by R. C. Ryan
Kate closed her eyes, letting those words soak in to heal all of the wounds he’d inflicted before. She looked at him again, wanting him to cut away that last bit of uncertainty that still dangled from her heart. “What changed?” she whispered. “You were so angry…”
“Yeah.” A sigh slipped out. “Levi pretty much put me in my place. Told me I’d better get my head out of my ass and figure things out before I lost you for good.”
“Levi, huh?” She smiled, thinking back to Jessa and Naomi’s secret little side conversation at Everly’s café the day she’d told them what had happened.
“Yeah, Levi.” His smirk confirmed her suspicions. “He reminded me that I had issues to work on too. So I went to see Kipp.”
Kate tightened her grip on his hand. “That must’ve been hard. How is he?”
“Still in rehab.” Jaden threaded his fingers with hers, and the power of it, the intimacy of that gesture, heated her eyes again.
“But I spent the afternoon with him. He’s exceeding the doctor’s expectations. He’s even taken a few steps with a walker.”
“That’s great news.” For Kipp and for Jaden. No wonder his appearance had changed so much. He’d been set free.
“I read the article too. Actually, Levi read it to me.” Jaden brought her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles, sending an electrical charge all the way down to her toes.
“I’m sorry I betrayed your trust.” She’d been waiting to say those words for over a week, but before now, something told her they wouldn’t have done any good. “I should’ve told you. Right away. But I was afraid you’d keep me out. And I loved being with you.”
“I loved being with you too,” he murmured, leaning over the table until his lips were nearly touching hers. “I think that’s why I lost it when I found out about the article. It was an excuse to bail. I figured you’d turn out to be like everyone else.” His gaze shied away from hers. “I haven’t exactly had much commitment in my life.”
She kissed him, hopefully taking away any lingering doubts about her feelings for him. “I meant everything I said in the article.”
This time his eyes stayed steady on hers. “I know.”
“Levi said you were thinking about moving away.” God, when she’d heard that, she’d had to excuse herself so she could cry in the bathroom.
“I was seriously considering it,” Jaden said. “Until he reminded me it wouldn’t help. I want to stop hiding. I want to make you happy. I want to focus on the future instead of the past.”
She rested her forehead against his. “Me too.”
Just as his lips brushed hers, the door swung open.
“Don’t mind us.” Darla traipsed in, followed by Everly and Jessa and Naomi, all carrying something different. They set down truffles and a bottle of wine and glasses and small china plates.
“Carry on,” Everly said, herding the others toward the door.
“Those truffles are strawberry-filled dark,” Darla called, fighting Everly’s hold on her.
“The perfect aphrodisiac,” Jessa added before Everly shoved her outside.
“Happy date night!” Naomi said with a sly grin.
Shaking her head, Everly waved at Kate and Jaden once more before closing the door.
Jaden laughed. If she could bottle up that deep throaty sound and listen to it every night before bed, she totally would.
“Levi wasn’t kidding about their persistence.”
She leaned in to claim the kiss she’d never stop craving. “Sometimes true love takes a village,” Kate murmured against his lips.
And they seemed to have found theirs.
Acknowledgments
Thank you, dear readers, for spending more time in Topaz Falls. I hope you are enjoying this town and these characters as much as I am. It’s impossible for me to express how grateful I am for your notes, comments, reviews, and mentions. Your support keeps me going.
As always, I am so thankful to the team at Forever for allowing me to live my dream and write more books. You all continue to amaze me! With each project I learn more from my brilliant editor, Alex Logan. Thanks for everything you do to make me look good.
I will never be able to thank my family enough for their patience and perseverance, especially while I was writing this book under such a tight deadline! Will, AJ, and Kaleb, you will always have my heart.
About the Author
Sara Richardson grew up chasing adventure in Colorado’s rugged mountains. She’s climbed to the top of a 14,000-foot peak at midnight, swum through Class IV rapids, completed her wilderness first-aid certification, and spent seven days at a time tromping through the wilderness with a thirty-pound backpack strapped to her shoulders.
Eventually Sara did the responsible thing and got an education in writing and journalism. After a brief stint in the corporate writing world, she stopped ignoring the voices in her head and started writing fiction. Now she uses her experience as a mountain adventure guide to write stories that incorporate adventure with romance. Still indulging her adventurous spirit, Sara lives and plays in Colorado with her saint of a husband and two young sons.
Learn more at:
www.sararichardson.net
Twitter @sarar_books
Facebook.com/sararichardsonbooks
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