I lock my gaze onto her. "I'm falling for you, Schapelle, and I—" Whoa. I manage to stop myself from blurting out the rest.
"And what? Go on."
My neck heats. "No. No. I can't. It's too much."
"I'll badger you incessantly until you relent," she prods with a teasing smile, and I know there's no way to unscramble this omelet.
After alongsilence, I finally speak. "I don't want you to leave. I know this was only meant to be a month-long arrangement, but I want you to stay. Here. With me."
"But I'm…" She gently traces her fingers across her stomach. "I'm not alone."
"That's not a problem for me. At all. I know I'm gettingwaytoo ahead of myself and moving at speed that makes breakneck seem slow. But I want you, Schapelle, and I want to be a part of your baby's life in whatever way you want me to be."
"No one's ever…" She shakes her head, releasing a trembling breath. "No guy has ever treated me as well as you do. You're kind and thoughtful, and you seem to respect that I have a career?—"
"I do respect your career," I interrupt, because I want to make it perfectly clear it's not just for show, but that I genuinely do. "I love that you're successful and sharing your talent with millions of people. I'm in awe of that and want to do whatever little things I can to help you get all the words out."
She smiles, but it quickly wavers. "Owen said no man would ever want me."
"Yeah, well, Owen's a son of a—" I bite my tongue. "I won't finish that because I don't want your baby hearing that sort of language."
Her smile reappears, accompanied by a slight frown. "I…I'm speechless, Brock. I don't know what to say."
"Are you hesitating because I'm emotionally damaged?"
"What?"
"You said you're done with emotionally damaged men, and let's face it…" I wave a hand down in front of myself. "Hello."
"No. I mean, yes, I am done with guys that don't have their stuff sorted out, but that's not who you are, Brock. Sure, you have issues, but you're owning them. And you're making progress. I can see it. Even in the short amount of time we've lived together, I can see how you're changing, coming out of your shell."
"You can?"
She nods. "You're the most incredible man I've ever met. Kind. Supportive. Funny. Strong. Capable. Sexy as sin. But…" My chest sinks. Of course there's abut. "I don't know what to do here."
"I get that." I reach down and take her hands in mine. "But from the moment you walked up and kissed me, you breathed life into me, reawakening a part of myself I thought I'd lost forever. You've made me want to rejoin the real world, find a purpose, and do something good with my life. I realize I have a long road ahead of me, but I'll go to therapy, I'll join the search and rescue team, and I'll…I'll become a man worthy of your love."
"Oh, Brock." She cradles my cheek in her hand. "You already are worthy. I'm falling for you, too. But…" She exhales loudly. "I'm not usually someone who overthinks things. I tend to jump in head-first, as you know. But this is bigger than me. For the first time in my life, if I make a mistake, it won't just affect me anymore."
I hear what she's saying, but my heart is screaming loud and clear,This isn't a mistake!
With my pulse roaring in my ears, I take her hand and curl my fingers around hers. "To quote a song we both know well,I don't want to wait for our lives to be over…" Tears well in her eyes, but I keep going. "Yes, this is fast and hands-down the craziest thing I've ever done or will probably ever do in my life, but I've never been more sure of anything. This feels right because it is right." I squeeze her hand a little tighter and gaze deeply into her eyes. "So, tell me, Schapelle…Will it be yes, or will it be sorry?"
EPILOGUE
Ten months later…
Schapelle
Remember when I said pretending to date a hot mountain man to get back at my ex was going to be the last crazy thing I did?
And then I amended it ever so slightly to marrying Brock and moving in with him?
Okay, well…my actual, real, final wild antic is this—I said yes!
Agreeing to stay married and keep living with Brock has turned out to be the best decision I've ever made.
We're out on a hike, walking hand in hand, with my precious daughter Willow Grace bobbing happily in a baby carrier across his chest.