But it had taken a while for their communication to become mostly normal again and she didn’t want to upset that balance. He meant too much to her as a friend to jeopardize that again.
“You’re more than just a friend to me,” he said, staring intently into her eyes. “You’re in all of my memories. The good and the not so good. You’ve been a part of my life for as long as I can remember, and I think I took that for granted.”
“That goes both ways, Josh. We’ve always taken for granted we’d have each other. I know I never really thought you’d leave, but you did.”
“I had to go.” He breathed in deeply, regret in his eyes. “But, God, how I’ve missed you. I’ve missed your voice and calling you wasn’t enough. I wanted to hear your voice every day, but I couldn’t because I chose to leave you. I left you behind and I lost that right. I lost you.”
“You didn’t lose me. You were never going to be totally happy here if you didn’t get to leave. I know that.”
“Because you know me. You get me.” He laughed, a clipped sound without a lot of humor in it. “I even miss the lodge. How messed up is that?”
“It’s not messed up. You never had a chance to figure out what you wanted. It was never your choice.” She hated seeing him beat himself up.
“I found what I was looking for and the crazy thing is that you were right there in front of me.” He reached down and took her hand as her breath caught in her throat. “I’ve loved you my whole life, but now I know I’m in love with you. Crazy in love with you. I had to go. I had to go find what I really wanted for me and now I know, absolutely, that you are what I want. Forever. You’re my northern star.”
“That’s how long I’ve loved you,” she whispered. “Forever.”
“I love you, Katherine Rose Davis. I always—”
“Wait. Did you just middle name me?”
“Yeah, but not like when Rosie does it. I was just trying to be formal when I propose.”
She laughed. “Forget it. Just be you.”
He wrapped one arm around her waist and pulled her close, gazing down into her eyes. “Marry me, Katie Davis. I love you and I want you to be my wife.”
“Yes,” she whispered, and he kissed her until she could barely breathe.
“Let’s get married fast so we can get started making babies,” he said, his eyes crinkling at the corners. “Awesome babies who’ll beat the snot out of Mitch and Sean’s kids in family football games.”
“Hell, yeah. And just think, we can tell them all the charming story of how they were each conceived in the barn.”
He laughed, shaking his head. “I thought about that, driving home from New Mexico. It’s a long drive, so I had plenty of time to think. The office is off the living room and it’s downstairs, but at the other end of the house from the guest bedrooms. I think we’ll move the office upstairs and claim that space as our bedroom. No screaming, of course, but I won’t have to put a pillow over your face, either.”
“I like the way you think.” She searched his face for any lingering signs of doubt. She didn’t see any. “My mom is going to come totally undone.”
“She already did, on the phone. I had to call her. I mean, I left. I didn’t feel right just showing up and saying, ‘hey, changed my mind so I want my house and my business back now, thanks,’ you know?”
“And she called you a dumbass and cried happy tears.”
“Pretty much.” Without taking his arm off her waist, he glanced over his shoulder at the clock. “You think the town will protest if you close a little early? I’ve had twenty-three hundred miles to think about what comes after you saying yes.”
“I think Whitford will survive.” She looked up at him, her heart almost aching with love and knowing he’d come home to her. “What are you thinking comes after yes?”
He leaned down to whisper in her ear. “What would you say if I told you I’ve been thinking about bending my best friend and future wife over her kitchen table?”
“I’d say it’s about damn time.”
* * * * *
For more feel-good romance, check out Shannon Stacey’s popular Kowalskis trilogy.
Exclusively Yours
When Keri Daniels’s boss finds out she has previous carnal knowledge of reclusive bestselling author Joe Kowalski, she gives Keri a choice: get an interview or get a new job. Joe’s never forgotten the first girl to break his heart, so he’s intrigued to hear Keri’s back in town—and looking for him…
Undeniably Yours
Bar owner Kevin Kowalski is used to women throwing their phone numbers at him. Even if lately he’s been more interested in finding Mrs. Right than Miss Right Now. Enter Beth Hansen. Kevin and Beth may have started out all wrong, but Kevin knows there’s more to their relationship than a one-night stand…
New York Times Bestseller—Yours to Keep
Sean Kowalski no sooner leaves the army than he’s recruited by Emma Shaw to be her fake fiancé. Emma needs a husband-to-be for her grandmother’s upcoming visit and Sean could use the landscaping job she’s offering. Despite his attraction to Emma, there’s no chance Sean will fall for a woman with deep roots in a town he’s not planning to call home…
And don’t miss this sexy short,
Slow Summer Kisses
Anna Frazier is used to living life at 100 mph, but being downsized out of a job has her permanently stalled. With nowhere to go, go, go, Anna heads to her grandparents’ neglected New Hampshire camp to plan her next move. It seems like a good idea—until she realizes the boy next door, Cameron Mayfield, has grown into a sexy but surly recluse. And Anna must decide if she’s found a new road to happiness, or just taken a detour.
Connect with us for info on our new releases, access to exclusive offers and much more!
Visit CarinaPress.com
We like you—why not like us on Facebook: Facebook.com/CarinaPress
Follow us on Twitter: Twitter.com/CarinaPress
About the Author
New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Shannon Stacey lives with her husband and two sons in New England, where her two favorite activities are writing stories of happily ever after and riding her four-wheeler. From May to November, the Stacey family spends their weekends on their ATVs, making loads of muddy laundry to keep Shannon busy when she’s not at her computer. She prefers writing to laundry, however, and considers herself lucky she got to be an author when she grew up.
You can contact Shannon through her website, www.shannonstacey.com, where she maintains an almost daily blog, or visit her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/shannonstacey, her Facebook page, www.facebook.com/shannonstacey.authorpage, or email her at [email protected].
Where no great story goes untold.
The variety you want to read, the stories authors have always wanted to write.
With new releases every week, your next great read is just a download away!
Keep in touch with Carina Press:
Read our blog: www.CarinaPress.com/blog
Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/CarinaPress
Become a fan on Facebook: www.facebook.com/CarinaPress
ISBN: 978-14268-9462-6
Copyright © 2013 by Shannon Stacey
All rights reserved. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.
All characters in this book have
no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.
This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
® and ™ are trademarks of the publisher. Trademarks indicated with ® are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Trade Marks Office and in other countries.
www.CarinaPress.com
All He Ever Dreamed (The Kowalskis) Page 23
