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She closed the book and watched his steady breathing, wishing she could read him to sleep every nap. No, every night. She loved this little boy.
She loved his father.
And maybe, just maybe, his father loved her, too.
Now that she had the luxury of being alone with her thoughts, her mind wandered back to what Trey had said, to the raw emotion in his eyes just before Senior had shown up, and her heart began to pound again.
They were different people. They came from different worlds. Was there any possible way love could last between them? Even under ideal circumstances—and hers and Trey’s were far from ideal—for a relationship to endure two people had to work at it, compromise, make adjustments.
Love was hard. No question about it.
But life itself was damned hard, too.
And didn’t everyone deserve a chance at happiness?
Kelly quietly left Jason and moved into Trey’s bedroom. She’d made her decision, and she would wait for him there. They needed to talk. For the first time in her life she’d be totally honest with a man and take that giant leap into the unknown.
* * *
TREY DIDN’T KNOW HOW, but he knew he would find Kelly in his bedroom. What he didn’t expect was to find her asleep on his bed.
She looked beautiful, of course, with her long blond hair spread out on the pillow, one hand resting on her abdomen, the other flung over her head. Peaceful.
Totally unlike the angry warrior princess who had threatened to shoot his father.
He moved to the bed, slipped off his shoes and lay down beside her. Her eyes flew open. She smiled and reached for him.
“Hey,” she said.
“Hey.” He gathered her close, feeling the strength of her body, her heat merging with his. She snuggled in closer.
“Where’s Senior?” she asked, her voice muffled against his shoulder.
“In his room.”
“Everything okay?” she asked.
“It will be.”
Trey pulled back, brushed the hair away from her face and kissed her. His warrior woman opened completely to him, held nothing back.
When she pulled away, her startlingly blue eyes appeared unfocused. Trey cupped her cheek. “I’m in love with you, Officer Jenkins.”
“And I’m in love with you, Mr. Billionaire.”
Trey exhaled his relief. He’d been wanting to hear her say that for so long. “I should never have let you leave.”
“I kind of insisted on going.”
He propped his head on a bent elbow so he could see her better. “Why?”
She exhaled, rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling. “I was afraid.”
“You? Afraid? Not possible.”
“I was afraid of not being good enough, of not fitting in, of losing myself to you.” She sighed and swiveled her head toward him again. “In case you don’t know it, you’re a bit, you know, overwhelming. I didn’t think you could ever love me.”
He lowered his head and kissed her.
“Mmm,” she said, opening her eyes.
“You’re pretty special yourself, Kelly,” he said, his voice husky.
“Thanks for thinking so.”
“How did I get so lucky?”
She hesitated and then said, “So why did you let me go?”
He knew that he owed her the truth. It was time to get everything out in the open. “The same reason. Fear.”
His answer appeared to confuse her. “Of what?”
“That you would be killed on your job. I worried what it would do to Jason to lose another mother.”
Her mouth tightened. “That’s a legitimate concern, but I’m careful.”
“I know you are,” he said. “And I realized I was being very stupid to throw away our chance at happiness, and decided not to let that particular fear rule my life. I intend to cherish you for whatever time we have.”
She smiled and closed her eyes. “Oh, I like that,” she breathed.
“You’ve already made me a better person.”
She turned on her side then, her eyes glistening. “That’s the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me.”
“But I thought a life with me and my horrible family would destroy you, as it destroyed my mother.”
“Oh, Trey.”
“I know now that you’re strong enough to stand up to anyone—kidnappers, overbearing patriarchs, pushy bodyguards.”
