Whatever the noise, it relaxed his frame. Then he surged, closing the gap between us, and hauled me into his arms.
I buried my face in his chest and inhaled. Soap and spice and earth and wind. Heaven. “Is this real? Are you here?”
“I’m here.” He breathed in my hair. “Fuck, but I missed you.”
“You did?”
“Every damn day.”
I squeezed my eyes closed, balling his coat in my fists to keep him from moving. “I put your chair away. I couldn’t look at it empty every day. I can’t look at it empty every day.”
If he was just going to leave again, he needed to go. Now. While I could still stand on my own.
He eased me back to frame my face in his large hands, his thumbs stroking my cheeks. “It won’t be empty. Never again. That’s a promise, Lyla.”
A promise he’d keep. “I like promises.”
The corner of his mouth turned up. Then he slammed his mouth on mine. His tongue stroked my bottom lip, tender and slow, coaxing my mouth open. When he slid inside, it was slow. Torturous. He explored my mouth like this was the first kiss.
In a way, maybe it was.
I melted against him, the ache in my chest abating with every soft kiss until he broke away, his gaze colliding with mine.
“I love you, Lyla.” Those gray-blue eyes were as bright as stars. It was a color I’d seen in them before. I just hadn’t named it yet. Love.
“I love you too.”
“I love you so fucking much.” His hold on me tightened. “I couldn’t breathe when we were apart.”
“Don’t ever leave me again.”
“Not a chance.” A growl escaped his throat as his mouth crushed mine once more, kissing me until I was breathless. Then we clung to each other, his arms banded around my back. His face buried in my hair.
I snaked my arms around his waist, pressing my cheek to his shoulder as I molded around his hard, broad frame.
We stood locked together until something vibrated between us. Vance’s pocket. He shifted, letting me go just enough to dig out his phone.
“It’s Vera,” he said.
“Where is she?”
“At the hotel. She just texted to say she’s tired from the drive and will just see us in the morning.”
The last reservation at The Eloise. That was him.
I closed my eyes, leaning against his heart, listening to its beat and feeling the heat from his body radiate into mine.
Was he really done with Idaho? What about his job? What had happened with the investigation into the shooting?
There’d be time for questions. There’d be time to talk about the future. But not yet. Tonight, I just wanted to take him home.
“I’m the only one here tonight and still need to close up.”
“I’ll wait until you’re done.” He took my face in his hands once more, his gaze full of love and something new.
Peace. He was at peace. And it was breathtaking.
“I’ll get your chair.”
EPILOGUE
LYLA
Three months later . . .
Four conversations floated around my parents’ kitchen.
Dad was telling Griff and Knox about the flat tire he’d gotten on Wednesday.
Talia was lamenting to Mom and Winn about the upcoming end of her maternity leave.
Foster and Jasper were discussing some UFC fight.
Memphis, Eloise and Vera were huddled over a phone, shopping for Harrison’s first birthday presents.
“We’re getting married.”
All four conversations came to a screeching halt.
Vance shook his head and chuckled. “So much for keeping it to ourselves until Mateo got here.”
“He’s late.” I shrugged. “That’s not my problem. Besides, someone would have noticed the ring.”
And I refused to take it off.
My family, momentarily stunned, gaped at us, then everyone seemed to move at once. There were hugs and handshakes. Mom dabbed tears from the corner of her eyes. And when the overlapping conversations started again, this time the topic was our engagement and wedding plans.
The noise in the room spiked, excitement infusing the air. The kids, sensing the energy, chased in and out of the kitchen, racing along an invisible path that wound around legs and chairs and a few scattered toys, all while the adults talked.
The solitaire diamond ring on my finger still felt a bit foreign against my knuckle. But someday, after I’d worn it for decades, I hoped that whenever I slipped it off, I’d see its indentation in my skin.
Vance had taken me on a hike this morning. The weather had warmed over the past two weeks, enough that some of the snow had melted in the foothills. It was only March and we’d undoubtedly get another storm or two, but he’d wanted to take advantage of winter’s reprieve and my day off.
The trail he’d found had taken us to a secluded meadow in the forest. Maybe he’d planned the hike. Maybe he’d scoped out the area in advance. Maybe he’d just gotten lucky to find such a picturesque clearing in the trees.
I wasn’t sure and wasn’t asking.
The minute we’d broken through the tree line, Vance had dropped to a knee and asked me to be his wife.
My cheeks flushed just thinking about how Vance had fucked me against the trunk of a nearby cottonwood after I’d said yes. Then we’d celebrated again in the back of his truck. And again when we’d gotten home. Twice.
Like he could read my thoughts, Vance’s gaze met mine from across the room.
“I love you,” I mouthed.
He winked.
“Where’s Mateo?” Eloise asked, popping a carrot from the veggie tray into her mouth.
“I don’t know.” Mom checked her phone. “He said he was coming.”
“Well, I’m getting hungry,” Dad said. “I’ll start the grill. We can cook his burger when he gets here.”
A line of men, each carrying a cocktail, trailed from the kitchen to the deck. Apparently it took six males to turn on one barbeque.
“So where do you want the wedding?” Mom asked, taking the burger patties she’d prepped earlier from the fridge.
“I was thinking the barn. If that’s okay with you guys.”
“Of course.” She clapped, giddy with excitement. “What about the ceremony?”
“The weather is always a risk, but maybe we could have it outside.”
“We could set up tents just in case of rain,” Winn said.
“Oh, I saw this amazing picture the other day of an altar.” Memphis scrolled through the plethora of wedding inspiration pictures she’d saved on her phone as an event planner. She found the right one and held it out for us all to look at. “Isn’t that pretty with the wood arches and flowers? We could easily add a roof or covering.”
“I love it.” I smiled. “Will you be my wedding planner?”
“Aww.” She pressed a hand to her heart, then swept me into a hug. “I’d be honored.”
“How are your classes going, Vera?” Talia asked.
Vera had become a regular at our family dinners these past three months. She’d actually become a regular at Mom and Dad’s, period.
After Vance had come back to Quincy, he’d told me about the weeks we’d been apart. How miserable they’d been for Vera.
His place in Idaho had sold a few weeks ago, along with most of his furniture. We’d all gone back for a weekend to pack his remaining belongings and move them to my place.
The plan had been for Vera to keep living in the guest bedroom at our house. But then she’d declared she wanted her own place. She wanted to start living like a normal twenty-one-year-old woman.
Vance didn’t think she was quite ready to be entirely on her own again. Maybe he was just being protective, but after four years of isolation, I agreed that easing her into things was probably the best bet.
So I’d called my parents.
There was a loft above the barn. Mateo had lived there for a time after college. Then my uncle Briggs had called it home when his dementia had become worse and Dad had wanted his brother closer. After the dementia had become too advanced, Briggs had gone into a nursing home.
The loft had been empty ever since.
It seemed like the perfect place for Vera to find her footing.
My parents adored her. They invited her over for dinner at least three times a week. Dad had taken it upon himself to help her refresh her driving skills. And Mom was teaching her how to cook.
Meanwhile, Vera had wanted to dive straight into a full-time job, but instead, we’d encouraged her to get her GED first. She’d aced her tests last month and had started two online courses since.
“I really like them,” Vera said. “I still have no idea what I want to do, but for right now, I like having options.”
She was enrolled in a nutrition class and a psychology course. Two wildly different topics but both seemed to pique her interest. For money, she’d been working at the coffee shop. Between her and Crystal, I was able to take Fridays and Saturdays off.
I wasn’t sure how long I’d get to keep her at the shop. Mom and Dad had all but adopted Vera in the past three months, so if the day came when she wanted to move out for college or a career, they’d miss her terribly.