Chapter 18
There was a whole lot on Brax’s mind as he watched the EMT as he finished wrapping Raleigh’s ankle. Thankfully, it was a bad sprain, not broken. The very real thought he’d almost lost her sucked the air from his lungs. Taking in a breath hurt and his chest cramped.
Sheriff Lawler came jogging over.
“There is no bomb. Thought I’d deliver the news personally,” he said.
“What was it then?” Brax asked as relief washed over him. He exchanged a glance with Raleigh and saw the same reaction.
“One of those alarm clocks that makes a ticking noise,” Lawler supplied, his chest heaving. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a perp to lock up.”
“Thank you,” Brax said. “For everything you’ve done.”
Lawler nodded, smiled, and then turned back toward his SUV in the distance.
“You’re all set,” the EMT said to Raleigh.
Now that she’d come back to town and made her way into Brax’s heart, he couldn’t envision a life without her. It might be for nothing, but he had to tell her how he felt. See if there was a chance the two of them could find common ground.
His arms ached to hold her again. So, he cut a straight line right to her, catching and holding her gaze.
Words escaped him so he hauled her against his chest and looped his arms around her waist. She leaned into him and the familiar jolt of electricity rocketed through him as he looked into those beautiful eyes. One word came to mind…home.
He dipped his head down and claimed her mouth one last time. Saying what he had to might ruin their budding relationship. He had to risk it. He had to know if she felt the same way.
In that moment, nothing mattered more than the feel of her lips moving against his. She brought her hand up and grazed her fingers over the day-old stubble on his chin.
With heroic effort, he pulled back. He leaned his forehead to rest against hers as he took a second to catch his breath. This woman, this incredible woman.
“You are beautiful, Raleigh. And I mean inside and out,” he began, hoping the words would come as he took a tentative step forward onto unfamiliar turf.
She smiled up at him and his heart took a hit.
“I thought I lost you…” He stopped right there as emotion stuck in his throat, jumbling up the words he was trying so hard to get out before he lost it.
And Brax never ‘lost it’ with anyone. But then this was Raleigh.
She was the definition of one-of-a-kind and he knew in his heart he would never come across anyone who could hold a candle to her.
“I can’t walk away. I can’t live my life without you in it. ”
“Maybe you don’t have to,” she said, and it was the first sign of hope the magnitude of what was happening on his end might be a two-way street.
She locked gazes with him. He could stare into those emerald eyes of hers forever.
“What are you saying?” he asked.
“I have feelings for you that I’ve never experienced.” She dropped her gaze.
“Not many people have the power to wreck me, Raleigh. It’s you. Only you. You hold the key to my future in your hands because I’m in love with you,” he said.
She blinked up at him like she was trying to grasp the implications of what he’d just said. For a few seconds that felt like minutes, he held his breath.
“You love me?” she asked, disbelief clouding those eyes.
“I’ve never loved anyone like I love you, Raleigh. You’re incredibly strong. You have more talent in your pinky than most have in their whole bodies. You’re smart. You’re determined and you have the kindest heart. You don’t back down from a fight either. You’re special and—”
“Are you sure about that, Brax?” she countered, looking at him like she was searching for a head injury. “We have a history that goes way back and you’ve never shown the slightest interest until now.”
“Why would I? The age difference was a big deal back then,” he defended. “You were too young and, besides, I thought you were a real pain in the backside to be honest.”
He couldn’t hold back his grin at the memory.
“So were you,” she fired back with a stiff elbow to his ribs.
“Not that young,” he clarified.
“What changed, Brax? I feel something between us brewing too, but I have a career that means I’ll be on the road tomorrow.” She frowned when she looked at her ankle. “Or very soon.”
“Is that what this is about?” he asked. “You leaving to go on tour?”
“That’s a big part of my life and right now it doesn’t matter if I’m ready to slow down. I have commitments and I won’t let my fans down.” The look of determination in her eyes said this point was non-negotiable.
“You wouldn’t be you if you did.” His grin was probably ear-to-ear but he didn’t care.
The way she cared about others was one of the biggest draws toward her in his book.
“What if I said that I don’t want a scaled-down version of the woman I love?
And I don’t ever want you to think you have to tone down your life to fit mine.
” The fact they were talking about this at all meant her feelings ran deep and she wasn’t sure what to do about them.
“I’d say it’s too good to be true,” she quickly countered.
“I’ll take leave from the ranch and follow you wherever you go,” he said. “I want you to have everything you want in life and then some. Marrying me shouldn’t feel like compromising in any way.”
“Wouldn’t you be…” She blinked up at him. “Hold on a minute. What did you just say, Brax Firebrand?”
He dropped down on one knee and took her hand in his. He’d never been more nervous in his life but he had a very important question to ask.
“Would you do me the incredible honor of marrying me?”
“Are you serious?” The spark in her eyes told him everything he needed to know about how she was about to answer.
“I’ve never meant anything more in my life,” Brax reassured.
She shot him another warning look. “Because I think I’ve been in love with you my whole life. Even when I didn’t even know what it meant all those years ago. I wrote my feelings off as a crush, child’s play. But if this is serious…if you’re serious then I’m willing to talk.”
All he could do was nod and hope she believed him, and maybe string together the right words to convince her that he had never been more serious.
“All I know is that I don’t want to take another breath without knowing we’ll figure out a way to be together. And I mean really be together. Like a promise of forever and a ring on a finger.”
“Yes,” she finally said as a rogue tear tumbled down her cheek. “I’ll marry you, Brax Firebrand.”
Brax stood and kissed his future bride to the backdrop of cheers and a chorus of congratulations. He had his Raleigh. He’d found his home.