Clearing his throat, he looked deep into her eyes as she said, “I love you, Karson. I was wrong. You were right. I should have come home. I’m sorry.”

He almost collapsed to the floor, and he was convinced he would have if she hadn’t wrapped her arms around his middle, pressing her lips to his. Melting against her, he wrapped his arms around her as relief flooded through him. He thought this was going to be a fucking train wreck. He thought he would walk in here and she would kick him back out, but that wasn’t the case. Somehow overnight, she had gotten her head out of her ass.

Thank sweet baby Jesus.

Pulling back, he kissed her lips again and then again, before whispering, “I love you too. So much, but please, don’t do shit like this again.”

“I promise,” she whispered against his lips. “I knew I was wrong, but I was so scared, Karson. I don’t want to lose you.”

“I’m not going anywhere, Lacey. Nowhere. Not unless you are with me.”

Pressing his forehead to hers, he smiled, and when she smiled back, his heart soared. But then he heard a voice he could have gone without hearing at that moment, or ever, really.

“What the hell? I thought she left him,” Nate’s voice boomed.

“That’s what she said,” Rachel said, and when Karson looked over at her, he saw that her brows were pulled together, completely confused.

“Lacey, what is going on?” Nate asked as Karson’s arms tightened around her.

“What are you doing here?” Lacey asked, her fingers locking together around him. He could feel her heart pounding, and he could understand why. This was about to be ugly, but this time, he hadn’t promised anything and he wasn’t going to hold back.

“I came to check on you, honey. Rachel said you two split up,” Nate said, shutting the door and tucking his hands in his pockets.

“We never split up,” Karson corrected. “We just had a misunderstanding. Everything is fine.”

“Are you sure?” he asked Lacey, completely ignoring Karson.

“Yes. I said everything was fine,” he answered back, and this time Nate’s eyes met his.

“I’m talking to my daughter,” he said, venom lacing his low voice.

“Well, I am talking to you,” Karson said, but Lacey laid her hand on his chest, stopping him.

“I think you had the right idea before, Lacey. I thought you were done,” Rachel said, but Grady came over, sliding his arm around her waist.

“This isn’t our business, Rachel,” he insisted. “I think we should leave.”

“It is my business,” she said, pushing out of his arms. Looking back at Lacey, she said, “Lacey, this is not a good idea. Let him go.”

“Yes, listen to your best friend, your father,” Nate urged, but Lacey shook her head.

“No,” Lacey said sternly. “I’m tired of doing what you tell me. I let you and Rachel put doubt in my mind, but no more. I want my happiness, and that’s Karson.”

“No,” Rachel said, shaking her head. “You are making a mistake, Lacey.”

“I’m not.”

“Yes, you are. It won’t work. You two are different people, and he wants kids and you don’t. It won’t work,” Rachel persisted, and Karson decided he really did hate that woman.

“We will work it out,” Karson hissed. “We are still learning. This is new to us, and we can figure it out as long as all of you stay out of it.”

“I told you this is none of your business, and Karson’s right. How do you know what will work between them?” Grady asked Rachel and that surprised Karson. “She is an adult. She can make her own choices. It’s not our life. It’s hers.”

“Whose side are you on?” Nate demanded.

“Hers,” Grady asked. “Or his. Whatever. I just want my baby sister to be happy, and if it’s with that guy, then I support it.”

“You’re insane,” Rachel complained. “He is going to hurt her again.”

“Never,” Karson promised at the same time that Lacey said, “He isn’t the one out to hurt me.”

Karson paused, looking down at her along with everyone else. While she was right, he didn’t understand her statement. Letting go of him, she took a step toward her father but not without lacing her fingers with Karson’s, holding their hands behind her back. “You are.”

“What?” Nate said, his bushy eyebrows shooting up. “I want nothing more than for you to be happy.”

“No, if that were the case, then you wouldn’t continually sabotage me.”

“What the hell are you talking about, Lacey Arielle?”

“He has done nothing but love you,” Rachel added, and Lacey cut her a look that could kill.

“Shut up, you don’t know anything,” she snapped, and Rachel made a face as Lacey turned her attention to her father. “How could you?”

“How could I what? I haven’t done anything.”

But Lacey shook her head, her hand squeezing Karson’s. He moved behind her, wrapping his free arm around her waist to give her support as she said, “You’ve tried to ruin my life over and over again, and I’m done, Dad. We are through. You won’t hurt me any longer, nor will I ever talk to you again.”

“What? I would never. I’ve only loved you.”

“I’m not even going to go back as far as when all the cancer stuff happened or even when you ran Karson off. I forgave you for all that, but paying Ethan to marry me and then cheat on me? That is inexcusable.”