Page 12 of Romancing Rayne

“Come on, you’re safe with me.”

A sense of déjà vu came over me, transporting me back years before when we stood at that very spot, waiting for the capsule to stop and allow us entry. I had only known Rayne a few hours, yet I knew with great clarity she’d forever altered my life. I’d spoken those exact words to her, both in coaxing her onto the ride and once again when we were at the top. She’d called me John then, the name making my gut clench in distaste. I’d fucking hated lying to her. When she explained, again, that she’d never had a one-night stand, I should’ve let her walk away, yet I was selfish and couldn’t bear the thought of not having her, even if it was for one night. Just being in her presence had changed me; I’d needed her in a way I’d never needed anything in my whole life.

“Ghost?”

“Yeah, Princess?”

“The capsule is here.”

I’d been so lost in thought I hadn’t noticed the doors were open, waiting for us to enter. We walked into the large area, and I pulled her to the far end of the glass enclosure. Placing her in front of me, I stepped behind, caging her in. My hands covering hers on the railing, I moved to get closer still. With her back pressed against my chest, I finally let go of the breath I’d been holding.

There were times when I thought about how close I’d come to never seeing her again and my heart physically ached. Maybe I was getting sentimental, or maybe when a man finds the love of a good woman the thought of it being taken away is too much to bear.

“You okay?” Rayne asked.

“Perfect.” I brushed her hair over her shoulder and leaned in to kiss her neck. “Absolutely perfect.”

“What are you thinking about?”

The capsule jolted and started to move, causing her to sway in my arms.

“I was thinking about how much I love you.” Then quickly added, “And him, too.” I moved my hand to her still-flat belly, holding it there, wishing she was already round with our child.

“Him, huh?”

“It’s a boy,” I announced.

“I think it’s a little early to tell. It could be a girl.”

“No way would I be cursed with a girl.”

“Hey! That’s not nice. You wouldn’t be happy if we had a girl?”

“Princess, I’d go prematurely gray if we had a daughter as smart, funny, and beautiful as you. Not to mention we’d have to buy stock in Remington because the amount of money I’d need to spend on guns and ammo to keep teenage boys away from our house would be ungodly.”

“You’re crazy. So, you’d rather have crazed teenage girls banging down our door trying to get to our smart, handsome, athletic son?”

“Well, yeah. How bad could that be?”

“You know nothing about teenage girls, do you?”

The capsule was almost to the top as I thought back to when I was a teenager. She wasn’t wrong. The girls had been bold, doing things their fathers would’ve gone ballistic over.

“I’ll teach him to respect women and himself. How to care for her heart and be a good man.”

Rayne turned in my arms to face me.

“I know you will. And if we have a girl, you’ll show her how a man should treat her. You’ll teach her how to protect herself and not to settle for anything but the best.” Rayne lifted her hand to my face and, just as she’d done hundreds of times, stared up at me with blinding loyalty and love.

“Goddamn right, I will.” The thought of some pimply faced boy trying to take advantage of my daughter made me see red.

“So, either way, boy or girl, this baby will be loved and protected.”

I mirrored her movement and brought both my hands to her face, holding her where I wanted as I leaned down for an all too brief kiss. As much as I’d love nothing more than to make out with Rayne, this wasn’t the time. I wanted her to enjoy the sights from the top of the eye. I pulled back and broke the kiss but didn’t let go. “I know I keep saying this, but you’ve made me the happiest man on the planet. You, the baby, our family, I promise I will never stop loving you. I will never stop being thankful. I will never stop providing for you. Until my dying breath, it will always be you.”

“Only you, Ghost.”

Fuck, how did I get so lucky? I could barely remember a time I didn’t know this kind of soul-deep love. There was before Rayne and after Rayne and everything before Rayne was bleak and dismal—a distant, unwelcome memory.