"You've changed me, Kenna. You've opened my eyes and my heart, and you have made me better. I talked to my dad--"
"I know."
"You do?" he asked, taking another step toward her.
She nodded. "My mom called me."
"I was letting bitterness keep me from seeing he's just a man who made mistakes. Just like all the rest of us. I always insisted you forgive me, but then I never extended anyone else the same courtesy." He reached her and stared down at her. "I'm not going to be a bad bet anymore. Not for you."
"Dane," she said again.
"I ordered new equipment for Virgil Porter," he rushed out. "I will buy Two Farms if you want it, and give it to you to do with as you will. I'm having a new playground put in Strawberry Park. I have a puppy picked out for Norrie. I only need your approval. I love you, Kenna. I love you, and I don't ever want to be without you. I want legal ties between us, so you'll always know I'll come home to you, that you are mine, and I am yours. That we belong together, now and for the rest of our lives. The three of us, a family."
Her jaw dropped, her mind reeling. "Are you asking me to..."
"I'm not asking, I'm begging. But before you answer, I want to show you something." He held out his hand.
She remained in place, frozen by shock. There was more?
He used two fingers to close her mouth, then did what he'd done the day she was fired from Two Farms and hefted her over his shoulder. This time, she didn't fight. He didn't walk through the house, but shouldered his way past the gate, entering the front yard.
A horse-drawn carriage waited on the street.
"You wanted to be a princess for a day," he said, "but I want you to be my princess. Forever. And I don't care if that is the cheesiest line in the history of ever. I will say anything, do anything, be anything, to have you, now and always."
He set her inside the carriage, and climbed in to crouch between her legs. "One more chance, Kenna. That's all I need. I'll get it right this time, I promise you."
"Because you love me," she managed to croak.
"More than anything. I meant what I said. I want to be a family with you and Norrie. I want to make a home with you and cherish you and most importantly never be without you."
Tears welled in her eyes. He meant it. He wanted her, was willing to do anything to have her, and keep her...to make this relationship work. "You were miserable without me," she said, trying to wrap her head around it.
"I was."
"And you love me," she said again.
"I do." He looked at her, hopeful. "Do you love me?"
She'd never given him the words, she realized. "I do. I love you with all that I am. I want to marry you, and be a family with you."
"Thank God." He released a heavy sigh and just kind of fell forward, resting his forehead against her shoulder. "That is, quite possibly, the best thing I have ever heard."
She hugged him tight, saying, "What are the other contenders?"
"More, Dane, harder, is a good one. So is, Dane, you are always right about everything."
"Hey!" she gasped out with a laugh. "I've never said that last one."
He lifted his head and gifted her with his most devastating smile. "But one day you will. I'll make sure of it."
*
About the Author
New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Gena Showalter has been praised for her "sizzling page-turners" and "utterly spellbinding stories." With over fifty novels and anthologies, Showalter has delighted readers with her paranormal and contemporary romances, as well as her young-adult series. She is thrilled to launch a brand-new contemporary series, Original Heartbreakers, featuring sexy bad boys and the women they can't resist. Be sure to check out The Closer You Come (Jase's story), the first full-length novel. To learn more about Gena and her books, visit her website, www.genashowalter.com.
And check out Gena's Mills & boon author profile page: www.millsandboon.co.uk
ISBN: 978-1-474-02850-9
THE ONE YOU WANT
(c) 2015 Gena Showalter
Published in Great Britain 2015
by Mills & Boon, an imprint of Harlequin (UK) Limited
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