“Thing is…” I swallow. “I broke the vow we made that day.”
His heart pounds faster — I feel it vibrating through his ribcage. “Did you, little bird?”
“Yeah.” I nod miserably, doing my best to fight back the tears building behind my eyes. “I said I wasn’t ever going to fall in love, but…” I swallow hard. “I did.”
He’s silent for the longest five seconds of my lie.
“You want to hear something crazy?” he says finally.
I nod.
“I broke that vow the day we made it.” His eyes catch mine, burning brighter than I’ve ever seen them. “I’ve been in love with you since you looked up at me with wet eyes and told me a story about birds who mate for life. About love so powerful, you can’t live without the other person. Can’t move on, can’t forget, can’t even breathe without them by your side.” He shifts to cup my face in his hands. “I spent a long time trying to convince myself you were better off without me. That keeping away from you was the best way to keep you safe. But I can’t do it anymore. I won’t. See, you and I mated for life about a million years ago, little bird. Without you, there’s no music. No love. No life.”
A single tear escapes. He brushes it away with the pad of his thumb.
“Are you going to cry?” he asks, echoing his words from long ago, that day we buried a dove beneath my maple tree.
“No,” I say in a choked voice, lips trembling with effort.
“Do you love me, little bird?”
“Yes,” I croak, barely able to speak.
“Forever?”
“Yes.” Another tear escapes. “I’ve loved you since you hopped that fence into my back yard, and I’ll love you until my last breath. Even if you are bossy and rude about my footwear choices.”
“Good.” I feel his grin against my forehead as he presses a kiss there. “Because I have no intentions of ever dying of a broken heart.”
***
We don’t sleep. I think we both know time is running too short, that our hours together in this bed are numbered and real life is approaching at hyper speed. So we laugh and love and touch and talk until dawn is knocking at the door.
“We have to go.” Nate’s voice is full of regret as he drops a kiss on the tip of my nose. “It takes thirty minutes to drive to the airfield.”
“Do I really have to go?” I ask, though I already know the answer.
“I need you safe, little bird.”
I sigh. “But maybe Milo came through. Maybe he somehow worked things out with Mac and…” I trail off, recognizing the naivety of my own words even as they leave my mouth.
“Believe me, if I thought it was safe, I’d keep you here with me.” Another kiss lands on my nose. “I don’t want you to go. But you and Parker are better off away from here, until things are resolved.”
“Come with us,” I whisper.
“As soon as we settle things with Mac, I’ll be on the first plane.” The love shining in his eyes is so bright, it lights up the room. “I promise.”
“You make it sound simple. Like everything is easily fixable. But you can’t just walk up to the Irish mob and say Hey, let’s let bygones be bygones.” My brow crinkles. “What if you get hurt? What if—”
“Nothing’s going to happen to me.” His words are adamant as presses a lingering kiss to my mouth. “Now get your ass out of bed, pull on some clothes, and put on a pair of those damn sexy shoes that will no doubt give me a hard-on for the next week.” He slides off the bed, bends to scratch Boo behind the ears, and struts into the kitchen, naked as the day he was born.
Holy frack.
“Phoebe!” he calls a moment later, when he catches me staring.
“Yeah?” I gulp.
“My eyes are up here.” His voice is thick with amusement. “Now get changed.”
I lift my glaring eyes to his and hop out of bed.
***
“You have everything?”
I shoot him a look. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were stalling because you don’t want me to leave your lair.”