Chapter 19 #2
“You did good out there,” he blurted. “There wasn’t time to really explain what was happening, but you didn’t panic. Especially with the rope-and-helicopter thing.”
She blew his mind with her next words. “I was scared, but I knew you wouldn’t let anything happen to me. I trusted you to find me and get me out of there.”
“You trusted me?” Pid croaked.
“Yes. I admit that for a second, when I was dangling on that rope like a fish on the end of a line, and you reached out, I had a hard time seeing anything but my past. But then I realized where I was, and whose hand was reaching for me. You told me that before we could move our relationship forward, physically, I had to trust you. I didn’t think that was possible…
but when push came to shove out there, I realized that I’ve trusted you for a while. ”
“Mo,” Pid said, his voice reverent.
“You’re a good man, Stuart,” Monica said. “And you’re nothing like my father or the military men I grew up around. I trust you. One hundred percent.”
Pid stood and slowly climbed onto the bed with her. She scooted backward, then sighed when he put his arms around her and lay back.
She immediately snuggled into him, and Pid couldn’t remember a time when he’d been as content as he was right that second. They lay there in each other’s arms for a long moment before she spoke, mumbling into his chest. “Stay?”
Wild horses couldn’t tear him away from her. He nodded and kissed her temple.
“Stuart?”
“Yeah, Mo?”
“I think I’m too tired right now to do more than this…but I expect you to live up to my fantasies tomorrow. You know…now that I trust you and all.”
Pid laughed. He couldn’t help it. “There’s no rush.”
Monica pushed up on an elbow. “Wrong. I want you, Stuart. And you promised.”
He kind of liked this aggressive side of her.
“Unless you’ve changed your mind,” she said a little uncertainly.
In response, Pid pulled her down and covered her lips with his own. He was a little aggressive, but he couldn’t help it. He hated that Monica was unsure about his feelings for even a second.
After several minutes of kissing, he pulled back just enough so they could both breathe.
His nose brushed hers as he said, “I love you, Monica Collins. I hadn’t realized how much until you were almost taken from me.
I want you to stay with me. In Hawaii. You can accept that job at Head Start we both know Sylvia’s gonna offer you and we’ll get married. Then we’ll have all the kids you want.”
She smiled. “Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
“Okay.”
“Okay?” he asked, knowing he’d been a little presumptuous. Okay, a lot presumptuous.
“Uh-huh.”
He waited for a second, then added, “And we’ll make this the master, because it’s got the safe room. Even though it’s smaller, we don’t need a big bed…not when you’re gonna sleep just like this every night.”
She chuckled. “You might want to wait on that decision. I could be a horrible sleeper. Always shifting and moving, kicking you. A king-size bed might be the better option.”
“Never,” he vowed.
“This is weird,” she mused. “Us talking about marriage and kids when we haven’t slept in the same bed even one night together.”
“Fine. I’ll bring it up again in the morning, after we’ve slept together.”
Monica laughed. Then sobered. “Are you sure you wouldn’t mind making this the master?”
“I wouldn’t have suggested it if I did,” Pid assured her.
“I didn’t make it in time…when he showed up,” Monica said quietly.
Hating that she was still thinking about that asshole, but knowing what happened would haunt her for a while, Pid tucked her head into the crook of his neck, sifting his fingers through her silky hair. He didn’t know what to say to make her feel better, so he didn’t say anything, just held her.
He felt her sigh, then lift her head. “I’m okay,” she said firmly. “He can’t hurt anyone else again.”
“No, he can’t.”
Monica put her head back down and stroked his chest with her left hand.
Then she held it up and studied it. “I used to hate this hand,” she said.
“I thought it was hideous, and it reminded me of the pain that I went through when it got smashed. Every time I saw it, I’d think of my father and what he’d done.
What he’d taught me. But you know what?”
“What, love?”
“It’s just a hand.”
Pid grabbed it and kissed the palm before pressing it to his heart. “It’s your hand. That makes it beautiful.”
He felt her snort against him, and he smiled.
“I love you, Stuart. Saying that scares me to death, but I know I wouldn’t trust you if I didn’t love you. And I wouldn’t love you if I didn’t trust you. For me, they go hand in hand. I just…I wanted you to know.”
Pid thought his heart was going to burst out of his chest. “I love you too. Tomorrow, when we’re both rested, and everything that happened tonight isn’t so fresh, I’ll show you how much.”
“Maybe I’ll show you,” she countered.
Pid loved this feisty side of Monica. He hadn’t seen much of it. “Deal,” he said. “Now sleep.”
“The light’s on,” she said.
“Yup.”
“It’s not going to bother you?” she asked.
“No. You?”
“No, it’s fine. After everything that happened, I think I like it on. At least for tonight.”
Pid made a mental note to get a nightlight, pronto. Maybe he’d text Mustang and ask him to get one and bring it over when he and Elodie dropped off whatever dish she made for them.
He felt and heard Monica sigh, and then she melted even further into him.
He thought he’d lie awake reliving everything that happened, but as soon as he heard her deep breaths and felt the warm puffs of air against his neck, Pid relaxed completely and let himself fall into a deep, healing slumber.