Page 94 of Jessica's Hero
Fear seizes my chest. My pulse starts to race and my body goes ice cold. “Are you telling me you want me to leave?”
Kane’s head jerks back. “No.” It’s adamant. Immediate. “Of course not. That’s not what I meant at all. Shit, Jess. I love you. I want you to stay here forever. With me.”
“With—”
“But I realized as long as we’re together, it doesn’t matter where we are. If you want to go move to a new town, a new state, shit, if you want to move to Canada or Europe, I’ll go with you. Start a new life with you.” The determination in his eyes shifts to uncertainty. “Assuming you’d want me to. I know that’s a lot to lay on you right now. But… I just want you to know.”
My body starts to thaw again. “You would move away from Sleepy Hollow? Away from your job? Your house? Your friends?”
“Yes, sweetheart.” He frames my face with his hands and looks at me earnestly. “You are more important to me than anyone or anything else. Whatever makes you happy, I’ll do it.”
Tears spring to my eyes again. “You would move? For me?”
“Do you want to? We can start planning. I can put out feelers for a new job. Get our houses ready to put on the market. Unless you want to rent yours. And we can research the best places to live—do you want to live in a town like this? In the city? Maybe out in the woods? We could look for a cabin someplace. The B and A guys, they have some friends up in Vermont, so I could get in touch with them.”
I’m so stunned, I can’t form words at first. “I… You…”
“I knew it was too soon to bring this up.” Self-recrimination laces his tone. “I’m sorry, Jess. Forget I said anything. We can talk about this?—”
“No.”
“No?” He winces. “No, you don’t want me to move with you?”
I shake my head, regretting it immediately. “No, not that. I don’t want to move. That’s what I meant.”
“You don’t?”
“I don’t,” I reply firmly. Holding his gaze, I continue, “I want to stay in Sleepy Hollow. I wasn’t thinking about this town because I want to leave. I was thinking about how I was wrong. That I’m not a complete outcast. That there are people who actually want me here.”
Pain washes across his face. “Oh, Jess.Sweetheart. Lots of people want you here. They know you’re incredible, just like I’ve been telling you.”
“I didn’t think they did. Not before. But… you made me look at things differently. You made me realize I’m not a bad person.”
“Jess.”
“I know there will always be some people who don’t like me. But I’ve been letting them intimidate me longenough. Letting them control my life. I’m done with it. I have friends here in Sleepy Hollow. I have a home. I haveyou.”
Cautious hope lights his gaze. “When you say a home, what does that mean?”
A flutter of unease moves through me. But I push it down as I reply, “Maybe… here? With you?” In a rush, I add, “I don’t want to go back to my house. I don’t think I’ll ever feel safe there again. And to see Adam’s house every day…”
“Shit.” It’s low. Tense.
“But it’s more than that. I love living here with you.Thisfeels like home. And—” I give Kane a little smile. “You already decorated it for me. So… I guess I was hoping maybe I could stay?”
Seconds feel like hours as I wait for Kane to respond. As my heart hangs on his answer.
“Jess.” His mouth crashes down on mine. “Yes.Yes. Of course. There’s nothing I want more than to have you stay here. I’ll do anything you want to make this your home. I already talked to Leo about installing more security. And the fence, of course. We can put in a hot tub out back. Set up a whole outdoor entertainment area. Repaint all the rooms. Do you want a dog? A cat? I’ll?—”
“Kane.” I kiss him back with a desperation that feels more necessary than breathing. “I just want to be with you. That’s all that matters.”
Sothisis what real happiness feels like.
How it feels to be truly loved.
It gives me the strength to get through anything.
“We don’t need to redo the house,” I tell him. Then,with a teasing smile, I add, “But a hot tub outside might be nice. As long as there’s plenty of privacy.”
