“Rachael, the only way we’re going to be able to live a normal life is to remove the threat completely. We don’t want to be looking over our shoulders the rest of our lives.”

Rachael was silent, turning his words over and over in her mind. Rio was thinking along the lines of a permanent relationship, she was still taking it one day at a time. She looked closely at his face. The right thing to do would be to leave him as quickly as possible, remove all threats to him. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I’m just realizing I have an incredible selfish streak. I always thought I was unselfish, but I don’t want to give you up. It isn’t the greatest moment in one’s life to find out how completely self-centered you really are.”

“It might be my greatest moment, to find out you want to keep me.”

“Tell me that in a couple of weeks and I might believe you. This is all so unexpected. And as for normal, is how you live here in the rainforest your definition of normal?”

“I’ve rarely lived any other way.” The smile faded from his face. “I doubt if they’ll allow us to live in the village. I can shop there, although I don’t much. It’s uncomfortable for some of the people. As I’m supposed to be dead to them, shopping is difficult. They look through me, I can’t ask questions, I leave money on the counter.”

Her dark eyes flashed. “I know what I’d like to say to them. I don’t want to live in the village. Not now. Not ever. And I’ll have to think about shopping there. I wouldn’t mind making everyone uncomfortable, but on the other hand, I would hate to help them out by supporting them.”

Rio made an effort to keep from laughing. Rachael didn’t need to be encouraged in her defense of him, but he couldn’t help secretly loving it. “You might want the protection of the village when we have children.”

“Are we going to have children?”

“Don’t look so shocked. I like children—I think.” He frowned. “I haven’t actually been around any children, but I think I’d like them.”

Rachael threw back her head and laughed more, hugging him to her as they drew closer to the house.

13