She could hear the low hum of the Tanners talking, no doubt discussing her and her family. She closed her eyes and listened. This is what she had dreamed of all her life. A quiet, loving family, the moments of shared memories and emotions. In her heart, she knew she would never find that in Medelia.
Behind her, the screen door opened and shut. Levi moved quietly across the porch, coming to stand behind her. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her back against him, and planted a soft kiss on the top of her head.
“Penny for your thoughts,” he murmured against her ear.
“I’m thinking of home,” she said.
“Medelia?” his voice held a wealth of sadness and dread.
“No. Medelia hasn’t been my home for a very long time. I don’t know that I will ever think of it as home again.”
“You haven’t been there since you were very young. When you visit, you may change your mind.”
“No, I won’t. Whether I’m there an hour, a day, a week, a month, a year, it still won’t be home.” She turned in his arms. “I’ve been searching for a home for what seems like my entire life, Levi.”
“And now you think you’ve found one?”
“I know I have.”
“Where is it?” He sounded as if he were holding his breath, as she reached up and pulled his face down to hers.
“Don’t you know, you silly man?” She touched her lips to his. “My home will always be with you.”
He let out a shuddering breath of relief and caught her mouth with his. Their mouths met, his soft and searching, hers more demanding, pulling promise after promise from him as she ran her fingers up his back and over his shoulders, enjoying the feel of his muscles bunching beneath her hands.
She sighed as she rested her head against his chest, listening to his strong, steady heartbeat. No matter what the coming days held, she knew one thing for sure. Her home was here, in Levi Tanner’s arms, and nothing could ever change that.
“Welcome home, Princess,” he said, a smile turning up one corner of his mouth, as her lips caught the other.
“I think you should call me Your Highness,” she teased.
“How about I just call you my wife?”
“That would be perfect, my love, absolutely perfect.”
A word about the author...
Gloria Davidson Marlow is the author of several romantic suspense novels. She resides in Northeast Florida with her husband, works as a paralegal at a local law firm, and spends as much time as possible with her three grandsons.
Visit Gloria at www.gloriamarlow.weebly.com.
Previous Releases
SWEET SACRIFICES
WHEN SWALLOWS FALL
Both are available from The Wild Rose Press, Inc.
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Flowers for Megan
Shades of Silence
The Butterfly Game
available elsewhere
Thank you for purchasing
this publication of The Wild Rose Press, Inc.
Broken Ties Page 19