by Maya Banks
But then he turned into the driveway of a house a block down from the guys’ house.
“Why are we here?” she asked.
“I’ll tell you in a minute,” he said as he got out. He came around and helped her down, keeping a strong arm around her.
He unlocked the door and swung it open. She glanced around the empty house in total confusion. The house had been vacated for months, the previous owners transferred to Dallas. The house had been on the
market nearly as long, but she didn’t remember seeing the for sale sign when they’d driven up.
He took her right hand and pulled her tightly against his chest. His hand smoothed over her hair, mindful of her bandage. “I don’t even know where to start, sweetheart.”
Her chest tightened and she closed her eyes, enjoying his arms around her.
He pulled her away and looked intently into her eyes. “But let me start by saying I love you. I love you more than anything. And I am so sorry for the awful things I said. The terrible way I treated you.”
His eyes shone with regret, pain reflected deeply in their depths.
“But—”
“No buts,” he said, effectively shushing her with his lips. He kissed her gently, lingeringly.
“I was an ass. A first class jerk, and I don’t deserve you. I’ll never forgive myself for you being out on the road when you should have been safely at home waiting for me to come home to you.”
“It wasn’t your fault,” she said softly. “I lied to you.”
“Yes, you did,” he said forthrightly. “But nothing you did was worth the way I responded. I took advantage of you, just as much as you took advantage of me. You were afraid. You should have never been in that position. I put you in that position,” he said angrily.
She remained silent, not knowing how to respond to all he had said. Hope beat a steady rhythm in her chest, but she didn’t dare give free rein to it yet.
“I brought you here because this is the house I was going to buy as a Christmas present,” he said. “I planned to ask you to marry me the night you told me about the baby. I wanted to give you your dream. The perfect
house. Perfect husband—or as perfect as I could be,” he added with a grin. “Children, love, happiness. The whole shebang.”
He blurred before her as tears sprang to her eyes. She wiped hastily at them not wanting to miss anything in his expression.
“I’ve put in an offer now because I want to marry you more than anything, Toni. I want to raise our children here. But most of all, I want to spend the rest of my life loving you.”
She opened her mouth, but no words would come. She stared at him in shock. Wonder.
“Can you ever forgive me, Toni?” he asked softly, his eyes pleading with her.
“Oh my God,” she cried, launching herself into his arms. She began to sob noisily as his arms wrapped around her like bands of steel. He held her tightly, his face buried in her neck. She could feel warm tears slide down her neck, and her heart clenched. God, how she loved this man.
“Yes, yes, yes!” she exclaimed. “I forgive you, and more than anything I want to marry you.”
He caught her lips with his, kissing her breathlessly, passionately, as if he’d never let her go. She wrapped her arms around him and clunked him on the head with her cast. She let out a giggle. “Sorry.”
He released her, his eyes roving over her possessively. “Be serious about this, Toni, because I’m never going to let you go. I’ve waited too long for you. I think I’ve loved you forever, but was too stubborn to see it.”
She smiled up at him, her heart firmly in her eyes for him to see. “I love you too, Simon. So much.”
“Want to see the house?” he asked, grinning down at her.
Her mouth rounded in shock. “Oh my God, you really did it didn’t you?”
“We close in a month,” he said. He dipped his head to hers once more. “Merry Christmas, sweetheart. I love you.”
“I love you too,” she whispered.
Between them the baby rolled and Simon’s hand went to cup her belly. “I think our little urchin approves,” he said softly.
Toni smiled. A deliriously happy smile. All the hurt of the past week was forgotten. She’d gotten her dream. Every single nuance of it. She was going to live every day of her life laughing and loving.
He tugged her along, his eyes bright with joy. She warmed all over. They were in their house. Home where they belonged. Together.
