“You were telling me something about yourself. I remembered that. I want you to know that the only thing I regret about that summer is that I gave up on us. I could’ve written to you or emailed you or found a way to see you.”
“We were too young then, and you basically got sent away to your training. We were kids, and no one wanted us together. We did the only thing we could.”
I grabbed her in a bear hug.
“How did I ever get so lucky?”
“Good karma?” she teased.
“I love you. To hell with everything else,” I said, kissing the top of her head.
“Maybe I’ve been waiting all my life to hear you say that,” she said, nestling into my chest.
“Then I should’ve said it sooner,” I told her with all my heart. “Because there’s not a minute to waste.”
Even though holding her felt incredible, we needed to be closer. I could never fully say what Sarah Jo meant to me, the miracle it was to have her in my life, to know that we were where we had always belonged. I had to show her.
“There’s never been any question that I’m gonna love you the rest of my life. I remember the way the palms of my hands started to itch the minute you walked into the bar once you were back in town. I wanted to do this so bad I had to grit my teeth,” I admitted. I took a step back from her and cupped her face in my hands. I looked down at that pretty face and saw everything about her at once. The agony of compassion in her eyes when she spoke of her father, the fierce determination of a skinned-kneed kid selling mud pies, the Southern politeness of a young lady speaking of flowering shrubs to her future mother-in-law, and the flinty, quiet strength of a woman telling me to go fight a fire while she stayed behind to fight a war. Every part of her was beautiful to me.
I kissed her the way I had wanted to from the minute I saw her back in town. It was the shock of recognition—this was her; she was the one. Then it was the indescribably comfort of her arms around my neck, knowing that she wanted my kiss, that she wanted me, and pulled me close. I never lifted my head from kissing her, but I lifted her off her feet. There was no way I could leave her standing when I needed her closer. She gave her feet a little kick and smiled against my lips. It felt like I drank in that smile, that sunshine filled me up with heat and light after gray years of waiting. I only dragged my lips from hers to tell her again that I loved her. It had to be said about a thousand more times.
“Stay here with me,” I said against her cheek. “Never leave. Let this be our first night married.”
“We’re not married yet. And if I get pregnant, there’s no way they’ll let us get married in the church,” she warned.”
“Then I’ll marry you out in the backyard, Sarah Jo. Or right here, right now. To have and to hold, I swear on my life,” I said, my voice husky with feeling. I set her on her feet to look at her. There were tears shining in her eyes when she nodded.
“I do. I really do,” she said.
I took her hand and kissed it. Then I laid that hand on my shoulder and I picked her up. She squealed and laughed. I wanted to hear that laugh every day of my life. I wanted to make her this happy always.
I strode across the house with her in my arms and kicked open the bedroom door. “Welcome home,” I said. She kissed my cheek so I knew I’d said the right thing.
Then I didn’t want to say another word. I was out of words; nothing could say as much as my hands skimming along that smooth skin and my mouth on hers. She was mine, now and always. I meant to make sure she never regretted it. She rucked up my fire department t-shirt to slide her calloused hands over my chest. I growled deep in my throat. I couldn’t help it. I had to put my mouth on her neck then, find that good spot under her ear that made her twist and wiggle around with pleasure.
“I’m going to make love to you all night,” I promised her. “I’m not going to stop until all you can say is yes and now and please. We’re not going to know our names when we’re done.”
“Good,” she said, “as long as I’ll still be Mrs. Maddox when we wake up.”
“I’m off duty today. What about you?”