Page 131 of Second Chance Savior

My chest squeezed, and a thousand butterflies took flight in my stomach. “It’s beautiful.” I went to try it on.

But River’s hand closed over mine, stopping me. “Hold on a second. You might not want to do that just yet.”

“Why?”

River sank to one knee in the snow, and I gasped. Icy air filled my lungs. “What are youdoing?”

“What feels right. I know it’s only been a few months. You don’t have to say yes right away. Or at all, if marriage isn’t something you had in mind. I certainly didn’t. Couldn’t imagine that I would ever be in this spot. But you’ve always been the exception.”

I brought my hands up to my mouth. They were shaking.

“I love you,” he said. “From the moment I realized it, that’s never wavered for me. Even when I tried to deny you, I couldn’t. So I’m done with that, Charlie. I want to make you mine forever. Whatever that looks like. A big wedding, or eloping just the two of us. On a tropical island or in the middle of a forest just like this one. I don’t care. I’ll wait however long it takes. Just think about marrying me someday. And when you’re ready to say yes, you can put on this ring.”

I stared down at the small circle on his open palm. It blurred in front of my eyes.

Then I picked up the ring and slid it onto my finger.

River

Was it possible to betoohappy?

As we told the McKinleys our news, I was pretty sure I’d sprained something with how wide I was grinning. Tom and Beverly couldn’t hide their shock. I didn’t blame them. This whole thing was pretty wild. Me and Charlie ending up together after all this time.

We’d decided to tell our family and friends, but publicly, we’d keep our engagement to ourselves. Charlie would wear her ring on another finger in Denver until we were officially married, and neither of us knew when that would be.

For now, it was enough to know that she’d said yes. She’d saidyes. This woman made me want all the romance. All that lovey-dovey stuff.

Genevieve was going to give me so much crap about it.

The next day, we drove into Hartley and went straight to Last Refuge. Charlie was halfway in my lap for the entire drive from her parents’ house. Kissing my neck and sucking on my earlobe. Massaging my thigh. I was already about to combust, and we wouldn’t get any privacy for a while yet.

I pulled into the Last Refuge parking lot and reached over to stroke my hand up and down her leg. “You’re killing me. I can’t walk in there yet.”

She smiled deviously, unbuckling her seatbelt. “Then I guess you’ll just have to meet me inside. I have a meeting to attend.”

“Hey!”

Charlie didn’t actually get out. She waited for me, and we swung our hands as we headed toward a new portion of the Last Refuge complex.

“They finished it!” she exclaimed. “The inn looks amazing.”

The last time Charlie had been here, they had been wrapping up construction. This was a brand new structure, the final phase of the Last Refuge Inn and Tavern. With the guest house open, all big windows and rustic accents, Jessi andAiden could take on more visitors. Both those who were paying, and those who needed our help.

“But that’s not the best part,” I said. “This way.” I steered her toward the far side, where a secluded walkway led toward an inconspicuous building cradled against the mountainside.

The official headquarters for the Last Refuge Protectors.

Well, perhaps it was unofficial. Even though the FBI and Stillwater both knew about us, we still tried to keep our existence as quiet as possible.

At the door, I entered my code and pressed my hand to the biometric lock. With a salute to the camera overhead, I ushered Charlie inside.

The heart of the building was the open space in the middle. A long conference table of reclaimed wood occupied the center. A kitchen was off to one side, comfortable couches to the other. Offices and storage bordered the edges, plus a dedicated room for our surveillance system and servers.

The style was both rustic and sleek, with exposed brick, timber floors, and dark leather furniture. A huge screen on one wall currently displayed feeds from various cameras around the property.

And of course, we had a walk-in vault to store our gear, weaponry, and other goodies that Trace and I brought in whenever inspiration struck us.

The place looked pretty badass. We’d all had a hand in designing it. Aiden, Trace, Owen, and me. The original Protectors. But we had plenty of room here for more.

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