Page 101 of Keeping Guard

Yet, he hadn’t bolted, although she was sure he wanted to. No, he’d taken cautious steps toward her, had climbed up on that boulder next to her, had listened to her sad story, and had rescued her when she’d needed rescuing.

She sighed. Maybe coming back here would be therapeutic. Either that, or it would be like a knife to her heart when she stepped into the opening of the waterfall pool and laid eyes ontheirrock.

Ten more seconds, and she would see it.

Nine...eight...seven...six...five...four...three...two... She blew out a long breath, then took that last step, and there it was.

She blinked. She blinked again. “Noah?” she whispered.

It couldn’t be, so she squeezed her eyes shut to clear them, but when she looked again, he was still there.

On. Their. Rock.

How? She glanced behind her.

“Go on,” Nichole said. “Go to him.” She slipped her hand in Jack’s, and the couple walked back up the path.

Her feet still rooted to the spot, Peyton shifted her gaze back to Noah.

“Are you going to kidnap me?” he said, and she laughed at hearing him repeat the first thing she’d ever said to him.

Noah’s hungry gaze roamed over the woman he loved, the woman he’d missed with every beat of his heart. “Well?”

“Do you want me to?”

“Hell, yeah.” Her smile, her beautiful smile sliced right through him. How had he ever thought he could leave her behind?

“Then I think I will.”

“Thank God.” Beside him, Lucky whined as his tail excitedly swept over the boulder, his gaze fixed on Peyton. Noah unclipped the leash. “Go. Go get our girl.”

Lucky—considerably better behaved than he’d been when Noah had left—flew off the rock like he was Superman and hit the ground running. Peyton laughed as she knelt, her arms open.

“There’s my sweet boy.” She buried her hands in Lucky’s fur, but her eyes stayed on Noah.

He gave them a minute to greet each other, then took his guitar out of the case. Her eyes widened, and she stood but stayed silent and where she was. His heart pounded. The last person to touch his guitar had been Asim. For Peyton, he would play it again.

Would she welcome him in her life? Holding her gaze, he strummed the intro to Elvis Presley’s “Can’t Help Falling in Love,” and then he sang it to her. No other song expressed what was in his heart like this one did.

As he played and sang, she slowly walked to him. By the time he finished, she stood a few feet in front of him, tears streaming down her cheeks. His eyes burned, too. Still holding her gaze, he set his guitar back in the case.

“Do you mean it?” she said, her words a mere whisper.

“With everything that I am.” He held out his hand. “Take my hand, princess. Take my whole life, too.” He needed to touch her, needed his mouth on hers... Hopefully, she’d allow that.

“I’m mad at you.”

“Figured you would be.”

“You could have texted me at least once, letting me know you’d arrived safely.”

“I should have, and I’m sorry. If you’ll come up here, I’ll tell you everything.”

She put her hand in his, and if he’d been standing, the happiness roaring through him like a tsunami would have brought him to his knees. He helped her onto the rock, pulling her next to him.

“Hey, you,” he murmured, keeping her hand in his.

“Hi.” Her smile was both shy and beautiful, and it about melted his heart. “You came back.”