Colton Christmas Protector (The Coltons of Texas #12)(76)

“Fowler was...Fowler. Bossing the nurses around, griping about the hospital food, being a pain in the ass. But his ribs are apparently as hard as his head. The bullet stuck in his rib, saving his lung. So other than a flesh wound and broken rib, Fowler will be back at the helm of Colton Inc. in a couple weeks.”

“That’s a relief.” She tucked her hair behind her ear. “And the three gunmen?”

“Will all live and go straight to jail. With your father gone and those guys off the street, you and Nicholas are completely safe again.” He paused and looked around. “I assume the squirt is napping? He’s feeling better?”

“He’s much better. And he’s at Mother’s Day Out again. I’d hoped to finish Andrew’s office today.”

“Hey, don’t push it. You need to rest. You’ve been through a trauma.”

“What I need is closure. And to stay busy. If I think too hard about everything, I just...” Her voice cracked, and Reid drew her into his arms.

“Sweetheart, what you need is to mourn. Let it out.”

She allowed herself a few moments to weep softly against his chest, but the biggest question that needed resolution in order for her to move forward was still unanswered. Dabbing at her eyes, she raised her head and met the deep watery blue of his eyes. “Yesterday you said we needed to talk. I assume you meant about...us. Where we go from here.”

He drew a slow breath, expanding his lungs, and gave her a nod. “Right. So...”

She sat up, angling her body to face him, and Reid rubbed both his hands on the legs of his jeans. His apparent nervousness worried her. She’d known Reid wasn’t the commitment and long-term type. But that hadn’t stopped her heart from diving in.

“Pen...”

“Look,” she said, placing her fingers over his split and swollen lip to stop him. “I know that marriage and raising another man’s child is a huge responsibility. You have a good life, your freedom, the money to do whatever makes you happy. I can’t ask you to give that up for me. I understand that—”

“Hold on.” He grabbed both of her hands and squeezed hard to interrupt her. His face furrowed with consternation. “I don’t think you understand. Money doesn’t buy happiness.”

“I know. What I meant—”

“Marry me.” When she stared at him silently for several seconds, he repeated his request. “I’ve had money and freedom and a huge extended family for my whole life, but I haven’t been truly happy. I’ve been...lonely. I’ve felt adrift, without purpose or focus. Especially over the past year. But spending the past couple weeks with you and Nicholas made me see what I was really missing, what I really wanted in my life. I want you, Pen. I need you.”

Penelope blinked as a fresh rush of tears filled her eyes. His words burrowed down to her most private yearnings, her deepest vulnerability and desire. All her life she’d wanted to be wanted, to feel needed. Her father’s distance exacerbated that longing, while her animal rescue efforts only scratched the surface of her desire to have someone to care for, someone to love unconditionally. Someone with whom she could build a life of mutual trust and support with, a healthy give and take. She had a degree of that bond with Andrew, and she’d thought she’d never find that kind of love again. But now warmth bloomed in those cold empty spaces of her soul, and she searched Reid’s eyes for any hint of hesitation or reluctance.

“Are you sure? Nicholas is—”

“Great,” he finished for her. “Nicholas is precious and exhausting and smart and full of energy and in the throws of the terrible twos, and I love him. I want to be his father and watch him grow up. I want to have more children...with you.”

Emotion clogged her throat. “Reid...”

“I know you think I’m a spoiled, snobby, rich SOB who doesn’t see the value of what he has, but I see you. I see what a treasure you are, and I want to spend the rest of my life cherishing you and making you happy. You give my life meaning, Pen.”

“Yes,” she squeaked from her tight throat.

“Yes?” His expression brightening with hope.

“Yes,” she said again and wrapped her arms around his neck, laughing. “I will marry you.”

He exhaled a deep breath in a rush. “Oh, thank God. You’ve just made me the happiest man on earth.”





Epilogue

Christmas morning

Reid knocked on the door to the Manfreds’ suite, and while he waited for the door to be answered, he practiced in his head the best way to express his demands.

When Aaron answered the door, he didn’t seem at all surprised to see Reid. “Good morning, Mr. Reid. I was wondering when you’d be by.”

“Well, it would have been sooner, but I had quite a bit on my plate the past few days.”

“So I understand. Is Mrs. Barrington Clark all right?”

“She will be. In time. She’s been through a lot lately, but she’s a remarkable woman. Resilient. Loving. Strong to her core.”

“And you?” Aaron asked, motioning with a hand that Reid should make himself at home in the small sitting room.

“What about me?” He claimed a straight-backed wing chair and perched on the edge of the seat.

“You’re well enough?” The older man motioned to the scrapes and bruises Reid sported from his scuffle with the gunmen.