Page 100

“What do you want, Kait?” I ask her, almost desperate because she’s going to tell me no again and this time, it’s going to stick. “You—not me. Not Brock. Not your father—you. What do you want?”
She doesn’t answer me.
She just stands there and stares at me like she still can’t make sense of it, for so long that I realize that’s my answer. That unless I want to tie her up and kidnap her, I’m going to have to leave this valley without her because no matter how much I want to be, I can’t be just another asshole who forces her to bend to his will. If Kait wants me, if she wants to be with me, she’s going to have to make that decision on her own.
Fuck.
“Okay.” Giving her a stiff nod, I take a step back, away from her before I start trying to figure out where I can find some rope. “Okay, Kait…” Turning my back on her, I frog march myself across the room. “I get it. I understand.”
It’s a lie.
I don’t get it.
I’ll never understand.
Reaching down, I snag the strap of my duffle to swing it onto my shoulders. “Can you tell Damien that I’m sorry. He’s pretty pissed—”
“You.”
She whispers it, the tone of it so soft and quiet, I’m sure I didn’t actually hear it. That I imagined it.
Turning around, I look at her.
“What?”
“You… I want you.” She says it louder this time, still staring up at me, her face pale, entire body shaking with fear, but she said it. Said it out loud.
She wants me.
Dropping my duffle, I rush forward, stopping only inches from where she’s standing. “You’ll come with me?”
“Yes.” She nods, tears welling up in her eyes. “I’ll come with you.”
“And you’ll marry me?” When I say it, my heart begins to pound. My ears begin to ring. There are a million reasons why I shouldn’t ask. A million reasons why she should say no. Why this will never work. Why we’re doomed—have been doomed since the moment we met but I don’t care about any of that.
I can’t—not right now.
All I care about is getting Kait out of here.
Keeping her with me for as long as she’ll let me.
The rest of it can fall apart later.
“Yes.” Still shaking, still pale, Kait nods and smiles up at me. “I’ll marry you.”
THE END