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Her heart turned over. "The love of your life?"
"Yes." He smiled. "And before you ask another silly question, I'll say yes, I'm referring to you."
Emotions clung to her like a sticky spiderweb, tangling her up. "Keegan—"
"That night, after we made love, and then you lost your shit at me, I let you go."
She stared at him. "Because I was horrible to you."
He laughed. "Sofia, I had been in foster care for two years. I could tell the difference between someone who was bad news, and someone who was striking out because they were scared. You were scared. I could see it in your eyes. I knew about being scared, because I was scared, too. Hell, every Hart was scared back then, too. I was only eighteen, but I'd seen more than I wanted to. So, yeah, I knew you were scared to death, and I let you walk out."
She frowned. "Why?"
"Because I was even more scared than you were."
"Of what?"
"Of losing someone I loved again," he said softly. "Losing my mom almost broke me. I had completely shut down. I had no intention of ever letting myself hurt like that again. But I fell in love with you, Sofia. I fell hard and fast for you, on every level. When I was holding you in my arms after we made love, I realized I was completely in love with you. All in. And that terrified me."
Her heart ached for the teenage boy he'd been. "And then I was mean to you."
He laughed softly. "No, babe, you set me free. You gave me the excuse to let you go, so I did, and I ran like hell back to my little hideaway under the bridge. You think you were hiding? That was me back then. Hiding for all I was worth."
She couldn't help the tear that slipped free. "Keegan—"
He put his fingers on her lips. "I started looking for you about two years later. Over the years, I hired private detectives, but no one could find you, because you'd apparently given me a fake name. I wanted another chance with you. I wanted a chance to find out what we could be."
She was wordless.
"A few days ago, Brody came to find me. He told me that they'd found you, and that you and your baby girl died in a car accident. I did the math, and realized that Gabby might have been my daughter. I felt loss that day, stunning tragic loss."
"Oh, God. Keegan. I'm so sorry—"
He took her hand as she was reaching for his face, and pressed a kiss to her fingertips. "And then a few hours later, a sassy teenager who looked like my childhood love, grinned at me, and said 'Merry Christmas, Dad. I'm home.'"
Sofia started laughing. "That's how she did it?"
"Yep, and then, when I realized you were on your way to get her, and not remotely dead, I knew that I'd gotten the second chance that no one ever gets. Going from thinking you were dead, and then having you on your way to my house made me realize that I wasn't going to mess it up this time, not if the connection was still there…which it is."
"It is," she whispered. "Definitely."
He let out his breath, as if he'd been holding it, waiting for her confirmation. "Sofia, I know you're scared and we're dealing with a lot right now, but I'm not letting you walk out that door, without making sure that you know that I love you. Completely. Unconditionally. Forever. You are loved. Loved. Loved. Loved. The kind of love that you don't need to fear. You have it from me. Always have. Always will."
The tears came for real this time. "Oh, Keegan," she whispered.
"And don't tell me that I don't know you. I do." He put his hand over her heart. "I know what's in here, and I'm willing to take it as slow as you want to build things together, but you need to know that you're loved. I love you."
She could feel his love. Pure. Kind. Accepting. It was a good love, coming from a good heart, and a good man. I love you, too, Keegan. The words whispered through her mind, but she couldn’t bring herself to say them. It was too soon. Too scary. Making a promise she didn't know if she could keep.
So, instead, Sofia scooted forward, framed his face, and kissed him. She poured her love into the kiss, her acceptance of his love for both her and Gabby, her total surrender to this incredible man.
The way he kissed her back, so thoroughly, so without hesitation, with so much tenderness made her want to kiss him forever.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him against her. He slung his leg over her hip and tunneled his hand through her hair, until they were completely entwined, igniting the night with the heat between them. The kiss became hotter and hotter, until she felt like she was burning for him, for them, for more.
She tugged at his pants. "Take these off."
He paused, his lips brushing against hers. "What about Gabby?"
