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“Well, this boy next door…”
“Mia.” Matthew swallowed hard. “Sit still.”
“Why?” she said innocently. Then she laughed softly and kissed him. “Okay. I’ll be good. For a little while, anyway.”
“What about this kid next door?” he said gruffly. “What’d he teach you?”
“Important things.” She smiled. “How to catch fireflies. How to make water bombs.”
Matthew chuckled. “A guy after my own heart.”
“And he taught me how to burp.”
“He what?”
“He taught me how to burp. You know, you swallow some air and then—”
“Yeah. I know.” He kissed the tip of her nose. How had he ever gone through life without this woman beside him? “So, what’s this have to do with getting away from Hamilton?”
“Well, we were riding in his car. In the back. And I was desperate. So I swallowed air. Lots of it. And then I let out this huge, disgusting burp and I made a gagging sound and I said, ‘Ohmygod, Douglas, I have to throw up!’”
“You didn’t,” Matthew said, with unabashed delight.
Mia grinned. “He’s very fastidious. He’s a horrible, horrible man—but a fastidious one.” She kissed Matthew’s chin. “He told his driver to pull over. We were passing through one of those little towns the road runs through, you know?”
“And?”
“And, I got out of the car. I made some truly dreadful noises. Douglas backed away and I—I ran.”
“Ran?” Matthew’s smile faded. “Through the town? All through those back alleys in the dark?”
“I didn’t have much choice,” she said reasonably, and how could he argue when he knew she was right? “It took hours but I finally found my way back here.” Her voice trembled; the hint of laughter in her voice faded. “But you were gone. I kept praying you’d come back, but—”
Matthew silenced her with a kiss. “Mia,” he said softly, framing her face with his hands, “do you remember the last night we were together? I told you I wanted to talk to you.”
“And I said the same thing. I was going to tell you the truth. That I worked for the Agency. That I was spying on Douglas.” She smiled into his eyes. “Because by then, I trusted you, Matthew. With my life.” She paused. “With my heart.”
“And I trust you with mine,” he said softly. “It’s what I wanted to tell you, that night.” He took a deep breath. “I love you, Mia.”
“Matthew.” She kissed his mouth. “I love you, too.”
“Will you marry me, Mia Palmieri?”
Her smile lit the room. “Yes. Oh, yes, my love, I will.”
Their kiss was long and lingering. Mia shrugged and let the blanket fall from her shoulders.
God, Matthew thought, how exquisite she was.
He lifted her in his arms, carried her to the rug before the fireplace and lay down with her, watching the flames turn her hair to copper.
“You’re beautiful,” he said softly. “And brave. And mine, forever.”
“Yours, forever,” Mia sighed, and opened her heart, and her arms, to the man she adored.
*****
