Page 52 of Liberating Mia
Her love and innate sweetness had given him permission not justtolove, but tobeloved in return. Finn had always believed his career excluded all the normal things others took for granted.
When he’d first felt the stirrings of feelings for her, he’d been terrified of them. Terrified of losing his identity. He’d thought his career defined him, and he’d always believed career and love were mutually exclusive. In his opinion, love, family, made you vulnerable. But he’d come to realize that here, with Mia, was exactly where he was meant to be. She was home. She was hiseverything.
The soft smile she gave him as she stood looking up at him spread warmth through him. Cupping her face in his hands, he lowered his head, their lips barely touching. The air she exhaled brushed gently over his bottom lip.
“I love you, Mia.” Resting his forehead on hers, he continued, “You know I’m not a man of many words, and I will never be able to find the right ones to tell you how much. But I willalwaysdo my best to show you how much you mean to me.”
He watched as tears welled up in her gorgeous brown eyes. The cliché went that the eyes are the window to the soul. In this instance, it really was the case. The beauty of her soul shone bright through those expressive orbs. In fact, they were the first thing he’d noticed about her the night she’d walked into his life.
“There was a time when I thought that a normal life wasn’t for me. Family and home were what I protected for others but would never be mine. You made me understand that it wasn’t one or the other for me. Icouldhave both.”
Finn slipped a hand into the pocket of his shorts before sinking to a knee in the sand. Mia’s eyes widened as comprehension dawned in them. She covered her mouth with both hands and a single tear spilled over, sliding down her smooth cheek.
“Mia Alycia Shore, will you do me the great honor of becoming my wife? Live with me, love with me, grow old with me.”
The words weren’t completely out yet when she started nodding her head. When he was done, she threw herself at him, and as they rolled to the sand, she peppered his face with kisses.
Caught unaware, he almost dropped the ring. “Good God, woman. I nearly lost this.” He laughed, the sound carefree, holding the ring under her nose.
“It’s beautiful,” she whispered.
“Well, what do you say, Sugar? Will you make an honest man of me?”
Her eyes locked onto his; her probing gaze seemed to see all the way into his soul. A torturous beat of silence ensued. When she broke the silence, her words hit him hard.
“Yes, I’ll marry you Kaden James Finn. I’ll live with you, love with you, and grow old with you. I want to sit on the porch and watch the sunset over our ranch with you. I want to have children and grandchildren with you. I love you, Finn.”
Taking her hand, he slipped the ring onto her finger. Kissed it tenderly. He let go of her hand and rested on his forearms over her as she lay on her back on the sand. Smoothing the hair back from her face, he smiled down at her. “You are magnificent. You simply take my breath away.”
“It seems only fair since you take mine away. You’ve taken it away since the very first time I saw you sitting in that hotel bar, looking all dark and dangerous. And I rather suspect you’ll be doing so until I take my last one.” Mia returned his smile, tracing a finger through the dimple she loved so much.
Dropping his forehead to rest against hers, he kissed her softly. The little sound she made in the back of her throat was his undoing. Once again, the kiss turned intense, and their public surroundings faded from his awareness.
He barely felt the bump on his side, but the little giggle that followed filtered into his brain. Turning his head in the direction of the sound, he saw a small boy standing there staring at the two of them.
“Hi. Whatcha doin?”
Finn couldn’t help but grin at the little tyke’s lisp.
“Hey, Tiger.”
Before he could say more, the little boy continued, “Is that your girlfriend?”
“Yeah, this is my girlfriend. This is Mia, and I’m Finn. What’s your name?”
“I’m Warren, and I’m free.” He held up three fingers. “How old are you?”
A tall man in shorts and a T-shirt came running up, followed at a slower pace by a heavily pregnant woman in a light summer dress.
Finn got to his feet, then offered Mia a hand up.
“Sorry, guys. He’s just so quick, you know? Who knew something so small could move so quickly?” Looking down at the little boy, the man continued, “Grab your ball, Warren. It’s dinner time, champ.”
Slipping his hand into the man’s, Warren smiled at Finn. “This is my daddy. He’s a policeman.” The words were said with such pride, Finn felt a pang of longing.
“Well, what do you know? I’m sort of a policeman too.”
The child’s eyes grew big. “Yeah? For real?”
