The Missing

never smiles, and she hardly ever talks to anybody unless they talk to her first. She smiled at you; she talked to you. She said you’re her friend.”

    Taige shook her head. “She doesn’t even know me, Cullen. Hell, she’s just a kid.”

    “Yeah, but she’s my kid, and I know her.” He dipped his head, putting his face on a level with hers. “You know why I brought you here. You know why I bought this house. You know what I want, and I don’t even have to explain it. I will, because we need to put things out on the table and talk them through. But if you’re nervous about that, don’t use Jilly as a reason to pull away from me.”

    The smile wobbled on her lips, and she just barely managed a whisper as she said, “You’re awful damn cocky.”

    “No.” He shook his head, still staring at her with intense, serious eyes. “I’m just determined. There’s a difference.” He glanced at the house once more and then back at her. “You know what I want, Taige. I’m not giving up on us. But if you want distance, this is your one chance. You come in that house with me, and it’s settled as far as I’m concerned. You’re mine. I won’t let you go. Not ever.”

    Amused despite herself, she grinned at him. “Is this what you call laying it out on the table?”

    He grinned back and brushed her hair away from her face. “Well, I’d planned on waiting awhile, seeing as you’re supposed to be resting and recovering, but then you started looking skittish on me.”

    She lifted a brow. “I got skittish?”

    His hands smoothed down her hips. Through the loose cotton of her pants, she could feel the heat of his hands. An answering heat flickered inside, and she dropped her gaze to stare at his mouth. It felt like it had been ages since he’d kissed her. Ages since he’d held her.

    A groan rumbled out of him, and the hands on her hips went tight. “Don’t look at me like that, baby. We can’t even think about it for a while yet.”

    “Thinking doesn’t hurt me,” she said hoarsely.

    “Maybe not. But it will hurt me, especially if you decide you’re not ready to walk into that house with me.”

    She started to lean forward, but the pain radiating through her chest froze her in place. So instead, she lifted a finger and hooked it in the neck of his shirt, tugging him closer. Pressing her lips to his, she murmured, “I’ve been ready for that for years, Cullen. I just didn’t think it would ever happen.”

    She was talking about a lot more than just going into his house with him, but he knew that. There would be plenty of time to talk it out later.

EPILOGUE

    “You look gorgeous,” Dez said from the doorway.

    Taige looked up and met her friend’s gaze in the mirror. Then she looked back at her own reflection. She didn’t look bad, she guessed. In the month since she’d been discharged from the hospital, she’d put on some of the weight she’d lost over the years, and she actually saw something beside skin, muscle, and bone when she looked in the mirror. She still had all her scars, but Taige was trying hard not to pay them any attention.
    The most obvious scar was the one on the right side of her chest, a fairly neat little wound that was still red and puckered. The thin scars from the drainage tubes were a lot less noticeable, and she knew they’d fade even more with time.
    The dress she’d chosen covered those scars and still managed to be sexy and feminine. Everything a bride’s dress should be. The longer, thinner scar on her back wasn’t completely hidden, but Taige had no plans of hiding away every scar she’d acquired in her lifetime. It wasn’t like Cullen would let her, anyway.
    “I can’t believe this is real,” she said, more to herself than anyone else.
    Stepping into the room, Dez closed the door behind her and then crossed over to stand at Taige’s shoulder. “It’s real, sugar. And you deserve it one hundred percent.” She grinned, a wide, wicked grin, and winked. “But if you wanna take off running, I’ll stand in for you. That man of yours is something else. Those eyes of his . . .” She rolled her eyes and pressed a hand to her chest. “Talk about intense.”
    Narrowing her eyes, Taige said, “Whatever you’re thinking . . . just stop. I’d hate to kill my only bridesmaid right before the wedding.”
    Dez laughed. “Girl, you are so gone over on this guy.” There was a knock at the door, and Dez went to answer, stepping aside to let