Page 106 of Living with Fire

“I am being serious,” I tell her, my tone earnest. I search her eyes, imploring her to believe me. “I thought you were stunning then, but that was before I knew you. Before I knew your strength, your smarts, your willingness to put other’s safety above your own. Before I knew your laugh, and your smile, or how your eyes sparkle when you’re excited or happy.”

A blush creeps into her cheeks, and my smile deepens. I can tell she wants to look away from me out of shyness, but she doesn’t. Her show of bravery fuels me, spurring me forward.

“You are one of the most courageous women I’ve ever met, and I am so damn proud to call you mine. Don’t ever doubt I find you more beautiful today than I did that day,” I say sincerely, watching her cheeks redden by the second. “Tomorrow I will find you more beautiful than today, because every day I learn something more about you, and each new thing adds to your beauty.”

“Nate…”

I put a thumb over her lips, gently brushing it along the fullness. “I should have told you this when I first realized it, but I didn’t want to taint it. I wanted a perfect moment without anything hanging over our heads, but I know now that doesn’t matter. Perfection is what we make it, and there’s no more perfect moment than now.”

I can see the hope in her eyes, and I slide one hand into her hair, leaning close enough I can feel her breath on my lips but pausing to still see her eyes. “Savanna, I love you. So much. I didn’t realize I could love someone as much as I love you.”

Tears are shining in her eyes, making them sparkle in the most brilliant way. “I love you too, Nate. So, so much. I wish I’d told you sooner too, but we’re not going to live in the past with any regrets, okay?” Fisting my shirt in her fingers that are poking out of her cast, she tugs me forward until our lips are barely brushing. “Promise me?”

I still, pulling back enough to look at her. I can hear the implication in her words; more than not telling her I loved her, she doesn’t want me to feel guilty, or blame myself for what happened. She already knows me well enough to know that’s exactly where my thoughts have taken me. It makes me feel naked and vulnerable in front of her, but I face it, face her, being brave like she’s been for me.

“Sav…”

“It wasn’t your fault, Nate. You did everything you possibly could to protect me. I made a choice. More than one of them.” A tear falls from her eye as she runs her fingers along the stubble on my face. I haven’t shaved in a few days and her fingers running over the thick whiskers feels nice.

“You still saved me. You got me to trust you, to tell you what was going on. You kept me safe this entire time. You got me to love your friends and trust them too, and when I needed you all the most, you were there,” she says with conviction. “If it hadn’t been for you, no one would have been following me. Liam wouldn’t have been there to help me as quickly as he did.”

Her fingers curl into my jaw, ensuring I’m paying attention, though I don’t think I could tear my eyes off her if I wanted to. “If I didn’t love you, I might not have had the will to survive, or the courage to crash the car. Loving you got me through this. So promise me—no regrets.”

I have to take a few shaky breaths, swallow a lump of emotion in my throat, and sniff twice before I can find the strength to speak. I never would have looked at it like that if it weren’t for her. I’d have spent day after day beating myself up, even after the talk with Brody.

Savanna’s declaration releases me, sets me free of my own guilt, though I’m sure I’ll still need to work through some of it. Finally, I nod. “I promise. No regrets. No living in the past.”

The smile I get in return lights up her eyes, and though I’m sure it still hurts, she doesn’t flinch this time. “Good. Now kiss me until I’m so tired I have no option but to sleep. And when I wake up, I want you to tell me the full story of the auction.”

Warmth blooms in the center of my chest and moves outward until it fills every inch of me. The auction was a success. Jordan said we’d have enough money to cover the bill with the money the bar already had. Everyone rallied together to help. Even when I didn’t want to take it, even when I’d lost the ability to care.

“Just wait until you hear about Liam’s outrage at earning far, far less than Brody,” I tell her with a chuckle, my lips hovering right above hers.

Her closed eyes pop open with surprise, which quickly transforms into amusement. “Don’t tempt me out of a quick make-out session.”

My lips brush across hers with the same gentleness of our first kiss. I murmur against her lips, “Wouldn’t dream of it.”

Then I kiss her and kiss her. Until she’s so tired she has to sleep.

EPILOGUE

SAVANNA

FIVE MONTHS LATER…

“Hey Sav?”

I look up from the computer to see Bryn standing in the doorway of the office, her chin length hair looking exceptionally cute all barrel curled. Nate calls it my office, but I roll my eyes when he does; it’s our office.

I officially accepted his offer when I went back to work a month after getting out of the hospital. He wouldn’t let me back any sooner than that. Now, after getting certified in California, I do all the accounting and bookkeeping for the bar. Nate let his old accountant go after he got confirmation everything I did was perfect, and in working order. I wasn’t surprised, but I had to prove it to Nate, for myself at least, before he did anything drastic.

The bookkeeping doesn’t keep me busy enough, though, so I spend my other time serving, and when Nate isn’t around, I manage the bar. That’s not all. Nate’s grandparents, Bob and Mildred, asked me to consult for them when they found a new firm to join after leaving Prescott and Wesley. They said before me, they’d never met someone they felt comfortable enough with at the firm, which was why they changed consultants every time they came in. I asked them why they hadn’t left years earlier, and they amused me greatly when they admitted they enjoyed making everyone there uncomfortable.

“What are you doing here?” I ask, raising an eyebrow.

Bryn and I have grown close since I started, and given that I do the scheduling these days, I know she’s not on it. I’m surprised she’d be here for dinner without telling me beforehand. Maybe she has a date.

Waving a hand casually, she rolls her eyes. “I left a jacket here last weekend and I need it for tonight. It completes the outfit.”

---