Page 36 of The Plan

“I’m ten years older.”

“Nine and a half. And… so what? When I’m ninety and you are almost one hundred, is nine years going to matter?”

“Not now. But in my head… before I touched you… I convinced myself it mattered.”

“Now it suddenly doesn’t? Or is it just that it’s too late? I’ve trapped you now.” Well, they weren’t living in the dark ages, there hadn’t been any trapping involved. But… she knew he was doing the whole ‘right thing’ thing.

And well… that wasn’t fair to either of them.

“If you’ve trapped me, what have I done to you? I touched you first that night.”

She had been raised to be an honest woman, so… time to tell the truth. “Did you? I’m not sure who touched whom first. I can’t remember. We touched each other. That’s the story and I’m sticking to it. We made this baby together. Together.”

And… it hit her like a ton of bricks. If he seriously touched her now, she’d be putty in his hands. Because she wanted him. Exactly as he was. Arrogant and bossy and sometimes a bit too clueless for his own good.

She’d never minded working overtime with him, and not for the money, either. She had wanted to be with him. It hadn’t mattered what they were doing, she’d just wanted to be with him. Why hadn’t she realized that before?

No other man had ever made her feel the way he did, because with him… she was the Veronica Lake shewantedto be.

She pressed her cheek to his shoulder. Her fingers spread over his chest. He’d worked hard today, no denying that. And every time he’d said something about the house, it had been about their house. Because in his head, she belonged with him. And deep down, Ronnie felt exactly that.

She never would have let him touch her otherwise.

“Will you kiss me, Georgie? And just hold me?”

“The way I should have that night. And then… I am never letting you go.” He pressed his mouth to hers. And she kissed him.

And when he turned and carried her toward his bedroom—she let him.

Because in his arms was exactly where she belonged.

23

He had heldher through the night, after loving her the way he’d wanted to. Then he’d made her oatmeal and tea for breakfast.

George had fussed over her. He’d enjoyed it, too. He was going to fuss over her for the rest of his life.

But now, they had to get back to work and get some things done. He was going to Finley Creek to speak with a law professor he hoped could help him determine what was going on with the Tolben case—or how to convince Jim Tolben to try the appeals process. As long as Jim was reluctant, George’s hands were tied. Mostly. He still had some avenues, but without Jim’s cooperation, it made things a much bigger battle.

George pulled into the parking lot, tires crunching over the gravel as he shut off the engine. Veronica reached for her bag, but he caught her wrist, holding her in place for just a moment longer. He did not want to work today, damn it. He wanted to turn the truck around and take her right back to the bed he’d had her in last night. And just keep her there all day. Last night had been everything he had known it would be. Better.

Perfect.

He loved this woman—and he had told her that repeatedly. And he’d held her. Just like he had wanted.

“I’ll be back sometime after lunch. I promised to feed Hendricks. He likes diner food, so either the Value Diner or Mamaw’s Place.”

“You are to bring me back onion rings from Mamaw’s, understand me? And… onion rings plus a milkshake from the Value Diner. Those are your only options. Alien-babies like onion rings and milkshakes, apparently. Far more than they like oatmeal.”

He smirked, leaning in to press a kiss to her forehead. “Make some notes about how you want that back room set up for the baby.”

“In a bit of a hurry, aren’t we, Counselor Hiller?”

“Yep. I want everything to be perfect.” He released her hand, grabbing the files he needed from the backseat. She climbed out, shaking her head with a smile that told him she’d humor him—for the moment. As they walked inside, George just watched her. The woman was his world. Forever, now.

The office lights were on and the door unlocked, but he’d expected that. His sister had a key.

Giavonna was already at work, going over a file, making notes. She was going to be one hell of an attorney someday. He was proud of her, no denying that. She didn’t even glance up when George walked in. She hadn’t come alone, either. Across the room, Genesis stood by the filing cabinet, holding an oversized iced coffee with a satisfied grin, and looking beyond adorable in pink overalls.

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