Page 105 of Reclaimed

“No,” she whispers. “No, I didn’t. I was too busy falling foryou.”

My heart races as I pull back to look at her. “Tell me.”

She doesn’t make me wait for it.

“I love you, Aiden Powell.”

I crash my lips against hers. “Say it again,” I plead against them, my voice filled with urgency.

“I love you.”

Releasing her hands, I crush her against me, the warmth of her igniting me like a bonfire on a cold, dark night. “I love you too, starshine. I love you more than I know how to put into words.”

“Not just because I stole your virginity?”

A smirk plays on my lips. “There is that.” I tease. “But I love you because you’re independent and strong. You’re tenacious. You’re a fighter, and even when you’re scared, you still make logical decisions. I love you because you let me in when you didn’t have to. You lowered your walls down so that I could help you. I love you because you brought me back. You helped me reclaim my life.”

She flattens her fingers on my chest. The beat of my heart is a gallop beneath her palm. “You did that, Aiden.”

“I didn’t know how to without you. I was a shell of who I am now.”

Her teeth catch her bottom lip. “You don’t think I’m trapping you?”

“How so?”

“With this baby?”

“Hard to trap someone who’s willing, but let me make this absolutely clear. I wantyou. However you come today,tomorrow, the next. I want you just as you are. That means pregnant, or as a mother. I want you, and if you’ll have me for long enough, I want to be in his life too.”

“You’re going to make me cry, and I just did my makeup,” Isla swipes her fingers beneath her eyes.

“I’ll take you with mascara running down your face, starshine. It just means I get to be the one to dry your eyes.” I press a tender kiss to her forehead.

“You and your charm really caught me off guard.” She nuzzles into my neck, and I wish I could keep us like this. Fuck the outside world. “Slipped past my defenses.”

“I’m lucky you let me.”

The sound of a hiss interrupts our heartfelt conversation.

“He’s still not liking his temporary living arrangement, is he?”

“Well if he didn’t swat Remy on the nose, he wouldn’t be in timeout.” Isla gives a motherly huff.

Releasing her, I slip the harness over Remy’s head. “I hardly call an entire room to himself a timeout.”

We turned the other spare bedroom into a temporary cat’s paradise, complete with a huge cat tree, a low-lying window perch, and an abundance of toys to play with. The boy is spoiled.

But what I didn’t tell Isla while we brought in Chevy’s toys is that I plan to make that room a nursery.

“I’ll give him some extra pets when we get back.”

“He’ll love the attention. Come on. Let’s get Remy some exercise.”

Walking this dog together is probably the most domestic thing we’ve done. After the craziness of the last couple of months, it’s mundane. Surprisingly normal. We step out into a chilly November morning, the sun a bright heat across our skin. Only a few blocks from Main Street, we hold hands and let Remy lead us toward town.

A few lingering birds chirp; those that haven’t yet left for the upcoming long winter. Remy absorbs the new environment around him. He’s been on the Sanctuary for at least a year, so this trip across the pavement brings about something new for the three-year-old Heeler.

“So…” Isla hums, cutting herself short from speaking her mind.

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