by JM Stewart
She turned her head. The tray she’d bought when her grandmother became sick sat on the table. On it were stacks of toast, cheese cubes, a fresh fruit salad, and a glass of orange juice. An ache filled her chest.
“When I woke up alone, I thought maybe you’d left.” She was embarrassed to admit she’d thought so badly of him. No questions asked and without any expectations, he’d come over, at three in the morning, because she’d said she needed him. Now he was making her breakfast. After she’d told him she wasn’t sure if she could ever forgive him.
The simple yet overwhelming gesture screamed of Kyle, thoughtful, considerate. He never hesitated to put her needs first.
He turned his head, confusion and worry forming a deep crease in his brow. “You look lost. Everything okay?”
She stared into the blue-gray eyes she knew as well as hers. Scenes from the past twenty years played through her mind. The kind sympathy written on his face the first time she met him, down at the riverbank, came first. She remembered being wary of everyone back then, even if she hadn’t known why. His eyes had drawn her in, reassuring her that she could trust him.
Time fast-forwarded, and her senior prom filled her mind. Three years older, Kyle had left high school behind already and was in his third year of college. He’d showed up at her house that night to put fear into her date. The memory had her smiling. His tactic had worked. Her date held her at arm’s length all night. He hadn’t kissed her good night, either, and she’d never seen him again.
Finally, she saw the past few years. Gran’s death, finding out she was pregnant ,and then Kyle wanting to take responsibility for a child who wasn’t even his. He’d been there for all of it, and like now, he hadn’t asked for anything in return.
She could only shake her head. She might not have liked the way he’d gone about it, but he’d done what he had their whole lives—protected her.
The way Gran had. The letter she’d found in the attic drifted through her mind. Gran gave up her entire life, her family, for her. So she’d stay safe. What Kyle had done wasn’t any different. He chose to sacrifice his romantic feelings for her to keep her safe. Because he loved her.
He stroked a hand down her cheek. “Talk to me?”
Staring at him, at the gentle concern in his eyes, the world righted itself again. Everything made perfect sense. He might have done all the wrong things, but he did them for the right reasons. She couldn’t begrudge him that, because Malia was right. All that mattered right then was how glad she was to see him. That he’d stayed. All that mattered was that when push came to shove, she trusted him.
His face blurred behind the tears that filled her eyes.
“I was wrong.” She slowly shook her head and stepped toward him and reached up to stroke his stubbled jaw. Dark circles had begun to form beneath his bloodshot eyes, telling her of the turmoil he’d been through this past week. Her chest constricted and ached as overwhelming regret seized her.
The need to be as close as humanly possible grabbed her. She pressed along his length, nearly weeping when he didn’t question her but welcomed her in.
“About what?” He reached back and turned off the burner, sliding the skillet to the side. Then he closed his arms tightly around her.
She braced her hands against his chest, enjoying the solid warmth of him. His heart beat an erratic pace beneath her palms. “You. Me. Us. Everything. I was so angry with you for lying to me, for keeping something from me, I thought you had no right to decide—”
“I didn’t. My heart was in the right place, but whether or not you were strong enough to handle the information wasn’t my choice to make. I let my fear for your safety cloud my judgment.” A soft smile touched his lips, amusement lighting in his eyes. “I can search out the tiniest clue to solve a case, take pride in the fact that I keep my emotions separate from the job, but when it comes to you, I don’t think so straight.”
“I don’t need you to protect me.” She pressed closer, sliding her hands around his rib cage and up his back. “All I’ve ever wanted was for you to be there when I need you.”
“I always will.” He leaned his forehead against hers, a soft vulnerability in his eyes. “Tell me you forgive me.”
The whispered words, the fear contained within them, lodged themselves in her heart. Nine days seemed like forever to go without him, and every need she’d denied herself over the last week and a half flooded through her. More than she ever thought possible, she ached to be as close as humanly possible and regain what they’d almost lost. God, to think of how close she’d come to losing him . . .
She lifted onto her toes and brushed her mouth over his, feeling too much like she was starving and he was sustenance. “On one condition.”
He didn’t question her, but bent his head, his warm breath whispering over her mouth. “What’s that?”
She nipped at his bottom lip. “Don’t ever leave me again.”
A low growl rumbled out of him, half hot, husky arousal, but all relief. “God, I thought I’d never hear you say that to me again.”
“I need you. That’s what I realized last night. At dinner last week, Malia gave me some advice. Turns out, she was right. It doesn’t matter anymore why you kept the truth from me. All that matters is that when push comes to shove, I need you, and I’ll always need you.”
“Thank you. For forgiving me.” His arms tightened around her, and he kissed her softly, a light brush of his lips that quickly grew into something hotter, needier.
For a moment, she lost herself in the taste and feel of him. His lips played over hers, soft and electric, as they reacquainted themselves. But with every tender sip and taste, the need grew to ravishing proportions. His hands shook as he slid them down her back to cup her bottom. He pulled her tight against him, pushing his arousal into her belly. A hot little shudder swept the length of her spine, and all sensation pooled between her thighs. Just that fast, he had her body melting into his.
She gasped, and he nipped at her bottom lip, light and playful. “But there’s only one way for me to never leave you.”
Needing more, she leaned up to taste him, murmuring against his lips, “What’s that?”
Instead of giving her what she knew they both craved, he pulled back. “You have to marry me.”
Surprised by the sudden shift in the conversation, Cecelia stared, dazed and confused, as his words sank over her. Marry him. Spend the rest of her life with the one man who was like the other half of her soul, who knew her better than she knew herself.
As the reality of what he’d asked finally hit her, tingles shivered down her spine, fluttering out over the surface of her skin, and butterflies danced in her stomach. She didn’t have to think about it. Her answer instantly formed on her tongue. She ached to throw her arms around his neck.
Instead, giddy with the newness of the moment, with getting him back, she couldn’t resist tossing his tease back at him and arched a brow. “Aren’t you supposed to be down on one knee?”
When Kyle actually dropped to his knees in front of her, her heart lodged itself in her throat. If ever she’d imagined being proposed to, that was it right there. His heart was in his eyes. His face blurred as tears flooded her eyes, and her heart melted into a puddle at her feet.
“Now I’m on both knees.” He slipped his hands into hers, threading their fingers. “I love you, Ceci. I think I’ve always loved you. You’re my best friend. We’ve been together for more than twenty years. Spend the next century with me.”
The term threw her off guard. She couldn’t help smiling. “Century?”
Kyle grinned. “Yes, century. Fifty years isn’t enough time.”
His words wrapped around her heart and melted her knees. Kyle had to be the most romantic man she knew. She dropped to the floor and leaned forward, brushing her lips over his. “I love you, too. More than I can ever tell you, but I want an eternity.”
“Would that be a yes?” His voice trembled with his quiet laughter, and he released
her hands to slide his arms around her waist. He pulled her tight against him.
Heart in her throat, she bit her bottom lip and nodded. “Yes.”
His mouth swooped down over hers. His kiss was hard and hungry, devouring her, possessing her. Whatever walls were left between them shattered. Hands flew in a desperate frenzy, seemingly everywhere all at the same time. His, hers, she couldn’t keep track. She’d been without him for nine days. Nine days where she was certain she’d lost him. Now he was here, and he was hers, forever, and she needed to be as close to him as humanly possible.
When his hands reached for the hem of her shirt, she pulled back, panting. She stroked a hand down his cheek as an overwhelming sensation grabbed her. The moment hit her, as if she were truly able to see for the first time. She’d always felt this way with him. That was why she craved to be near him when her world went topsy-turvy. In her best friend’s arms, under the light of his love, she was complete.
Brow furrowed in confusion, Kyle stroked his hands over her back. “What’s the matter?”
She smiled, shook her head, and stroked her fingers across his jaw, refamiliarizing herself with the feel of him. “Nothing. I’m just grateful for you. You complete me, you know.”
“Ditto. I’m not sure I know how to live without you, Ceci.” He brushed his mouth over hers, once, twice, then captured her lips, this kiss softer, sweeter but more intense. They clung to each other, mouths and tongues tangling. When he finally pulled back, he leaned his forehead against hers. “I need you.”
He whispered the words, his tone half statement, half question, and she understood only too well what he meant. She needed him, too. Inside her, a part of her. She wanted to spend several hours making loving to him. To make up for the hurt they’d caused each other and to cement the deeper bond they’d found this morning. To fuse them together.
Breathless, she nodded. “Love me, Kyle.”
He growled, a sound of torment and relief, and rose to his feet before sweeping her into his arms. She buried her face in his neck, breathing in his scent as he carried her upstairs. All these years she’d searched for the one thing that would make her feel whole, but like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, she’d always had what she needed. She only needed to look next door.
Look for JM Stewart’s next heartwarming romance
WHATEVER IT TAKES
Available from InterMix December 2014
JM Stewart writes sweet and heartwarming contemporary romances with a touch of passion. She’s a wife, a mother, a spiritualist, and a lover of puppies who is addicted to chocolate and coffee. She lives in the Great Rainy Northwest with her husband of sixteen years and their two sons. She’s a hopeless romantic who believes everybody should have their happily-ever-after and has been devouring romance novels for as long as she can remember. Writing them has become her passion.