Page 41 of When He Fights (Protector & Defender #3)

Chapter Twenty-Four

“You can go back to New York.”

Ana nodded.

“You can go back to being Anastasia Patrick again. Playing with the Philharmonic,” Grayson told her as he stood near the desk in the small, unassuming office at the Gulfport police station.

But she winced. “I doubt they held my spot.” For two years? Highly unlikely. “Pretty sure I’ve long since been replaced.”

Grayson leaned his hip against the side of the desk.

“You can go back home, Ana. Big city, bright lights. Get back to all the performances that I know you enjoyed before. You don’t have to hide anymore.

You can go back into the spotlight.” He folded his arms over his chest. “We were able to trace Logan’s steps, thanks to the cooperation we received from Turner Mitchell and Kyle Sanchez. ”

She knew those two men had been chatting a ton with the Feds. Turner had been desperate for a deal. Both he and Kyle had also been pissed that they’d nearly been murdered. So they’d turned and were feeding as much evidence as they could to Grayson and his team.

“A ton of lawyers from Kyle Sanchez’s New York firm are now in custody.

They are the ones who paid the psych transport guards to look the other way long enough for Logan to escape.

The lawyers helped him to get down here.

Hell, they even helped uncover your new identity and location for him.

Logan had a ton of cash sitting in an offshore account, and he was happy to throw money their way. ”

Probably cash he’d earned for his mob hits.

“For the right price, those New York lawyers were willing to do whatever he wanted.” Gray sent her a hard smile. “Now they can do whatever they want in prison. Because that’s where they are going to be for years.”

She pressed her palms to the tops of her jean-clad legs. “I’m not going to have to look over my shoulder any longer?”

“You are safe. The threats to you have been eliminated. Like I said, you can go home.”

Because all the bad guys who’d worked for Logan in that law office had been arrested. Because Logan wasn’t a threat. Because New York was supposed to be safe for her again. All wonderful things to know. But Ana exhaled slowly. Then she smiled at him. “This is home.”

Grayson blinked.

“I like the sound of the water crashing into the shore. I like working with my music therapy clients. I like sitting on the porch and seeing the glow of the moon reflected on the water.” She rolled back her shoulders and stopped pressing her palms to her jeans.

“This is my home, and I don’t want to go back. I just want to go forward.”

“Forward.” A pause. “With Kane.”

“You knew I loved him two years ago.”

“Yes.” No fake denials from Grayson.

“Did you know that he loved me back then?”

“I suspected that he did. With Kane, it can be hard to tell, but…when he asked that you have his house—then I knew. He was trying to give you everything that he had, even when he didn’t think he could be in that home with you.”

Her heart ached. She’d come to this meeting alone. Finishing up paperwork. Giving final statements. Doing the whole tying-up-loose-ends routine.

Logan was dead. They’d called his time of death as soon as the ambulance had arrived at the hospital, but she was pretty sure he’d died when the bullets had been fired at her home.

Ana knew that ballistic tests had been performed.

Three bullets had been pulled out of him. All three had gone into his heart.

Which one hit first?

She knew.

Zuri was doing better. Still jittery. Still having nightmares. A week had passed, so it was early days. Emerson had been talking with Zuri a lot. Helping.

Ana hated to think of her friend trapped in the darkness of a trunk. Terrified that she might be killed any moment. She hated that her own past had brought such horror to Zuri’s life.

But Zuri was safe. She was strong.

A survivor.

We both are.

Grayson raised his brows. “If I know Kane, he’s probably been carrying around an engagement ring for you…oh, I’d say he’s been carrying around a ring for two years now.”

She shook her head. “Impossible.”

“He’s not really ‘ Heartless’ Kane Harte, you know.”

She’d never liked that nickname.

“It was just that his heart belonged to you. So he didn’t waste time with anyone else.”

Ana blinked. “I think that might be the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.”

His brows notched up a bit higher. “Really? That’s the nicest? Then, obviously, I need to step up my charm game.”

She stared up at him. “I’m going to hug you.”

He opened his arms.

She shot into them. Hugged him tight. “Thank you for helping me.”

“You don’t need to thank me. It’s my job.”

No, it was more than that. “Thanks for being Kane’s friend, too.”

“That’s not a job,” he returned without missing a beat. “That’s a way of life. Sometimes, it’s also a struggle.”

Smiling, she eased back.

“I’m going to be his best man, too,” Grayson informed her. “Just you wait and see.”

“He’s not going to ask me to marry him. I’m sure we’ll…date first.” They had just gotten back into each other’s lives. Oh, wow, had it only been a few days before? No way Kane would be all-in on a wedding yet. No way.

“If he asks, what will your answer be?” Grayson cocked his head to the side as he waited for her response.

But Ana just smiled. Because the answer wasn’t for Grayson. Her answer would be for Kane.

A massive, immovable object waited in her driveway. And Ana wasn’t just talking about the big Harley that blocked her from reaching the back of her house.

Kane perched on the edge of the Harley’s seat, with his long legs sprawled before him. His arms were at his sides, the white t-shirt he wore putting up a courageous fight to fit around his muscles. A cap—this one with the logo of a local baseball team on the top—pulled low over his head.

Ana parked her Jeep, stared over the row of happy ducks on her dashboard, and smiled at Kane. She really loved that immovable object.

She hopped out of the Jeep. Rushed toward him.

He blinked, then smiled, and her breath left her body because that was the sexiest, most beautiful, most real smile she’d ever seen Kane give.

She hurried to him. He stepped away from the bike. Opened his arms. She went right into them. And Ana heard him mutter, “That’s the dream I had for so long.”

Surprised, her head tilted back. He stared at her with so much love. It almost hurt to see because the emotion was so powerful. She swallowed. Twice. And backed away.

His hands fell to his sides.

“Grayson said I could go home. That I’m safe.”

Kane waited.

She should say something else. But, hold on, was that a small box on the seat of his Harley? A small, white box? It had been blocked by his body before, but now she could definitely see it.

No, no way. Kane is not going to ask me to marry him right now.

“Are you going home?” Kane asked, voice ever so careful.

Her attention whipped right back to him. “Like I told Grayson, I am home.”

“Are you sure?” He swiped off the ball cap. Put it behind him. Near the white box. “Maybe the house has bad memories for you now.”

Because bullets had broken her windows.

Because Logan had trapped her friend inside.

Because Logan had died at the edge of the property.

Yeah, okay, she could see where the place might need some serious sage work, but it was still hers.

And his. Theirs. “This house gave me peace when I needed it the most. I’m not going to let Logan take away my peace.

Not ever again. I’m staying here, and I thought you might want to stay, too. ” Will you stay? With me?

He stared at her. Seemed to eat her alive with his eyes. But he didn’t say a word. Not one single word.

“Kane?”

He reached back. Knocked the cap to the ground. But Kane picked up the white box. He thrust it toward her.

Is this a ring? With shaking fingers, Ana opened the box. And she saw?—

There was no ring inside. In fact, Ana was pretty sure she was staring at the yellow, plastic head of a duck. Just like all the ducks that lined the dashboard of her Jeep.

“Noticed that you collected those,” Kane told her. His voice seemed extra gruff. “Thought you might like that one. See, uh, Ana, I have this thing…I notice everything that matters to you. I notice the candy bars you like to eat.”

Her head snapped up.

“I notice the movies that make you smile. I notice your dreams—like when you say you want to live at the beach. I notice the way you move your fingers when you’re in deep thought—like you’re strumming your harp.

I notice all the details when it comes to you.

Big and small. Because you are what matters most to me. ”

Ana realized that maybe—perhaps she wasn’t noticing the details enough with him. She pulled the small duck from the box.

The duck was holding a harp. And wearing a white wedding dress.

Laughter sputtered out of her even as joy and love filled Ana. “Where on earth did you find her?”

“Was not easy, I can guarantee you that. She’s a custom job. One of a kind.”

Her gaze collided with his once more.

“Just like you,” Kane told her. Then he exhaled. “Ana, will you?—”

“Yes.”

He blinked. “But I didn’t even ask?—”

“Kane?”

“Yes, Ana?”

“You love me.”

“More than anything in the world.”

She dropped the box and held her duck like the treasure it was. Screw giving her a ring. She loved that damn duck. “Will you marry me?”

“ I was asking,” he began.

She waited.

“Yes,” he rasped.

“Yes,” Ana said. Her smile went from ear to ear. She was so amazingly happy. She clutched the duck and stepped toward Kane.

But…

Something rattled in her precious duck.

Ana frowned.

“False bottom,” Kane explained. “She is a really, really special duck.”

Sure enough, when Ana twisted the bottom of the duck’s dress, a small opening appeared. And a gleaming diamond ring waited inside that hidden bottom.

He notices everything about me. Her breath sawed in and out. “Kane.” Ana cleared her throat. “How long have you had this particular duck?”

“A pretty long time,” he confessed.

“And the ring? How long have you had it?” No way could Grayson have been right. Her head tipped back, and she held her breath as she waited for Kane to say?—

“That was my grandmother’s ring, Ana. I’ve had it for most of my life.” He squared his broad shoulders. “But I’ve been holding it, meaning to give it to you, ever since we met. Well, probably the day after we met, if you want the truth. Took me that long to haul it out.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

A tear leaked down her cheek.

He immediately wiped it away. “We can get a different ring. Or if you don’t want to get married, we don’t have to do it. We can live together. We can date. We can do anything you want.”

“We’re getting married. As fast as we can. I love the ring. Don’t you dare get me anything different. And I love you. ” She rose onto her toes. “I love you. Forever.”

He scooped her up. The way he always did. Held her so easily with that fierce strength of his. He kissed her. Soft. Sexy.

Sweet.

Her badass hero.

Her protector.

Her Kane.

Her heart.