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“I thought you didn’t want a new mum,” Nolan said.
“I’m sorry, Pops.” Kiera’s blue eyes brightened. “I’m not trying to replace Mum and I won’t forget her, but is it wrong that I love Chad’s mum with my whole heart and I want to be with her?”
He felt a stirring in his chest. “No, love. That’s exactly how I feel.”
Now to convince Madeline of that.
“Macey and I talked for a long time, and it’s hard to wrap your mind around, but Mum would want us to be happy. She loved us with her whole heart. Chad’s mum makes you and me and Macey and all of us happy. Do you think Chad’s mum would marry us if you asked?”
He had asked, and it hadn’t gone over well, but his heart thumped faster. Madeline thought Kiera would be another obstacle between them, but she wasn’t. Somehow Madeline had only gotten part of the story.
Why had he let her walk away without a goodbye kiss? Without plans? He knew it was the opposite of her ‘take things slow’ approach, but he felt it building within him—he needed to chase after her, make certain she knew how deeply he loved her, how committed he was to figuring out their relationship and their path and their roles, that Kiera and his children loved her and wanted both of them to be happy.
“I don’t know, love,” he said to Kiera. “It might take some time.”
Kiera gave a heavy sigh, but then she pushed at him. “She said she wanted to date. Go date. Go take her to dinner and kiss her and all that stuff. Tell her we can take it slow, but we all love her and want her with us.” She gestured to Tristan, Jennifer, and Macey.
Nolan looked over at his oldest son and two of his daughters-in-law. “All of you?”
“Yes,” Jennifer confirmed. “At Kiera’s insistence, we’ve called everyone else. They all love Madeline and want you to propose.”
Nolan’s heart rate kept increasing.
“And we’ve all seen how happy you’ve been with her here,” Tristan added. “Especially me. She makes our meetings interesting and fun. I don’t know about you, but I missed her today. Could we bring her on as an advisor to the king until you convince her to marry you?”
Nolan let out a short laugh, but then he almost jumped in the air in celebration. “That is a fabulous idea, T. I’m going to go see what she thinks.”
“And tell her you love her, and we love her,” Kiera prompted.
“I will do that.”
“And take her somewhere nice for dinner and kiss her.”
“That sounds wonderful.” Though they might have to order takeout. He wasn’t ready to have Ray send a platoon. With Naomi still out there somewhere and the man’s threats from this morning, he couldn’t simply waltz into a restaurant.
“Well, go then.” Kiera pushed at him again, so Nolan picked her up and kissed her cheek. She squeezed him around the neck. “I love you, Pops.”
“I love you.” He set her down and then hurried to hug Macey, Jennifer, and even Tristan.
“Go then,” Jennifer teased.
He grinned and then sprinted from the dining room. His Lamborghini Veneno would get him there fast.
He reached the garage before he ran into two guards.
“King Nolan?” Sergeant Braxton asked, the man’s large frame towering over him.
“I’ve got an errand to run in Traverse,” he rushed out. “Please follow me.”
He was in his Lamborghini before they could respond. He pushed the start button, sped out of the garage, out of the main gates, and down the hill. Thankfully, the gates at the lower barricade saw him coming and raised the gate. He lifted a hand as he sailed through. He kept his speed reasonable through the village, but as soon as he hit the valley road, he was shifting through gears and pressing the accelerator to the floor. The Veneno had never flown so beautifully.
Madeline. She might still need to take things slow, but he would share Kiera’s words, Tristan’s idea, his children’s approval, and more importantly, everything in his heart.
ChapterFourteen
Madeline thoughtshe’d feel comfortable and her mind would clear when she got home, but she felt more confused than ever and completely unlike herself. She’d had to keep Chad’s questions at bay the entire drive and redirect over and over again to keep the attention off herself. When he finally cleared her house, armed the security system, and told her he and Hope would be by later to check on her, she had almost sagged in relief. Yet she knew when they came back later, she would be in for a grilling. The look in his eyes when he left said he knew she was a mess and planned to help her through it.
Their roles were officially reversed. Heaven help her.
