Page 9 of Completing Her

“I love you too. And I’m not going anywhere either.”

“Okay, good, now that, that’s settled…again. Let me take this out and then I have a surprise for you.”

“What?”

“Just wait a sec.” He hustled his ass, getting the garbage out. Making sure he checked the alley. Looking for anything out of place. He hated the back alley stairs that led to her upstairs apartment. But he’d installed security cameras and an alarm for it. Despite her protests that she didn’t need an alarm for the apartment, because she had one for the shop. But sinceshewas more valuable than anything in the shop, he shot that shit down. He would have put bars on the window, or hell locked her inside and barbwired the outside. But she’d talked him down from his crazy. Same crazy every time he thought of something happening to her. He slammed the door a little harder than necessary when he came back inside. Because damn, those fucking stairs. But then she was waiting with her eyes lit and a smile eating up her face. His heart swelled a little bigger and tried to float out of his chest. He didn’t speak.Couldn’tspeak. He reached into his jacket and pulled out the license he’d just received. Handing it to her. He took a deep breath and shoved his hands into his pocket while he waited.

“Is this? It has our names? Is this what you want? Are you sure?” She swallowed hard, and her eyes watered. “I never thought about it. Never imagined, I’d be… We’d be…”

“Foster parents. Well,animalfoster parents.” His hands pushed to the bottom of his pockets. Curling into fists under the denim, while he rocked and forth on the balls of his feet. “You’re already doing it. Hell, when animals run away, this is where they come. They know with your soft heart, you’ll take in anything. Just look at what you did for me.”

Her brows scrunched together, she balled her tiny fists and glared. “You’re not an abandoned animal. You’re a wonderful man. And I am honored that you want to spend time with me. It’s been my pleasure.”

“In more ways than one.” He teased her, waggling his brows until her fists relaxed. And she rewarded him with her pretty blush. “Anyway. I thought about how you were a foster kid. And how you have all this love to give. And your love of animals, and I found this program. We had to apply, and they had to check out the apartment. I pulled a few strings, I didn’t know I had. But now, we’re animal foster parents. And anytime there’s an animal in trouble and they need a home to place it for a little while until they find it a forever home…”

“Oh, my God. This is the most thoughtful thing anyone has ever done for me. And you don’t even love animals that much.”

“Yeah, well, I’m learning. Learning a lot about myself, about love. And finding my own forever home.” Shit, her eyes glistened, and he started looking around for a tissue, a napkin, something. Pretty soon he’d have to carry around fucking handkerchiefs.

“I could not love you more.”

“You sure? Cause I thought you had bottomed out before…” She laughed at that and the tears didn’t fall.

“Nope, I just keep falling deeper and deeper.”

“Good thing I’m sticking around then, to catch you.”

“Good thing.” She whispered, pulling his head to hers. Swallowing whatever smart-ass remark he was going to say, in a kiss that soared his heart, scorched his body, and rattled his brain. Taking away every thought but her.

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