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Sofia raised her brows. "It's tempting."

He grinned. "Good. All the guest bedrooms are made up. You can pick whichever one you want."

"I get first dibs," Gabby said. "Can I go look?"

He laughed. "Sure, go ahead."

"Awesome. The brownies are coming out in two minutes. Don't let them stay in too long! I'll be right back!" Gabby took off, her feet thudding up the stairs as she shrieked with delight.

Sofia laughed. "You're trouble, Keegan. You know that right?"

He pulled her in for a kiss. "Isn't that why you fell for me the first time?"

"I fell for you because you were you."

"All the better." He kissed her again, but this time, it was the deep, passionate kiss full of promise and temptation that he'd been wanting to do all day. He kissed her until they were both breathless, and when he pulled back, it was just enough to let them breathe, not enough to put any distance between them. "What do you say, Sofia? You want a sleepover tonight?"

She met his gaze. "Yes," she whispered.

Sudden joy pulsed through him. "I'll make some calls."

"Okay."

"I found the room I want," Gabby shouted. "Mom! Come look!"

Sofia stood up. "I'll be right back. Get those brownies out, or you'll break her heart. No teenage girl can handle overcooked brownies."

"I got it handled." He stood up, kissed her again, and then watched her jog across the floor in her socks, calling to her daughter. To their daughter.

Damn, it felt so right to have them there with him. Every moment was better than the last.

The oven timer went off, and he headed toward the brownies as he pulled out his phone again, to make new arrangements. Arrangements that were much more to his liking, because they gave him time with Gabby and Sofia, it enabled him to set more things in motion to keep them safe, and it gave him one night where he didn't have to worry about their safety.

Tonight, they were safe. Truly safe.

And he liked that. A lot.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

It was after midnight by the time they all went to bed, but Sofia couldn’t sleep.

She lay on her side in the most beautiful bedroom she'd ever been in, watching the stars and moon light up acres and acres of the Hart Ranch. There were two big barns, and she wanted to go see the horses in them. The Harts owned a sanctuary for horses. A place filled with second chances, fresh starts, and unconditional love.

If she were a horse, she'd move in and stay forever and surrender to the beauty and healing of this place.

Instead, she would be getting on a plane in a few hours, leaving it behind before she even had a chance to explore it, returning to the home she'd created and loved.

Could she love two places? Could she belong to two places at once?

Not that she could come back here, according to Eliana.

Because the shadow of her past life still haunted her. But laying there, she felt so happy. Gabby was happy. And the secret that had been weighing her down for so long was finally free—

There was a light knock at the door, and she rolled over as Keegan slipped inside. He was wearing sweatpants, and that was it. He was muscled and strong, literally the sexiest man she'd ever seen in real life. He closed the door, then leaned back against it. "I know Gabby's down the hall, but I just wanted to check in and see how you were."

She tucked the pillow under her head. "You know, if I met you today, I'd be so intimidated by you."

He looked surprised. "Really?"