Page 71 of Romancing the Rumrunner
Jessie laughed as his lips descended again. “I meant after, tomorrow, next week.” She sobered and linked her fingers through his, laying her head back on his chest. “I know you gave up everything for me. I’m sure Jameson has made sure you’ll never rejoin the force and probably ruined your P.I. business, too. I’m sorry for that.”
He pulled her close. “None of that is your fault, nothing to be sorry for. I actually thought I might try my hand at being a butcher.”
Jessie looked up at him, happiness flowing through her. “You want to work with me?”
He shrugged. “I thought I might be good at it. I did a pretty fine job when I helped with the orphanage delivery.”
“Yes, you did.” She kissed him, letting her lips linger on his. “I’d love to have you at the shop.”
“Well, that’s settled then.” He propped the arm that wasn’t holding Jessie behind his head and stared at the recessed ceiling Jessie had had the workers create in this room. “You’ve done a beautiful job with this place.”
“Thank you,” Jessie said, inordinately pleased that he liked it.
“What will be on the second floor?”
Jessie blushed. She wished she’d had a little warning that he was coming so she could have figured out what to say. What if he didn’t want the same thing she did? To have her building renovated around plans for a future that he might not share had been crazy. Yet she couldn’t imagine a future without him. Though, since he wanted to work with her, and after the passion they had just shared, she hoped perhaps he had the same idea for their future as she did.
“Oh come on, it can’t be that bad,” he said, chuckling. “Unless…please tell me you aren’t planning on installing a new speakeasy in here.”
Jessie laughed. “No! Nothing like that. I thought…well, I thought that if you got out and were still interested, still wanted, I mean, to be with me…I thought that your mother might like to come live here. With us. So I had them install a second apartment and I figured she wouldn’t want to climb too many stairs so the second floor would be ideal…”
Tony stared at her, his mouth hanging open for a moment before he snapped it shut.
“If you had other plans, or if this isn’t what you want—”
Tony’s lips silenced anything else she was going to say.
“I love you so much,” he said, kissing her again. “You are an amazing, generous, incredible woman.”
He crushed her to him, sitting up so he could pull her fully into his arms. He brought his hands up to cup her face. She smiled at him through the tears that suddenly threatened to spill over. Again. She’d turned into a complete crybaby since she’d fallen in love with him, but she couldn’t help it. The emotions she’d spent a lifetime keeping contained couldn’t seem to be controlled when she was around him.
She gazed into the eyes of the man she loved more than the air she breathed. “I thought my life was over, the night the shop burned down. I lost everything. I lost you.”
“Your life isnotover. I won’t allow anyone to take anything else from you ever again.”
Jessie gave him a small smile. “So you’re going to protect me from the whole world now?”
He smiled back and kissed the tip of her nose. “I love you, Jessie. You aremine. No one is going to take you away from me. I will protect you from anyone and anything that so much as puts a frown on your beautiful face.”
Jessie’s heart nearly burst from the sheer ecstasy that flooded it and she rose up to meet his lips again. “I love you too, Tony.”
“Jessica Harlan, you have turned my world upside down. I’ve thought of you every moment since the day I met you and I don’t ever want to let you go. Will you marry me?”
“Yes.” Jessie smiled, answering almost before he’d finished asking. Her laugh ended with a joyful sob. “Yes, yes, yes.” She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him until her head began to spin.
“You sure you want to spend the rest of your life here with me?” she murmured against his lips.
“I can’t imagine spending it anywhere else.”
“Shall we drink to it?” Jessie asked.
Tony looked at her, horrified, and Jessie burst out laughing. “I’m just teasing.”
“Oh, funny. You just slay me.”
Jessie laughed again and snuggled against him. “I never thought I’d find it, you know.”
“Find what?”
