Page 161 of Here and Now
“I love you too. With all that I am.”
The words come out much easier than I thought possible, but it’s the truth. He is everything I’ve ever wanted, and I’ve spent our entire relationship fighting this, but I don’t want to anymore.
He is the man I love, and he needs to know it.
Miles wraps his hand around my wrist, pulling it to his mouth and kissing the inside. “I love you with my entire heart, Penelope. When I thought you left me, I wanted to ... well, I was a bit dramatic. All I knew was that I had to find you, bring you back to me, find a way to make you see that we were right for each other.”
With my other hand, I brush his hair back. “I didn’t leave you.”
“I didn’t know. I ... I didn’t know and then I didn’t want to believe it.”
“I know, but I need you to know now. I would never have left you like that. Ever.” He must’ve felt so betrayed when he found my house empty. “How did you figure it out?”
Miles lets out a huff with a grin. “I found your brother and went to him, demanding he tell me where he moved you.”
“Oh God. You both must’ve been out of your minds.”
“No, sweetheart, we knew something was wrong and immediately sprang into action, looking at how someone would’ve gotten you out of Ember Falls.”
“It felt like it happened so fast. I was at the table with Kai, and next thing we were in the back of a van. I didn’t have time to do anything.”
The anxiety I felt bubbles back up. I wanted to believe they were coming for me, but I was prepared for the other outcome. I will never forget how it felt to think it was the last time I would see Kai. To recall Miles and the fact that I couldn’t tell him I loved him.
Miles brings our foreheads together. “I should’ve been there with you.”
I let out a small huff of a laugh. “No, this is notyour fault.” I lean back to look him in the eyes. “You found me. You came for me, even though you thought I left you.”
“I told you I’d always search for you. I would’ve never stopped, Penelope. Never.” His eyes move to my cheek, and he brushes it. “Which one of them hit you?”
I blink in confusion. “What?”
“You had a red mark, right here.” Tenderly the pad of his finger slides against my right cheekbone. “I saw it when I entered the room.”
When I was backhanded. “It doesn’t matter.”
“I think it does.”
I shake my head. “None of that matters anymore. I’m here, in your arms, and safe.”
“Yes, you are.”
It’s the only place I want to be. I lean in, bringing my lips to his, still a little dazed that he’s here. His hand moves up my spine, gripping my neck and keeping pressure there before releasing it and pulling back.
The two of us look in each other’s eyes, saying so much. I want him to know how much I love him. How much he means to me.
“I love you,” I say the words again.
“Now, I meant what I said. Marry me.”
My eyes go wide. I thought maybe he forgot he said that. I didn’t really want to bring it up, but apparently, he wasn’t lying. “You . . . what?”
“Marry me, Penelope Walker. I love you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. We’ve both experienced the pain of being apart, and I never want to feel that way again. I love you and want you to be my wife.”
I suck in a breath, my mind going in a million directions. It’s too soon. We never even moved in with each other. Marriage? That’s ... nuts.
But is it?
I love him. He loves me. He literally walked in front of a bullet for me. Miles has shown me over and over that I come first. That he’ll always be there, whenever I need him. Whether it’s a storm or a hostage situation, I’ll never be on my own.
