Page 125 of Keep Me

He’s here. He’s in my arms.

Questions are swirling in my mind, but I brush every single one of them aside because he ishere.

“Hello, darling,” he whispers into my neck.

“What are you doing here?” I reply.

After a moment, he finally sets me down, but I refuse to let him go. My hands stay glued to him.

“I came as fast as I could,” he replies, brushing a wild curl from my face.

“I don’t understand. Your sister said you gave the papers for the house to your aunt. Why?”

“Sylvie, you traveled across the world for me, and I kept you secluded in that house for nine long months. I knew that if I was going to make things right, then it was my turn to come to you.

“And when you told me last month that you were waiting for me, I knew what I had to do.”

My face stretches into a smile as I take in the sight of his faceagain. Warm green eyes, chin-length brown hair, strong brows, and full lips. It’s him, and he’s standing on the street in front of my apartment in New York City. None of this makes any sense in my brain, but I love it all the same.

“So this is what you were working for,” I say as everything suddenly clicks into place. Rather than bringing me back to Scotland, he wanted to come to me. He just had to wait until he was ready.

“Thank you for waiting,” he says, lowering his forehead to touch mine.

My eyes close, and my heart swells. Reaching for his hands, I grip them in mine, sliding my small fingers between his thick ones. And I never want to move from this spot.

But then my phone rings in my back pocket again.

“Oh shit, Anna,” I say, quickly grabbing it and seeing her name on the screen. When I slide the call to answer, I can hear her panic again.

“Sylvie?” she cries.

“Anna, he’s here.”

She falls silent. “What?”

“He’s standing right in front of me,” I say, staring into his soft, content eyes.

“He’swhat?”

I let out a chuckle.

“In New York?” she shrieks.

“Yes, in New York. And he’s okay.”

“I’m going to kill him,” she replies as I bite my lip to stifle my laugh.

“Tell her I was just trying to be spontaneous,” he says, but when she hears him say that, she only launches into a fit of curses.

“He said he’s sorry,” I tell her. “And that he’ll call you later.”

She’s still going on as I hit the End Call button, and the phone goes silent. Killian pulls me back into his arms, and I suddenly feel very desperate to have more of him. I wantallof him.

But I don’t want to be too eager. I still don’t quite knowwhat state he’s in and how much he’s struggling. He’s hidden it well from me before, and if I push him too hard again, I’ll never forgive myself.

“Want to come inside?” I ask.

I notice the tension in his jaw as he nods and picks up his bag from the sidewalk. A slight crease in his brow has me concerned as I gently pull him up to the front door, unlocking it before welcoming him inside.

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