Page 113 of Hidden Memories

I’m overcome by all that’s happened today. And I have to remind her, not with a joke, not when we’re about to get dirty. Now, in this quiet moment when she knows without uncertainty, my words are real.

“I love you, Kat.”

She stills.

“I always have.”

Her lashes flutter, but she doesn’t speak, and I’m glad for it. Because she needs to understand what this means.

“I love you like it’s my religion,” My chest is so full it could burst. “The way people worship God. The way they curse Him when shit goes wrong… but that faith is always there. That belief. That feeling.” I grip her tighter. “That’s how I love you. How I’ve always loved you.”

She exhales sharply, something breaking open in her eyes. “You love me like your religion.”

Her fingers trail up my jaw, over my lips.

“And I love you like my salvation.”

It’s as if the whole world pauses for this moment. The storm outside, the shadows of her past, the danger that still looms—they all fade, leaving just us.

I cup her face in my hands, brushing my thumb along the curve of her cheek. “Then we save each other,” I murmur. “You and me, against whatever comes next.”

She nods, her eyes shimmering. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

I drop my forehead to hers. “You’ll never have to find out. I’m not going anywhere.”

For a while, we stay like that, tangled in each other, the weight of the world battering against these walls, but unableto touch us here. Tension drains from her body and she melts into me.

This is what I’ve been fighting for—not just to keep her safe, but to give her a place where she doesn’t have to carry it all alone. A sanctuary. And maybe, selfishly, it’s the same for me. Because holding her like this, I know I’ve found where I belong.

She’s drowsy, nearly drifting off. “You know, Santi… I’ve never felt this before. This safe. This sure.”

I kiss her temple, the words I want to say lodged in my chest. I don’t tell her that she’s my safe place, too, that she’s the only thing that’s ever felt sure in a life full of chaos. But I don’t need to. She knows it in the way I hold her, in the way I pull the blanket over us and keep her close, determined to protect my most sacred thing in the world.

Eventually, her breathing evens out, her body soft against mine as sleep takes her. I lie awake, watching the rise and fall of her chest, marveling at the miracle of her presence.

Kat sleeps, curled in my arms, innocent and trusting. I should let myself believe in this. Believe that she’s mine, that she’s safe, that I can keep her this way.

But I know what’s coming.

If I can’t put an end to it, then what kind of man am I?

What kind of partner? Friend? Father figure?

Owen’s foster application sits in my desk drawer, waiting. My name is on it. A name that means nothing if I can’t be the man he deserves.

So no, I don’t want the fight… But I’ll invite it if that’s what it takes to end it.

Because after this? There won’t be a question left about the kind of man I am.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

PRESENT

The entire next day,I pushed myself hard on the ranch. I stopped only for a few moments to enjoy the scent of the Ponderosa pines dotted around the property. It was better to occupy my mind and body, to indulge in distractions and to hopefully wear myself out so I could manage sleep tonight despite all my worries.

But the day is done and I’m still energized as ever. I should be relaxed. The warmth of Santi’s home should be a comfort.

Santi and I share a loveseat in his snug. Theo is curledup on the couch beside us, half laughing at whatever cartoon he’s watching. A fire crackles low in the hearth, a comforting glow flickers over the wooden beams. Everything about this house says safe.

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