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But she only wanted to go home, shower and crash

With Arht After he’d helped her to dress, she started to zip up her jeans but he put his big hand over her bare belly and pressed his ain, putting her hand over his "I promise"

Armie stayed silent a moment She heard him s, then felt the near-reverent kiss he teased over her neck "When will you tell hi to her brother, and she was glad She didn’t want to ht, we can get together with hiuys at the gyht occurred to her and, fighting a smile, she looked at Ar her jeans for her, then lightly kissed her mouth "I want to shout it to the whole world"

So he wasn’t just accepting He was happy? She licked dry lips "Armie" He watched her so intently that she stalled and had to try again "I don’t want to pressure you"

"Pressure athered her close "Do you know it kills me that, for even a second, you’d think that way?" He lifted her hand and pressed it to his heart "You own me, Stretch For better or worse Today and forever"

That sounded so close to a proposal, Rissy lost her breath She couldn’t speak, couldn’t blink Beneath her paluided intentions to let you find a better life with a better ht? "I want you, and da her, "could ever love you as much as I do I swear it"

Her heartanyone had ever said to her

She orking up the nerve to ask him about the future when they were finally free to leave

She and Ar room to find it mostly filled with her visitors Ither at once Sticking close beside her, Arht her in, her friends hadn’t parked in back at the elad they hadn’t re area and instead had an wants to talk to you ot a call and had to take off for an hour or so"

Biting back her groan, Merissa said, "That’s fine"

"She’ll be at her house," Armie told him "With me"

"Better late than never" Cannon looked at each of theain"

"Now and always," Ar it’d take her to get used to that, but she wanted to hear it for the rest of her life

While the ood sense, Leese shing, Merissa kept her injured right arm close but slapped her left palm to his

As a small crowd they exited the hospital For once, Merissa didn’t mind that everyone paed orry, so she gave his in return even as her thoughts skipped ahead

Now and always So was Ar about the future? And under what terms?

"Hey" With his arm around her, Armie asked, "You okay?"

He was so attuned to her Merissa nodded For now, she decided to stop worrying about tomorrow so she could concentrate on the here and now

Leese said, "I can get Lea back to her car if you want"

Armie nodded, but asked Lea, "Is that okay?"

"Of course"

Merissa turned to the woman, who, so far, had been very quiet around her Lea didn’t look like abitch She looked like an average wo at her, Merissa said, "Thank you"