“So is that a yes?” he asked huskily.
“Yes, please. I love you so much it hurts. I want to marry you.” Fat tears were still rolling down my cheeks, but I didn’t care. After what seemed like a lifetime of hell, I now had the most valuable thing I’d ever possessed in my life; I had Trace’s love.
“I don’t ever want you to hurt, Eva. I think we both need to put the past where it belongs: in the past. It’s history. You were never guilty of anything but working your ass off to survive.” His arms tightened possessively. “I’ll give you everything in my power to make you happy. What were your plans before you were arrested?”
I sighed and laid my head on Trace’s strong shoulder. “Culinary school. Isa was helping me get scholarships and finding me a school that allowed me to work while I was learning.”
“In Colorado?”
I nodded.
“Thank fuck!” he exclaimed. “The last thing I want is to have to be away from you to make you happy. Do you still want to go to school?”
“More than anything,” I said wistfully.
“We’ll find the best school in the area, and you can feel free to try out new recipes on me,” he said magnanimously.
I actually giggled because I was so happy. “Thank you. That’s very nice of you.”
“I’m a selfish bastard,” he corrected. “You’re an amazing cook.”
God, I adored this man who made me feel like I could do anything. “I love you,” I told him breathlessly, my heart hammering with the adrenaline of loving and being loved. “I’ll cook you anything I’m capable of making. It’s the only thing I can think of to give you something back.”
“I don’t care what you do, as long as you’re happy. Cook. Don’t cook.” He flipped me onto my back gently and covered my upper body with his. His dark jade eyes were intense as our gazes locked and held. “Just love me and marry me.”
The raw power that Trace always seemed to exude was still present, but the vulnerability that he was willing to let show in his eyes would have brought me to my knees if I had been standing.
I knew that it was time to let go, to release myself from my past. Everything that had happened was unfortunate, but karma had given me an unbelievable future, and a man who would never let me feel alone and afraid again. If I had to do it all again just to end up where I was now, I’d do it just to be with him. Maybe I’d still have an occasional nightmare, and I didn’t know how I felt about my grandmother, but I could figure that out later. All that mattered was living in the present, and be grateful that fate had thrown Trace Walker into my path.
He was right. I was guilty of nothing except trying to be a better person. From now on, I needed to let go of my anger and hold my head up as high as I possibly could. I was young. I was incredibly happy. And I knew I was capable of doing good things. The Britneys in the world could go to hell.
I lifted my hand and cupped his jaw, letting my fingers play over his lips. “I love you, too, Trace. We’ll let go of the past together.”
“Deal,” he agreed in husky voice. “I have something I want to give you, but I don’t want to make you cry again.”
He made it sound like me crying was worse than torture for him. Didn’t he understand that I was actually tearful because I was overwhelmingly happy?
“I won’t cry,” I promised.
“Good.” He grinned at me as he rolled out of bed and went to his closet and pulled out a framed picture from the bottom of his closet. “I didn’t get a chance to wrap it and put it under the tree.”
For a moment, I’d been temporarily highly distracted by his naked form, my eyes glued to the hottest, tightest ass I’d ever seen. Until he turned around, and I was greeted by the sight of his cock standing at attention. My eyes devoured every defined muscle as he moved back to the bed. God, would I always be rendered mute and stunned just by looking at him naked? Dressed or undressed, the sight of him always took my breath away.
I smiled back at him as I reached out to accept the large frame. It was at least a foot wide and similar in height, and it was heavy, probably because of the ornate frame. I turned it around, and I froze as I looked at the face that seemed to be looking back at me.
It was a picture of my father.
I gasped in surprise, and contrary to my promise, tears welled up in my eyes. “Oh, my God. How?”
I didn’t have a picture of my father. I’d lost everything, including most of my personal items when I’d been incarcerated.
“I found it in public records, and I digitally restored and enhanced it. You look like him, Eva.”