Page 95 of Take Me Home

“I’ll say. We’d love to have you back here, of course.” He pauses. “But Hattie, make the right choice for you, okay?”

“I will.” I swallow, suddenly nervous. My mind wanders to what Lincoln will think about me living at Whispering Pines permanently. We’d both be working there every day.

“Let me know if I can do anything else to help, okay?”

“Yeah.” I smile to myself. “I will.”

We say goodbye, and I pull into my driveway, distracted with thoughts of moving to Montana and teaching, of working with kids. I’m so excited about the future, so immersed in my mind, I don’t notice the cowboy standing on my front stoop. I don’t notice him until I’m out of the car and walking up the tidy brick path toward my front door.

I stop, nearly dropping my purse and my notebook.

Lincoln’s hands are in his jean pockets, his shirt is clean and tucked in. He’s trimmed his hair and his beard since I saw him just over a week ago. He’s somehow even more handsome than I remember. My belly does a somersault at the sight of him.

“Hey, Princess,” his deep, gravelly voice rumbles.

Butterflies swirl inside me, and I try to calm them, try to tell them we don’t know why he’s here. But they won’t listen, and the flutters continue.

“Lincoln,” I finally find my voice. “What are you doing here?”

He steps down from the stoop, closer to me. “Well, I’ve had a lot of time to think…and I realized you were right.”

“Right about what?” My voice is breathless, barely a whisper.

“I was a coward.” He takes another step closer. “I thought I was giving you freedom, but I was only thinking of myself.”

“I’m not surprised,” I say, tilting my chin up in false confidence. “I’m usually right.”

He laughs, his smile giving the butterflies another thing to swirl and race over. Lincoln takes another step, bringing him so close I have to look up to keep eye contact.

“But that doesn’t tell me why you’re here.” I barely recognize my voice.

The shock of seeing Lincoln Galloway at my home in California feels like an out-of-body experience. It’s a sight I’d pictured in my mind a thousand times over the last week but didn’t dare hope might actually come true.

Lincoln gently removes my purse from my iron grip, then my notebook. He places them on the brick path, then looks into my eyes. “I’m here because I can’t let you go. I’m here because I’ll do whatever it takes to be with you. I’ll follow you wherever you want to go. Last time we spoke, there’s something I wasn’t completely honest about.” He swallows, appearing hesitant to say the next bit out loud. “Since my parents’ accident, I’ve barely been able to look at a plane. That day I picked you up at the airport? I was an asshole. I was awful to you. There’s no excuse, but that anger was because of my anxiety and had nothing to do with you.” Lincoln takes hold of my chin in his thumb and forefinger, standing so close now I’m enveloped in his spicy, masculine scent. “Hattie, I love you. And it might not seem like a big deal that I got on an airplane to see you, but⁠—”

A silent sob works past my lips as I lunge toward him and wrap my arms around his neck. “It is a big deal,” I tell him, hugging the man as tight as I can. “I’m sorry for what I said about you being a coward. I didn’t know about your anxiety. I should’ve put that together.”

Lincoln holds me tight against him, like he’s afraid to let me go, like he needs this hug more than he needs his next breath. “I should’ve told you.” He leans back to look at me. “But I didn’t want you to make all the sacrifices to hold us together. I couldn’t be another person whose will was pressing down on you.”

He presses his mouth to mine for a soft kiss.

“Lincoln, it’s not a sacrifice to be with you. You’re not manipulating me or controlling me. I want this…I’m choosing this.” I stand on my toes, wrapping my arms around his neck. “How’d you do on the flight here?”

He shakes his head. “You know…walking through the airport and stepping onto the airplane was the worst part. Once we were in the air, I was okay. I got nervous again during the landing, but it wasn’t as big of a deal as I expected.”

I thread my hands through his hair, looking into his eyes. “You’re incredible. I’m so proud of you for conquering your fear.”

His strong hands grip my waist, pulling my body tighter against his. But it’s not close enough, I’m desperate to get closer, I want to crawl inside of him, to burrow myself in everything Lincoln.

He leans in, kissing me soft and slow, then firm. Lincoln’s lips thoroughly explore mine, tasting and nipping until he hoists me up. My legs wrapping around his waist, trying to get closer, but the sound of a vehicle driving by reminds me we’re still standing in my front yard.

“Should we take this inside?” I ask.

Lincoln smirks, carrying me toward the front door. I pull away from his lips just long enough to breathe, “the code is 0123.”

His tongue dips out to taste my neck, causing me to shiver. “We’re going to talk about that code later.”

I laugh, happy tears rolling down my face as he types in the code and walks us both inside. The door is barely closed when he presses my back against it, and he’s plundering my mouth again.