Page 87 of Then Came You

“Running into Dax and Carly was hard for me.”

He nodded, knowing she needed to talk and resisting the urge to pull her into his arms.

“I ran away like a frightened child.”

“It’s okay.”

“No, it’s not. Not anymore.”

She was surprising him at every turn, and he had no idea where they’d end up.

“I’m tired of hiding and feeling afraid.”

He reached out and tucked a wisp of hair behind her ear. “Go on.”

“I grieved for over a year, Sam. I withdrew from life and almost everything that used to make me happy. Except for work. Work couldn’t hurt me, so I buried myself in it.”

“It paid off. Your business is doing well.”

“Yes, but I still wasn’t truly happy.”

He brushed his thumb over her cheek.

“Then came you.”

He froze with his hand on her face, and his gaze locked on hers.

“When you came along, I realized what I was missing.”

It was exactly what he’d wanted to hear, but he hadn’t expected it, especially not today. He was speechless.

Gillian reached up and cupped his chin. “I love you, Sam.”

It took a minute for the words to sink in. In the meantime, she gave him a full-blown smile, and he finally found his voice. “Good thing because I love you too.”

Then he dipped his head down and kissed her, deeply and longingly, his worries melting away as she kissed him back with equal intensity. He swiftly scooped her into his arms and started to carry her down the hall toward his bedroom.

“Wait!” she said, waving the wooden spoon. “The chili!”

“We’ll warm it up after.” He carried her into the kitchen so she could turn off the stove and set down the spoon.

She giggled as he hurried down the hall to his bedroom. There was no way he was letting her out of his sight. For the rest of the day and night, she was all his, and he wasn’t going to let her go—ever.

Chapter 27

Gillian laughed while Sam struggled to untie the knot on her apron.

“Why’d you double-knot it?” he complained.

“It kept coming undone!”

“There. Finally!”

He removed her apron with a flourish and tossed it over his shoulder. Then he went to work on her plaid button-down shirt. While he concentrated on undoing the buttons, she gazed at his handsome face and the crease where his brows were knitted together.

“So serious,” she teased.

“I’m trying to get you naked.”