Matt watched Shay walk away from him and the visual was too much. She might not have fought for him, but he was the one who’d let her walk away so easily. If she thought she was going to get away with that again, she had another thing coming. Enough was enough. Shay was the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with, and he was done letting unnecessary bullshit keep them apart.
“You shouldn’t leave your door unlocked, you know” he said, trying to keep the humor out of his voice, but failing.
She spun around, fire burned in her eyes, but he could see beyond the flames and see the pain and anguish lying deep inside. “Is that why you’re here? To yell at me about my damn lock?”
“No, that’s not why I’m here.”
“Then why are you here?”
Matt stepped toward her, hating the distance between them. “Seventeen years ago, you walked out of my life. I wasn’t ready to accept that, so I drove all the way to New York to fight for you, but when it came my time to show up and fight like I’d never fought before, I backed down. I should have fought harder, too. I shouldn’t have walked away.”
“I can’t believe you came to New York.” Her beautiful eyes drowning in regret met his. “I’m so sorry about my mother.”
Shock rocked his body. “You know?”
“Only recently. Kate told me.”
“Why am I not surprised?”
“She said she thought I should know that you came to New York but then my mother happened and that’s all she knew.”
“Because that’s all I told her. I didn’t want anyone to know that your mother made me feel like you deserved better than me. That I would only be holding you back from a great life.”
“I’ll never forgive her for that.”
“In a weird messed up way, it was a blessing. I came back home and nothing felt right without you. Everywhere I went was a reminder of what we had and it hurt so much. I couldn’t even go for a hike and clear my mind because memories of you were all around me. I needed to get away, needed to become someone you wouldn’t be ashamed to be with.”
“I was never ashamed of you. Ever.”
“I know that now, but back then I didn’t. I felt like I had something to prove so I joined the Marines. I got to see places I never would have, meet people from all walks of life, but I also saw things that will forever be ingrained in my mind. Things I would never burden anyone else with.”
“I’m sorry. It’s all my fault. If I would’ve fought harder, stood up to my mother...” She shook her head and her words dropped off.
Matt stepped closer taking Shay’s hands in his, needing to feel her skin against his. “It’s not your fault.”
“It is though. My mother...”
“Was doing what she thought was best for you.”
***
Shay couldn’t believe Matt was defending the one woman who had destroyed their happy ending not only once, but twice. If this were a movie, she would be the villain. Kate was spot on calling her Cruella. She was as evil as they came.
“She was doing what she thought was best for her.”
Nothing she did was motivated by love. It was all self-driven, but Shay knew this. What she didn’t realize until this very moment was that she was no better than her mother.
“I think in her own twisted way she thought she was doing what was best for you. I’m not saying she was right. She wasn’t. Trust me, she wasn’t. But I’m not going to blame her either. I let her stop me from seeing you that day and that’s on me. I loved you so much, but when things got hard I bailed. So, while I would love to blame your mother, I can’t. I refuse to give her that power. Not anymore because I’m here and fighting for you Shay. I will do whatever it takes to get you back, because life without you isn’t a life I want to live. When I think about my future, all I see is you. I see us spending nights in the hammock, days hiking trails with a dog running alongside us. I see a little girl with your cheeks and your stubbornness, hugging your leg while you make a batch of cupcakes.”
Tears filled Shay’s eyes because that’s the future she so desperately wanted and almost gave up on because she was too much of a coward to go to him. But he was here now, and she was done being scared. It was time to put it all on the line.
“That’s what I see, too, but I also see a little boy with your eyes and that magical Hayes charm throwing a baseball to you. Life with you is nothing I could ever be ashamed of. It’s my dream. The dream I’ve been holding on to since I was seventeen. Since I gave you my heart and never got it back.”
“You’re never getting it back,” Matt said as he stepped toward Shay, taking her face in his hands.
“I don’t want it back.”
“Good because it’s mine to keep.” Matt dipped his head, capturing Shay’s lips in one swift movement. He tilted her head and deepened the kiss, filling her with love and hope.
Matt pulled back resting his forehead on hers. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
He urged her chin up, looking into her eyes with that intensity she craved. “Marry me.”
Happy tears filled her eyes and warmth circled her heart. She had waited so long to hear those very words from him. Dreamed about them. Wished for them. Her answer came fast and sure. “Yes.”
“Yes?”
She nodded, a smile spreading wide across her face. Matt scooped her up into his arms, spinning her around before placing her back on the ground.
“I only have one request,” Shay said.
“Already making requests, huh?”
She poked him in the chest. “Just one.”
“Whatever you want, it’s yours.”
“No long engagement. I’ve waited long enough to marry you.”
“We can fly to Vegas tonight if you want.”
It was tempting. Almost too tempting, but Shay knew how important Matt’s family was to him, and she wanted them there.
“I think your grandma would want to be there.”
“Why would you think that?”
“Did I fail to mention the time she stopped by my shop to ask about grandbabies?”
Matt laughed, and she thanked her lucky stars she’d get to hear that laugh as often as she liked. “Okay, we’ll hold off a little on the wedding, but the baby making part? I think we should start that right now.” He picked her up, and she wrapped her legs around his waist, feeling the hard bulge in his pants press against her.
He crashed his lips to hers desperate and hungry. His hands slipped beneath her shirt as he placed her on the counter top. She reached for his pants when a loud bang had them jumping apart. Matt quickly put his body in front of Shay, standing protectively and possessively.
“What was that?” Shay asked, slipping off the counter. She thought with Robert out of the picture, the break-ins would stop. What if this whole time it wasn’t him? What if it actually was someone who was dangerous?
Why didn’t she take Matt seriously and buy cameras, lock the stupid door like he asked over and over again?
Her heart slammed against her chest, panic rising inside of her just as she heard a slight laugh come from Matt. “You have got to be kidding me?”
Shay peered around Matt and staring down at them from the vent was an unmistakable black mask, surrounding dark brown eyes widened in uncertainty.
“A raccoon,” Matt said. “It was a damn raccoon this whole time.”
Laughter bubbled up inside her, pouring out in obnoxiously loud gasps. “Some criminal. I think you should take him down to the station and book him.”
“Go ahead. Laugh it up.”
“Oh, I plan on it.” Shay looked at the cute little critter who was about as harmless looking as they came. “How did he even get in here?”
“Probably through the air duct. I’ll take a look at it tomorrow.”
“I can take a look at it.”
“Says the girl who falls off cliffs.”
“Seriously, are you ever going to let me live that down?”
“Are you ever going to let me live this down?”
“No.”
“Then there’s your answer.”
Matt wrapped his hand around her waist, pulling her tight against him. “You should still lock the damn door at night.”
“Not a chance in hell,” she said with a laugh before kissing the man who was her past and her present and now would be her future, too.