Page 66 of The Agent
“I told you, I’m fine. I—” She halted. “But I do want to see Dad and Sam.”
He reached out for her arm, stopping her. “Wait. I…I wanted to tell you something.”
He bent forward a little, and she experienced a spark of concern, but when he met her eyes again, she realized the painhe was feeling had nothing to do with the fact that he’d been shot. “I thought he was going to kill you,” Caleb whispered.
“But he didn’t. I don’t even have a scratch, Caleb. I promise you.”
“I…” He released a breath with obvious effort. “I watched him hold that gun to your head, and I knew that…that if he pulled the trigger, I’d die right along with you.”
Her heart did a little flip. “Caleb…”
“Please, I have to say this.” He swallowed. “I know this isn’t the time to ask for your forgiveness, or to figure out the future, but I need to say this.”
Tears pricked at her eyelids. She tried to speak, but he pressed his fingers to her lips. “I love you,” he said thickly.
All around them, things were still bustling. The cruisers were speeding away, sirens flashing. Several residents gathered on their front porches and lawns, whispering as they stared at the scene across the street. But Marley was oblivious to the activity. She couldn’t look away from Caleb.
“I didn’t think it could ever happen to me, I was always too shut off from people, but I fell in love with you.” His voice cracked. “You made me see that there’s more to life than just work. That I don’t need to control my emotions all the time.”
Marley was stunned. It was impossible to breathe, let alone speak.
At her lack of response, Caleb barreled on. “I’m sorry I lied to you. But I do love you, Marley, and I want to be with you.”
She stood rooted in place, so overcome with joy she was unable to say a word.
Caleb’s broad shoulders sagged. “Sorry, I guess this isn’t the time to unload all this on you. I know you want to see your family.” He let out a breath. “Okay, go do that. I guess I’ll go to the station and we can talk later.”
He started to walk away. His normally smooth strides were ungainly, as if walking in a straight line took too much effort.
She stood there, dumbfounded, then cleared her throat and shook her head, regaining her senses. “What the heck are you doing? Come back here,” she called after him.
He froze, then looked over his shoulder, revealing his unbelievably gorgeous profile. Slowly, he turned to face her. A few yards separated them, but despite the distance, Marley could swear she heard his heart pounding.
“You’re angry,” he said with a sigh, bridging the distance between them.
She shot him a no-kidding look. “You were going to leave just like that?”
“You didn’t say anything. I figured…you might need space or something.”
The awkwardness of his voice made her laugh. God, he could be totally clueless sometimes. She thought of the way he’d launched himself in front of her when Patrick pulled the trigger. How he’d chosen to stay behind with her instead of going to the station to process the criminal he’d been hunting for months. He’d been so confident, so determined to protect her. And now he was standing here, back to his gruff, serious self, missing every last signal she sent in his direction.
“I didn’t say anything because your words made me all emotional, you idiot.”
The corner of his mouth lifted in a hopeful smile. “So you don’t want me to go?”
“Of course I don’t want you to go.”
“Are you sure?” he asked, searching her face.
She nodded. Her throat went tight again, but she managed to say the most important thing. “I love you.”
“You love me,” he echoed in amazement.
“Yes.” She drew in a breath and decided to do something crazy—trust him again. “I’m willing to work on the whole trust-and-forgiveness thing…if you’re willing to stay.”
Caleb touched her cheek so gently she felt like crying again, this time with joy. “I’m not going anywhere.” He smiled ruefully. “Scratch that. I will need to go to Virginia to be debriefed about the case, but when I’m there, I’ll request an immediate transfer to the west coast.” He stroked her lips with his thumb. “And if they deny my request, I’ll quit.”
Her heart skipped a beat. “Are you serious?”
