He lifted me from his lap and placed me on the sofa beside him. “Yes and no,” he said and proceeded to tell me about his day and the night before.
When he finished, I sat quietly for several minutes trying to process everything he’d said. “So, basically, my mother stole tainted drugs from her boyfriend’s wife and distributed them, ultimately killing at least four people, including herself.”
“I’m sure there’s more to the story, but that’s the gist of it,” he said.
“And nothing’s changed for me?”
“Not yet, but Tina assured me that it would only be a few days at most.”
I flopped back on the sofa. “Yeah, I hope so.”
We sat in silence for a few minutes before he asked, “What are you going to do when all this is over?”
I sat up and faced him. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, once you’re cleared and can resume working, are you going to stay here or go on another traveling assignment?”
“I haven’t given it much thought,” I said carefully. I really wanted to stay in Devil Springs with him, but I also didn’t want to be one of those women who based their decisions on a man. And, he hadn’t asked me to stay.
He reached for my wrists and pulled me onto his lap with a knowing grin. Holding me tightly against him, he took my lips in a passionate kiss. When he broke the kiss, he rested his forehead against mine. “I want you to stay here in Devil Springs with me.”
“You do?” I asked. I needed him to repeat it, to reassure me, to destroy the last piece of the wall protecting my heart.
“Yes, woman, I do. I didn’t claim you as my Old Lady to help you. I did it because I meant it. I want you to be my wife and have my babies. And I don’t give a fuck about how fast it is. I’m not on anyone else’s timeline but my own,” he stated vehemently.
“Did you just ask me to marry you?” I whispered.
With his forehead still pressed to mine, he slightly shook his head. “No, I told you what I wanted. When I ask you, it’ll be on one knee with a ring.”
“I’ll have to find a job and a place to live.”
“We’ll find you a job and you’ll live with me,” he said.
“Okay,” I said softly.
“Okay,” he agreed and covered my lips with his before pushing to his feet and carrying me to his bedroom.
***
Two days later, Tina called first thing in the morning and told me to come to her office. I couldn’t tell by the tone of her voice if I was in for good or bad news, so I tried not to get my hopes up while Jonah and I rushed to get out the door. Regardless, I was a ball of anxiety by the time we arrived at her office.
As soon as we arrived, her secretary ushered us into her office. Tina smiled kindly, “Good morning. Please, have a seat.”
“Just tell me,” I blurted and slapped my hand over my mouth. “I’m so sorry. I’m really nervous.”
Tina laughed at my outburst. “Don’t worry about it. I can’t imagine how you’ve been feeling through this mess, so I’ll get straight to the point. The charges against you have been dropped. I have some paperwork for you to sign after we go over it, but first, let’s go have your ankle monitor removed.”
I stood in stunned silence and blinked at her for several moments until Jonah nudged me with his elbow. “Are you shitting me?”
“Nope. Not at all,” Tina said with a wide smile.
“I can’t believe it,” I breathed and covered my mouth and nose with my hands while I tried to hold back the tears of relief brimming in my eyes.
“Believe it, baby,” Jonah said softly.
“Thank you,” I told Tina as the first tear fell down my cheek. “Thank you so much.”
“It was my pleasure,” Tina replied.