Page 116 of Protected from Malice
“Eden.” He smiles. His eyes go soft. “Don’t you know? I want to do anything that makes you happy. And if going to Table Rock makes you happy, then that’s what we’ll do.”
A surge of emotion comes up on me so quickly, I lose my breath for a second.“Rafe.”
“What?”
I loop my arm around his. “I love you. So much.”
Rafe stops. He pulls me into his arms and kisses my forehead. “I love you, Eden. I wish I were good at romantic gestures so I could show you how much. I wish I knew the words to explain it. But I do. I love you more thananyone.”
Unexpected tears burn behind my eyes. “Youaregood with romantic gestures. And you show me how much you love me all the time. It’s in everything you do. How you protect me. How you always make sure I’m okay. How you make my heart melt with the little things you say.”
A rare flush tinges his cheeks. “I make your heart melt?”
“You do. Like ice cream melting at the height of summer.”
“Well. I do love ice cream in the summer,” he comments with a grin. “So I’d say that’s a good thing.”
“It’s a very good thing,” I agree. Then I stretch up to press my lips to his. “Everything about you is good.”
“Eden.”
“It’s true.”
Rafe swallows hard. “I want to be that for you. But—” He pauses. “You know I’m not this perfect?—”
“Rafe. Youareperfect. To me, you’re perfect in every way.”
His jaw works. “Brain. If I could only explain how much you mean to me.”
“You don’t have to.” I kiss him again. “I know. It’s just like how I feel about you. Like…” My throat goes thick. “Like I’ve been waiting my entire life for this. To be with you.”
His features go still. A depth of emotion darkens his gaze. “I feel the same way.” A moment passes, and then, “I know we didn’t really talk about this before coming here. But…”
“But what?”
“I didn’t want to bring it up. Not with everything else going on.”
“Bringwhatup?” A flutter of nerves erupts in my chest. It has to be something good, right? He wouldn’t just tell me how much he loves me, only to spring something bad on me immediately after.
“Well.” Rafe leads me off the path and over to a bench beside it. He sits and pulls me down on his lap. “We were talking about me staying in Portland. Looking for a job. And you’ve said you’re good with it.”
“I am.”
“But we haven’t talked about where I’ll be living,” he continues. “I would never want to push anything on you. But I have to ask. Do you want me to get an apartment nearby? Or would you be open to me living with you?”
My heart leaps. “Do youwantto live with me?”
“Of course I do.” It’s immediate. Adamant. “Shit, Eden. Ofcourse. I want to wake up next to you every morning, like I’ve gotten to do here. I want to cook for you every day, so you don’t have to eat those terrible microwave meals you fill your freezer with.”
“They’re notthatbad,” I protest.
Rafe raises an eyebrow at me. “Eden. Do you know how many preservatives are in those things?”
“Maybe.”
“Anyway.” He kisses me before continuing, “I absolutely want to live with you. At your house, in an apartment, a condo, a new house you pick out, a house we pick out together… I don’t care where we are. I just want to be with you.”
Oh.
