Dan pressed a kiss to her hair and stepped back, his face pink as he turned to the woman behind the desk. “Sorry about that, Kirsten. Long story.”
She merely smiled warmly. “And one with a happy ending, it looks like. I just thought you might like to, uh, speak in your office.”
A quick glance showed at least four pairs of eyes watching while trying to appear as if they weren’t.
“Good idea.” Dan took Adele’s hand, and had only tugged her a step when he stopped again. “Adele, this is Kirsten. Kirsten, Adele.”
“Nice to meet you,” Adele stammered, heat rising in her cheeks.
“Likewise. And I love your boots.”
Adele laughed, a sound that was more incredulous than anything, and choked out a “thank you” as Dan tugged her hand again and led her to a small office on the left and shut the door behind him.
He dropped her hand and met her gaze, and all her fears rushed back and the words she searched for dashed away again.
“You came,” he said quietly.
“I had to see you. To tell you...” To tell him what? Everything, her brain answered, but she had to put those thoughts into complete sentences.
He just waited. She could hear her heartbeat in her ears. Dan touched her forearm and said, “You look beautiful today.”
Beautiful. Right. She took a shaky breath. “I dressed up.” Because today was important, and on important days, a person dressed for the occasion.
“Do you want me to take your coat?” He hesitated a beat, and then asked earnestly, “Are you staying long enough for that?”
She nodded briefly, and started undoing buttons. The panels fell open and she unwound the scarf around her neck. “Thank you.”
“No problem.” He helped her take it off and draped it over a nearby credenza. “I’m so glad you’re here.”
“You are?” Oh, that was a good sign, right?
“I am. In case my hug out there left you with any doubts.” And a smile ticked up one corner of his mouth, and she relaxed a few degrees.
“Harper told me I was an idiot. And that I should fight for you.” No preamble. Just flat-out truth. She didn’t know how else to do this.
His eyes widened. “I see.”
He wasn’t going to make this easy for her, but maybe it shouldn’t be. Maybe it was time to really let him see everything. She wasn’t good at making herself vulnerable, and she really wasn’t good at leaving things to chance. But if the alternative was losing him forever, again, she knew she had to do something differently.
“Dan?”
“What, Delly?”
“I’m an idiot, and I’ve come here to fight for you, and to tell you that I’ll do what it takes to make this work. I don’t have the answers, and I’m scared to death, but I’m here.”
Her insides trembled, but Dan put a reassuring hand along the side of her face and smiled at her tenderly. “Oh, sweetheart,” he said softly, “I was about to drive to Banff and tell you exactly the same thing.”
Relief slammed into her. “You were?”
He nodded, his eyes warm on hers. “Yes. The first time, I let you walk away, and this time, I did the walking. But now I want to fight for us. I love you, Delly. I love you so much, I haven’t been able to think straight ever since I arrived at the Cascade and you walked into the lobby with Holly.”
She moved into his arms again, this time the hug less fevered and more measured and with a sense of comfort and rightness that had been missing for eight long years.
“Oh, thank God. I love you, too,” she whispered, breathing in his scent, memorizing the feel of him, all broad shoulders and chest and strong arms as he held her close. “I was so scared you were done with us. We wasted so much time.”
He shook his head. “No, we didn’t. And you know why? Because I think this is exactly where we’re supposed to be. Maybe we wouldn’t have made it if we’d tried when we were younger. All I know is we’re here now. And we’re going to figure this out.”
Adele finally stepped back. “I have so many things I need to say. Things I need to ask.”