Page 152 of Rescued by the Single Dad

People died because of her. Because of Inez.

Maren Gagne still had to walk with a cane because of the car accident. And poor Carol and Phoebe ... That was not how Brooke wanted to get her roles. Never.

Inez was a broken soul and guilt ran rampant through Brooke that she didn’t pick up on things sooner. Maybe she was a selfish person? So caught up in her own world, in her own business that she couldn’t see that her assistant, her friend, was struggling.

Clint held her hand and squeezed, pulling her from her dark, spiraling thoughts.

“I love you,” she whispered. “I love it here. I love this life, and I love Talia. I don’t want my old life. I’ll give up acting. I’ll give it all up for you. For this.” Fat blobs marred her vision until he was nothing but blurry handsomeness in front of her. But his touch reassured her. His touch grounded her.

“You don’t have to give up anything.”

“I will if it means I can stay. Please ... This is all I’ve ever wanted. Peace and family. Someone who loves me the way I love them.”

She sniffed and swept her free hand beneath her eyes, clearing the tears enough that she could see his smile.

“I’m saying, I want you to stay, too, but I don’t want you to give up something you love. If you want to keep acting, we can figure it out. We can have it all.”

She bit her lip to keep herself from trembling. “But what if you get bored of me?”

He closed his eyes and shook his head, a deep frown turning down the corners of his lips. “Never. Never ever will I lose interest or get bored of you. I won’t run or shut down. I will communicate my feelings, and I will never make you feel the way all those other fools did. You fascinate and inspire me, and I … I love you.”

The tears came back, tumbling hard and fast down her cheeks. But this time, they were happy tears. Tears of relief and love. Tears of joy and peace. “I love you, too,” she whispered, her voice raspy as she fought to get the words out of her tight throat.

“I was an idiot to let you leave here the first time. I’m not going to make that mistake again. You belong here. With us.”

He pulled her into his arms, cradling her against his hard, warm chest. “We’ll figure it out. We’ll up security and make it work. But this is where you’re meant to be.”

“I don’t want anybody else to get hurt,” she blubbered.

“Me either. And we’ll make sure of it. But if this is where you want to be, then this is where I want you. Nobody wants you to leave. You belong here.”

“I don’t want to leave. I love it here. I love you. I love Talia.”

They held each other like that for a long time. Until her breathing settled and the tears dried up.

“I texted Rocco on the drive home. He’s canceled his flight and is on his way back.”

She nodded. “Thank you.”

“We should probably have Grayson take a look at you,” he murmured, sitting back and brushing her hair off her face.

She snickered. “I think you’re in worse shape than me.”

He shrugged. “Worth it.”

She let out a long breath through thinly parted lips and a wayward shiver raced up her spine. “So, we’re really going to do this?”

“If you’re not ready to move in here, then we can find you alternative accommodation. But, nothing about how this came to be is conventional, so ... I say we just dive in head first.”

She reached out and gently touched one of his shallower scratches. “Head first, huh?”

“Come on, Little Mermaid, it’ll be a piece of cake. You don’t even need to sell your voice for this prince.” His grin stole the oxygen from her lungs and brought a smile to her face so big her cheeks hurt.

“I’d sell my soul for a piece of this life. For another day with you.”

He cupped her cheek, his mouth hovering just over hers. “Good thing all I’m asking for is your heart.”

“You’ve had it for ages. Just be gentle with it.” Then she kissed him back and the world, finally, at long last, made sense. Peace enveloped her, and a sense of true belonging took hold.

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