Page 140 of Under Southern Stars
The vulnerability in his voice makes my heart ache. I sit up fully, meeting his gaze directly. “Jack, listen to me. I fell in love with Jack McKenzie—all of him, including his name and heritage. I would never ask you to give that up.”
“But if I wanted to?”
“Then we’d discuss it,” I say. “But honestly? I’m rather fond of the name McKenzie. It suits you.”
His smile is slow and beautiful. “Mitchell-McKenzie has a nice ring to it too.”
“It does,” I agree, warmth spreading through my chest at the implication. “But we don’t need to decide that tonight.”
He pulls me back down beside him, pressing a kiss to my forehead. “No rush,” he agrees. “We’ve got all the time in the world.”
As I drift toward sleep in Jack’s arms, I marvel at the journey that has brought us here—from those first flirtatious radio calls to reconciliation on a New Zealand estate, to this quiet certainty of building a future together. The path hasn’t been straight or easy, but it has led exactly where we need to be.
Together. Home. No matter which side of the world we are on.
THE END
