Jason sank down onto the couch, pulling Kara with him. His lips still teased and taunted hers. He tasted buttery, like the big tub of popcorn they’d shared at the theater. She traced his lips with her tongue, savoring the added saltiness.
His kisses trailed up her jaw to her earlobe, where he probed and tickled her, sending waves of shivers down her spine. His fingers played with the hem of her sweater, sneaking underneath to her bare waist. More goose bumps swept over her skin.
He stopped kissing his way down her neck long enough to say in a breathy voice, “We’ve wasted too many years apart. Marry me?”
“What?”
She yanked herself out of his embrace. He couldn’t be serious, could he? Her breathing still rushed, Kara moved to the far end of the couch, trying to gather her composure. She straightened her clothes before running a hand over her hair.
“That’s not exactly the reaction I was expecting.”
“You’re serious?” When he nodded, she continued, “You’re not just getting caught up in the moment?”
A broad smile lit up his eyes. “It shouldn’t be that big of a shock. After all, this isn’t exactly the first time I asked you.”
“But there’s Samantha to consider.”
“I know. But you said the biological father isn’t part of her life. We’ll just petition him to relinquish his rights.” When Kara didn’t say anything, Jason squeezed her hand. “Will the man give us problems?”
The backs of her eyes stung and Jason’s image blurred. “Not like you’re thinking. But there’s something important you need to know.”
* * *
Jason’s gut churned as it used to do when he was out on patrol in hostile territory. Right now his internal radar system was telling him to duck for cover.
Until this moment, he didn’t understand how much Samantha had come to mean to him in such a short period of time. Only a couple of months ago, if someone had told him he was a father, Jason would have been in total denial. Now, he’d no more be able to deny his connection to Samantha than he could deny his love for her mother. He was more than ready to step up and accept a role in Samantha’s life—in both of their lives.
“We’ll deal with it together,” he said, with all the confidence in the world. “What’s the guy’s name?”
He’d had long enough to come to terms with Samantha being another man’s child. He didn’t like it, but at least now he could think about it without losing his temper.
“You don’t understand....”
“I know this is hard, but just tell me his name.”
Kara’s face paled to a sickly white, and her bottom lip trembled. “Before I do, there’s something you have to understand.”
The raw emotion in her eyes ripped at his gut. Jason stood on the cusp of losing the future he’d come to dream of—the future he desperately wanted. His arms dropped to his sides and his hands clenched into tight balls. No, this can’t be happening.
“Don’t do this.” The hoarse words tore from his throat.
A single tear dropped onto her cheek. She swiped it away.
“I’m sorry, but you need to hear the truth—the whole truth.”
He was a man who’d been on the front line of combat, who’d faced the enemy and never considered backing down. But at this moment, he wanted to make a hasty retreat. His eyes searched out the door, yet his feet wouldn’t cooperate. Running from the truth wouldn’t change it.
“Whatever you have to say, I can deal with it,” he said. He had to.
He loved them.
The revelation stole the air from his lungs. He wanted Kara and Samantha more than he’d ever wanted anything in his life, including restoring his family’s resort. He couldn’t let this thing between them end before it had barely begun.
Surely whatever she had to say couldn’t be nearly as bad as what he’d told her. Kara was just overreacting. If she could forgive and accept him, then he could do the same for her now. After all, wasn’t that the foundation of a good relationship—being able to forgive each other?
“When you left—” Kara’s voice cracked. She started again. “After you’d ended our engagement with no explanation, I was devastated.”
She pressed her lips together and swallowed. “For a couple of months I hid in my room. I cried my eyes out, trying to figure out what I’d done wrong to make you leave. I hoped and prayed you’d change your mind and come back for me.” She paused, sucking in an unsteady breath. “I even asked your father for your phone number or address, any way I could get in contact with you.”