Love Me Always
Page 66
Samuel sighed, then descended the stairs and approached Bram. His expression was guarded, but since he hadn’t ordered Bram to leave, he had hope. “You understand my daughter is still quite young, right?”
A hint of a smile chased across Bram’s face. “I would argue that she’s older than you think. I imagine her situation forced her to grow up really fast.”
“It did. But she’s still not…”
“Not what?” a familiar voice spoke up.
Both Bram and Samuel turned to find Mackenzie standing in the yard, her hand touching the side of the house. The sight of her rendered Bram speechless. She looked so beautiful right now, dressed in a flowy white gown that accentuated her curves. In her hand she held a bushel of flowers, her fingers gripped tight around the stems.
Her gaze caught his, but she didn’t smile. “What are you doing here?”
“I came to see you. I was worried.”
“How nice. As you can see, I’m fine, so you can go home now.”
Bram turned to Samuel. “Can you give us a few minutes, please?”
“I don’t think that’s wise…”
Bram held his tongue. He wanted to tell Samuel that he had no say here. Maybe he thought his daughter was young, but Mackenzie was an adult. She didn’t need a hovering father.
“Just go, Dad,” Mackenzie said, sighing.
With a scowl, Samuel quickly retreated into the house.
Summoning all his courage, Bram strode toward Mackenzie. The upcoming conversation was going to be challenging, but she was worth it. He had to make her see that.
“First, I need to apologize.”
She lifted her chin, her beautiful eyes sparkling in the sunlight. She was a vision, even now, her hair long and flowing like a goddess.
“Mackenzie, I didn’t do right by you. When you confessed to me about your illness, I panicked. It was stupid, I know. But I just kept thinking, how? How could I meet someone as amazing as you, so kind and generous and funny, only to lose you again so quickly?”
“I’m still here,” she whispered.
“You are. And that was my mistake. I reacted poorly. If I could go back, I would change how I reacted. I would have run after you and begged you to stay.” He stepped closer until they nearly touched and reached for her free hand. The second their fingers met, he felt that spark he’d been missing for four days. “I would have told you right then and there that your condition changed nothing and that I still wanted to be with you.”
She sucked in a sharp breath. “Be with me?”
“If that’s what you want, of course,” he rushed ahead, hoping not to overwhelm her. “I—I know we haven’t talked about this, we haven’t had a chance to, but I like you, Mackenzie. A lot. Before the coffee shop, I’d often found myself wondering if we could…”
“Be more than friends.” Her fingers tightened around his, and hope surged through him. Maybe she felt the same way for him.
A sudden rush of excitement danced through him. “Maybe I’m crazy. This is all so fast. But in our short time together, I’ve felt things for you I never once felt for my ex-wife. I’m not proposing marriage, it’s way too early for that—”
Her laughter roused a smile out of him.
“—but I want to be with you. To have a chance to love you. To be there with you through all your doctor appointments and all your treatments, for better or worse.”
Tears spilled down her cheeks. “This sort of sounds like a marriage proposal.”
Bram chuckled. “Maybe one day, if we’re lucky. But right now, I just want to spend as much time with you as possible. No matter how long it may be. The future isn’t clear, but whose is? Tomorrow, one of us could be hit by a bus. Nothing about life is safe.”
She gave a watery laugh and wiped away her tears. “I was determined to be mad at you, but I need to apologize, too. I should have told you sooner.”
“You told me in your own time. That’s what matters. How about we put the coffee shop behind us? Forget it even happened. I’d like another chance, if you’re willing.”
“Are you sure about this? Every selfish bone in my body wants to scream yes. You’re not the only one who’s felt things these past few weeks. But I’m sick, and I’m not going to get better. I need you to understand that.”
“I do understand that. I wish I didn’t,” he said drily, “but I’m not going to let it come between us. I think you’re worth knowing. Worth loving. If you’ll let me.”
Fresh tears welled in her eyes.
“Please don’t cry,” he whispered, releasing her hand to cup her cheeks.
“They’re happy tears,” she said, smiling. “And I certainly shouldn’t have run off. But when I saw how upset you were, I couldn’t stop thinking about how I had no right to force myself into your life. No right to put you through any of this. I liked living in our happy little bubble.”
“Then let’s live in that happy bubble. I can’t promise we won’t have bad moments. But that doesn’t mean we should give up. I want to be with you, Mackenzie, for as long as possible.”
Her bottom lip quivered, but she nodded as she slipped her arms around his waist. “That sounds perfect.”
Bram slowly leaned in and claimed her mouth in a soft kiss, one Mackenzie met with equal abandon. The feel of her lips against his woke something fierce within him, something he’d thought long dead. This was the woman he was meant to love, he could feel it deep in his bones. It would be a long and difficult road, but for the first time in his life, he’d found someone worth fighting for.
And he planned to keep fighting for her until her dying breath.
About the Author
Gwen Knight is a Canadian girl currently living in Jasper, AB. She graduated from the University of Lethbridge with a degree in Archaeology and Geography. Her interests consist of playing in the dirt, designing elaborate snow forts, boating, and archery. She enjoys meeting new people and can be followed on Facebook. You can also visit her website at www.gwenknight.ca and sign up for her newsletter there.
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Acknowledgments
There are so many people I want to thank first. Please forgive me if I forget anyone. Please blame it on my mind and not my heart.
To the amazing authors who participated in Love Me Always—LeeSha McCoy, Ally Vance, Theresa Hodge, L. Loren, E.S. McMillan, Sade Rena, Tami Lund, Barb Shuler, Marie Long, ML Preston, Ava Mallory, Gwen Knight, Reina Torres, Amanda Faye, Cara North, Meka James, A.C. Nixon , and Amabel Daniels— thank you! I want to let you know that I appreciate your professionalism, hard work, teamwork approach! This is why I love putting together these phenomenal sets for our readers!
To our cover designer, Dar Albert from Wicked Smart Designs. We are forever grateful for you for donating your time and artistic ability towards our cause. You are amazing and dressed our baby up in his Sunday best!
To Chris with CJC Photography, thank you! It blew our mind how quick you were to jump in and help. We appreciate you so much for donating your services!
To all the bloggers who helped us get the word out about our project, thank you so much. Blogs are an important part of this indie world and we are forever thankful that you shared our book with your followers.
To our readers who supported this collection—THANK YOU! Authors would be nothing without you. We appreciate every purchase, every share and every review. We all do what we do for you. Thank you for purchasing Love Me Always! Please keep a
n eye out for the next Temptation Box Set!
Until the next one…happy reading!
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Xoxo,
Peyton Banks
Temptation Box Sets Publishing Schedule
Once Upon a Temptation
Love Me Always- September 2020
A Country Temptation – early 2021
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More to come…
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