She said yes.
“I’ll marry you Monday.”
Step One: Confess the mercy killing first.
Done.
Step Two: Wait for Ryn to acclimate to Jackson’s ability to take another’s life.
Done.
Step Three: Make her fall so deep in love with him that not even the assassin confession could drive her away.
Pretty damn close.
Step Four: Be prepared to gently hold her in captivity until she snaps out of her inevitable conniption fit because realistically there is no way Step Three would ever fly.
Jackson felt anything was possible. Ryn surprised him, amazed him with her ability to see past the ugly parts. If he were honest, he needed that reflection he saw in her eyes. That man she saw, he liked him. He wanted to spend the rest of his life being him.
“You said yes.”
She shrugged. “I have a light schedule Monday.”
“Then we leave.”
“Honeymoon?”
Jackson shook his head.
“Now I’m confused again. What’s going on?”
“By the end of the day on Monday, I need you to have only the things from your house that you can’t live without. I’ll take care of Maddie.”
“What does that mean? You’ll take care of Maddie?”
“I assume she’s something or someone you can’t live without.”
She shook her head slowly. “You’re scaring me.”
“If you’re with me, you’ll never have any reason to be scared.”
Ryn took a step back. “And where exactly is with you?”
“I’m not sure yet, just not here.”
“This house?”
Jackson shook his head. “Nebraska.”
“So the moment I become Mrs. Jackson Knight, we’re leaving? And taking Maddie?”
“Yeah … about that.”
“About what?” Ryn’s eyes widened. They seemed to dare him to say another word. Her mind had to be at capacity with everything.
“You won’t be Mrs. Jackson Knight very long.”
Ryn took another step back, meeting the window with her back. “I think I rescind my yes then.”
“You can’t.”
“I just did.”
“Too bad. We’re still getting married Monday. You may not be Mrs. Jackson Knight very long, but you’ll always be my wife.”
“Oh my God. You’re running.”
“I like to think of it as relocating.”
“This is about AJ.”
“It’s not.”
“Then your past?”
“Yes.”
She covered her face with her hands. “I don’t know if I’m ready for this.”
Jackson agreed. She wasn’t, but he no longer had time on his side.
“Don’t hate me.” Ryn’s hands slid down her face, revealing the regret in her eyes. “I want you to be a piano teacher. I want you to be deathly boring, yet wildly sexy. I want to spend the rest of my life in this dream state, the one where I just can’t believe you love me. I’m forty and you make me feel twenty, or what I imagine twenty should have felt like.”
A tear slid down her cheek. “We don’t make sense, but I don’t want us to. I can’t think of one logical reason to marry you. That’s why I said yes. I want to love you with my heart, not my mind. But…” she shook her head “…you’re going to make me look back, and I’m afraid …”
He cupped her face, wiping his thumb along her cheek. “What are you afraid of?”
“I’m afraid if my mind sees your past, my heart won’t remember how it felt about our future.”
“Ryn,” he whispered. “I’m sorry, but I have to tell you everything.”
*
The floor beneath Ryn’s feet shook, like every bit of foothold she fought for in her life was about to vanish. She loved him and that was enough.
“Don’t tell me. I’ll go. Just … I’ll go.” She nodded like a bobble head.
“You’ll go.”
“Yes.” She stood tall, chin up, resolute.
“You’ll marry me Monday and leave here for forever, no questions asked?” The disbelief in his voice bathed her in guilt. When he said it like that it made her sound irresponsible—crazy.
“Yes.” She cleared her throat. “Now, I’d better get home and start packing.” Ryn brushed past him to get her things from the bedroom. Her hands shook. Her teeth chattered. Her heart thundered in her chest.
“I used to be Jude Day.” He stood in the doorway to the bedroom.
She fumbled around, shoving her things into a bag. “Jude Day. Jackson Knight. Cute.” Too bad she couldn’t speak without her voice shaking just as much as the rest of her body. The key was to not look at him.
“I’ve never lived in New York.”
Ryn fished her arm under the bed, searching for her sock. “Just as well. I hear it’s quite crowded.”
“I was a computer engineer in San Francisco.”
“A shame. You’re … you’re good at the piano.” Sucking in the biggest breath her lungs could take, she squeezed past him toward the front door.
Ten steps. That’s all she needed to reach her coat and boots.
“Gunner, come.”
Five steps.
Her knees wobbled.
Two steps.
“Jude Day killed twenty-three people.”
The floor disappeared, so did the final two feet to her destination. She slammed into an invisible wall, hugging her bag as she collapsed to her knees.
“No!” she cried.
Just. Like. That. He blew up her world.