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“A scarred husk of a soldier that’s play-acting as a pirate to earn his keep?”
“Well, that sounds pretty harsh,” she chuckled, burying her face against his throat and breathing in the warm scent of him. “How about ‘my better half’and ‘my best friend’? We could even go so far as to label you ‘the soulmate I never expected to find and cannot let go of’…”
“I love you,” Will said, kissing her hair. “I just never want to disappoint you, and…”
“And it’s a part of life.”
“Not one I have to enjoy,” he countered – and she looked up at him to see his turbulent eyes watching her. “I’ll admit that I’m scared your place has been broken into, but I’m even more aware that there’s going to be pictures of a good-looking guy that I cannot measure up to…”
She touched his face, deliberately touching the faded, flesh-colored scars on his cheek, temple, and ear.
“You are not Jack, and I would never expect you to be. You are the pirate captain that has stolen my heart. Jack is gone and my time with him is forever frozen in my past. Will, you have my entire future, but yes therearedifferences – but Itreasurethose differences. I don’t want another ‘Jack’,” she said tearfully in an impassioned voice. “I wantyou, my grumpy pirate who ignored me all the time when I first arrived.”
“Can I tell you a secret?” he whispered, smiling shyly at her as he caressed the back of her cheek with his finger.
“Of course. You can tell me anything.”
“Ihadto ignore you…”
“Why?”
“Because the first time I laid eyes on you, saw that spark within, and even when you called me a ‘douche-bag pirate captain’…” he laughed softly.
“Oh mercy…” she chuckled, mortified.
“Iwantedyou,” he admitted softly, not looking away from her. “Just like I want you every time you smile at me… and even right now, my beloved bride.”
“Now?” she asked softly, seeing his eyes so full of affection as he gazed at her.
“Now.”
“We should probably go inside…”
“We should.”
“There are pictures of Jack on the walls,” she warned nervously.
“I’m hoping there will be photos of us there soon too – and I might need to cover Jack’s eyes with masking tape so he doesn’t see what I’m about to do to you…” he said huskily, making her giggle with nervous awareness at the implication of his words.
“I think having Jack look at us would be awkward for everyone involved.”
“Performance anxiety,” he grinned, laughing softly as they walked toward the back door of the house, holding hands. Calista couldn’t help the laugh that escaped her.
“Maybe I put them in my office, because those memories are a part of me.”
“I would never ask you to wipe them away either – but I do like the idea of your office,” Will smiled, turning the knob of the back door and allowing her to enter first. “He can have his space – and we can have ours.”
Looking around, she saw that everything was untouched – and breathed a sigh of relief… only to feel Will scoop her up into his arms. They were both laughing and holding on to each other affectionately as he hesitated, smiling at her mischievously before dropping a small kiss on the tip of her nose.
“Where’s the bedroom?”
18SHIVER ME TIMBERS!
CALISTA
A week later…
She lookedup from her desk, hearing Will’s voice in the distance.
