Page 156 of Beneath the Quiet

“I’ll make sure Sarah stops by later to take your statement.”

“She’ll be at Lynch Farm,” Aidan butts in, pulling me into his side.

O’Neill nods at Aidan, but that’s the only acknowledgment we get before he slips his hands into his pockets and turns away, leaving us alone.

“Come on. Let’s get you home.”

I lean on his arm and wrap mine around his waist, grateful when he tucks me close to his side. As we walk through the sliding doors and outside, I breathe deeply, letting his calm presence soothe me.

“Aidan?”

He pushes on the fob to unlock the car door, his eyes focused somewhere in the distance.

“Mmm?”

“I love you.”

His body jerks and his step falters, but then he pulls me close to his side, his one-armed embrace fierce.

“And I love you.”

I relish the way he says the words to me, with ease and as if it’s as natural to him as breathing, and let them wrap around my heart. We stop next to the passenger side door, but when I reach out my hand to open it, his hand on the handle on top of mine makes me tilt my head back to meet his serious eyes.

“You picked one hell of a day to give me your love, sweetheart.”

I reach up to trace his lips with my thumb.

“Why wait? I know what I want. I belong with you and Katie.” I smile slowly. “I think you’ll have me.”

He trembles hard and moves his head to place a gentle kiss on the palm of my hand, sending my pulse skittering.

“I’ve always believed that it’s not the place that makes a home. It’s the people.”

My lips stretch into such a wide smile that my cheeks hurt.

“I love that. It doesn’t matter where I am, as long as I’m with you.”

In a bold move I never saw coming, he bends to his knees and lifts me up in the air, his hands around my bum. A delighted laugh bursts from my lips when he twirls around and around, making my head spin. My head is still heavy with the aftershock of today’s events, but happiness I never dreamed of has chased most of it away.

“Aidan!” I squeal in his embrace, holding onto his shoulders. “Put me down!”

“Never, my Mae. You’re stuck with me for the next fifty years.”

I lean down to capture his mouth, and only then does he stop and take over my kiss.

And while we become lost in our sweet embrace, I thank my lucky stars that I came here.

This man and his daughter are my forever home.

I know that now.

And I’ll never take their love for granted.

Epilogue - Six months later

Maeve

Asoft hand rubs circles on my belly, waking me from my sleep. I smile, keeping my eyes closed, and wiggle my bum against Aidan’s crotch. When his hard cock prods at my cheeks, a surge of wetness between my legs makes me moan softly, and my eyes flutter open.