True. Except on some level her gut said none of that mattered. Not a single bit.
You already know how you feel, Kady. How you’ve always felt.
Also true.
So what are you going to do?
…
Being in the Army meant that Colton had had to say a lot of good-byes over the years. None had been harder than the one he’d just said to Kady Dresco.
Dropping heavily into a seat at his gate, Colton settled his laptop bag at his feet. His plane would start boarding in forty minutes, so at least he didn’t have long to wait.
Colton felt a whole lot like someone had parked a mainframe computer on his chest. The farther he got from Kady, the harder it was to breathe, and the more an aching pain radiated out from his chest.
Ridiculous reaction, maybe, or maybe it made perfect sense. After all, how was it supposed to feel when you’d just left the woman you realized you’re in love with less than a few hours after making the realization? And now he didn’t know when he’d see her again.
Needing to distract himself from missing and wanting Kady, Colton pulled out his smartphone and scrolled through his email in-box. He had a message from Colonel Jepsen. Anticipation squeezing his gut, Colton opened it. As his eyes skimmed over the words, he wasn’t sure to whether to laugh or get down on his knees and thank God.
Jepsen’s team liked some parts of his proposal and some parts of Kady’s. Before they decided which to go with, Jepsen wondered if Colton would be willing to consider sharing the contract such that he and Kady would each head up different parts of the work.
If this wasn’t the universe giving them a giant shove in a particular direction, Colton didn’t know what was.
And now the feeling of missing her was that much stronger. How would Kady react when she received this message?
Damnit. Colton wanted to know—no, he needed to know—what she was thinking, especially given this new news.
But it wasn’t just about the job that he wanted to talk. He hadn’t told her everything he should—namely, he’d never told her exactly how he felt.
Would telling her help her decide or just make the situation that much more confusing?
Certainty flooded through him—if this was a fight, he needed every weapon he could get to win her over—and that meant being honest with his feelings. They needed it, she deserved it, and he couldn’t have meant it more. Amazing how he’d gone thirty-two years before he’d fallen in love—most of that time wondering if he ever would. Now that he had, his heart was in an urgent rush to let the girl know and get her by his side.
Looking at his watch, Colton found he probably had about five minutes to locate Kady’s gate before she’d be on the plane and beyond his reach. He was on his feet and moving almost immediately. Across the aisle from his gate, he spied Beckstein seated and working on his laptop. Perfect, now Colton knew he wouldn’t be anywhere near them when he talked to Kady. Walking at first, then more briskly, and then finally breaking into a run, Colton didn’t care about the looks and stares he was getting.
His phone rang in his pocket. Figures someone would be calling now, but Colton couldn’t take the time to deal with whoever that was. He had to get to Kady before she got on her plane and put a whole lot of airspace between them.
Colton skidded to a halt in front of the bank of monitors, looking for the gate from which the San Francisco flight departed. Gate B-15, which was all the way down the far end of the hallway. Good thing he kept in shape. He took off running again, just as his phone rang for a second time.
As he dodged parents with strollers and people wearing headphones and small families meandering at almost a leisurely pace, Colton strained to see Kady’s gate number as he rushed through the crowd. Finally, the sign came into view, and Colton’s heart nearly sank to the floor for the fact that there were only a few passengers remaining in line.
“Kady?” he yelled in case she was one of them. “Kady!”
She stepped out from behind a column, her phone to her ear. Her arm eased down and she slid her phone in her purse. “Colton?”
Oh, thank God.
“Beckstein’s at the other end of the airport” was all he said as he stalked right up to her. Then he swept her into his arms and kissed her as if he was trying to make up for every other time he’d wanted to do this but couldn’t. Kady’s arms came up around his neck and Colton groaned in triumph as he held her tight against his chest. It felt so damn good to have her in his arms that he wasn’t sure how he’d survived the past few hours of not touching her. Their lips pulled, tongues twirled, and hands grabbed tight. The passion and desire in this kiss alone gave Colton the confidence he needed to know that what he’d offered her would never turn out to be a mistake.
“I’m so—” she began just as he said, “I realized—”
They both laughed, and Colton took Kady’s beautiful face in his hands. “I realized I forgot to tell you something very important that might help you make your decision.” His heart was a bass drum pounding in his chest.
“Okay,” Kady said, smiling broadly. He didn’t think he was imagining the hope and relief shining from her eyes.
“I love you.” A weight lifted from his chest at expressing what he felt. “I don’t know when it started. Maybe that night three years ago when I decided I’d have to be satisfied with loving you from afar. Or maybe it was some other time altogether. All I know is that being with you the past two days awakened feelings that had been all boxed
up inside me and now they’re all I can think about. I love you, Kady.”
Kady’s eyes went glassy but there was so much happiness radiating from her face. “Oh my God, I can’t believe this is happening,” she said, pressing a kiss into one of his palms. She stepped into him and laid her hands on his chest. “I’ve loved you my whole life, Colton. You’re the only man I’ve ever wanted. And I love you, too.”
Satisfaction and relief and a thousand other feelings he couldn’t sort out surged through Colton’s body. She loved him. She loved him, too.
Tears leaked from the corners of Kady’s eyes.
“Aw, don’t cry,” he said.
“Can’t help it,” she said through a watery smile that turned into a small laugh. “I’m so happy I can’t hold it all inside.”
Colton tugged her into his chest and held her tight. For a long moment, they just stood there, totally wrapped in each other and in the feelings they both shared.
“Did you get an email from Jepsen?” he asked against her hair.
She nodded. “I was trying to call you.”
Colton smiled. And he’d been irritated at his phone ringing. “So, what do you think?”
“Miss, if you’re getting on the plane, you have to do it now,” the gate attendant called.
Kady pulled out of his embrace and looked over her shoulder. “I’ll be right there.” She tilted her head back to meet his gaze again. “I think the universe might be sending us a sign.”
He threw his head back on a laugh. “I thought the very same thing. So then, what do you say, Kady? Say you’ll come be with me. Say you’ll come work with me. Say you’ll let me love you. Just say yes.”
“Miss, we’re about to close the door on the plane,” the woman called again.
Bright-green eyes stared up at him. Kady nodded. “Yes,” she said in a choked voice. “I have a lot to figure out, but I don’t have to think about this—about you—a minute more. So, yes.”