Noah lay on the couch, forcing sleep to come to him. But nothing was happening. His eyes were closed, and Sophia’s disappointed look replayed in his mind like a skipping CD.

She’d been right about so many things. She’d reached out to connect with him on an emotional level, but he’d pulled back like he always did. But she had to know that she wasn’t safe.

He wasn’t safe.

He pressed his palm against his forehead. He just wished he hadn’t left things the way he had. She deserved so much better than what he was giving her.

When she’d whispered that she loved him, his heart had soared. It was what he had wanted for so long. But then he’d backed away, hiding in the hollows of his heart. He couldn’t care for her like she wanted him to. If he loved her and wanted to keep her safe, he’d stay away from her.

She should ask Judy. Wait. She couldn’t. Judy was gone, and it was just a matter of time before Sophia shared her fate. Noah didn’t deserve happiness. Sophia did. And Noah knew that getting involved with him was the wrong path to a long and happy life.

But, the way he had left things was haunting his thoughts. He needed to say he was sorry.

He cursed under his breath as he pulled the covers off and stood. He’d apologize and then leave.

His feet made no noise as he padded down the hallway and stopped in front of Sophia’s door. He peered in through the crack to see the soft glow of the moon outside, spilling in from the open window. He had almost turned around to leave when Sophia called out his name.

“Noah?”

He squeezed his eyes shut as he counted down from three and pushed the door open.

Sophia stirred as she sat up, pulling the blanket to her neck. She peered over at him. “What do you want, Noah?”

Now that he was standing in her doorway, he wasn’t sure what he was going to say. How could he say he was sorry and that he’d never stopped loving her, without actually saying it? Could he possibly open himself up that much?

He parted his lips and looked into Sophia’s expectant gaze. He needed to say something. Anything.

“I’m sorry,” he said. His voice was deep as emotion clung to his throat.

Sophia’s eyebrows rose. “What?”

Gathering his courage, he stepped closer. “I’m sorry. You deserve better than this. You deserve better than me.” He winced. The truth was painful. She deserved everything, and yet, he could barely give her anything.

She studied him with her eyebrows furrowed. He wished he knew what she was thinking. It would make all of this easier. She shifted pulling the covers off and moving to sit on the edge of the bed. The moonlight shone off her hair and illuminated her soft skin.

He clenched his fists as the memory of touching her raced back to him. His desire to take her into his arms again was burning in his gut. He couldn’t do that. Could he? Did she want him to?

“Noah, what’s going on? What’s happening here?” she asked. Her hands were placed on either side of her and her shoulders were slumped. She was studying the carpet below her feet.

Noah took a deep breath. “I guess I couldn’t sleep knowing how I left things earlier.” Speaking the truth felt so good. It was like a weight had lifted from his chest. He was so used to spouting lies to keep people protected. This was the first time he’d told the truth in a very long time. He liked it.

She turned to look at him. “And how should you have left things?” Her eyes were wide, and he could see the fear in them. She was just as worried of getting hurt as he was.

A dam broke in his chest. All he wanted was for Sophia to know the real him. He was tired of hiding behind his fears. Of keeping quiet to protect himself. A lonely life was not a life, and he was beginning to realize that.

“The last thing I want is for you to get hurt. I couldn’t live with myself if something happened to you.” He pushed his hands through his hair as fury exploded through his body at the thought of someone hurting Sophia. He’d failed to protect Judy, and he wasn’t going to fail again. “Judy—” His voice broke as he dropped his gaze. The memory of that searing pain flooded his mind. It wasn’t just a physical pain, but the guilt when he realized that her death was his fault. He should have protected her better.

He took a deep breath and continued. “It was all my fault. I should have kept her safe. We were driving and the explosion happened so fast. I tried to get to her, but I was burning myself.” He winced as the smell of burning skin and hair rushed back to him. “She was stuck. I was stuck. I had to watch her”—he swallowed—“die.” What would Sophia think when she knew the truth?

A warm hand rested on his arm. Shivers rushed across his skin at her touch. He wanted to lean into it. To accept her fully. Every part of him wanted to. Except his head. His head was telling him to run.

“Noah,” she whispered as she stepped into his line of sight. Her wide brown eyes were peering up at him.

He swallowed as he allowed himself to meet her gaze. His heart hammered in his chest as he took her in. Without thinking, he reached up and brushed her hair back. He reveled in the feeling of his fingers sliding through the smooth strands.

“I’m sorry, Sophia,” he repeated. And, oh, how sorry he was. He wished he could go back and fix all the mistakes he’d ever made. People would still be alive, and Sophia wouldn’t be broken because of him.

She lifted her hand up to his cheek and rested it there. He could see the emotions that were racing through her gaze. She cared about him. Him. He was imperfect. Stupid at times. And yet, Sophia loved him. “It wasn’t your fault,” she said. “That’s not a pain you should be carrying with you.” She held his gaze as if she hoped he would believe her.

His heart hammered. She wasn’t angry? Disappointed in his ability to keep someone close to him safe?

Love swelled in his chest. He wrapped his hands around her waist and pulled her to him. She was the only thing he wanted to live for. And there was no way he was going to let her go again. She meant too much to him. She was his person.

She giggled as she rested her hands on his chest and then slid them up to his neck. She moved closer and looked up at him expectantly.

He focused his gaze as he studied her. “I’m scared,” he said. “If anything happened—”

Sophia shook her head as she pressed her finger to his lips. “Noah, stop. If that’s how you went into every situation, you’d never take risks.” She leaned closer to him, allowing him to take her in. Her smell, the feeling of her body against his—all of it consumed him. He couldn’t imagine living the rest of his life without her. She was his and he was hers.

He pressed his lips to hers. His heart raced as he pulled her closer. He wasn’t going to let her go this time. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her up until they were eye to eye. They kissed and explored each other, as if they were testing to see if the other would break first.

There was no way he was going to let go. He’d finally got her back, and this time, she knew the truth. He wasn’t going anywhere.

When he felt he might blackout from the intensity of her kisses, she pulled back. He gently set her back down on the ground and studied her. There was a smile playing on her lips as she ran her gaze across his face.

“I love you,” he said. His body lightened as those words rolled off his tongue. He’d never spoken anything truer in his life. He loved Sophia with everything he had.

Her brow furrowed. He could see the fear that flashed in her gaze. It broke his heart that she was still worried he might leave her. There was no way. Not now.

He leaned down and pressed his lips against hers. Then he gently kissed her cheeks, nose, forehead, and found his way back to her lips. She let out a soft sigh, which caused his heart to soar.

“Promise me you’ll stay?” she asked, pulling back.

A small worry tugged at the back of his mind, but he pushed it away. “There is nothing that would pull me away from you. You are mine. You are my soulmate.” He pulled her close to him, reveling in the feeling of how perfectly her body fit against his own. “And in just a few short days, I’ll prove that to you.”

She rested her hands on his arms and then slid them up to his shoulders. Shivers raced across his body. He let out a deep growl as he bent forward and rested his forehead against hers.

“Marry me?” he asked, throwing out all his inhibitions and living in the moment.

Sophia glanced up at him. “I am.”

He shook his head. “No. I mean for real.” He went down onto one knee. “Marry me. Be my wife.” He held her hand gently between his own. He slipped off the ring he’d placed there a few days ago. If she said yes, he wanted a new start.

Her eyes widened. “Noah,” she breathed. After a few seconds, she nodded. “Yes. Of course I’ll marry you.” She paused. “For real.” She said the words like she enjoyed the feeling of them.

He grinned and slipped the ring on her finger. He straightened and wrapped her up into a hug, finding her lips once again. Then he leaned down and scooped her up. He was sure she could feel his heart pounding as he pulled her to his chest.

In three steps, he was at her bed. He set her down on the mattress and then lay down next to her, propping himself up on one elbow so he could study her.

She had her eyes closed, which he didn’t mind. It allowed him time to absorb everything about her. Her eyelashes splayed across her cheeks. Her fair skin contrasted her dark hair. Reaching out, he ran his finger across her lips. They were full and soft.

She giggled as she reached up and grabbed his hand. After entwining her fingers in his, she glanced over at him. “Stay with me,” she said.

He glanced around her room. “In here?” he asked, raising his eyebrows. “Sophia, we only have to wait a few more days. Then you’ll be mine. Fully.”

She rolled her eyes. “Not like that. And yes, here. Tonight.” She snuggled into him, taking a deep breath and then letting it go.

He laid his head back as he wrapped his arm around her. “That might be challenging my self-control a bit.” Especially when his fingers were brushing her silk nightgown.

“Please?” she asked.

Her voice was quiet and soft. He groaned. “There’s no way I could say no to you,” he said as he straightened so he could kiss the top of her head. “Of course I’ll stay.”

She sighed as she snuggled closer. “Thank you.”

He wanted to tell her that she didn’t need to thank him. That laying here with her in his arms was as close to perfection as he could get. She was everything to him, and he’d spend his whole life proving that to her.

When her breathing grew heavy, he shifted around so that the comforter covered them both. He wrapped his arms around her and leaned into her, inhaling the smell of her coconut shampoo. He closed his eyes, and for the first time in a long time, slipped easily into sleep.

A loud clang startled Noah awake. His eyes whipped open, and he glanced around Sophia’s dark room. A weight rested on his chest. He tipped his head up to see that it was Sophia. She was snuggled up to him with her head nestled on his shoulder.

He reached out and held onto her as he closed his eyes. He must have been dreaming. Everything was okay. Sophia was with him. She loved him.

As he began to drift back to sleep, the sound came again.

Now awake, Noah’s heart began to pound. Was he freaking out about nothing? He stilled, straining his ears.

He wouldn’t be able to get back to sleep without checking, so he gently rolled Sophia off of him and slid out of bed, setting his feet on the cold ground. He slipped from her room, moving along the walls. He hunched down as he passed windows, until he reached his suitcase and pulled out his gun.

He grabbed it and walked over to the front of the house. With his back pressed to the wall, he peeked around the corner to see a dark figure.

Now on high alert, he clicked the safety off his gun and readied his mind. The figure was moving around the mud room as if they were searching for something. Noah took a deep breath and cleared the corner. With his gun raised, he flipped on the light.

The figure turned, his eyes wide.

Noah’s heart sank. “James?”