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Slowly, Eden turned in his direction, her eyes instantly going waristered his presence

"I knew you’d co that kept me sane I knew you’d coed Swanny’s eyes, and the nurse attending Eden’s vitals discreetly stepped away

"How can you even look atthat I failed you," he choked out "It’s my fault you were taken I never should have left you alone I don’t know that I can ever live with ently caressed his face with cold fingertips

"Not your fault I was too trusting I should have known but it was too late by the tiht me better and I didn’t listen"

Swanny reached up for her hand, pressing her palm to his lips as tears slid soundlessly down his cheeks

"I brought you here and insisted on the best plastic surgeon Paris had to offer I couldn’t allow you to live with constant reminders of what happened to you I kno important your career is to you So I made the decision to have the cuts to your face repaired The surgeon said that in a few ood as new again"

She smiled up at him, so much love in her eyes that it took his breath away God, she still loved hiht when he’d taken her away from the horror she’d endured

"I don’t care about my face or career, Swanny I only care about you," she said, sincerity ringing clear in her voice "As long as I have you, as long as you lovemoment to compose himself To try to rid hihtly he couldn’t speak--or breathe--around it

"I love you," he said brokenly "I love you so ift I never drearateful for it You’ll never kno much you mean to me, but I can tell you every day for the rest of our lives just how much I love you"

Her eyes widened and her hand slid fro his throat and understanding why she was staring at him in shock, he made an atte

"Marry me, Eden," he said in a husky, tear-laced voice "Be with me Stay with me forever I knoe have a lot to work out with our respective careers and I want you to know that I’ll always support your decisions I’ll never stand in the way of your career I just want you"

This tiht But there was such a joyous sruous with their surroundings She was in recovery just coy and yet she lit up the room like sunshine in July over Kentucky Lake

"I’ll ht We’ll work it out in tio ho Then we can tackle our careers and make comproently kissed her lips, one of the few places she didn’t have a bandage covering her face

"I don’t have a ring--yet But you can be da And then I’ you home to Tennessee I’ll buy you the perfect house on the lake and you can sit out on the deck and enjoy the water and do nothing more than rest and recover while I wait on you hand and foot"

Her s

"My dad ant to give me away and my brothers ant to be there But otherwise I don’t want a big fuss No paparazzi, no public announcee and certainly no daazines It will be our day and I want to keep it that way Inti of your fao and they’re worried sick about you When you get moved to your room I’ll let the selfish and keeping you all to rogginess fro

"I’m on board with your selfishness, because trustto be very possessive of you and spending time with you, just the two of us I can’t think of a better way to recover than to spend it with you, in our ho another person"

Swanny’s heart filled to bursting He didn’t even ain crowded his eyes This wo and yet infinitely gentle and so very loving and giving

He whispered a thanks to God for seeing her safely back to hi the perfect house on the lake With a perfect deck and a dock overlooking the water, not far from the KGI compound, but he had no desire to sequester himself and Eden behind the walls of the compound He wanted a special place of their own Their sanctuary where they could focus on each other and a future that was brighter than the sun

EPILOGUE