Shadows of You (Lost & Found #4)(100)

Roan pulled me tighter against him. He hadn’t stopped touching me since the moment he found me. Not even in the hospital. The nurses had finally given up and just let us share a bed.

I pressed a hand to his chest. “I’m okay.”

He nuzzled my neck. “I know. It’s just going to take a little while for the rest of me to believe it.”

My heart ached at that. The whole ordeal had impacted Roan more than me. I was sure I’d have nightmares for a while, but I had always known Roan would come. No one made me feel safer or more loved. I didn’t need the damn words.

Roan stood, hauling me up with him.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

“Need to show you something,” he said.

“Now?”

“Is this your way of telling us you want us to leave?” Holt called, his arms around Wren’s pregnant belly.

“No, I know I’m stuck with the lot of you for the foreseeable future,” Roan grumbled.

Grae laughed. “Good thing you’re aware. I was thinking we could have a pretty epic slumber party tonight.”

“Yes!” Cady cheered. “I want all the slumber parties.”

I laughed, and Roan groaned. He started tugging me toward the door. “Let’s go before they all move in.”

I grinned at Cady. “Be back in a minute, Katydid.”

“Okay, Mama.” But she was already distracted by something Charlie was showing her.

Roan guided me out the door and toward his truck.

“We have to drive to this something?”

He opened the passenger door and helped me in. “It’s not far.”

I slid in and fastened my belt. The air was cold and smelled like snow. I wouldn’t have been surprised if we got a few inches tonight.

Roan got behind the wheel and started the engine.

“Are you going to give me any clues?”

He grunted and shook his head.

The reaction only made me smile. Too many people for one day.

Instead of turning toward town, he went in the opposite direction. He guided his truck up Huckleberry Lane until we reached a gate with several cameras. He rolled down his window and punched in a code.

“Is this your property?”

He nodded. “Bought it not long after my attack. Made it as secure as I could. No one’s ever been up here but me.”

And he was letting me in. The simple action had tears gathering in my eyes.

As the gate slid open, my gaze searched for the house. It took a minute for it to come into view. A simple but gorgeous A-frame cabin. With some snow, it could’ve been a Christmas card.

“It’s beautiful,” I whispered.

“Thanks,” he mumbled, pulling to a stop.

Roan slid out and came to help me. He took my hand and led me up the walk to the front door. He slid a key into one lock after the other and then guided us inside.

The space was minimalistic, but the walls had gorgeous photographs of nature and animals. There was also a massive stone fireplace and a back wall that was all windows.

I gasped as I headed for it. His view was jaw-dropping. You could see all of Cedar Ridge. The town, the lake, the beautiful mountains surrounding us.

Roan slid open the door and ushered me out onto the balcony, shutting it behind us.

I instinctively moved toward the railing, wanting to take it all in.

“This is where I first saw you.”

I looked up at the sound of Roan’s voice, right into those beautiful blue eyes.

“It was just a flash of red.” His lips twitched. “I was annoyed at first. I never saw the old guy who lived there before you. It was like I had this whole mountainside to myself.”

My mouth curved.

“But then I saw your kindness. The animals you added, one after another. How patient you were with your daughter. At times, I swore a light shone straight out of you.”

My heart jerked in my chest as my breaths came quicker.

“You were the light in the shadows. A glimmer of hope when I felt like all mine had been burned out. I think maybe I loved you even then.”

My lips parted with a sharp inhale. “You love me?”

Roan wrapped his arms around me. “With every ounce of my being. Didn’t think it was possible. Didn’t think I was capable. I know I won’t do it exactly right—”

I pressed a hand to his chest. “You do it perfectly.”

Those blue eyes shone. “I love you, Tender Heart. That’s never going to end.”

“I love you, too.” My voice broke on the words. “Never thought I’d get this. You’ve given me everything. Safety. Acceptance. A family.”

“You gonna give me something in return?” Roan asked.

“Anything.”

He inclined his head over the balcony. My gaze followed, and the tears were instant. Everyone we loved was out in my drive, holding up a massive handmade banner. Each letter had been painted and decorated, most likely by Cady and Charlie.

MARRY ME?

My gaze shot back to Roan’s, tears spilling over. “You wanna marry me?”

“I want to be yours in every way I can. Want to be your husband. Father to Cady and any babies you’ll give me. Everything you’ll let me be.”

“Yes,” I whispered. A single syllable, not nearly enough for what I wanted to say, but all I could get out.