Page 43 of Waiting For A Girl Like You (Haven House #4)

Christ. He was shouting and suspected that this entire conversation was playing out in the media room. The elevated noise would have the main camera monitor focusing on them, and if anyone were paying attention, they were now getting a show.

But he no longer cared.

“I love you, Annabeth. I wanted a life with you. A long, happy fucking life as your husband. One. Day. Not tomorrow, but one day. Kids. No kids. Whatever. As long as you and me were doing the whole ‘til death do us part thing, I would have been happy.”

Having said what he wanted, Rowan headed for the front door, but Annabeth shot out of the chair and was across the room to block his way.

“Don’t you dare speak in past tense to me!

” she shouted. “ Wanted a life? Would have been happy? Just because I said no to a piece of paper doesn’t mean you get to stop loving me, you stubborn jackass! ”

Jackass? Did she really just call him a stubborn jackass?

Catching her by surprise, he pressed her back against the wall. The entryway to the cottage was small, and when he placed a hand on either side of her head, he felt as if he were taking up every inch of space.

“I could never stop loving you,” he breathed, the exhaustion and pain mingling together to where his raw emotions could no longer remain bottled up. “Where you go, I go. If you stay, I stay. That will never change. You’re the other half of me, Annabeth.”

Snatching her hand, he rested it against the thundering heart in his chest. “I’m not going to lie and say that it doesn’t hurt that you won’t even consider a life with me as your husband. It does hurt.”

“Row—”

“No, fuck that. It feels like I’m bleeding out.” He pushed off the wall and wrenched open the cottage door to get some fresh air. “I haven’t even asked, and you’re already saying no. I haven’t even begged—because I would do exactly that—to make you mine.”

He stood in the cottage doorway, his chest heaving while he stared out over the lawn and directly at Haven House. He would spend his life here. In this prison, he would dedicate every day to her and be perfectly happy doing so.

Yet it wasn’t enough.

“Can I speak now?”

Ah, but she was pissed. Good. Let her be pissed. Let her be angry and hurt and frustrated. Then, he wouldn’t be the only one in misery.

The corner of his mouth flicked upward. “Go for it.”

She shoved past to stand on the porch directly in front of him. “You will stop this right now. I love you. You love me.” Her finger jabbed at his chest like a weapon. “We’re going to have a good life. I’ll even let you get that damn dog you won’t shut up about.”

Staring down at her, it took every ounce of power he possessed to remain steady when her tears started. Not many things in his life were absolute. Frankly, thinking in absolutes gained you nothing. It made you lose perspective.

But his love for Annabeth was an absolute truth.

There was no middle ground. There was no stopping it.

It allowed him to see things that others couldn’t.

Like now, and how the terror over what they were discussing was eating away at her.

How there was guilt for wanting exactly what he was promising but thinking she didn’t deserve it.

“You have too much damn faith in me,” she whispered, her bottom lip trembling. “I don’t want to slip off into my mind again. If I spiral… I can’t doom you to that fate.”

And just like that, it hit him. He was never going to change her mind. Not today. Not tomorrow. Maybe not ever. To be with her, he had to accept that Annabeth wasn’t afraid of becoming his wife. She was afraid of hurting him, thinking that if she fell apart again, she would take him down with her.

But the thing of it was, he would gladly fall if it meant falling through life with her.

“Okay.”

She blinked. “Okay? ”

He stepped forward and cupped her face, his thumb swiping away the tear that finally spilled over. “If you don’t want to marry me someday, I’ll get over it and accept your choice.”

Confused by the shift in his tone, she glanced around as if expecting another version of him to manifest and say something else. “You can?”

“I can.” Leaning down, he brushed his lips across hers. “But that doesn’t mean I won’t ask. When I’m ready, of course.”

She let out a sharp huff, her lips twitching. “I said I’d say no.”

“Say no. It’s fine.” He kissed her deeply and held her close as a light, misting rain began to fall. “I’m still going to ask. All the time, in fact. I’m going to ask and ask and ask.”

“I’ll still say no and no and no.”

“Will you? Okay, that’s fine. I can keep asking until either you give in, or I accept defeat.”

She snuggled against his chest. “It’s not a defeat. I love you, and we have something…”

“Special,” he finished for her. “Put your big girl panties on and say it, Annabeth. We have something special.”

“First of all,” she mumbled into his shirt, “I’m not wearing panties.”

He smirked, squeezing her bare ass. “And I thank you for that.”

“Second… we do have something special. But—”

He growled playfully. “There you are with your buts again. Just because you have a nice butt doesn’t mean you get to always throw the word at me.”

“Very funny.” She traced a finger over his bicep tattoo. “Lots of people have something special, and they never get married. They live together happily and don’t feel the need to define their love by what’s considered normal. A marriage is only a piece of paper with two signatures.”

“If it’s only a piece of paper, then sign and be done with it.”

“You’re missing the point.”

“No, I’m not.” He tipped his head back so she could see his smug expression. “I’m being thickheaded on purpose, and this is what you’ll have to live with.”

She made a face. “Wonderful.”

Walking right into his trap, he kissed her once more. “You’ve had your buts, but now I have mine. I’m okay with never signing a piece of paper… but only if you give me something in return. ”

“And what’s that?”

“Your vows.”

“Come again?”

“I want you, one day, to stand under that old Marriage Oak and vow that you’ll spend your life loving me, for better or worse, and listen to me do the same.

I want you to wear my ring, and I want to wear yours.

I want us to be a family with our house full of cats and the dog you’ll eventually let me get. ”

She sniffled and kept her face buried in his black T-shirt. “That isn’t fair.”

“I’m not here to play fair, and, by your request, I’m not asking for a piece of paper. I’m only asking for you.” He shrugged, attempting to keep things light. “And maybe, when it’s just you and me in the quiet of our life, you’ll let me call you my wife.”

Lifting her head, she aimed her big brown eyes at him. Annabeth’s beauty held him in amazement every day, but at this moment, it nearly tore him in half. He had to have her promise of forever, or else he might go insane.

“If you want to do all that, me being afraid of a piece of paper seems pretty silly.”

He nodded as he pretended to think it over. “It does, but we’re not about to downplay your fears.”

With her arms wrapped tightly around his waist, she squeezed, catching him off guard. “Well, I guess I’ll have to think about it.”

“You do that,” he replied, slightly winded. “But remember, I haven’t asked you anything yet, so you still have time to change your mind.”