Fight for him. Argue to win him.
But what else was there to say?
She nodded, then moved to the door. With her hand on the knob, she turned back to him. "Just think it over, okay? Don't screw this up for us. We've barely gotten started. I think we're real. And honestly, I thought that you did, too."
*
Real.
The word cut through the hum that had been filling his head since Wednesday night. A fog that sounded remarkably like Ernest Pierpont telling him that he was worthless.
But here was Hannah telling him the opposite. And she was the one he wanted to believe.
Wanted, yes. But he also didn't want to derail her life or her ambitions. If he was going to be with her, he wanted to be an asset, a partner, an equal. Definitely not a burden.
So what was real?
Her hand turned on the knob, and he snapped. He couldn't let her leave--not like this. He lunged, taking her wrist and pulling her toward him.
All he meant to do was tell her to stay, but she was in his arms, her breath coming hard. He couldn't resist one last taste, and when he closed his mouth over hers, she melted against him. He lost himself in the kiss. In the knowledge that she was right. This was real. Them. Together.
"Hannah," he said when they finally broke apart.
"Don't you dare tell me again that you're not good enough. I don't want to hear it. You're the best man I know. You'll be the best father I can imagine. And I don't want to work my tail off building a law firm unless I'm doing it for a reason."
She cupped his cheek. "Don't you see that you're the reason? That I want to have a future with you. Or, at least, I want us to try. I don't want to scare you away, but I'm falling in love with you. If you're going to break my heart, do it now and I'll leave. But if we have a chance..."
His heart ached for her, and in his mind he
saw that future. Him working his gyms. A boy on a soccer field. A girl on the high dive. His wife in the stands beside him cheering them on. Probably with a red pencil and a legal brief beside her.
The image made him smile.
"What?"
"Just promise me one thing."
"Sure."
"No taking work to the kids' competitions."
She stared at him as if he'd gone crazy, then she burst out laughing. "I think I can promise that. So long as you promise to never make me run a marathon with you."
"Deal."
They grinned at each other, and he thought that he could probably run two marathons right then.
Her grin turned impish. "Shall we seal it with a kiss?"
"I've got a better idea," he said, as he pulled off his shirt and tossed it to the ground. "Take off your clothes."
Her brows rose. "Really? Why?"
"Nudity's a great equalizer," he said matter-of-factly. "But mostly, that's how I want to seal this deal with the woman I love."
"I can live with that," she said, as she pulled her T-shirt over her head and then slid into his arms.
*