We pile into his truck and up the coast to his favorite beach. Sandwiches, a pile of blankets to sit on and a decent bottle of wine are neatly packed in a picnic hamper. He’s thought of everything.
“I love you,” I say as I gaze at his handsome face, making him laugh and push me away. I’m so enamored with this man right now. Totally and utterly under his charm.
The place is deserted. It’s a pebbled beach, which is probably the reason why it’s so empty, but the sun is setting and it’s ideal for a late evening picnic.
“When I was a kid Poppa, my grandfather, would bring me here to fish. He was a good man you know, not like my dad, ruthlessly ruled over by Nonna. He worked right up until he died, I don’t think he ever took time off, except when he brought me here.”
“It’s beautiful.” This is so calming, especially after the last few days. Peaceful. Exactly what we need.
“I’ve always come here when I had a decision to take or a heart to break ...” He picks up a pebble, and throws it into the sea. “… and when I need to contemplate my next move.”
I cringe. “That sounds ominous.”
He laughs and shakes his head. “Don’t worry, that’s not why I brought you here. Poppa used to say that if you write a wish on a pebble and throw it into the sea it would settle back one day with the tide and your wish would come true. Of course, I was more of a romantic back then.” He smiles at me.
“You’re not a romantic anymore?”
His eyes squint as he reflects on his reply. “I lost track of who I was. Got caught up in being the life of the party, then I went traveling, then lost myself in my renovations. I don’t know, am I?”
“Yes, of course you are. You’re not a flowers-and-chocolate guy, but looking at the stars or having my back scrubbed by you, that’s pretty romantic. This isn’t bad either.” I serve us both a glass of wine.
He puts his arm around my shoulders and pulls me into him, kissing the top of my head. “A month ago you came into my life, blew me away. I never thought I’d find someone who sees me like you do. You’ve changed everything.”
I look up at this sweet, gentle man. “I was so lost when I came here. I knew what I wanted to do with my life, I just didn’t know how. I was running away, even though I didn’t realize it at the time. Now I can do whatever I want, on my terms, and none of that was possible without you. You let me be me, you encouraged me to play my guitar and take photos and make friends. That person, the real Caitlyn, is someone I haven’t seen for a while and I’m all the better for finding her again.”
We fall silent, watch the sun start to sink into the sea. “I’ve never felt so much joy as I have since you came into my life, you’re beautiful, inside and out, you make me laugh, you love my friends, and my family and you accept that most of them are terrible people. You’re not scared of anything, not even delivering a baby in a car,” says Hank.
“I still can’t believe I did that. And you are so wrong. I am scared of everything. I couldn’t even get up the courage to tell you who I really was.”
He holds on to me so tightly, his arms wrapping around me as if he is never going to let go. “The pain when I thought you were gone was unbearable. The idea of never being able to hold you in my arms again.” He shivers. “It was devastating.”
I look down at the pebbles, run my hand through them. Running away never solves anything, and yet Hank and I seem to be experts at it. “I’ll never leave you again, no matter how hard it gets, no matter what we face. I promise we’ll always try to work it out.”
He picks up a pebble from the beach, pulls out a pen from his pocket and writes Marry the Princess on it, then throws it in to the sea.
“One day, when you’re ready, maybe one year, ten years from now, who knows maybe even tomorrow, I’m going to marry you, Princess. I will always be here to keep you safe, I will always hold your hand, I will fight for you and I will always be on your side.”
No woman in the world is as loved as I am, right here on this beach right now. I adore him so completely, utterly, without fear. I trust him and now he knows he can trust me.
We look out at the sun as the final rays disappear behind the horizon. The sun setting on the past.
A new adventure awaits, and it isn’t going to be an easy one, we’ve got quite a few hurdles to get over, but we’ve got this far and I think we’ve proven we can face whatever comes our way.
“I love you, Cowboy.” He laughs, I haven’t used that in a while.
He kisses the top of my head and pulls me closer “I love you too, Princess.”
Acknowledgements
Thank you to all the writing communities on social media for everything you do for independent authors..
Thank you to my beta readers, Lauriel, Lucy, Sara and Erin. Did you see? I took out most of the ‘whilsts’!
Coco and Charish, you are everything; I couldn’t do it without you.
To my husband and children, I love you, thank you for your patience.
The Billionaire & the Princess Page 19
