Mels’s skin began to prickle from head to foot as she looked back and forth between her mother and her…well, whatever he was.

As an awkward silence sprang up, she took Matthias’s hand and squeezed as hard as she could. Until he went, “Ouch.”

And that was when she knew.

This…was not a dream.

Okay, Matthias had never expected to meet any woman’s parents—and certainly not like this…with the female he loved thinking he was a figment of her imagination, and her mother standing in a doorway like she didn’t know whether to come in again and give it another go—or disappear altogether.

Before things grew even weirder, he shifted Mels out of his arms and got to his feet. Straightening his Hanes T-shirt, he wished he didn’t look like a homeless man, except that’s what he was. Rootless, but clean-shaven, at least.

For the past three weeks, he’d been staying in hotels in the area, keeping an eye on Mels, watching her from a distance to make sure she was okay. And she had been.

Which was not to say there hadn’t been some surprises. All those mornings she’d gone into the newsroom, he’d assumed she was working on the story, but no. After that one trip to Manhattan—and of course he’d followed her down there and segued to raid his secured stash for cash and supplies—she had stuck to home base in more than one sense.

It wasn’t until the story broke the day before that he realized she hadn’t reported it herself.

Somehow, it made him love her even more.

He walked over and stuck his hand out to her mom. “Ah…I’m Matt. A friend of Mels’s.”

Her mother was nothing like her, shorter, more delicate, with salt-and-pepper hair and bright green eyes—but absolutely lovely…and with a brisk handshake that absolutely made him think of the woman’s daughter.

“I’m Helen. I’m so glad to meet you.” And going by the way her eyes were shining, that was the truth. “Are you staying for dinner?”

He looked at Mels. When she seemed incapable of answering, he figured, Why the hell not. “Yes, ma’am. If you two will have me.”

“Oh, wonderful!” Helen clapped her hands together, and then bent down to the pile of scruffy fur that had come over to welcome her into her own home. “Is this your dog?”

“He’s everyone’s,” he and Mels answered together.

“Well, he’s welcome, too—yes, you are, yes, you are, what a good boy.” After proper love was shown, Helen glanced over. “I’ll head out and get us some burgers to do up on the grill. It’s going to be a fantastic, warm night, and we should take advantage of it while it’s here!”

On that note, the woman turned on her heels, grabbed her keys, and left—like maybe she knew there was some talking that needed to be done away from any third parties.

Dogs excluded.

Mels just stared up at him as he turned to her. “You’re really back?”

He nodded. “Yeah.”

“I watched you die.”

He took a deep breath. He’d spent a lot of time wondering how to explain it all, and then decided that if he got the chance, he was going to be vague. No reason for her to think he was lying—or mentally ill.

“It looked that way, yeah.”

“Have you been in the hospital? Where did you go?”

“Jim took care of me.”

“I thought that meant he buried your body.”

In time, he thought, he’d explain everything. But his woman looked as if her mind was cramping up. So, yeah, hitting her with an I’ve-been-to-Heaven-and-met-God was probably not the best idea.

“Not the way it played out.” He crouched down. “Let’s just say, I was saved. In the end…I was saved and all I could think of was coming back to you.”

Tears spilled out of her eyes and onto her cheeks. “I didn’t think I’d ever see you again.”

“I’m here. So will you let me kiss you now?”

She reached for him by way of answer, her arms linking around his neck, her mouth finding his, the two of them coming together as one.

And it was better than Heaven.

In fact, if he hadn’t thought it would lead to difficult conversations with the neighbors, he would have taken her right then and there—but there would be time for that sort of thing when there was more privacy.

God willing.

Easing back, he brushed her hair behind her ears. “There’s one thing you have to know—I’m not going to give myself up.”

“To authorities?”

“If I do, I’ll get killed in jail. Maybe it’s by an operative, maybe an old enemy—but I…I’ve already done my time in a prison. I’ve paid my dues.”

That stint in Hell had been just as he deserved, and though on earth the stay might have been measured in days, down below it had been an eternity, a life sentence carried out.

“And I vow to you, no more lying, no more deceit, nothing. I’ll pack groceries for a living, I’ll be a meter maid, I’ll…I don’t know what. But I’ll figure something out, and it’s going to be honest.”

Mels studied his face, then ran her hand over his cheek to his jaw. “If you’re at peace, I’m at peace,” she murmured. “Who am I to judge? And it’s funny, my father would have liked your way of doing business. I’m not saying it’s okay, it’s just…you’ve always been good for me, and maybe it makes me selfish, but that’s what matters. Well, that and you did right by coming forward and exposing everything.”

“That part of my life is over. Forever.” Thanks in large part to her…and to Jim Heron…he just didn’t have that evil in him anymore.

As she started to smile, Matthias kissed her again, lingering on her mouth, holding the curves of her body tight.

“I love you,” he said.

His woman returned the words against his lips and he drank them in, drank all of this in, the salvation, the relief, the sheer joy of being with her. And he thought also of Jim Heron, and how much he owed the guy.

He wasn’t going to see the man again; he knew it in his bones. And that was…okay. Everything was okay as long as he had Mels—

A yap brought their heads up and around.

Dog had gone into the kitchen and was sitting by the refrigerator, one paw in the air.

Just as well, Matthias thought. He was a heartbeat away from ripping Mels’s clothes off.

As they got to their feet and went into the kitchen, he asked, “Any chance that sandwich is turkey?”

“As a matter of fact, yes.”

Matthias leaned in and kissed his woman. “Perfect. Dog loves that.”

“Then he can have every bit that’s left, and anything else that’s in the fridge.”

As they opened the door, the animal circled their feet, tail going, limp not slowing him or dimming his enthusiasm in the slightest.

Matthias kissed his woman once more.

Then they got down on their knees and took care of the little guy, feeding the sandwich piece by piece…together.

After all, it was the least he could do, Matthias thought. Considering God had given him everything he’d asked for…and couldn’t live without.