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She snuggled closer to him as he softly caressed her skin. The room was warm and dark, and under different circumstances, she might have fallen asleep. But she was too keyed up to sleep. She was a planner, an organizer, a thinker, and right now, she was thinking about what her next step should be.

In the meantime, Nick’s fingers had stilled, and his breathing had become deeper. She peered up at him, and his long, dark eyelashes fluttered against his beautiful skin. He looked like he was sleeping, but then his eyelids flicked open, and he smiled at her.

“I could feel you looking at me.”

She laughed. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be.”

“I’ve been thinking.”

“Uh-oh.” He started to sit up, but she gently pushed him back down.

“I want to tell Fran about us.”

His eyes widened.

“I don’t want to sit back and wait for her to hear some rumor. I’d rather we tell her ourselves.”

He came up on his elbows. “You’re sure about this.”

“Yes. Then Britney won’t be able to lord it over us.” She hated to even utter the woman’s name, and her anger bubbled to the surface again.

He eyed her quizzically. “Is that the only reason?”

Smoothing her hands over his chest, she said, “No. I’m just tired of hiding and feeling scared.”

Smiling tenderly, he said, “You don’t have to be afraid. I’m with you, and I’m not going anywhere.”

She dipped her head down and dropped a kiss in the middle of his chest as her eyes welled up with tears. She tried to blink them away, but then he tipped up her chin, and a tear escaped.

“Hey…”

“Sorry. I don’t know why I’m so emotional tonight.” But she did know, and she felt bad about the lie.

He pulled her onto his lap, and she rested her head against his shoulder. “You can tell me anything. You know that, right?”

She nodded, gathering the courage to tell him the rest.

“When you say you’re not going anywhere…does that mean…?”

His expression morphed from confusion to understanding. “You thought I was going back to Florida?”

“When you took the job, Fran said it was only temporary. She made it sound like you just wanted to gain more experience and then you’d be going home.”

He cupped her face in his warm palms. “I am home. You’re my home now.”

If she hadn’t been sitting there naked, feeling his touch, hearing his voice, seeing him smile, she would have thought she was having the sweetest dream.

“When I said I’m not going anywhere, I meant it. I love you, Stacy, and I’ll keep saying it until you believe me.”

The tension flowed out of her body as his words planted themselves firmly in her heart. “I believe you, but I love hearing you say it, and I love you.”

“If we had some champagne, I’d make a toast right now.”

“What would we toast to?”

“To happy endings.”