Page 45 of Courageous Demands

Willow’s breath caught as her heart slammed against her sternum. Her eyes held his, seeing his searching gaze and the fear in his eyes and melted. Oh my gosh, could this man be any more gentle and loving? Sure, they fought a lot, but that was only because he was so passionate regarding how he wanted things to go. The man was driven when he put his mind to it – and stubborn to boot, but she could be just as well.

“I would imagine they would have your dark hair…”

“And your eyes…”

“No,” she chuckled tearfully, smiling at him. “I would want them to have your beautiful eyes. They can have my smile…”

“I’ve got a nice smile,” he teased, his eyes shining and full of unshed tears as they stared at each other, discussing the unimaginable.

“You’ve got a beautiful smile, but they have to get something from me too.”

“How about your resolve, your strength, your everything…” he whispered, tugging her towards him.

“Are we talking hypothetically?”

“Maybe we are talking about the future…”

“Do you want a big family?”

“I would love a full table and to see them being spoiled by their grandmothers. Thanksgiving dinners surrounded by bright faces with smart mouths…”

“Oh no,” she chuckled tenderly. “What about Christmases where they are trying to find the presents or peeking…”

“I never got caught…”

“But we both know you used to peek.”

“It’s an art form.”

“So it is,” he smiled shyly. “I know it was a weird question, but thank you for sharing with me. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately and had a call that shook me. There was a kid, and I kept looking at him, seeing your eyes, and couldn’t shake it. I was so bothered by the whole thing that I called the hospital to make sure the mother made it after the accident.”

“And did she?”

“Yep. That’s all they could tell me because of H.I.P.P.A. laws, but that was all I needed to know – that the kid that kinda fell into my world for a moment was going to have a Mommy to hug him before bed. I know what that felt like to miss those hugs…”

Alec’s voice trailed off – and her heart couldn’t take anymore. He was so sweet, so gentle, so tender underneath all that gruff, macho, sarcastic armor he wore for everyone; but she knew the marshmallow man underneath.

“I love your beautiful soul – and I always have,” she whispered tearfully, moved by what he was revealing to her. These were the building blocks that would bring them together once again, she hoped. “Thank you for sharing with me, and I want you to know you can always trust me.”

“I love you too. I just hate what happened and how it affected me.”

“I’m so sorry.”

“You have nothing to apologize for – I wasn’t giving you what you needed, and I was so focused elsewhere that I missed all the signs,” he began openly, not holding back as he looked at her. “I’m glad we are getting a second chance.”

“I am, too.”

“Is it weird that I don’t care if we get out of the truck?” he smiled, wiping his eyes and sniffing. “I mean, we could just take the chili back home…”

“What about the flyers?” she laughed, wiping her own eyes.

“Dang it,” he muttered and then flashed her a grin, winking at her. “I’ve gotta support my favorite candidate.”

“You’re my favorite ‘candidate,’ you know…”

“Combined with a few hot kisses later?”

“I’m sure that could happen,” she chuckled, smiling shyly at him – and saw him pause before opening his door, looking back at her. “What?”

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