The Broken One (Falcon Falls Security, #2)

by Brittney Sahin

For those who have ever felt a little broken . . . Don’t give up.

Jesse gently squeezed her hands. “I’ve always known you were the one, Ella Mae. There’s never been anyone but you,” he said slowly. “You were with me in Iraq even though you didn’t know it. I had your picture with me. Always. Yours was the first face I looked at when I woke and the last face I saw before going to sleep.”

“My heart has been with you whether I was overseas or at home,” Jesse went on, his voice full of emotion. “It’s always been with you. I’ve always loved you, and I always will. No matter what.”

“Nothing has been real,” she began in a soft voice, shivering despite the warmer water, and her nipples hardened to painful points. “The marriage. The Southern gems. Nothing. But what I feel for you here and now, despite all the craziness . . . is real.” She set a hand over her heart and kept going so she wouldn’t break down and sob. “What I feel for you right now, it’s real. And no one can take that from me.” She swallowed. “From us.” He stepped forward. “What are you saying?” “You need to know that as angry as I might get with you at times, or as scared as maybe I’ve been . . . my vows to you were real.” I love you. I’ll always love you. But why couldn’t she say that right now? Jesse’s gaze fell to the tiled floor, his chest expanding with a deep breath as he holstered his sidearm, and she nervously waited for his next move. Shifting his attention to the door, Jesse clicked the lock in place before turning to her. The strain in his jaw beneath his facial hair and the vein at his neck were signs he was still trying to fight something. Or maybe he was fighting his desire to come to her? “Are you going to reject me, Jesse Edward McAdams?” she whispered. “Or are you going to love me?” Two steps closer, and he was within arm’s reach. “I told you my vows were real. So are the photos in my wallet. All of it,” he returned in a low tone that had a shiver going down her spine. “How I feel about you, and how I have always felt about you is more real than my own existence,”

“I don’t know if I made this clear,” Ella began around a sniffle, “but I accept you for who you are and who you were. And I want you. Every part of you. All of it.” Her tears fell freely now as Jesse pulled her onto his lap. “I just want you, and I don’t care about anything else. Please, please don’t run from me. Not again.”

“Oh fuck, Ella.” He closed his eyes, rested his forehead against hers, and sighed, his chilly hands caressing her face. “I don’t deserve you, but I don’t want to give you up.” She eased back and placed her palm to his cheek, prompting him to lift his gaze to hers, and when his beautiful blue eyes met hers, she cried, “I sure as hell won’t let you give me up . . . and you know how damn stubborn I am.”

“And I’ve only ever wanted you protected. Safe and happy, so . . .”

“I’m sorry it took me so long to find my way to you. To try and piece myself back together to be the man you deserve.” He quietly added, “I didn’t know if you could love someone so broken back then.” Ella nearly startled at his last comment, and she pulled back and swiped her hands over her cheeks, willing herself to pull it together. “Loving someone unconditionally means you’re there for them at their highs and lows.”

He quietly studied her before saying, “I’m back on a team now because I was wrong. Being alone was never the answer. And more than anything, I don’t want to live in a world where we’re not together.” He paused for another second. “I was waiting to be perfect for you, but I realize now perfection’s not achievable. For anyone, really. And if these last few days have taught me anything, it’s that feeling whole is my kind of perfect, and that’s how I feel when I’m with you.”

“I love you, Ella Mae.” It was the first time telling her this aside from the wedding, and those words zipped her heart back together. She felt whole again. “Unconditionally and forever,” he added, his voice cracking this time. Ella slid her palms up his chest and placed her hands over his heart. Once she was certain her voice would remain steady, she lifted her gaze and looked into his deep blue eyes. “I love you too. So much. And I’m so damn proud of you for working on yourself. For not quitting on yoursel...

“You’ll always be mine. Even if it’s from the grave, you’re my forever.” She chewed on her lip at his words, the tears crashing down and hitting the hand still cupping her face. “Soul mate. That’s what you are. You’re my forever-forever. In life and in,” she said around a thick swallow, “death.”

“No, he’s a killer. You’re a hero. There’s a big difference.” She stabbed his chest while sniffling. “And tonight, you’re saving lives.”

“I’m never leaving your side. You’ve got me for life, you hear me?” she whispered, and he closed his eyes at her words and nearly fell back to the ground.

“Ella Mae, will you stay married to me?” Jesse asked, his voice rough as he lifted the box and presented her the diamond and band. It was then she noticed his wedding band was already back on his ring finger. He followed her gaze there and said, “I’m being optimistic.” Then he shot her a devilish grin that had her insides melting, but she also could see the emotion in his eyes. Ella stole a quick look at her older brother, and Beckett nodded his approval, which meant . . . he and Jesse had made up. And that was the best “engagement-marriage” present ever.

“Is this the middle place?” she cried. “Are we officially there?” Jesse tipped his head and smiled. “If that place is being happy, being your husband, then hell yes, we’re there.” Her heart slammed against her rib cage, and she ignored the rings to fling her arms over his shoulders. “Yes, yes, yes. I’d love to stay married to you.”

“The baby is mine, that’s for sure.” He covered her hand with his and lifted his gaze to her eyes. “Just like you’re mine.” His eyes became glossy as he said, “You made me whole again, Ella Mae. And now you’re making me a father.” He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment as a tear fell down his cheek. “And I promise I won’t be anything like my dad.” She lifted her palm between them to cradle his face. “I know,” she whispered. “You’ll be the most amazing father, just like you’re the most incredible husband.” Tears now steadily streamed down her face, and he opened his eyes, and a smile snagged his lips.

He was no longer the broken one. He was whole again.