She blew out a breath as she dropped her hand and took a step back.
“I know you have to leave, and I won’t stand in your way. That would be selfish.” She swallowed as she felt her throat threatening to close. “But I just wanted to tell you. If you ever want to come back, I’ll be here.” She touched his face briefly, then drew away. “I love you, Kirk, and I always will.”
God, what a mistake he had almost made. “Stand in my way.”
“What?”
“I said, ‘Stand in my way.’” He fought a grin as she stared at him in confusion. “I don’t want to leave, Rachel.”
He drew her to the side of the corridor, creating a small haven for them. He attempted to make it as clear as possible. For both of them.
“I came back to see you because when I remembered you, I remembered feeling good. About myself, about life.” He took her hands in his. “And I’m the one being selfish, because I need that. I need you, to go on.” He watched, fascinated, as hope began to take root in her face. “What I said before, about being afraid that I would be bad for Ethan—when he was lost, all I could think of was that I had lost him, too. I love your son, Rachel. I love him as if he were my own.”
This was far more than she had dared hope for. “He’s more yours than he ever was Don’s.”
He’d sensed that almost from the beginning, from the rapport that had emerged. “I don’t want to give either of you up.” He framed her face with his hands and struggled with the urge to kiss her. He knew that if he did, he’d lose his train of thought. And there were things he still wanted to tell her.
Reluctantly he took his hands away from her face. “That last time I was on the campus, when I took you to the coffee shop, I stopped by the liberal arts building.”
Rachel waited wondering what he was getting at, biting her tongue to keep from asking.
“Joe Frazier’s the assistant dean there.” They’d both gone to high school with him.
“Yes, I know.” Her voice was hardly more than a whisper.
He dropped the bombshell. “I bumped into him by accident, and we began to talk. He’s followed my work, and he offered me an adjunct teaching position if I ever wanted it. Said he’d have would-be photojournalists lining up six deep if my name was in the class bulletin.” He wasn’t one for vanity or flattery, but this one time, he’d chosen to believe it. It worked to his advantage. Taking the position would keep him close to Rachel.
“He tends to be conservative in his estimations.” Rachel swallowed, then dared to ask, “Does this mean that you’re going to stay?”
“Yes.” He watched her eyes, wondering if he’d sabotaged his life earlier.
Rachel kept very, very still. “For how long?”
He looked for signs to tell him what she was thinking and saw none. He pressed on. “As long as it takes.”
After wanting something for so long, she refused to believe that it was actually happening. Two miracles in one day was too much to hope for.
“I don’t understand. As long as it takes for what?”
“For as long as it takes for you to give me the right answer to my proposal.” Kirk watched her mouth soften, and knew he’d been worried needlessly. He took her into his arms. “The right answer, by the way, is yes.”
Rachel threaded her arms around Kirk’s neck. “I don’t need a crib sheet, Callaghan. I’ve known what the right answer is all along. I was just waiting for you to find out.”
It had taken him a long time, but he finally had. “Cameron can be best man.”
She shook her head slowly, then watched, amused, as he arched a questioning brow. “No, you are. You were always the best man, Callaghan. It just took you a hell of a long time to accept that.”
“I’m a slow learner.” He brushed a kiss against her hair and listened to her sigh softly. He found it hopelessly arousing. “But something tells me that I’m going to enjoy learning.”
She was so happy, she was afraid she would burst. Rachel nodded toward her son’s room. “Let’s go tell Ethan that he’s going to have a new father.”
“In a minute.” Kirk wasn’t anxious to go anywhere just yet. It was private here, and he wanted to enjoy the moment. He pulled her closer to him and saw a spark of desire flicker in her eyes. As he knew one did in his. “I told you, I’m a slow learner. I have to take this one step at a time.”
He had her very curious. “And that first step is?”
“To kiss you.”
She grinned, fitting herself against him. “You know what they say.”
“What?” he teased, glorying in the feel of her. “What do they say?”
“Watch out for that first step.” She rose on her toes, bringing her mouth to his. “It’s a doozy.”
And it was.
* * * * *
ISBN: 978-1-4592-8705-1
Callaghan’s Way
Copyright © 1994 by Marie Rydzynski-Ferrarella
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