And then, as if by the power of a prayer that only her heart could whisper, Nolan’s eyelids slowly fluttered open and she held her breath, tears springing to her eyes. “Nolan?”
“Sh-shan-non,” he said on a moan and she nearly broke down and sobbed in relief.
“Yes, I’m here,” she assured him, raining kisses on his hand. “I’ve never left your side.”
“Shannon?”
“Yes? Do you want the doctor?”
“My head hurts and my mouth feels as if I’ve been sucking on a dirty shoe.”
She laughed through her tears. “Well, I should say so, you’ve been unconscious from a head injury. You fell and hit your head at the hotel. You’re lucky to be alive. Your brothers and your sister in law are here. They went out to get something to eat but they’ll be back soon.” She lifted a water cup to his lips and he drank deeply. “Hold on, I’ll get the doctor.”
“Not yet. I have to say something that’s meant for your ears only.”
“You need to rest,” she protested but his grip on her hand tightened and she stilled.
He grinned slowly, looking unconscionably adorable, as he said in a husky voice, “I’m lucky because you’re here with me. I don’t need anything else but my woman and my daughter. I love you, Shannon.”
His admission stole the breath from her lungs. She licked her lips, unable to believe what she’d just heard but as he held her gaze she knew he spoke the truth. “I love you, too,” she murmured happily, bending down to place a tender kiss on his lips. “I love you more than I ever realized I could love another person aside from my child.”
“I should’ve been spending more time figuring out how to be a man worthy of your love, instead of trying to buy your affection,” he said. His earnest tone nearly cracking her heart in two as he said, “I’ll spend the rest of our lives making it up to you. I promise.”
Shannon’s answering smile was warmed by the love spilling over in her heart as she whispered in his ear, “That’s a deal, Buchanan,” she paused to add in a teasing manner, “Now hurry up and get well. We have three years worth of sex to catch up on and I’m impatient to get started.”
He grinned weakly but soon enough his eyelids fluttered closed again and he was asleep. Shannon watched him sleep, knowing with a certainty that she was looking into the face of her future. Maybe that’s why she’d been so eager to leave him that morning after their first night. One night and her soul had known, he was the one.
Two years later, fate had returned her to him.
And she wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth.
She wanted a life with Nolan Buchanan, starting right now.
-Epilogue-
“One bonk on the head and you’re nearly six feet under. I never knew you were such a pussy,” Dillon joked, eliciting a muffled laugh from his wife, Penny as they sat around the table at the family home on a weekend visit. Nolan had made the choice to telecommute for Shannon’s sake so she could finish the season with the Juggernaut. It’d been an easy decision for Nolan. He wanted to be wherever his two favorite people were. Nolan accepted the good-natured ribbing because he knew there was no choice. If the situation were reversed for either of his brothers, he would be as merciless.
But none of that mattered. He was alive and he was planning a wedding. Strange but true. He was going to marry Shannon Garrity.
“Do you think I should hyphenate?” Shannon asked, nibbling on her lip in a way that made him want to suck that delectable lip right into his mouth. “I mean, Shannon Buchanan, it’s kind of rhyme-y. Sort of like Julia Gulia, from The Wedding Singer.”
Penny laughed again and nodded. “Oh, my goodness! You’re right! That’s funny.”
Nolan looked to Shannon and a frown dipped his brows. “You’re carrying my name, woman,” he said to her. “I don’t care how it sounds.”
Shannon graced him with a stubborn look. “I think Shannon Garrity-Buchanan has a very nice ring to it,” she said with a sniff.
The truth was, he didn’t care if she hyphenated as long as his name was attached to hers somehow. He pulled her into his arms and gave her a resounding kiss. “It does,” he agreed. “As long as we’re together, I don’t care.”
“Ugh.” Vince rolled his eyes. “’Both my brothers have lost their balls,” he said, getting up to leave.
“Where are you going?” Nolan asked. “Aren’t you going to visit?”
“And talk about weddings and babies and last names? No thanks. I’d rather pull my eyelashes out.” Nolan sobered, knowing his brother felt alone now that both Dillon and Nolan had found someone. He could only hope that someday his beloved twin found the same level of joy but Vince was so closed off, he might not even know it if it were staring him in the face.
“You’ll be at the wedding, right?” Nolan asked.
Vince paused and cast him a look filled with love even though they were men and not supposed to be pussies about that kind of stuff. “I wouldn’t miss it,” he answered gruffly and then walked from the room.
“I don’t think he likes me,” Shannon said quietly. Penny, Dillon and Nolan knew Vince’s attitude had nothing to do with Shannon and everything to do with the pain he carried around inside himself but Nolan didn’t want to reveal Vince’s private business.
“That’s just Vince,” Nolan said, forcing a smile. “In his own way, he’ll grow to love you. He already adores Aubrey.”
“It’s true,” Penny agreed, rubbing her enormous belly. “He tries to hide it but Vince has the softest heart. He’s going to drive all of us crazy by spoiling the kids rotten.”
Shannon smiled, relieved. “Oh good. I thought it was me.”
Nolan appreciated Shannon’s concern for his twin, knowing how close he was to his brother. Vince would come around, eventually. And it was true, Vince loved Aubrey to distraction.
“So did you ever figure out who sent that anonymous letter in the first place?” Penny asked, intrigued. “Who knew they’d be a blessing in disguise.”
“Actually, I did find out,” Shannon answered, shooting a glance at Nolan. “It was CeCe, my intern. She found out through a friend of mine, did a little research and when she discovered Nolan, she thought if I were embroiled in a custody battle, I wouldn’t notice what she was doing behind my back, which was trying to steal my job.”