Page 43 of Whiskey Run Heroes

She stiffens, and it’s obvious she’s thinking the worst. She tries to pull away, but I hold on to her. “Oh no, you’re going to listen and then if you want to walk away, I’ll let you.”

It may be the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but I’ll let her go if I’m not what she wants. “I love you... I’ve loved you forever, and even though I truly believe you deserve more... I can’t walk away.”

Her eyes are shining as she looks up at me. “You love me?”

I nod. “I do, Madison. I’ve tried to hide it for so long, but I can’t anymore. If you’ll have me. Fuck, baby, if you’ll be mine, I’ll spend the rest of my life becoming the man you deserve.”

Her hands slide around to the back of my neck, and she pulls me down so we’re eye to eye. “I love you, John. I’ve always loved you. But...”

I release a long deep breath and stop her. “No, there are no buts. We’ll figure the rest out. All I need to know is if you want to be with me.”

“I do,” she says, smiling.

I pick her up and seal my lips to hers. She melts into me, and I can’t resist deepening the kiss until I completely forget where we’re at and what we’re doing. The sound of a horn breaks us apart. We’re both breathless, and I let her down, her body sliding against mine. “You ride with me to my house, and we’ll get my car and go to yours.”

She nods in agreement.

I leave out the part where I plan on claiming her the best way possible, deep inside her with my name on her lips.

15

MADISON

“I’m exhausted,” I tell John that night. We went to his house for him to shower and then to mine for me to, and then we went back to the hospital. We spent a few hours hanging out with Jenna, Dylan, and baby Jamie, and now we’re in John’s truck leaving Jasper on our way into Whiskey Run.

“Me too,” he says as he squeezes my hand. He’s had a hand on me all night. I expected to be nervous in front of Jenna. I didn’t know how to explain or what to say about what was happening with her brother and me, but it didn’t seem I had to. All Jenna said when she saw us coming in holding hands was “It’s about time.”

We’re only a few blocks from the hospital, and we haven’t talked about plans for tonight or anything. “Are you hungry?” he asks.

“No, that pizza you ordered filled me up. I’m happy for Jenna and Dylan. She’s happier than I’ve ever seen her.”

He nods. “She’ll be a good mom.”

I laugh, thinking about my past with Jenna. She’s definitely the nurturer. “She’s a natural.”

He lifts my hand to his lips. “You know, when you’re ready, you’ll be a great mom too.”

I stare at him wide-eyed and remember his comment from the night before. It seems like forever ago, but it was less than twenty-four hours since he told me he wanted a wife and kids.

He keeps driving and at the same time we say each other’s names. I laugh. “You first.”

He pulls my hand across the console and onto his thigh. “Okay, I am trying not to be all caveman on you, so I’m going to ask instead of demand.”

I sit up straighter in my seat and wait for him to continue. “Will you come home with me?”

I couldn’t stop the smile on my face if I tried. I lean across and put my lips next to his ear. “Yes, I’d love to come home with you.”

“I have to warn you about something.”

He seems serious, and I wait for him to continue. He pulls off to the side of the road and puts it in park. He turns to me, facing me head-on.

“What?” I ask him.

He cups my face in his hands. “I’m not asking you to stay one night. I’m asking you for forever, Madison. I know we have things to figure out, but I know what I want... and that’s you, in my bed, in my life, as my wife and the mother of my children. If that’s not something you think...”

I stop him, undo my seatbelt, and crawl over the console to his lap. I’m squished against him, but he doesn’t seem to care. “That’s exactly what I want.”

“So we’re on the same page.”

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