All He Ever Dreamed (21 page)

Josh grinned. “I’m no fool. Mike was big for his age.”

The memory made Katie smile, but her mind was whirling, trying to understand why he was suddenly here, and why they were reminiscing about elementary school. She wanted to throw herself at him again so he’d wrap his arms around her and she could just
feel
him again.

But it had taken a while for their communication to become mostly normal again and she didn’t want to upset that balance. He meant too much to her as a friend to jeopardize that again.

“You’re more than just a friend to me,” he said, staring intently into her eyes. “You’re in all of my memories. The good and the not so good. You’ve been a part of my life for as long as I can remember, and I think I took that for granted.”

“That goes both ways, Josh. We’ve always taken for granted we’d have each other. I know I never really thought you’d leave, but you did.”

“I had to go.” He breathed in deeply, regret in his eyes. “But, God, how I’ve missed you. I’ve missed your voice and calling you wasn’t enough. I wanted to hear your voice every day, but I couldn’t because I chose to leave you. I left you behind and I lost that right. I lost
you
.”

“You didn’t lose me. You were never going to be totally happy here if you didn’t get to leave. I know that.”

“Because you know me. You
get
me.” He laughed, a clipped sound without a lot of humor in it. “I even miss the lodge. How messed up is that?”

“It’s not messed up. You never had a chance to figure out what you wanted. It was never your choice.” She hated seeing him beat himself up.

“I found what I was looking for and the crazy thing is that you were right there in front of me.” He reached down and took her hand as her breath caught in her throat. “I’ve loved you my whole life, but now I know I’m
in
love with you. Crazy in love with you. I had to go. I had to go find what I really wanted for me and now I know, absolutely, that
you
are what I want. Forever. You’re
my
northern star.”

“That’s how long I’ve loved you,” she whispered. “Forever.”

“I love you, Katherine Rose Davis. I always—”

“Wait. Did you just middle name me?”

“Yeah, but not like when Rosie does it. I was just trying to be formal when I propose.”

She laughed. “Forget it. Just be you.”

He wrapped one arm around her waist and pulled her close, gazing down into her eyes. “Marry me, Katie Davis. I love you and I want you to be my wife.”

“Yes,” she whispered, and he kissed her until she could barely breathe.

“Let’s get married fast so we can get started making babies,” he said, his eyes crinkling at the corners. “Awesome babies who’ll beat the snot out of Mitch and Sean’s kids in family football games.”

“Hell, yeah. And just think, we can tell them all the charming story of how they were each conceived in the barn.”

He laughed, shaking his head. “I thought about that, driving home from New Mexico. It’s a long drive, so I had plenty of time to think. The office is off the living room and it’s downstairs, but at the other end of the house from the guest bedrooms. I think we’ll move the office upstairs and claim that space as our bedroom. No screaming, of course, but I won’t have to put a pillow over your face, either.”

“I like the way you think.” She searched his face for any lingering signs of doubt. She didn’t see any. “My mom is going to come totally undone.”

“She already did, on the phone. I had to call her. I mean, I left. I didn’t feel right just showing up and saying, ‘hey, changed my mind so I want my house and my business back now, thanks,’ you know?”

“And she called you a dumbass and cried happy tears.”

“Pretty much.” Without taking his arm off her waist, he glanced over his shoulder at the clock. “You think the town will protest if you close a little early? I’ve had twenty-three hundred miles to think about what comes after you saying yes.”

“I think Whitford will survive.” She looked up at him, her heart almost aching with love and knowing he’d come home to her. “What are you thinking comes after yes?”

He leaned down to whisper in her ear. “What would you say if I told you I’ve been thinking about bending my best friend and future wife over her kitchen table?”

“I’d say it’s about damn time.”

* * * * *

For more feel-good romance, check out Shannon Stacey’s popular Kowalskis trilogy.

Exclusively Yours

When Keri Daniels’s boss finds out she has previous carnal knowledge of reclusive bestselling author Joe Kowalski, she gives Keri a choice: get an interview or get a new job. Joe’s never forgotten the first girl to break his heart, so he’s intrigued to hear Keri’s back in town—and looking for him…

Undeniably Yours

Bar owner Kevin Kowalski is used to women throwing their phone numbers at him. Even if lately he’s been more interested in finding Mrs. Right than Miss Right Now. Enter Beth Hansen. Kevin and Beth may have started out all wrong, but Kevin knows there’s more to their relationship than a one-night stand…

New York Times
Bestseller—
Yours to Keep

Sean Kowalski no sooner leaves the army than he’s recruited by Emma Shaw to be her fake fiancé. Emma needs a husband-to-be for her grandmother’s upcoming visit and Sean could use the landscaping job she’s offering. Despite his attraction to Emma, there’s no chance Sean will fall for a woman with deep roots in a town he’s not planning to call home…

And don’t miss this sexy short,

Slow Summer Kisses

Anna Frazier is used to living life at 100 mph, but being downsized out of a job has her permanently stalled. With nowhere to go, go, go, Anna heads to her grandparents’ neglected New Hampshire camp to plan her next move. It seems like a good idea—until she realizes the boy next door, Cameron Mayfield, has grown into a sexy but surly recluse. And Anna must decide if she’s found a new road to happiness, or just taken a detour.

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About the Author

New
York
Times
and
USA
TODAY
bestselling author Shannon Stacey lives with her husband and two sons in New England, where her two favorite activities are writing stories of happily ever after and riding her four-wheeler. From May to November, the Stacey family spends their weekends on their ATVs, making loads of muddy laundry to keep Shannon busy when she’s not at her computer. She prefers writing to laundry, however, and considers herself lucky she got to be an author when she grew up.

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www.shannonstacey.com
, where she maintains an almost daily blog, or visit her on Twitter at
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, her Facebook page,
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shannonstacey.authorpage
, or email her at
shannon@
shannonstacey.com
.

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ISBN: 978-14268-9462-6

Copyright © 2013 by Shannon Stacey

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