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He chuckled and nodded. “I won’t run again.” He stepped back and met her eye.
Isaiah came up behind her and placed his hand on her shoulder. “Good. Running away from your problem doesn’t solve it.”
“Unless you’re being chased by a bear,” Cory said.
Angela shook her head but smiled. “This is not the time for jokes.” Her smile went away. “We’re serious. Understand?”
Cory nodded. “I understand.”
“Go put your stuff up and then we’ll talk some more,” Isaiah said.
Cory squeezed Angela’s hand, then went to his room. Angela let out a deep breath. “If he hadn’t come back…”
“But he did. And we’ll make sure he understands we mean it when we say we won’t put up with him running off just because he’s upset.”
“We?” Her voice croaked. She cleared her throat. Damn tears.
Isaiah took her hands in his. “Yes, we. If you’ll forgive me.”
“What am I forgiving you for?” She was the one who’d kicked him out.
“I shouldn’t have paid your bills without talking to you first. I’ll admit I’m ready to settle down. I want to have what my parents have. I want a family. Maybe I saw you and Cory and when I fell in love, I thought my family was ready. I should have consulted you on that first. I don’t want to take over your life. I want to be your partner in it. I want to talk about what’s going on and we work together for a solution. Not be the one making all the decisions.”
The happiness those words inspired in her was almost more than she could contain. “What about my job at Sweethearts?”
He took a deep breath. “It’s obvious you can take care of yourself. I heard about what Mark did.”
She frowned, then waved her hand. “That. I’d forgotten about it as soon as I got here and realized Cory was missing.”
“Still, I don’t like the idea of someone threatening you. I can’t lie, but that is your source of income. If you decide to stay there, I know you can handle yourself,” he said without a trace of insincerity.
“I’ve already decided that once I’m finished with school I’m done. I don’t want to work the late hours anymore or deal with guys like Jerry or Mark. Until then, I need the income. You paid for my larger expenses, but there are others. Can you deal with that for just a few more months?”
He tugged on her hands until only inches separated them. “I deal with a lot more if it means you’ve forgiven me?”
“Only if you forgive me. I overreacted earlier today. I was upset about my family, it brought up old memories and I took that out on you.”
“I don’t want you to do what I say or else. I love you and I want us to be equals in everything we do, especially when it comes to our relationship. Actions speak louder than words. I’m ready to work hard and go into overtime to show how much I love you.”
He kissed her. Angela wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed close to him. She let go of the fear and mistrust in her heart. She’d trust this.
“Ewww!” Cory’s voice interrupted. “Am I going to always have to break up you guys kissing?”
Angela and Isaiah broke apart, but he still held her against his side. “Get used to that, kiddo. We’re going to be together a while.”
Cory’s eyes widened. He looked at Isaiah, then at Angela. “For real?”
“Is that okay with you?” Isaiah asked.
Cory considered that, then grinned. “As long as you keep the kissing to behind closed doors.”
Isaiah laughed and turned Angela in his arms. “Sorry, Cory, I can’t promise you that.” He kissed her again, and this time, Cory just smiled.
EPILOGUE
“If you get eaten by a shark in the middle of the season, Coach Gray is going to kill me,” Angela said with a nervous smile.
Isaiah and Cory both laughed. The early-spring morning was temperate and the breeze carried the scent of the ocean to where they stood on the dock waiting as the film crew prepared the boat to film the sharks migrating south along the coastline. Isaiah and Cory were both dressed in swim trunks and long-sleeved T-shirts.
