Even as Hannah turned up and declared her love for me, I wasn’t sure what I was going to do. I’ve already planned my life out, I knew where I was going next, I was headed back to the army... but how could I leave her now? Even if it would be complicated, we still had a shot, and I had to at least give things a go. I’d never be able to forgive myself if I didn’t.

So I picked Hannah up, I navigated her around my bags leaving all my plans behind, and I brought her to the couch. Now she had told me that she loved me once more, and I was angled to drive into her. This was all my dreams coming true, and I honestly felt like I was the luckiest son of a bitch on the planet.

As I filled her up, a guttural battle cry fell out of Hannah’s mouth, which matched my feelings exactly. This had been such a long time coming, my blood was pumping furiously around my body, pleasure was building, the waves of bliss were threatening to consume me. I was on the brink of exploding, and luckily from the way that this beauty was shuddering and writhing beneath me she was feeling the same way.

“Oh God, Hannah you’re amazing... fuck!”

We clung to each other as the orgasm consumed us both, hanging on as if we were the only two people on the planet. My entire world had shrunk down to the two of us ever since I first laid my eyes on her anyway, so it made a lot of sense. All I cared about was this woman, and now I had her with me.

Sure, I had no idea what was going to happen next, but that didn’t matter anymore.

“Wow,” Hannah panted beneath me, giggling gleefully. “Wow, Parker, that was amazing.”

“I know, I can’t believe we kept apart for so long.”

I also couldn’t believe that we’d almost been torn apart forever more, but I didn’t want to say that aloud. I didn’t want to remind Hannah of how tentative things were between us. Not until I knew for sure where we stood. Love was incredible, but was it going to be enough?

“So, what now?” Hannah propped herself up onto her elbows and looked deeply into my eyes. “Where do we go from here? Are you...?” she sighed deeply, as if the next words were going to be difficult for her to say. “Are you really being deployed?”

“Erm...” Could I turn my back on the army? The career that I’ve built my whole life around? If I refused to go back now after causing such a fuss I didn’t know that I’d ever be invited back. “Well, I mean, I am supposed to be...” But as I stared at Hannah, I realized how little I wanted to lose her either. This was a real head verses heart situation, and I was absolutely petrified of making the wrong choice. I always went for my head, that would be the obvious solution, but was that what I wanted this time? “But it’s voluntary, so I suppose I don’t have to.”

“I knew it! I knew you were leaving because of me.” For some strange reason, her eyes lit up at that thought. “If you don’t have to go, then you should stay. You should stay forever. You can... you can work here.”

“Doing what?” I was desperately clutching at straws here, trying to find a way out. I absolutely wanted this, for the first time in my life I wanted to choose love over being smart.

“I don’t know, but we’ll figure it out.”

I glanced towards the clock, noticing that I was already dangerously close to missing my flight now anyway. “Okay, but that isn’t our only issue, is it?”

“But I already told you, I broke up with Carson.” She shrugged and grinned. “He told me that he didn’t want me anyway, so I doubt I’ll be troubled by him.”

“That wasn’t what I meant... Carson’s the least of our issues.” I sighed deeply, the magnitude of this only hitting me now. “Your father, he’s going to absolutely hate this.”

It would be more than hate, Joe Ricks would destroy me. He had hired me to protect his kid, he wanted me to stop her from going off the rails. I knew for sure that I’d never be good enough for his daughter, I was rough and broke, I was sure he wanted someone much more... more everything.

“Dad won’t care,” she shrugged, her expression growing pinched with every passing second. “He might act like he cares what’s going on in my life in front of you, but he doesn’t.”

“Do you know what he told me on the day I got hired?” I moved myself into a sitting position, and Hannah did the same. It was a little weird to be having such an in-depth conversation about our future while we were both naked, but it was too late. We were down the rabbit hole now, it was time to get it all out.

“That I was drunk, crazed asshole?”

“Well, not in so many words,” I teased playfully. “But he also told me that you were a great girl who had lost her way. He wants to connect with you, but he doesn’t know how. Maybe it’s time for you to reach out to him.” It scared the shit out of me to use this situation as an excuse to bond their family, but someone had to. “Why not go and speak to him now?”

“You think so?” She grabbed a blanket and tugged it over her body, her whole appearance looking small and childlike. “You think he’ll listen?”

“I’m pretty sure that all he’s wanted to do is listen to you.” I grabbed the back of her head and pulled her in for a reassuring kiss. “I think you need to give him a try.”

“I suppose I have been closed off ever since losing Mom. I didn’t think about him.” She paused for a second, biting down on her lip. “Maybe he threw himself into work the way I did drink and stuff. He lost himself in business while I twated around with Bunny and Carson.”

“Please don’t tell me I ever have to meet Bunny?” I groaned. “I don’t think I’ll ever be able to talk to her with a straight face.”

“Bunny won’t want to know me if I’m behaving myself,” she replied wryly. “She only likes the fun-loving lifestyle.”

“So, you’re done with partying? You’re gonna turn all boring on me now, because if so I’m not sure I can carry on with this...”

“Oh shut it,” she hit me and smirked. “I just think it might be time to start sorting myself out. I want to give life a go. I want to write, to be happy, to be with you... to organize things with my father.”

Wow, I was taken aback by how much Hannah had thought this through, she did want to make this work. That terrified me and exhilarated me all at once. I wanted to be the best version of myself for Hannah, and I wasn’t sure that I could do that with no solid career plan.

“Yeah, so why don’t we go and work on this mess with your father now?” I jumped up and babbled before I could get too tied up in my thoughts. I didn’t want to lose the greatest thing that’d ever happened to me because I was freaked. “You better get some clothes on, I don’t think this is the best way to introduce us.”

She pouted out her bottom lip and gave me a stare. “Okay fine, but I’m not happy about it. I’ve been looking forward to getting my hands on your body forever now, and I’m very unimpressed that I don’t get to see it more.”

“We have the rest of our lives,” I smirked, tossing my t-shirt back on. “There’s no rush with time.”

I watched her from the corner of my eye as she pulled her own clothes back on, my heart fluttering with excitement. Hannah truly was the absolute best thing that’d ever happened to me, and I was so damn happy. I didn’t realize it was possible to be this happy.

I was finally in love, I’ve finally let someone in, and it felt great. Of course I was afraid for the future, it kept spiking cold anxiety into my heart, but with that beautiful smile looking at me whenever I wanted, it would all be okay.

It had to be...