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She nodded. “When do you have to go back?”
“Tomorrow.”
Okay, well, she could suck it up. “I’ll go with you.”
He laughed. “No, you won’t.”
She pulled away from him. “Why?”
“Because you’re going to Colorado.”
“I don’t know anyone in Colorado.” She shook her head. “I’ll return to the camp with you and work until you leave.”
He shook his head. “Nope. You and Shelly are on an outbound jet in two days. She’s going with you to Colorado to settle you in my house, and then she’s heading to Cincinnati. Jug will meet up with her either in Colorado or there when we’re relieved of duty.”
She frowned. “You’ve planned out everything very well, haven’t you?”
“I had to do something.” He took her hands in his. “Babe, I had zero control. The doctors weren’t sure when you’d wake up, although they were positive you would. Shelly stayed with me until she almost passed out. I’ve been sleeping by your bed for the last two days. I was terrified that night. I thought I’d lost you. Going back to that camp is the last thing I want to happen for you. I want you to go to Colorado, meet my insane sisters, learn aboutGuardian, about the job there for you, and be there when I finish this mission and come home. Please.”
She stared at those intense brown eyes. She didn’t like being bossed around without having any input. “IfI do go back, this isthe lasttime you make plans for me without my input. I love you, but you don’t get to control me.”
Ronan blinked, and then a smile formed. “Say that again.”
She narrowed her eyes. “You don’t get to control me, and that isn’t a challenge. That is a fact.”
“No, I get that. I promise not to do it again, but what did you say before that?”
Fleur frowned. “That I …”Oh, shit.She dropped her eyes and stammered, “Ah … I can’t remember.”
He shook his head and leaned closer. “You said you loved me.”
She shook her head. “You’re hearing things.”
The smile got larger. “No, I’m not. You said you love me.” He leaned in and kissed her below the ear. A shiver ran through her body. “That’s good, babe,” he said as he kissed her in the same spot. “Because when I found you in that crate that night, I knew I loved you.”
She turned so she could see him. “It’s too early.”
“It isn’t.” He shook his head. “Not for us, it isn’t.”
“What if we get back to the States, and you decide you don’t love me?”
He shook his head. “A bridge too far.”
“Huh?”
“Tactics one-oh-one. Never look to the future for problems. Deal with what’s at hand. We have these feelings for each other. That is a fact. We’ll take each day as it comes and won’t borrow problems by asking what if.”
“You’ll be gone a lot. Maybe you’ll find someone better for you.” She pulled her bottom lip in between her teeth. There were so many things that could go wrong.
He reached up to her chin and tugged her lip away from her teeth with his thumb. “I’m not made that way. You’ll see, trust me, Fleur. Trust me enough to take a chance at a life together. You said you would go to Colorado with me before. Don’t change your mind because big emotions are in play. You are mine. I am yours.”
She stared at him. All the fears, the questions, and the concerns ebbed away. He’d always had her trust, and he always would. “All right. I’ll go to Colorado, but only because I love you.”
He smiled and pulled her back into him, kissing the top of her head as he held her. “And I love you. I’ll be there as soon as humanly possible. I promise.”
CHAPTER 26
“What are you talking about?”