“Maggie,” I whispered. I took her soft hands in mine and pulled her toward me until we stood chest to chest, heart to heart. Her lips parted. “No, don’t say anything. I just… I’ve arrived at that place where I can’t imagine life without you.” I didn’t even give her time to squeak out her surprise at my sudden arrival before I bared my soul to her.

“I thought I could let you get back to your life. I thought I could do the right thing and leave, but I can’t. I love you, Maggie Lane.” I stood looking down at her, my heart in my eyes. The moment I’d opened my mouth my palms began to sweat, my heart beat faster, and the blood pounded in my ears.

“Oh, Liam.” She sucked in a deep breath, tears pooling in her beautiful eyes and slowly rolling down her cheeks.

“I mean it, Maggie. When I left, I left a part of me here with you. Without you, I am nothing.”

I was a bastard for springing this on her right after she returned to her tour, but when I went to D.C., I realized I couldn’t live without her. When Julie kidnapped Maggie, it stirred up all those feelings I’d tried to forget. It woke me up and made me reevaluate my life. It’s true—distance really does make the heart grow fonder. I could only hope Maggie felt the same way I did.

She looked up at me, her eyes roaming my face, and one hand came up to cup my cheek. “I need you in my life too.”

In a rush, I let out the breath I didn’t realize I was holding. “Mags…” I pulled her closer until we were nose to nose. “I’m asking you this, taking advantage of you when you are feeling vulnerable, because I want you to say yes.” I kissed her, a light press of my lips to hers, parting from her only to breathe out my plea. “Please say that we can be together, that everything that could keep us apart doesn’t matter, that all the reasons we shouldn’t be together aren’t important.”

She looked me straight in the eyes. Feelings poured from her deep green orbs. “I guess if you don’t have any better sense than to ask me for that, I better say yes.” She giggled. “So, yes, YES!”

I picked her up and swung her around, unable to contain my happiness as relief flooded through me.

“She said yes!” I shouted. “She said YES!”

“Liam. LIAM! Put me down!” she yelled, laughing as I danced her around the room. Her feet never touched the floor.

“Maggie, I feel so blessed we found each other.” I bit my lip. “I want you to come with me to the cabin for the weekend.” I set her down and held her hands in mine. “Please?”

“Oh, Liam. I’ve only got 48 hours, but yes! Of course I’ll come with you!”

I kissed her nose. “I can work with that!”

“Cover your eyes.” When we pulled up in front of the cabin, I leaned over and slipped a blindfold over her eyes.

“Liam? Really?” She giggled. “I’ve been here before.” A giant grin lit up her face as I positioned the blindfold and tied it in place. Then I hopped out of the car and came around to open her door.

“Stop fidgeting,” I said as she reached for the cloth. “No peeking. It’s a surprise!” I fussed at her as I helped her stand and guided her into the cabin. I couldn't wait to see her reaction. I had been planning this for weeks.

I stopped her in the doorway of the room I’d kept closed off the last time she was there and slid the blindfold from her face. She opened her eyes, slowly spinning in a circle. Her mouth dropped open, and she gasped. “Oh, Liam! When did you have time to do this?”

“Well, I had a little help. Elijah and the guys were in on it. I didn’t have a clue what you would like, so they helped me out.”

“It’s perfect! But… but this room. My tour. I can’t.” She stammered, looking at me with tears. She looked nervous, and regret seemed to fill her big green eyes.

“Maggie, I would never ask you to stop touring, but you and me—we’re forever. When we need to get away, we can come here. When you need to take time and record, we can come here. Even if it’s just to meet up for a weekend, we can come here. This place is ours—yours and mine. I wanted you to know I’m in it for the long haul, and I will support you wherever your career takes you.”

“But Liam, this room…” She kept gasping in surprise as she walked around and discovered all the features I had worked in. “You told me you never come in this room.”

“Maggie,” I paused and sighed. “When I built this cabin, I thought Jeannie and I were it. Her dreams were for a big family, so this room was for her dreams.” I swallowed. “She told me she was pregnant when I was overseas, and I asked her to marry me, to wait for me.” I took a deep breath. “Then I got hurt. I lay in that hospital bed imagining our life together. I called my buddies and asked them to help me finish this place, to assemble the baby furniture I ordered.”

She looked up at me. “What happened to the baby?”

“It was all a lie. She wanted to get married. When I was the big shot soldier, she wanted to be my wife. She figured if she was pregnant, I would have to marry her. And I would have.”

“Oh, Liam.” She came to stand in front of me.

“After the attack, I lay there, a shell of the man I once was, and I tried to call her. I just wanted to hear her voice.” I closed my eyes, remembering. “Her new husband answered the phone. She’d married her high school boyfriend.”

“Oh my God, Liam.” Concern shown from her green eyes. “How awful.”

“I survived… barely. Months later, when I got back on my feet, I tracked her down. This time she really was pregnant… and living in the suburbs. She opened the door, and I took one look at her and wondered what the hell I had been thinking. We were never right for each other. We were just convenient.”

“You didn’t deserve that.” She stroked the side of my face and stood up on her tiptoes to kiss me.”

“Maggie, if you decide you want kids down the road, great. I have a thousand acres to build on and can easily add on to this place, but that doesn't have to be now or ever. It’s totally up to you. I want you to know this is your house. Jeannie never even saw this place. By the time it was finished, she was gone. She didn’t believe in me or in us long enough to wait for me.”

“Liam, I don’t know what I want right now.” She stood staring up at me with apprehension written all over her face.

“I know, Mags. I know.” I stroked her cheek, “Don’t worry. I’m not asking you to make a decision today. Or tomorrow. Or even next week. You never have to make a decision if you don’t want to. I just want you to understand that this cabin was just glass and logs for a long, long time. It sat empty and neglected for years. And then you came along. This place finally became a home when you walked into it.”