He lifted his head with a groan, gathering her in close. ‘I love you, Jo. I nearly went crazy when I thought I’d lost you.’
Her arms tightened about him. ‘You haven’t lost me. I’m in your arms, where I belong, and I’m not planning on going anywhere.’
‘You mean that?’
‘With all my heart.’
And then she frowned. ‘Well, I mean, I do start my paramedic training next week, so I’ll have to leave your arms literally, but you know what I mean.’
He dropped a kiss to the tip of her nose. Her very cute nose. ‘But you’ll keep returning here? To me?’
Her fingers stroked his nape. ‘There’s nowhere I’d rather be,’ she whispered.
‘I can commute between the coast and Sydney,’ he said.
‘And I can commute between Sydney and the coast,’ she said. ‘But, Mac, we need to make sure that wherever we go we always have room for friends and for puppies.’
A grin started up inside him until it bubbled from him in a laugh. ‘I’m glad you feel that way, because Bandit had ten of the little beggars.’
Her mouth dropped open, so he kissed her again. When he lifted his head—much, much later—she smiled dreamily up at him.
‘Did I mention that I happen to love the way you kiss?’
‘No.’
So she proceeded to tell him. Which meant, of course, that he had to kiss her again.
When he lifted his head this time he found himself growling, ‘Promise me forever.’
She reached up to press her hand to his cheek. ‘I promise you, Mac—’ she stared deep into his eyes ‘—that for as long as you make me pineapple upside-down cake, I’m yours. Forever.’
Her voice washed over him like warm honey and he started to laugh...and it filled his soul.