He continued, “I’ve been out for two years, but I’ve never felt free. I’ve never felt happy except in these moments with you.” He gestured to his back fence. “I’ve found contentment when I weld, when I create things. There are times then when I can block out the world and find a quiet sort of peace doing that. But my feelings for you aren’t quiet, Faith. They’re loud and big and scary as fuck but that’s because with you I feel joy and happiness. I want that all the time. I want you to feel that way, too. Please. Tell me that you can.”
He finished his speech with a ragged breath, as though he’d run a great distance, and she supposed he had. It had been a long uphill run for him to get to this point. She knew that much about him. He was professing his love and asking for it in return.
She stepped forward and flattened a hand against his chest, directly over his heart, where it beat fierce and fast. This was not the man who, a week ago, thought himself dead inside and the ruiner of all things. This was no longer the man who blamed himself for not being able to save anyone, for not lifting a finger as others around him suffered.
He was finally stepping forward, finally willing to save himself.
She moistened her lips. “The reason I’m moving is because I do love you . . . and I can’t bear to live next door to you without—”
He killed the rest of what she was going to say by dipping his head and claiming her mouth in a hard, drugging kiss. When he came up for air, his gaze devoured her. “You love me. That’s all that matters, Faith. And as for moving . . . maybe you should sell the house.”
“I should?”
“One home makes more sense for the two of us.”
“You want us to move in together?”
One corner of his mouth kicked up. “Might as well. I don’t intend to be anywhere other than your bed every night for the rest of my life.” A flash of uncertainty crossed his face. “I mean, if you love me and if you think—”
Standing on her tiptoes, she kissed him again, letting him feel her certainty. She didn’t want to spend another night without him. One house sounded perfect.
Still kissing, they backed themselves inside her house. He kicked the door shut after her.
“The cookies!” she cried against his lips.
“Forget them. I’ll learn to bake,” he promised.
EPILOGUE
“You know, visiting hours are going to end soon.” Briar waved her fingers, gesturing that North needed to give up the baby he was holding in his arms.
North shook his head slightly, barely sparing a glance for his sister-in-law.
“North,” Faith chided, laughter in her voice.
He grimaced, knowing he needed to let Briar hold the child, but little Max was only one day old and North was having trouble letting him go.
There’d been visitors off and on all day. Uncle Mac and Aunt Alice had only just left. He felt as though he hardly had an opportunity to be with the newest member of the Callaghan family.
Knox chuckled. “There’s always tomorrow, Briar. And it’s not as though you don’t have your own baby waiting at home.”
Briar looked horrified and swatted her husband’s arm. “I’m not leaving here without holding my nephew. Now give him up, North.”
“Go on,” Faith coaxed him from where she reclined on the hospital bed, looking radiant after giving birth to their son the day before. “It’s okay. You’ll be holding him a lot in the years ahead.”
He carefully passed his small son into Briar’s waiting arms and then moved beside his wife. Bending, he pressed a tender kiss to her lips.
A year ago he would not have imagined he could be this blessed. His brother and Reid might have found happiness and love, but he had thought such things could never be his. The love of a woman. Fatherhood. Happiness.
“That won’t be enough,” he said. “Holding him . . . and you. I won’t ever get enough of it.”
She grinned. “Good. Because you’re going to be doing it forever.”
His chest swelled on a breath as he gazed down at his beautiful wife. “Forever is exactly what I want.”