My brain catches on only one word. “Love?”
Ronan stares at me. “Yes.” His lips brush across mine. “Love. I thought it was too soon—” He stops. “No. I was scared to say it. Because… you know.”
The pain in my arm fades as I look into his eyes. “I know.”
“But I do. Love you. Maybe—no, I know this is the worst time to say it. When you’re shot and bleeding and it’s my fault for not being here?—”
“It’s not your fault.” I clasp his hand and squeeze it hard. “I’m the one who let her in. Not you. And you came. As soon as you knew I was in trouble, you came. If you hadn’t…” Another shudder moves through me. “I don’t know what would have happened.”
“Still.” Ronan’s guilt is obvious. “I should have been here.”
Sirens roar outside. Tires screech. Flashing lights bounce around the room. Car doors open and slam shut.
“Ronan.” I squeeze his hand again. “You couldn’t have known.”
“But—”
“And.” Releasing his hand, I gesture for him to lean closer to me. “I love you, too.”
His face jolts. “You do?”
I nod. “Yes. And I don’t care about being shot. Well, I do. Because I don’t feel well and I have a feeling this is going to keep me from working for a while. But the part about loving you? And you loving me? It’s the best part of all of this.”
Ronan closes his eyes. When he looks at me again, his eyes are damp. “I really do love you, Angel. I think I have ever since you invited me to your hot chocolate buffet. I just didn’t want to let myself admit it.”
“I was scared, too,” I tell him. “But now”—I lift my head so I can kiss him—“I’m not anymore. Because as long as I’m with you, I always feel safe.”
“Angel.” He kisses me back. “I love you.”
My heart swells. “I love you, too.”
CHAPTER 19
RONAN
“Areyou sure you don’t want your sling?”
Angel turns away from Hazel to look at me. Her eyebrows rise. “My sling?”
“Yeah.” I cast another glance around the crowded auditorium. Nearly all the seats are filled, and those that aren’t have a coat draped over the back, marking them as occupied. More adults line the back wall, clustered in small groups as they talk amongst each other; overflow from the sold-out Christmas Eve show.
In our row, eight from the front, Hazel and Alec are seated to our left. To our other side are Frank and Wendy, the owners of Blissful Brews. Gage and Rory are three rows behind us, on the aisle, which I know Gage chose specifically for a quick exit if necessary.
Not that he’s going to need to make a quick exit. He’d better not. Because that would mean something went wrong, and my team and I have taken plenty of precautions to make sure it doesn’t.
Granted, there haven’t been any problems in the twenty-seven-year history of the annual Christmas Eve production, at least according to Principal Everts, who I met with last week. “Well, aside from the year Ennis Kingsley snuck a flask of vodka in,” she conceded with a wry smile. “He got so drunk, he started singing along from his seat. Then he tripped on his way out of the auditorium and broke his nose. But we haven’t had any issues other than that.”
If Haley weren’t in the performance, I’d likely have taken Vanessa Everts at her word and left it at that.
But if Haley weren’t in the performance, I wouldn’t be here, period.
I wouldn’t be worrying about security and having meetings with my team and the school principal to ensure Haley’s safety. I wouldn’t have asked Alec to set up small metal detectors near each of the entrances to the school. I wouldn’t have searched the entire auditorium before it opened to the public to make absolutely sure the space was secure.
Am I being overprotective? Probably.
Would I do anything differently? No.
Not when Haley is quickly becoming one of the most important people in my life. Not when I’m in love with her mom, and I’d do anything to keep her and her daughter safe.
