“Rhett,” she finally cried.
He dropped a kiss on her neck, feeling her fierce shudders beneath his mouth. “Yeah, darlin’, I’m here.”
“Don’t let go.”
He locked his arms around her. “I never will.”
* * *
Four hours later, Kinsley felt a little more like herself again. She had given her report, cried enough not to have any tears left, and hugged everyone as much as she could. All her family and friends had been at Rhett’s house, and no one left until she finally believed she was safe. Her captor, their leader, and everyone else was dead. The SWAT team came out a little bloodied, a couple with gunshot wounds, but alive, and they’d all go home tonight, and from what she learned, so would Cameron.
She thought she should feel happy now, but she couldn’t find happiness anywhere, only sadness that any of this had happened at all. She had seen her life flash before her eyes. Had Rhett, Boone, and the others stormed the warehouse even two seconds later, she would have been dead. Now, with life giving her this second chance, she realized she couldn’t waste it. She couldn’t simply wait and wait and wait, because in a snap, it could all be over, just like that.
She had to live. Fully. Authentically.
And that’s why when Rhett asked her if she wanted to go home, she asked him to bring her somewhere else instead. Now, in her favorite place on top of the summit, staring up at the stars above, with a blanket resting on her lap, she couldn’t hold off any longer. “Rhett, I…”
He glanced sideways and took her hand. “Can’t keep loving me the way you’ve been loving me.”
Surprised he got that so right, she drew in a long breath, emotion tightening her throat. “No, I can’t, and I’m sorry for that.” She wanted a commitment, and she wanted forever with someone.
“Damn, Kinsley, never be sorry. Not for anything.” He slowly shook his head, his mouth thinning before he addressed her. “You’ve been so loyal and good to me. More than anyone ever has.”
Her heart leapt up in her throat; tears welled in her eyes. “No matter what, even if there isn’t an us, we’re going to be okay. Our baby will be okay. We’re going to make all this work.”
He hesitated then leveled those warm eyes at her. “What do you need for there to be an us?”
“I need to hear that I’m loved,” she said, a tear slipping down her cheek before she wiped it away with her mitten-covered hand. “I want a house for my family to grow in. I want to grow old with someone. I want a husband. I want forever. I want it all.”
Unfamiliar softness reached his expression and his voice. “You deserve all those things. Every single one of them.” His gaze bore into hers, the world fading away, the cold wind on her cheeks barely there now. “I don’t know why you love me the way you do,” he added gently. “Why you see the good in me and reach to bring it out. I never thought I needed anyone, but when I thought I was going to lose you, I realized my world cannot exist without you.”
“Rhett,” she barely managed.
A long pause. “I think you need to see this.” He reached into his jacket pocket then and pulled out a card. She immediately knew what it was, had seen similar ones many times in her life. It was one of her grandmother’s handmade cards.
With shaky hands, she opened it, and her breath hitched at the familiar handwriting.
Dear Kinsley’s future husband,
I’m guessing you must be a spectacular man if my Kinsley has picked you. But as her grandmother, I thought I should tell you something you should know about her. You’ll never meet anyone more loyal, but if you break that loyalty, you’ll lose her forever. Don’t mess this up! She needs hugs even if she tells you she doesn’t want one. Please hug her all the time, real tight. Those are her favorite. She’s got really soft spots on her soul, even if she doesn’t show them often. Protect those soft spots. Always! Sometimes, she’ll need you to love her extra hard when she remembers her mother and gets sad about that. Remind her the best people are here with her, and that’s all that matters. Nothing and no one else but that. She loves without restraint, without fear, and is brave enough to fight for what her heart wants. Since you’re her guy, the man her heart wants, always remember that she needs that love back.
Take care of my girl,
Margie
Kinsley choked on a sob, blurry eyed. “I had no idea that my grandma wrote this letter.”
Rhett took the letter back, setting it beside him. “I’m glad she did. Sometimes”—he chuckled—“most times, it’s good to hear it straight. It also only confirmed that this is exactly what I should do…”
She felt something in her hand and she looked down, slowly opening it. Her vision suddenly became even blurrier as she stared at her grandmother’s engagement ring. “Is this…”
“Your grandmother’s ring.?
?
She blinked. “I don’t understand. I thought the ring was buried with her.” Only now that she thought about it, she hadn’t seen her grandmother wear the ring in her later years.
“Your grandmother gave the ring and the card to Boone for safekeeping.” Rhett hesitated then added, “Well, I’m not exactly sure he even knew what was in the envelope. Only that he was supposed to give it to the man who wanted to marry you.”