fair share ofmistakes, but he was done running. Logan wouldn’t break his promise. Now that he was given a second chance, he was never leaving Erin again.
He was there for her, no matter what. He would wait for her, no matter how long.
When they finally broke apart, Logan pressed his forehead against Erin’s. He closed his eyes, and his breathing slowed and returned to normal. “I’ve been waiting a long time for that.”
Erin giggled. “I hope it was worth the wait.”
Logan stepped back and put his finger under her chin, lifting her eyes to his. “It was better than I could have ever imagined.”
Erin’s blush was back. “It was pretty amazing.”
Logan tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. “I’m serious when I say I’m not going anywhere. I’m in this for the long haul.”
Erin pressed her lips together. “Even if the long haul means we take things slow?”
