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His eyes grow misty, sparkling under the setting sun. “I understand what the Bible says about marriage. About two people becoming one flesh. This past week and a half…” He sniffles and wipes under his eyes. “It was like I lost a limb.” He shakes his head. “Even more than that. It was like I was disembodied, walking the earth like a revenant. It’s only now that I’m with you that I… That I feel human again.”
My heart squeezes inside my chest. “Brandon…”
“Mariana.” His voice cracks, and tears trail down his cheeks. “Please forgive me. Be with me. Be with me forever.”
His words hit me like a wave, making me momentarily dizzy. I sway toward him, and he takes me into his arms. His lips find mine, and he kisses me gently. Sweetly. He reaches up to cup my face, his fingers threading through my hair as his mouth moves against mine.
“I could have given it all up for you, my sweet Mariana. I could have given up everything. Even the church.”
I melt into him, wrapping my arms around his neck. “You’d never have to. You can have everything.”
He lets out a low groan. “And I want it all, Mari. I’m a greedy man. It’s my greatest sin. And I’ve never been as greedy for anything as I am for you.”
I kiss his neck. “I’ve wanted you to be greedy for me since the first time you touched me.”
He kisses me hard, and heat ignites between us, a blaze of longing engulfing my senses. Every touch, every sigh is a silent pledge.
As we break apart, both of our chests are rising and falling rapidly.
“You’re mine after this,” he says. “You’re coming home with me and never leaving.” His eyes grow hesitant. “Is that okay?”
A hysterical giggle bubbles from my chest. “There’s nothing I want more than to go home with you. And stay.”
We stand without speaking, the sound of the waves crashing in the distance. Brandon’s fingers trail down my arm. “Forever?”
I nod, warm trickles running down my face. “Forever.”
* * *
Brandon is so giddy he seems drunk, but I know he didn’t have a drop of alcohol after he confessed his love. He just stared at me with a tender expression that made my heart squeeze in my chest until the reception ended. After Livvy and Cole made their grand exit in a helicopter, he nearly dragged me to his car, determined to take me home.
Home.
That’s what this house feels like now.
“I want you living in this house.” He kisses the tip of my nose. “I want to put babies in you.” He yanks the hem of my dress up, exposing my lower half. “Right here.”
His warm palm touches my belly, and I giggle. “Is that where babies go?”
He smiles ruefully, though his eyes are still wild and dazed. “I think so.” He lowers his palm to my naval. “Here?”
I lift his hand from my skin and bring it to my mouth, kissing his palm. “I think you’re getting a little ahead of yourself, Pastor.”
His smile fades. “Do you want kids? Someday, I mean.”
Something wicked rises within me. “Would it change your mind about me if I said no?”
He scowls. “Of course it wouldn’t. How dare you even ask me that?”
I shriek when he lifts me into the air and cradles me to his chest. “I wantyou, Mariana Isabel Hernandez. I do want kids, but I don’t need them if I have you.”
My head is fuzzy as he carries me into his bedroom. My God, I feel like I could die of happiness.
I never thought we’d be here.
“I do want kids,” I say dreamily as he sets me onto the bed.
Brandon’s eyes alight. “Really?”
