Page 115 of Nothing to Deny

When he tried to join their mouths, she pulled his hands away to lean back. “How do you see our future? If we were to have one, what would it look like?”

“How do you want it to look?”

“No, see, I don’t want that, I don’t want you deferring to me, putting the onus on me to develop a plan. I want an us future, not a me future with you as a passenger.”

“I want what most people want, freedom, security, love.”

“And you didn’t think we could have that?” God, in so many ways, he infuriated her. “You can’t be with me without dealing with my grandfather. Sometimes he’s the kindest man in the world, but he can be ruthless. And he thinks it’s his right to have an opinion on everything. I can’t be with you if you’ll be scared away at—”

“Then tell me this, will you support me?”

“Support you? In what? With Truman?”

“You know I come with the kids, my parents.”

“That was never an issue for me.” Maybe this was the moment to ask… “Though I have wondered…”

“Wondered what?”

“Would we live together?”

“Yes.”

His certainty was encouraging.

“All of us? You know we could get a place big enough for everyone. Your mom too. We could have full-time staff for her, and the boys could see her every day…” Stop. Stop. Slow it down. Talk about getting carried away too quickly. Again. “This is what you didn’t want, isn’t it?”

“I didn’t want to fall for you and lose you. I still don’t. Though there’s some part of me that… You bring so much to the relationship, what do I bring?”

“Your family,” she said. “I’ve never had kids around, parents, life in a household.”

“Well, we have that readymade.”

“And I… You could…”

“Don’t be hesitating.”

“I know you’ve had more than your share of responsibility to deal with but…” The pounding of her heart didn’t know whether it was nervous or excited. “Kids of our own, you could bring those.”

The slow curl of his lips calmed her heart. A little. At least it wasn’t trying to jump out of her chest anymore.

“That’s one responsibility I’m happy to have.”

The kids or the bringing of them?

“And I have a lot of work with the foundation. We have to make life or death decisions and work with families at the hardest times of their lives.” He was uniquely qualified for that. “I’ll share in your responsibility, but you have to share in mine too. It’s something we can… Abel could help too. Work as much as he wants or doesn’t want from home. We could do it together. Being with me means sharing in those heartaches and joys too. You’re great with kids and understand the importance of family. Don’t you want the chance to help others who could find themselves in situations like yours?”

“I do, actually.”

“I don’t want to do this on my own forever.”

“You don’t have to do anything alone, never again.”

“And if Truman cuts me off or blackballs me, well…” She sighed. “We’ll go into escorting together.”

“I already told you,” he said, cupping her jaw again. “Not a chance in hell.”

She didn’t resist his next kiss, she sank into it, into him. A weight of tension pressurized the air, forcing them close. Theycould lose this tomorrow; she could lose him. Through another misunderstanding or life tearing them apart, they’d both seen it.

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