Page 216 of Keeping Kasey
“How did they?” I ask, since I’d ignored Damon’s answer a few minutes ago.
“Mark’s car led them to the right area, so when your phone caught a signal around 1 a.m., they weren’t too far away,” she explains. “By the time they got to you, you were unconscious with a weak pulse, so Elise and James took you to the hospital. Joshua and Damon traced your footprints back to the cabin to find me—scared the heck out of me, too. Damon went to direct snowplows and an ambulance while Joshua carried me down the driveway to meet them.”
“Are you telling me Iowethat bastard?”
Kasey shrugs, masking her wince with a sardonic smile. “I’m telling you he earned a first-name basis.”
I scan her over again. “Did they give you anything for the pain?”
“A few hours ago. I’m due for more soon, but it doesn’t hurt as much as I thought it would. I got lucky.”
“I don’t know if I’d call being abducted, beaten, and stranded in a blizzardlucky.”
She inspects our hands. “What about being found and saved by you?”
“I’d call that inevitable.”
A smile plays on her lips, and every fiber of my being wants to claim them with mine, but there’s no need to rush. If I get my way, there will be plenty of time for that.
“Does that mean you’re done running?” I ask.
In the cabin, it was easy to imagine a future where Kasey stayed forever, but we were facing imminent death. Now that we’re safe, she could very well choose to run again.
“Depends,” she says, tilting her head to one side.
“On?”
“Would you ever stop chasing me?”
“Never.”
Her smile is so sweet. “Well, I’ll save you the trouble for now. I’m thinking about sticking around for a while.”
“Is that right?”
Kasey looks over her shoulder to the door. “I don’t hate your family as much as I thought I did.”
“They like you.”
“I don’t know if I’d saythat.”
“I would. You fit right in.”
Her eyes go wide in mock horror. “Inthisfamily? I’m not sure that’s a compliment.”
“It isn’t,” I assure her, and her laugh is breathless.
“Is that something you want?” she asks, nerves edging her tone as her smile falters. “For me to stick around?”
“Not at all.”
Her brow furrows, and I shake my head. I can’t believe I even have to tell her this.
Can’t she see how desperate I am for her?
“Sticking aroundisn’t going to cut it for me, beautiful,” I tell her. “I don’t just want you right now—I want you forever. I meant every word I said in the cabin. We’re going to get married, have as many little psychos as you’ll give me, and grow old together.”
The look in Kasey’s eyes—so full of hope and happiness—makes me fall in love with her all over again. “You want to marry me?”
