Secret Nights at Nine Oaks (11 page)

“Don't leave,” he said, dragging her to his side. “Don't.”

She said nothing, stroking his face, his hair, and then cradling him to her breast.

Cain felt emotion grab him, its powerful surge pulling him in, and he wanted it, desperate to latch on tight. But something else tugged at him, the old feelings, old pain, and it wasn't till he was drifting off to sleep that he realized the chance of his life beckoned, and his ties to his past were only tattered fringes in his mind.

 

Cain stood several yards from the shore and tossed a match on the ruined sailboat. The dry, old wood flamed quickly and he sat on the ground, watching it burn to ashes.

He let himself be burdened by guilt. When he woke alone this morning, the scent of Phoebe lingered, reminding him what he was losing for the sake of a ghost.

It wasn't so much her words that changed him, it was realizing he hadn't thought of Lily in weeks, not in the way he had in the past. Now she was an old memory he tried to keep alive for all the wrong reasons.

He'd made a mistake by trying to love someone he couldn't. He bore the burden of giving Lily hope when he should have ended their relationship quickly. He would not shoulder the blame any longer.

Not at the cost of his love for Phoebe.

I'm done here,
he thought.

Free. Down to his soul.

The wood popped and hissed as Cain let out a deep breath. He'd known he would come to this place, this moment, someday, but it took Phoebe's resilience to make him step this close to his past. She gave him the strength, his love for her overshadowing Lily.

Ashes spiraled toward the sky and he smiled. With it, went his past. His guilt.

Then he heard the sound of an engine and twisted to look toward the house. In the distance, he could see figures near the garages—Benson, Willis, Mr. Dobbs.

And Phoebe.

Cain jumped to his feet, glanced at the dying embers, then ran toward the house.

She was leaving.

 

Phoebe hugged Benson and tried to hide her tears as she walked to her Jeep. The others departed quickly, and she was opening the door when she heard her name and turned. First she saw the trail of smoke spiraling toward the sky, then Cain walking briskly toward her.

Instantly she noticed something different about him.

“I've never seen you dress like that.” His worn jeans molded his body, the T-shirt snug over his wide chest, but it was the ease of his stride, the softness in his moves that caught her in the chest.

“I thought it was time I left some things behind, and buried them forever.”

Phoebe's heartbeat skipped and stuttered. “What things?”

He advanced, his steps determined. “The ogre, the guilt. I needed room for other feelings.”

“Oh, really?”

He grinned. “God, I love it when you get that sass in your look.”

Phoebe's breath caught as he walked right up to her and cradled her face in his cool hands.

“Don't leave me.”

Tears blurred his image. “I can't stay here locked away with you.”

“Then don't. Open more doors with me.” She started to speak, but he kept talking. “Shh, listen to me. I've been an idiot.” Her lips quivered at that. “I let myself be trapped, I made my own life more miserable, and yet, you stuck around, you dragged me out of that dark place. Don't give up on us now. After all we've been through, please don't.”

She covered his hands. “Oh, Cain.”

He swallowed, gazing deeply into her green eyes. “I need you so much I can't breathe without you. You're my life. I love you, Phoebe DeLongpree,
I love you.
”

“Cain.” Her breath caught and a tear fell. “I love you, too. I think I have for years.”

He smiled, his own eyes burning as he thanked God for her. The other half of his soul. “Stay with me. Make a life with me. Have babies with me.” He brushed his mouth to hers. “Marry me, Phoebe. Marry me, please.”

She didn't hesitate. “Yes, yes.”

“Ahh,” he said. “Thank God.” He captured her mouth, lifting her off her feet and crushing her in his arms. He peppered her face in kisses and she begged for more, laughing. They tumbled to the grass, the dogs rushing to leap and bound over them and Cain flopped to his back, Phoebe in his arms. She stared down at him, her fingers trailing lightly across his brow.

“I love you,” he said, his gaze sketching her face, the sunlight glittering in her hair.

A happy tear trickled down her cheek. “Took you long enough.”

He laughed and squeezed her and smiled, and with her nestled at his side on the sun-kissed grass, peace settled over them, wrapping them in a bright future.

Cain kissed the top of her head, and could almost feel his ancestors staring down at them, pleased that Nine Oaks was alive with hope again, that laughter would fill its rooms and shower endless Southern nights with a love that would span centuries.