He reached over, and covered her hand. His head dipped so he could see her eyes. “What is it, darlin’?”
“Um. Is your offer still on the table?” She swallowed a nervous giggle, feeling like a complete idiot.
He sat back, his eyebrows rising to his hairline. “My offer? On the table? Why do I feel like I should be sitting here in a suit and striped tie?”
“Please don’t…joke. I’m…scared.” She clasped her ice cold hands together tightly, trying to control the shaking. If he turned her down now, her heart would shatter. He’d given her no indication of his feelings, his face only easing once with a smile. If only he’d hold her, this would be so much easier.
Almost as if he’d read her mind, he slid across the seat and pulled her to him, his strong arms an anchor, soothing her fears a bit.
“What are you afraid of, Kerry?”
She raised her tear rimmed eyes to his face, loving everything about it. One drop escaped from its perch and slid slowly down her cheek, pooling at the edge of her mouth. “Now that I’m here, I’m terrified you’ve changed your mind.” She licked the salty liquid from her lips.
He placed his index finger under her chin, and flashed her a stomach-clenching smile. “Changed my mind about what?”
It was now or never. She fisted her hands, her nails digging into her palms, and took a deep breath. “Do you still want me?”
In the silence that followed, everything around her faded. It was only her and Damian in the entire world. And the rest of her life sat between them. Had she been too late? Once again she fought the black dots dancing in front of her eyes as he studied her for what seemed an eternal amount of time.
“As?”
She glanced away, wondering if she could ever get the words past her lips. The words she’d ran through her mind for hours as the miles separating the two of them grew shorter and shorter. She chewed her lip and had the childish desire to close her eyes tightly and cover her ears. “As in, do you still...want to marry me?”
Damian blew out an explosive breath, then tilted his head back, a huge grin on his face. “Darlin’, earlier tonight I seriously considered high tailing it to Albuquerque and kidnapping you.”
Relief flooded her body, along with a surge of joy she barely contained. She swiped at her wet cheeks and grinned through her tears. “Seriously?”
“My brother suggested it, and the idea sounded better as the night wore on.” He cupped her cheek with his hand. “And to answer your question, yes. I love you and still want to marry you. I’ve never been as miserable in my entire life as I have the last few weeks.” He rubbed his thumb over her lips. “And I have witnesses. With bruises.”
Kerry placed both her hands on his shoulders. “I love you, too, and also have never been so miserable. And if you don’t mind taking a trip with me to close up my condo and haul all my stuff up here, we can get on with our life. Together.”
“Together. The best word in the English language.”
Damian took possession of her mouth and enveloped her in his strong arms, exactly where she wanted to be.