“I hurt both of us,” he replies softly. “I fell into such an easy love with you, I didn’t even realize it was happening, until one day, it was everything.”

“You don’t do love,” I reply.

“I didn’t,” he agrees with a half-smile. “But you made the man who was incapable of love fall in love with you.”

I frown and tilt my head. “You said that to me in the hospital.”

He nods solemnly.

“Eli, I don’t know if I can do marriage and forever with anyone again. I don’t know if I have that in me.”

“Oh, baby.” He kisses my forehead and hugs me to him again. “You do. But we can take this one day at a time. As long as you’re with me, every day, nothing else matters, cher. We don’t have to jump into anything.”

My arms clutch him now, wrapping around him and holding him tight.

“I missed you too,” I whisper into his chest.

“You’re going to burn,” he says and leads me into the bedroom. He lies next to me on my bed, turning us so we’re facing each other, and I can’t help the tears that spring to my eyes. “Don’t cry.”

“I thought you’d—”

“If I’d known you’d thought that, I would have called and told you differently right away. I had no idea. I’m so sorry.”

I shake my head and close my eyes, then lean in and press my lips to his lightly. His hand drifts down my side to my hip, and he lets me take the lead, nibbling his lips, kissing his cheek. I pull my fingertips down his chin as his hand makes its way up my shirt.

“I missed your skin,” he whispers.

“I might have missed your abs,” I reply softly.

He raises a brow. “Might have?” He pushes me onto my back and unfastens the buttons on my shirt, nudges it aside and kisses my chest, over to my already puckered nipple, pulling it into his mouth through my bra.

“Probably.” My hand drifts down his back to his butt. “And this too.”

He chuckles and works his way down my stomach. “I think we should make a list. The first on mine is this sexy as hell piercing.”

“A list of things I love about you?” I ask with a giggle. He raises his head, his eyes wide, and pushes back up to look me in the eye.

“Do you love me, Kate?”

“I love you very much,” I reply sincerely. “All of you.”

His eyes close and he tips his forehead against mine, then sends me that sexy, naughty grin of his. “Let’s make those lists.”

***

Two Weeks Later…

“I would have hired people to unpack your things,” Eli says, as he wraps his arms around me from behind and kisses my cheek.

“That’s silly,” I reply, and hang the last blouse in the closet. “Besides, the thought of having strangers touch my clothes and underwear is not appealing.”

“Well, when you put it like that,” he agrees with a smile, and turns me to face him. He kisses me softly. “Welcome home, cher.”

“Thank you.” I smile widely, happy to be here in our townhome in the French Quarter. “I love this place.”

“I love you.”

I smile up at him. “I know.”

He swallows and cups my cheek in his hand. “Kate, Rhys told me about the baby you lost, and I’ve been meaning to find the right moment to tell you that I’m so very sorry for your loss.”

I feel tears fill my eyes, but his words are a balm to my heart. “Thank you.”

He kisses me softly, gently, his thumbs making circles on my cheeks, and I can’t help but hope that there will be other babies.

Lots of babies.

“Is the family here?” I ask.

“We are.” Eli’s mama’s voice comes from the bedroom, and when we step out of the closet, she’s smiling widely. “Hello, sweet girl.”

“I’m so glad you all came for dinner.” I hug the petite woman before walking toward the door.

Just before I leave the room, I hear her say, “Your daddy would be so proud of you, Eli.”

I grin and leave them alone, joining the others in the kitchen.

“Are you really living with Uncle Eli now, Miss Kate?” Sam asks excitedly.

“I am.” I smile at the sweet little boy and smooth his unruly hair down, then snatch a fried potato out of a serving tray that the caterers brought.

Eli had this gathering catered. He didn’t want me to have to deal with cooking dinner and unpacking my things.

God, I love that man.

“Are you okay?” Eli asks, as he wraps me in his arms and hugs me tightly, joining us in the kitchen.

“Why wouldn’t she be okay?” Beau asks, as he uncovers the shrimp gumbo. “She doesn’t start work until Monday, so you haven’t had a chance to be a hard ass with her yet.”

“How did your boss take it when you quit?” Van asks.

“He was fine when I explained that I didn’t want to travel around so much, and that Bayou Enterprises offered me a position.”

“I don’t want to think about the positions Eli offers you,” Charly grumbles, earning a glare from her mother.

Eli simply raises an eyebrow at me, a half-smile on his sexy lips.

“I’m great.”

“You’re amazing,” he whispers in my ear. “And all mine.”

I smile up at him, in the middle of the hustle and bustle of his family, laughing and talking, in our home, and know that I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be.