A Husband She Couldn't Forget

“It’s all right,” she said, breathing slowly and evenly. “I’m okay, honestly.”

“I’ve upset you. Again. Aly, I’m so sorry.”

“No. Really.” She met his eyes, saw his remorse, felt his regret for causing her pain right now and in the past. “Don’t beat yourself up—I mean, you should be sorry for what you did seven years ago. But as for right now, it’s your house. I get it. If you don’t want me here, well, what else is there to say?”

“I didn’t say I didn’t want you here. I said I thought it would be a bad idea for you to stay here.”

Was he giving her an opening? “So...you do want me here?”

“Aly...” He seemed not to know what to say next.

Maurice was curled in a ball against her thigh, purring contentedly.

Connor picked up the cat, set him on the floor and sat down beside her. “This is just crazy.”

“Tell me about it.” She watched Maurice strut away, tail held high. And then, with a tired little groan, she let herself sway toward the man sitting next to her.

The most beautiful thing happened. He wrapped his arm around her.

It felt so good, just to lean against his solid strength. And he smelled the same. Clean and manly, like soap and cedar branches. She breathed him in and felt better about everything. The proximity of his body, his heat, the weight of his arm across her shoulders—it all added up to contentment, somehow. Having him close made her world a better place.

He rubbed her arm, soothing her.

With a sigh, she gave in to the comfort he offered, resting her tired head on his hard, warm shoulder, relaxing in the cradle of his embrace.

He stroked her hair. She wished he would never stop. “I’m only trying to do the right thing here,” he said, his voice low, rumbly. Intimate in the best sort of way.

The right thing...

How could he not know that this—his arm around her, his hand caressing her hair—was just about as right as it ever got? She leaned more deeply into his strength and flat-out reveled in having him hold her again.

Years. It had been years since he’d held her. That seemed simply impossible. How could she have let the distance and the silence between them go on for so long? Whatever he’d done, whatever the facts were, her heart knew the truth. Her mom was right. They needed this time together, she and Connor.