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“You’re safe,” he said. “That’s the first thing I need you to understand. I know you’re frightened about what happens when we land. You’ve spent the last few days fighting for the next ten minutes. Now you suddenly have to think about the rest of your life.”

My throat tightened.

“But you don’t have to figure it all out today.” His thumbs moved slowly over my cheeks. “You unlocked a man you had every reason to fear and bet your life on my word. There aren’t many people with that kind of courage.”

“Lachlan—”

“Let me finish.”

I closed my mouth.

The corner of his lip lifted slightly.

“Good girl.”

Those two words sent an embarrassing little flutter through me.

“I’ll always be grateful for what you did for me, but that isn’t why I’m going to help you. I’m doing it because I want to.” His thumbs stilled against my cheeks. “There’s a whole fucking world waiting for you, Isabella. You’ve never had the chance to find out what you can do.”

His hands slid from my face to the sides of my neck.

“If you want me beside you while you figure that out, I’ll be there. If you need room, I’ll give you room. I’ll be as much or as little a part of your life as you want me to be.”

My head dipped.

“Thank you.” My voice came out quieter than I intended as Lachlan waited for me to continue.

“I don’t know what higher power brought you to me, and I know you went through hell, but I’m so grateful for your help.” I stared at my hands. “And I know you keep telling me I’m not a burden, but right now, the reality is that I am.”

One hand slid beneath my chin and tipped my face up.

“For a while, I’m going to have to depend on you, and I hate that.”

“I know.”

There was no pity in his expression.

“I promise I’ll find work as soon as I can. I’ll earn my own money and pay you back for whatever—”

“No.”

I blinked. “No?”

“I don’t want you to pay me back. Like we all told you out there, you’re not indebted to any of us—especially not me. You can get a job. You can earn your own money. You can build whatever life you decide you want, and I’ll support you every step of the way.” His hands settled on my thighs. “I understand why that matters to you. You’ve never had the chance to succeed or fail on your own merits because someone else was always making the decisions for you.”

My eyes burned.

“So decide for yourself what you want to do. Work or study, try something and decide you hate it, fuck it up spectacularly and start over if that’s what it takes.”

A tiny laugh escaped me.

His fingers tightened gently around my thighs. “There’s only one condition.”

“Oh?”

“You don’t put yourself in danger trying to prove you can do everything alone.”

I narrowed my eyes.