Page 136 of Defending You

Cici blinked, certain she’d misheard. “He what?”

“I know, it’s…” His voice carried a note of wonder, as if he couldn’t quite believe it himself. “He’s developing a security division for Wright Industries. Short-term contracts, working with law enforcement and intelligence services. He wants me on the team. Said the guy he hired to head it up is temporary, that if I proved myself competent, I could take over.”

“But…” She struggled to process this information. “I thought he didn’t approve?—”

“So did I.” Asher’s laugh was shaky. “I was ready for him to tell me I wasn’t good enough for you. Which I’m not.”

“Asher—”

“That I should disappear from your life, which I absolutely won’t, not as long as you want me around.”

Cici was reeling from information overload.

“Instead, he…” Asher shook his head, running his free hand through his hair. “I guess he’s been checking up on me. Talked to my SEAL team leader, to Bartlett, and even to Grant, who barely knows me. He wanted to get their take, and I guess it was okay. He insists I finish my degree but said I could do that part-time while I work.”

There had to be a catch. “Where exactly is this job?”

“Here. I mean, there’ll be training, of course, but since it’s his company, he can have that anywhere, so why not Maine?” Asher searched her face. “He said the offer stands whether or not you and I…whether we stay together. But?—”

“He’s giving you a chance?” It seemed too good to be true.

“More than that.” Asher’s voice dropped to barely above a whisper. “He’s giving us his blessing. I mean, he also threatened to have me killed if I step out of line, so there’s that.” Even though she had no doubt Dad had said that, Asher was grinning. Either he wasn’t afraid of her father, or he didn’t plan to step out of line.

Tears pricked her eyes. After years of trying to earn her father’s approval, he was finally offering it—not just to her, but to the man she loved.

“But what about your condo in Boston? I know you had your heart set…”

Asher laughed, the sound rich and warm in the salt air. “You think I’d rather live in some sterile condo in a city I hate than be wherever you are?”

“But it was your dream?—”

“No, Cici.” He stepped closer, cupping her face gently. “That wasn’t a dream. It was just my way of insulating myself against…I don’t know. Poverty, I guess. Risk.” His thumb traced her cheek. “But you know what I realized when I thought I’d lost you? To live is to risk. Security is an illusion.”

The tears she’d been holding back spilled over. “Then, what is your dream?”

“You.” The word was simple, absolute. “A life with you. Maybe a little house by the water where we can hear the waves at night. Maybe kids who can run around on the beach, play in the waves.” His smile was soft, tender. “Growing old together, holding hands on the porch while we watch the sunrise.”

“Asher…” Her voice broke on his name.

“I know it’s fast, and I know you still have your job, and we have a lot to work out.” His eyes creased at the corners, as if he worried he’d pushed too hard. “You barely live here.”

“I will, though, if you’re here. I like what I do, but I can appraise jewelry in Maine. I traveled because I liked it, I wanted to. And I wanted my business to be…more. To seem important. Now…I just want to be here, with my family. With you.”

His grin returned. “Okay, then.”

“And about all the rest of that. All the forever stuff?”

His grin faded. “I shouldn’t have?—”

“Yes. Yes to all of it. The house, the kids, growing old together. Yes to forever.” She rose on her tiptoes and threw her arms around him. “I love you, Asher Rhodes. I choose you.”

The End.