Page 111 of Shadow of Deceit
Maybe he regretted what he’d said at the cabin. When people survived an intense incident, they often said things they didn’t mean in the heat of the moment. Her counseling experience and training told her that.
Maybe Ryan had simply felt relief that he could save her life, and in that moment, he’d confused his feelings with love. Or maybe he was waiting for her to go first. To tell him how she felt.
Could she do it?
Could she let down every single wall she’d erected for years and say those three words that were so foreign to her?I love you. Was that so hard? Because she did love him. More than she ever could have imagined she would love a man.
What should she do? She sighed.
“What?” he asked. “What’s wrong?”
Here was her opening.
He fixed a tender gaze on her face. Warmth radiated to her very soul. She opened her mouth to speak. The words didn’t come.
“You look terrified of something,” he said.
“I am.”
His eyebrows drew together, and he leaned back. “Is it about your father?”
She shook her head.
He loosened his hold on her and took her hands. “About us? Together, like this?”
“Yes,” she whispered and waited for him to acknowledge his mistake in admitting he cared for her.
“This isn’t something to be afraid of. It’s something to celebrate.” He caressed her cheek. “After you left, I didn’t think I’d find you again. Ten years since we saw each other and it feels like we’ve never been apart.”
Ten years. Such a long time to spend searching for what she’d already had.
“We wasted so much time,” she said.
“Don’t think that way. God used that time to mold us into the people we are today. We both needed to grow up to recognize what we have together is special.” He cupped her face and held her in a trance. “I love you, Mia. More than I can say.”
Tears wet her lashes, and her heart exploded with joy. She should say it back, but before she could respond, he withdrew his hands and crossed the room.
What?
He lifted his jacket from the back of a chair.
“Wait!” She jumped up and raced toward him. “Don’t go, Ryan. I love you too. Please don’t leave.”
“I’m not leaving.” He dug into his jacket. “I’ve been trying to be patient for the past few days and not scare you off, but I can’t wait anymore.” He pulled out a blue velvet box and knelt in front of her. “I love you, Mia, and I don’t want you to leave Shadow Lake again. Will you stay and be my wife?”
“Is this for real?” Her face burned, and she waved her hand to cool her skin.
He opened the box and held it out. “You didn’t answer.”
Emotions overwhelmed her, closing her throat and she couldn’t get any words out. She dropped to the floor next to him and drew his head close to kiss him. The kiss would answer his question.
His lips were warm and insistent. He slid his hand into her hair, cupping her head to pull her closer and deepen the kiss. She gave in, her heart thumping wildly in her chest. Feeling like it might stop, but she’d never felt more alive.
The ring box dropped to the floor, and he circled her body with his strong arms, holding her as if his life depended on it. She threw her arms around his neck. Held on. Returned the kiss ounce for ounce. Let the feelings swamp her.
He finally reached up for her arms and pulled back. He retrieved the ring and held it out again. “That felt like yes, but I need to hear the word.”
“Yes. Yes. Yes.” She stopped at three, but the way his eyes met hers in a loving caress, she wanted to shout the word a thousand times.
He slid the ring onto her finger, the cool metal brushing her skin as the solitaire diamond in white gold setting slid into place. The past ten years of heartache slipped from her mind.
Never had she felt more at home, more at peace. She’d risked everything in coming back to Evergreen to inherit the place. But instead of a place, she’d inherited a family who would see her through good times and bad. Found her faith again. And Ryan had proven he’d always be there for her.
No matter what the future brought, they would face it together.
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