His Brother's Bride

He had to get off.

Somehow between doing his job that night and ending up in this room, he’d gotten on the wrong ride. He had no idea where he was or where he was supposed to be, for that matter.

“Scott, are you listening to me?”

He nodded. Of course he was. To every word. But...

“You really think all that stuff?” he asked.

“I know it,” she said. Her conviction was damned hard to fight.

“I knew it the other night, Scott,” she said, dropping to the floor. She was on her knees at his feet.

Scott didn’t know what to do about it.

“I was just so shocked that I didn’t know what to say, what to tackle first.”

He’d give just about anything to believe that.

“And,” she added, interrupting his thoughts, “because I was scared to death.”

“Scared?” That was news to him.

“I was scared because when you told me you used to be in love with me, all I could feel was this crushing disappointment that I hadn’t known—and that you no longer felt that way.”

What?

She reached forward and buried her face in his knees. “Because that was the moment when I realized that I’m in love with you. Not with Paul’s memory. Not with the idea of you as family, but with you, the man who questions everything. And knows the answers. The man who would give his life for those around him. Who never gets tired of fighting the good fight. The one who accepts the worst the world has to offer, and can still see the beauty, too. The one who is so loyal he puts his brother’s happiness before his own. Who is so honorable that, out of respect for his brother’s memory, he doesn’t speak up for himself even when he has a chance at a happiness of his own....”

He swallowed. Or tried to. His throat was so dry he could hardly breathe.

“And that realization scared you,” he said, his voice sounding as though he hadn’t used it in years.

“To death. How could I love you and not be disloyal to Paul?”

Exactly.

“And then it hit me, Scott. I’m not the same person I was all those years ago. Paul’s death showed me that absolutely nothing is a sure thing. All my life I’d thought it was my circumstances that made life seem so uncertain. But the truth is, life is unpredictable. Even Paul—reliable and loyal as he was—ended up leaving me alone.”

He didn’t know what to say.

“I don’t know how long I’d have run scared if not for tonight,” she said.

“What happened tonight?”

“William and Cecilia. That vow they made. The one William reminded Cecilia to keep. To not waste the future on things of the past. I suddenly realized that’s exactly what I was doing. I will always love my memories of Paul, but life has changed me.”

“And what does the new Laurel need?” Scott asked.

“You,” she said, looking him straight in the eye. “I need you.”

He’d always known that Laurel was a miracle. An angel sent from heaven to save the Hunter men. He’d never known, until that moment, that she was sent to save him.

Once that was made clear to Scott, he didn’t continue to question it to death. There would be more talk, more searching and analyzing. He knew that. It was his way. But he’d seen the light.

That was enough.

“And I need you,” he whispered, an unfamiliar moisture gathering in his eyes. “I love you, Laurel. God knows, I’ve never stopped....”