Jenny Proctor

“I would rather risk everything for a chance than live another moment without you in my arms.”

“Yes. But he usually doesn’t forget. He’s been forgetting a lot of things lately.” Liam wrinkles his nose. “I’m never falling in love. It makes a mess of your life.”

Just what I need—more people to deal with.

“I love you, Mer. It was true then, it’s been true since, and it’s true now. It’ll be true forever.”

If any of that was true and Merritt doesn’t want any kids of her own, I’ll find a way to be on board. I have Isabelle. She’s enough. I’d love to have more children—ones with Merritt’s ocean eyes and her smile and her brains. But if that’s what she wants, I’ve made peace with that because more than anything, I want her.

As you might be able to tell, you’ve had a place in my life, in my heart, for years. Even if you weren’t here. But”—I glide my thumbs down her cheeks until I’m cupping her face—“to make it perfectly clear—I want you here. I want you to stay. I want the forever we talked about back then.”