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Connor’s gaze flicked to me before returning to the road, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. “It’s good to see Archie happy, you know? Not every investigation has a happy ending like that.”
I nodded, catching the unspoken words beneath his response. Archie’s stepdad and Grace were visiting, andaccording to Micah, Archie was over the moon about it. He’d practically begged Connor to be there to meet his sister. We were almost at the ranch when Connor pulled the car to the side of the road and killed the engine.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, my stomach doing a little flip.
“Can we talk?” Connor’s tone was serious, setting off alarm bells in my head. Was this it? The moment he’d tell me he was leaving, that he’d take Oberon up on his offer of a partnership in their security firm in LA. I couldn’t help but be on edge since we’d visited and met Oberon, Trick, and Carter. Connor had fit in with them, the camaraderie flowing so well I’d been dreading him telling me he would accept Oberon’s offer and leave.
“Are you okay?” I asked, my voice quieter, almost hesitant.
“Yeah,” he admitted, taking a deep breath before he continued. “Before we get there, I need to tell you something.”
“Okay?”
“You know I told you that Quinn and I have been talking about me working with people escaping cults…”
“Yeah?” He’d mentioned it several times, more in passing than giving it serious consideration. I tried to keep my voice neutral, but my heart was pounding. Was this his way of saying goodbye?
“Some of it… look.” He hesitated, searching for the right words. “I’m not the kind of man who just sits on my thumbs, right? If someone contacts this new charity and needs help getting out, I want to be the one to help. That means getting my hands dirty, putting myself in danger.” He glanced at me again, his expression unreadable.
“I wouldn’t expect you to be any other way,” I replied, confused as to why he was telling me this. Connor had always been a man on the move, chasing the next mission, the next challenge. I’d assumed he’d leave, that our relationship would become long-distance. Hell, I’d even resigned myself to it. But maybe I’d been wrong.
“But how it works is … I stay in Whisper Ridge; this is the base where I work.”
“Okay.” Hope bloomed in my chest despite my best efforts to stay grounded.
“I want to come home to my husband every night, get his advice, work with the sheriff, mess with the sheriff, and I want forever with you.”
My mouth fell open. “Did you just say you wanted to come home to your husband?”
“Yeah, I mean, we’d need to get married for you to be my husband.”
“Is that you asking me to marry you?”
He wrinkled his nose, a little sheepish. “I just told you I’d be putting myself in danger, and all you got from that is that I’m asking you to marry me?” He seemed surprised, but then a slow smile spread across his face, his eyes brightening with emotion. “But yeah, you’re not wrong.”
“So, youareasking me to marry you,” I murmured, still trying to process everything.
“Neil Windham, will you marry me even if I’m still diving into trouble at the drop of a hat?”
Old me would have balked at his cavalier attitudeabout causing mayhem, but the new me, who’d fallen in love with this man, only had one answer.
“Yes.”
I shifted in my seat, releasing my belt to get closer to him. He did the same, and we met in the middle, our kiss deep and filled with all the things words couldn’t express. The connection between us was undeniable, and for that moment, everything else faded away. But the sound of my phone vibrating against the console broke us apart.
I wasn’t on duty, but that phone was never far from me, especially since I’d asked Wyatt to stay in Whisper Ridge. He needed time to think, and every buzz made me anxious to see if he’d decided.
Connor reached for my phone first. “Wyatt said he’d stay,” he announced, grinning like a Cheshire cat.
I was too pleased with Wyatt staying—on top of a freaking proposal—to care how Connor knew the number to unlock my phone. I yanked it away from him and read the simple message myself. Yes, Wyatt was staying, and did I know if Connor still wanted his place over the diner? I sent back a message that Connor no longer needed the space, and that Noah would probably be happy to have Wyatt there. Having a deputy over his business was a solid win for Noah, as it had been having a former SEAL when Connor lived there.
Once I was done, Connor pulled me in for another kiss. We might have stayed there all afternoon, tangled in each other, but then Connor’s phone let out his ‘Quinn’ tone. He pulled back to check the screen and winced.
“Quinn says we’re late.”
“Then we’d better get a move on,” I said, but he didn’t start the car. “What’s wrong?”
“Just making sure…” He grasped my hand, his grip firm. “We’re getting married, right?”
