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Leaving his chair, he moved to sit beside her on the porch swing. Close, but not touching.
“There’s no end to what I’d do for you.” He picked up her hand and, when she didn’t pull it back, he threaded his through each one of hers, taking his time, fitting them perfectly. “I love you. I think I’ve loved you for as long as I’ve known you. And whether you come to Chicago with me or not, I’m going to keep on loving you.”
“Do you mean that?” Her lower lip trembled, and he made a personal vow to do everything in his power to never, ever hurt her.
“I mean it to the very bottom of my soul.” He picked up their joined hands and kissed the back of hers. “This time back home—seeing you again, working on the camp—has reminded me that I need to focus more on what’s important in life rather than just chasing one goal. Baseball is important to me, but my playing career won’t last forever. I don’t want to turn into my father, clinging to that for my identity my whole life.”
“I’d never ask you to give up that dream.” She touched his cheek with her free hand, a featherlight graze of her fingers.
“I know that.” He dug deep, knowing she deserved everything he had to offer to make a future work. “I want you to chase your dreams too.”
That made her smile, and the sight filled his heart with so much damn relief he felt weak. “I appreciate that. But I really do like the idea of giving myself time to think about how I want the future to look. I could take some classes in horticulture while I think about it. Expand my knowledge of farming and flowers until I’m sure what to do next. And I like the idea of spending some time outside of Last Stand. Preferably, with you.”
He winged up prayers of thanksgiving. “I promise you won’t regret it.”
Leaning closer, he kissed her lips. Slowly. Thoroughly. Needing to erase all the hurt and the worry.
She broke away first. Tipping her forehead to his, she whispered, “Nate, I love you. I knew it that night when we danced together outside of Hickory Hall. I’ve just been too scared to admit it, even to myself.”
Relief rushed into his chest, filling the hole that had been gaping in it since the night before.
“That’s the best gift anyone’s ever given me. We should look for a house here. Someplace that isn’t your family’s or mine. Someplace that’s just ours. And you can come back as often as you want.” He needed to make certain she had options. That she never felt trapped by a life on the road. “You can always spend time here with Alexis and your friends.”
“What if I wanted to be with you all the time at first? You know, just until I felt more secure and settled.” Her words brushed his lips in a teasing stroke.
Hope surged for their future together.
“We have five years to make up for.” He kissed each of her eyelids. “It would make me incredibly happy to be with you every second I’m not on the field.”
“In that case, if the offer of Chicago is still open.” She took a deep breath. “I’m going to take it.”
His love for her expanded until it threatened to spill right out of his chest.
He opened his arms wide and wrapped her in them, holding her close. “I’m going to do everything I can to make sure you’re happy.”
She melted into him with a contented sigh, the swing creaking in gentle motion, all the tension seeping out of her as he kissed her hair. Her temple. Her cheek.
She edged back a bit to look at him in the evening grown dark. “You want to come back to Last Stand though eventually, don’t you?”
“This will always be my home. We met here. Our families are here.” His roots went deep in the Texas soil. “One day, I hope we’ll raise our own family here.”
She must have been pleased with the answer, because she kissed him as if they’d been apart for weeks instead of one night. Or maybe it was him who was kissing like that. He only knew he wanted to get lost in her. To love her and hold her for all time. And never let her go again.
The End
