by Anna Argent
A look of horror crossed her face and she took two steps toward him. "Never those things, Nate. I only meant to protect you from tying yourself to a girl like me."
That pissed him off, and he was too angry to figure out why. He didn't even bother to keep his anger from his tone. "I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm not a child. I don't need anyone protecting me from what I feel."
"You're a good man from a good family."
"So, that makes me incapable of choosing who I love?"
She frowned as if she didn't understand his words. "You can't love me. I have nothing to offer you. I'm not educated or smart. I've managed to save up some money and have started making industry connections again, but I have a long way to go."
"Until what?"
"Until I'm worthy of love from a man like you."
That's when Nate realized the truth. Hanna actually believed she wasn't good enough for him. She was the woman of his dreams but she thought he deserved better. That's why she'd left.
"How do you feel about me, Hanna?" Nate knew asking the question so bluntly wasn't playing it cool, but he didn't care. He needed to know the answer too much to worry about appearances.
"How I feel doesn't matter," she said, her tone both sad and wistful.
"It's the only thing that matters."
Her gaze darted around the room. "I should go. It was a mistake to come here. I'm sorry, Nate."
Like hell she was getting away from him again.
Nate rushed forward, grabbed her arm and pressed her back into the wall. He pinned her there with his hips and caged her with his arms.
She wasn't getting away from him until he had some answers.
"Tell me," he demanded, his tone hard. "How do you feel about me? Do you still think about me? I know it's you who keeps calling me and saying nothing. You can't tell me that you weren't thinking about me."
"I missed you," she said, and a single tear leaked from the corner of her eye. "I wanted to hear your voice."
"Why?"
"I already told you. I missed you."
"Why did you miss me?"
She closed her eyes in defeat and her whole body seemed to sag. "Because I'm in love with you, Nate. I love you enough to do what's right for you, so I cut ties with you. Or at least tried to."
She loved him.
Her confession filled his heart with joy and overflowed until his chest swelled to hold it all. His body trembled against the force of her words, and his eyes stung.
She loved him. All the rest of it—her leaving and the misguided reasons for it—was unimportant.
"I love you too, Hanna," he told her, because he couldn't hold it in anymore and because it was the most important thing she needed to hear.
"You can't love me. I'm not good enough for you." Her small, uncertain tone made him want to wrap her in his arms and never let go. How could she not see how amazing she was?
"We share the same interests," he said. "You're smart and funny. You work your ass off, even when it's a dirty, difficult job. You're sweet to old people and refuse to give up on something because it's got a little wear and tear. Not to mention you're smokin' hot. How could men everywhere not fall in love with you on sight?"
He knew he was opening himself up, taking a huge risk by telling her how he saw her. But he didn't care. Like the Ophelia, if he didn't take this chance, he'd never forgive himself. Someone had to show her the value she held, and it damn sure hadn't been her parents or the people who'd hurt her.
She still didn't look convinced.
He took her by the shoulders and turned her to face the mantle. "See that? See how careful you were, how you took your time removing every speck of paint without damaging the carving beneath? And those repairs you did. You can't even tell where they are now."
"So?"
"So, the woman who did that is fucking awesome. The woman who climbed up three stories to save a couple of old chunks of wood is a superhero." He ran his hand over her shoulder, feeling the slight swell of a scar beneath his fingers. "The woman who gets hurt and keeps going without slowing down or complaining, she's the one I want on my team. In my life."
He turned her around to face him and tilted her chin up so she had to look him in the eyes and see he was telling the truth. "And the woman whose face I see every time I close my eyes—she's the one I love."
Tears welled along her lashes. Her bottom lip trembled.
Nate didn't stop. "When you left, you took a big piece of me with you. I felt empty. My life seemed less meaningful. I didn't laugh, I didn't sleep, I hardly ate…. The woman who does that to me is more than just good enough for me. She's everything."
Her tears flowed freely now, slipping down her cheeks in glistening ribbons. "I'm trying to be good enough, Nate. I've been reconnecting with the businesses I used to work with and some supply houses in Detroit that deal with vintage fixtures. I'd planned to save up enough to go there and buy a truckload of tubs and sinks for the Ophelia. After all you've done for me, I thought I could use that to repay you and maybe help out a little."
He covered her mouth with his finger to quiet her. "Honey, you don't have to do any of that. You don't have to try to be good enough. You just are. You always have been."
How she couldn't see that dumbfounded him.
"Come back to Whisper Lake," he whispered, trying not to sound as desperate to have her in his life again as he was. "Come back and I'll spend every day showing you just how perfect for me you are. Let me prove to you how perfect for you I can be."
A small smile wavered at the corners of her mouth. "You were born perfect for me."
"That's how I feel about you too, Hanna. I want you to be mine. My wife. My partner. All of it. I've never wanted anything the way I want you."
"Not even the Ophelia?"
He grinned. "Not even that."
"What you're talking about…it's a big risk."
"The biggest risk. But I don't care. I know what I want. What I need. Please tell me you'll stay and make all my dreams come true."
Her mouth lifted on a smile so beautiful he knew he'd remember this instant for the rest of his life.
"How can I refuse?" she asked.
"You can't. Not if you love me."
"I do," she said as she wiped away her tears. "I love you so much."
His heart gave a hard squeeze and he knew he'd never get tired of hearing her say those words. Already he could hardly wait to hear them again.
"Then it's settled," he said. "We're going to take the biggest risk of our lives, but we're going to do it together."
He held out his hand for hers.
Hanna took his hand and held on tight. "I'm in, Nate. All the way."
About the Author
Anna grew up in the quiet suburbs with an affinity for details and organization. She surprised no one, expect maybe herself, when she chose to follow a career path in mathematics and design. Compelled to sort out the complications entwined in the most ordinary things and follow her creative side’s inner voice, Anna made a move that transformed her life. She traded geometric and differential equations for flow charts of magical powers and their rules. The view outside her office window changed from corporate gardens to acres of cattle grazing on rolling greens. Anna is still enamored with picking apart the details to bring something full circle. But now, she weaves stories filled with love, lust and an enticing dose of magic that keep readers on the edge of clenching their teeth or grabbing a box of tissues. Anna is the brain, heart and soul behind The Taken series, The Stone Men series and The Whisper Lake series.
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