Whispers in the Dark - Maya Banks [142]
Finally he stopped and let her slide down his body until their noses were nearly touching.
“I love you,” he said hoarsely. “Oh God, I love you so damn much, Shea. Welcome home, baby. Welcome home.”
She threw her arms around him and hugged him so fiercely that she had a stranglehold around his neck. “I love you too,” she whispered. “I’m so sorry I worried you.”
He pulled away and put a finger to her lips. “Shhh. You’ve come back to me. That’s all that matters.”
He kissed her and she tasted so sweet, felt so soft and warm and so very precious in his arms.
“I want a life with you, Nathan. I’ve been so very afraid. I’m still afraid. I didn’t want to involve you or your family. I still don’t know what the future holds, but I realized that whatever the future does bring, I want to face it with you. I want your family to be my family. I love them already.”
He smiled and gently lowered her to the ground, but he didn’t let go of her. He kept her close, touching him, pressed against him. His hands were everywhere, reassuring himself that she was here, with him, her beautiful eyes clear and comprehending.
“They already are your family, baby. And they love you too.”
“Can we go see our house?” she whispered. “I never got to see the inside.”
He gathered her in his arms again and just held on, absorbing the feel and the sheer joy that blew over him, wave after wave.
“Yeah,” he choked out. “I think I can arrange a tour. I’m afraid your husband-to-be has been slacking in the building department, but he just happens to have a horde of very capable brothers, not to mention numerous friends, only too willing to help out. I’m betting we could have it done in no time at all.”
She pulled away, her eyes sparkling mischievously as she slid her hand into his. “Are we getting married?”
He cupped her chin and pulled her toward him. “Hell yes, we’re getting married. Today, tomorrow, next year. I don’t care when. Okay, I do, but I’m willing to wait until you’re ready and, more importantly, when you’re feeling better. All I care is that you’re going to live here with me. Always. Together. That you love me half as much as I love you. That’s enough. You’ll always be enough for me, Shea.”
She smiled up at him, her eyes shiny with tears. “You’ve been so patient with me, Nathan. I’ll get there. I’ve been assured by some very special women that it takes time, but that I’ll never be alone. And you know what? You’ll get there too.”
He softened all over. She knew he still fought his demons, that like her, he still battled his fears and anxieties. But yeah, he’d get there. As long as she was with him, he could fucking take on the world.
“We make a pretty messed-up pair, you know that?” he said with a laugh.
“I think we’re perfect for each other,” she said softly. “We have each other to lean on and when we need them? We have family to lean on as well.”
He pulled her into his side as they started toward the house he’d begun building months ago when he’d returned home, a mere shell of the man he’d once been.
Now? He felt reborn. Whole again for the first time in so long. He no longer looked to the future with uncertainty. What he saw filled him with such joy that it overwhelmed him.
A life with a woman who’d saved him from hell. Who’d put him back together when he’d thought he was beyond repair. Love could do amazing things. She was his miracle, and he thanked God every day for sending her to him when his need was so great.
Now he could do the same for her. He’d love her every single day of his life. He’d never take for granted just how precious she was to him, and if it took everything he had, he’d make damn sure she felt safe and loved every single minute of the rest of her life.
CHAPTER 46
NATHAN and his brothers looked up as they heard a knock on the outer door to the war room. Nathan sighed. “I’ll get it.”
The others chuckled as he went to let Shea in. She had an access code specifically assigned to her,