Chapter 52

CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO

Dare guided Ainsley carefully up the porch steps, his arm curled around her waist for support. The hospital discharge had gone smoothly, but he couldn’t shake the anxiety that lingered.

“Finally home,” he said quietly as he opened the door and led her inside.

Sarge was immediately there, brushing against Ainsley’s legs, sniffing every inch of her he could reach, whining happily. Dare grinned. “Someone’s been eager to see you.”

Ainsley leaned down and petted the dog, scratching behind his ears until he gave a happy sigh, then loped off. Dare took her hand and guided her to the couch, then helped her settle down. He sat next to her, his gaze sweeping over her from head to toe. She hadn’t said much on the ride here, so he was at a loss as to how to proceed.

He wanted to ask her how she was feeling, but it was a stupid question. She’d been through so much over the past couple of months; her emotions were probably still all over the place.

The last couple of days had been a whirlwind of activity. Ballistics had confirmed that the gun Wade Cottrell used to kill Joel Parsons had also fired the bullet found after the drive-by shooting at the plaza. Accordingly, the partial footprint found in Ainsley’s flower bed match the shoes Wade was wearing at the time of his death.

The case had wrapped up pretty quickly after that, and Dare felt like a weight had been lifted off his chest. There was just a few last details to iron out—and all of them revolved around the woman sitting next to him.

Ainsley let out a deep breath and leaned back, her body visibly relaxing into the thick cushions. “It feels good to be here,” she admitted.

He settled in next to her then took her hand, their fingers intertwining naturally. For several moments they just sat there, the thick silence pressing in on them. Finally he could stand it no longer.

He cleared his throat, gaze pinned to the wall across from them. “I know that with Joel gone, you have a lot of freedom now. You can do whatever you want, go wherever you want.”

Silence met his statement, and he turned to look at Ainsley who had gone pale. “Ains?”

She glanced up at him and pasted an overly bright smile on her lips. “That’s true. You don’t have to keep watch over me anymore,” she said, a false lightness tinging her voice. “Now you can rent the suite to someone who actually needs it.”

Dare shook his head. “I never did it for the money, Ainsley. I wanted you here. I still do.”

She shifted uncomfortably, avoiding his gaze. Dare could sense the turmoil plaguing her and wisely kept quiet, allowing her time and space to work through her jumbled thoughts. The last thing he wanted was for her to feel like he was trying to make decisions for her.

After a few moments, she mustered the courage to look up at him. “You want me here?”

He tipped his head her way. “Of course.”

“You mean, like… You want me to move in?” Her voice wavered with uncertainty even as she shook her head. “You don’t have to offer if it’s not what you really want.”

“What if it’s exactly what I want?” he countered, leaning closer. “Is it what you want?”

Ainsley drew in a deep breath, teeth cutting into her bottom lip. Her gaze flicked away before meeting his again. “Yes,” she said on a soft exhale, her voice barely audible.

“Good,” he said. “Then this is definitely not me asking you to stay with me.”

“That would be crazy, wouldn’t it?” Ainsley said, a hesitant smile tugging at her lips.

“Maybe.” He grinned back at her. “But it would make the next step easier.”

Her head tipped to the side in question. “And what’s that?”

“Rings. Picket fence. Couple rug rats.” A smile tugged at the corners of his lips.

Her eyes widened, and her mouth dropped open a fraction in shock. “You want... to get married?”

“Eventually. When you’re ready.” He lightly ran a finger over her cheekbone. “Do you think that’s something you want?”

Ainsley nodded mutely, still staring at him like she couldn’t quite comprehend the events of the past couple of minutes.

He nodded decisively. “Okay.”

She stared at him for nearly a minute. Her mouth opened and closed several times, but nothing came out. Finally, she swallowed hard. “Are you…” Her cheeks flared bright red. “I mean…”

He bit back a smile as her skin grew pinker and she pressed one hand to her cheek, clearly flustered. Deciding to take pity on her, he curved a hand around the back of her neck and pulled her close. “I just want you Ainsley. We can take things as slow as you like, but… I want you to choose me. Not because it’s safe or because you feel obligated—but because you want to.”

She met his gaze and swallowed hard. “There’s nowhere I’d rather be.”

“Me either.” He shifted to his back, pulling her with him until she was draped over him, her mouth moving slowly over his in long, lingering kisses.

A few moments later, she lifted away from him and met his gaze. “Maybe you should ask.”

Dare grinned. “Maybe I will.”