Page 156 of Cuffed (Everyday Heroes 1)
But his fingers on his handcuffed hand link with mine. He stares at me, eyes blinking, a ghost of a smile on his lips and relief easing the lines etching his features.
“It’s about time,” he whispers.
“What?” My head spins from the mental whiplash.
“I don’t need convincing about how you feel about me, Em. Hell, I don’t even need the words. I already knew. I just needed you to know. I needed you to admit it. I needed you to believe it. You’re the most honest when your back is against the wall . . . so, I pushed your shoulders some to get it there.”
“You maneuvered me.”
“I believe the correct term is positioning,” he says as his smile inches up a bit more. I want to be indignant that he can read me so well, that he knows me so well. And then I realize that I told him I loved him. He sees it the minute it hits me and reaches out to pull me against him.
“It’s okay to need me, Em. It’s okay to love me. God knows I think I’ve been in love with you since we were six years old. You’re maddening and frustrating and stubborn and the biggest challenge I’ve ever faced, but seeing you is the best part of my day and where you are is the only place I want to spend my nights. Losing the loan was a curve in the road we didn’t see coming. But you like to speed, so we can ride this out. We adjust the wheel and take the curve. We talk, and then we work together to create another dream for you to chase.” He leans forward and presses his lips to mine in a kiss to rival all kisses that I feel all the way out to the tips of my toes and back. “Two hours is too far away from me when we have twenty years to make up for . . . so, please trust me when I say we can make this work. Trust me when I tell you that making this work might be the hardest thing we ever do, but the payoff will be worth it and then some.”
I’m rendered speechless. I open my mouth to speak but know words won’t do any justice. So, instead, I press my lips against his.
“I love you.”
God, it feels good to say it.
To know it.
To know it’s returned and then some.
Grant Malone loves me.
We stand like this for a few minutes before there’s a honk of a horn somewhere outside that interrupts our moment.
“Seeing those boxes really upset me,” he admits. “Can we bring them inside now? Can we tell Leo you’re not going?”
I roll my eyes and shake my head at the silly request after such a poignant moment between us. “If it makes you feel better.”
My laugh turns to a shriek when, without warning, Grant swoops down and picks me up and hauls me over his shoulder, our handcuffed hands making it a tad more difficult.
“What are you doing?” I laugh.
“I told you, we’re going to get the boxes.”
“Rig
ht now? Wouldn’t it be easier if we had both of our hands free?”
He smacks me on the ass. “Yeah, but I kinda need you to get used to the fact that you aren’t going anywhere before I take them off.”
“You’re being ridiculous. After what you just said to me, any woman would be stupid to walk away.”
“That’s good to hear.” He laughs as he makes his way down the stairs. “But it doesn’t hurt to have a little insurance.” He sets me down on the ground and then says, “And a backup plan.”
“A backup plan?” I ask, using my free hand to flip my hair out of my eyes so I can see. And when I can, he lifts his chin in the direction over my shoulder.
I turn to look at what he’s talking about and blink. It takes a few seconds for it all to register. To understand what it means.
The new sign on top of the office. It’s a deep purple with the words “Wings Out” written in some fancy font atop a pilot’s wings.
“Grant?” I take a few steps forward, my free hand to my chest, my lips parted, my mouth dry, and my mind spinning.
The door opens, and I watch all the important people in my life walk out. Desi. Leo. Grayson. Grady. The Malones. Sully. Travis. One by one, they file out and stand beneath the new sign.
I blink several times to make sure I’m really seeing what I’m seeing. “Grant?” I ask again as I look at him standing beside me.
