Chapter 22
Adrenaline leaked from Celine’s body and left her shaky and fatigued. She melted against the seat in Lane’s truck. The gentle rocking of the vehicle as they headed toward home threatened to lull her into sleep.
Home.
Realization dawned on her and sent joy trickling through her body like a warm, spring rain. Home wasn’t a house or a place. It was Lane. Plain and simple. And as long as he was by her side, she’d always be where she belonged.
He squeezed her hand as he pulled into the driveway. “You sure you don’t want to go to the hospital? You’re pretty banged up.”
“A medic cleared me at the house. Rest and over-the-counter pain medications are all they recommended. I just need to see Parker.” Her arms physically ached thinking of her baby.
For a few minutes, she’d thought she’d never lay eyes on him again.
Thought he’d grow up not even remembering his mother.
The idea of being nothing but a story to be told shattered her, but the steadfast certainty that Lane would be there to raise him into an incredible human had kept her from losing her mind.
Duke sat beside her in the truck and hooked an arm over her shoulder. “She’s made of tough stuff. I’m glad you’re okay.”
She smiled up at this man she’d just met a few days before but already adored. “Me too.”
Leaning her head against Lane’s shoulder, she soaked in the feeling of contentment the rest of the way to Lane’s. When he parked, her muscles tingled with the need to launch herself from the vehicle and run inside.
Once Lane climbed out, he held out a hand to help her down. He cupped a palm under her elbow, supporting her as she climbed the porch and walked through the front door.
Suzy ran down the stairs, her eyes widening when she saw Celine. She slowed her steps as she approached and covered her mouth with her hands. “Oh my God. Thank God you’re all right. Can I hug you?”
“Of course.”
“Just be gentle,” Lane warned and released her hand. He took a step to the side to allow Suzy space to wrap Celine in a tender hug.
“Parker never woke up. Didn’t even make a peep. You can now put all of this behind you.”
Celine’s shoulders slumped forward as she absorbed the words. The nightmare was over. She was safe and Parker would have no idea any of this had happened. Danger had passed and she’d escaped with her life and a new outlook on everything in it.
Including Lane.
He’d told her that he loved her. She hadn’t been given a chance to reciprocate.
Not with the flurry of activity that had descended on the house.
Medics to attend to three victims—two of them in critical condition but expected to make full recoveries.
Authorities to take statements and process the crime scene.
Then there was Lane, hovering over her like an overprotective mother hen. Demanding she receive medical attention and worrying she wasn’t being truthful about the extent of her injuries.
She hadn’t lied, though she glazed over some of the more terrifying details. Details that would haunt her for the rest of her life.
Pulling away from Suzy, she wiped the tears from her face that refused to stop falling. “Thank you for watching Parker. Knowing he was safe meant everything to me.”
Suzy offered a small smile. “I’d do anything for that little boy. And for you too. Now go get some rest.”
Lane pressed a palm to the small of her back. “Can you handle the stairs? There are a lot of them.”
She started to tell him he was being silly, but he swept her into his arms like a groom carrying his bride. She didn’t protest, just circled her arms around his neck and laid her head on his broad shoulder.
Reaching the guest room, he set her on her feet and held open the door.
She tiptoed inside and stared down at her sleeping son.
The tightness in her chest stole her breath.
Love so strong and swift flowed through her it weakened her knees.
She leaned against Lane, needing his strength to hold her up.
Keep her feet firmly on the ground. “He’s so beautiful,” she whispered.
Lane landed a kiss on her temple. “He’s perfect. Just like his mother.”
She stared up at him and got lost for a second in his deep blue eyes. “I may not be perfect, but I’m perfect for you. For him. I want to build a life together. To live every day with the knowledge that I chose you and you chose me.”
“I like the way that sounds.”
She slipped an arm around his waist. “Thank you for saving me.”
“I should have never left you alone with him.” Guilt and regret weighed down Lane’s voice. “If I hadn’t left to grab my phone, none of this would have happened.”
Needing him to really hear her, she shifted to stand in front of him and fisted the neck of his shirt in her hands.
“He would have found another way. He was scared and desperate and way more of an asshole than I realized. Now he’ll never hurt me again, and the FBI got their hands on the people behind the gambling ring that Kevin got involved with. We can put this whole mess behind us.”
The side of Lane’s mouth hitched up.
“Sometimes bad things happen that we can’t control. But you stepped up and you showed me you’d do anything to get me back. And I don’t just mean getting me away from Kevin.”
“I know it’ll take time for you to completely trust me.”
She placed a finger on his lips. “I do trust you. With my life. With Parker. With the future that’s waiting for us. I love you, Lane. I always have and I always will.”
Lane dipped his head down to rest his forehead on hers. “I don’t deserve you.”
“That’s where you’re wrong—where you’ve always been wrong. You deserve the world, and I’ll remind you of that every day if I have to.”
Settling his hands on her hips, he grinned. “I can think of a lot better things to do every day. When you’re up for it.”
She kissed his lips and smiled, happiness filling her to the brim. “I can’t wait. We’re in for one hell of a ride.”
Three days later, Lane woke to sun streaming into the bedroom. Groaning, he rolled over and caught Celine around the waist, nestling her against him.
The heat of her body sparked his system to life faster than the world’s strongest cup of coffee.
A soft moan escaped her lips, and she snuggled closer.
“Keep moving like that and we’ll have a great morning,” he whispered in her ear. His body craved her—hell, it always had. But he hadn’t wanted to hurt her since her ordeal and kept his hands to himself.
That might change this morning.
“That sounds nice,” she said, turning to face him.
He grinned. “I like waking up to you.”
She smiled back, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes.
“What’s wrong?” Frowning, he slipped a strand of hair behind her ear. Even without a stitch of makeup she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever laid eyes on.
“I agreed to stay here because I was in danger. Then I stayed longer because I was too sore and needed help with Parker. Now that I feel better…”
Her admission hit him like a punch in the gut. “Do you not want to be here?”
“I don’t want to overstay my welcome.” She dropped her gaze, refusing to meet his eye. She rubbed the soft material of the blanket between her fingers.
He tipped up her chin, forcing her to look at him.
“That’s not possible, but if you aren’t comfortable here, I don’t want to make you feel like you can’t go home.
I love you, and I love having you and Parker here full time, but if you need to take this slow…
need to take a step back…I’ll understand. ”
“I am comfortable here. With you. I can’t imagine waking up without you next to me or not having a partner to help me when Parker’s up at night and refusing to go back to sleep.
It hasn’t even been a week, and I can’t remember the way life was before.
I don’t want to remember. Don’t want to go back there. ”
The tension in his shoulders dissipated. “Then will you move in here with me? Permanently?”
A mixture of fear and excitement clashed on the lines of her face. “Are you ready for that? Truly ready for the kind of commitment?”
“I’ve spent my whole life figuring out where I belong only to realize it was always here with you,” he said, brushing the pad of his thumb across her cheek.
“I’m ready, Celine. For you, for Parker, for whatever life throws our way.
I want you to pack your things and help me turn this cold, heartless place into our home.
Because you are the heart. You are the purpose.
And I want to be around for every second of our son’s childhood.
I want to share in those memories with you as our family grows. ”
She nibbled her bottom lip and waited a few beats before she said, “Can we still get that dog?”
He let out a hoot of laughter. “Honey, we can fill that barn up with whatever the hell you want, as long as you’re here with me take care of them.”
She grinned. “Deal. Now can you do me one more favor?”
“Anything.”
“Will you stop treating me like some fragile princess and kiss me already?”
With his hand still molded against the side of her face, he slid his free palm around to cup the back of her head. He leaned down slowly, pressing his lips to hers. Savoring the feel of her, the warmth of her, and knowing that life would always be good with her next to him.
Rolling to lay on top of him, she stared down with her hair falling all around her. “Come on, cowboy, you can do better than that. I told you. I’m fine. Nothing hurts, at least not bad enough to stop this from happening.”
He gripped her hips, groaning as her center nestled over his. “You sure?”
“Oh yeah.”
“Then I’m all yours,” he said. “Any way you want me, any time.”
A sharp cry crackled through the baby monitor, and Celine slumped forward and groaned. “This kid has the worst timing ever.”
Although he agreed, he kept that thought to himself. He wrapped his arms around Celine and pinned her beneath him, mindful not to put too much of his weight on her. “Any chance I can get him back to sleep?”
Celine glanced the clock on the nightstand. “A very, very small chance.”
“Then I’ll give it a try. I want that vision from the other night to come true. You waiting for me naked in bed while I get him settled. Can you handle that?”
She pulled her lips down into a pouty frown. “You mean I can’t fall back asleep?”
He gave her collarbone a playful bite.
Laughing, she squirmed and slapped his shoulder. “Okay, okay. I’ll wait for you. Always.”
He gave her one more kiss before climbing out of bed and sliding on a pair of gym shorts. At the doorway, he glanced behind him one more time. His heart constricted at the sight of her laying in his bed, her hair mussed and the prettiest pink blush staining her cheeks.
Tearing himself away, he hurried to the room across the hall and scooped Parker from his bed. He held him close, the image of Celine fresh in his mind. His future might not be mapped out and uncertainty lingered over his next steps with Rough Ride Security, but none of that mattered.
Because he had a beautiful son, a woman he loved, and a world of wonderful possibilities stretched out in front of him.