All My Heart (Count On Me Book 4)
Page 29
“The first song in my Isabelle playlist. I want you to push play and then dance with me.”
“How are we going to dance if I’m holding your phone and you’re holding the balloon?”
“We’ll figure out a way, I promise. Please just push play.”
I do as he says and move into his arms, wrapping my own around his midsection and pressing as close as I can possibly get. His free arm comes around me at the same time and just like he said, we’ve found a way. As the music starts playing, we move our bodies together and in the moment it feels as though the rest of the world has faded away, music included and we’re making our own.
Kayden’s found a way to tell me how he feels through the music, sending me songs like this all day and it makes me love him even more.
He’s giving me a glimpse into his soul and it’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.
“I didn’t understand it at first, but I think I do now.” He whispers and looking up, pulling myself away from the comfort of his chest as we continue moving to the music, I ask him to explain without saying a word. My heart speaking directly to his.
“Kinetic energy, motion and movement. I didn’t get it before. It didn’t really sink in, but dancing with you like this, it’s clear.”
“What’s clear?”
“I never want to live in a world where I’m not moving with you. I energy you, Isabelle.”
When the music fades, we stop dancing but don’t pull away from each other. Reaching down, cupping my face in his hands, he leans in and tenderly kisses me. A sigh escaping the minute he does.
“Belle,” he murmurs the second our lips separate. “Do you want to know what the other balloon is for now?”
“Yes.”
Placing his hands on my arms, he spins me around slowly and stopping me when I’m facing where he needs me to be, he buries his face into my hair and inhales, sighing contentedly.
Walking toward us, are five of the most important people in the world. All of them wearing smiles that mirror the one I saw from Kayden, each holding a single balloon the same way he is.
“Isabelle?” Kayden asks gently and as I turn toward him, my eyes full of questions, I realize they’re also filled with something else. Overwhelming love. I don’t care what he’s got planned next. Knowing that he’s got our friends here, one standing out more than the others, it’s everything.
Sensing their bodies moving around us until they’ve formed a circle that starts and ends with Kayden, I turn back to see what they’re doing.
Dillon and Cadence are first, each of them holding balloons that spell out my first and last name. Eric is next with the word Will in big block letters. Amelia next with the word You written the same way. It’s only when my eyes land on Isaac, his balloon held out directly in front of him that I realize what’s going on. What all of this means.
Turning back to Kayden, completely consumed by the smile that seems to light up his entire face, I finally see his balloon and the minute I do, the waterworks in my eyes start again, the gravity of what’s happening hitting me full force.
Isabelle Reagan, Will you marry me?
Wiping at my eyes, not wanting to miss a second of this because of blurred vision, I watch as he pulls a box from his back pocket and slides down on one knee.
“Belle?”
“Y—yes?”
“When the time is right; when we’re where we need to be, will you do something for me?”
Sometime after I stammered out the word yes and he started speaking, my heart stopped completely and with what I was expecting him to say, I wasn’t sure it would ever start again. Hearing his hidden question and how different it is from the one that’s surrounding me because of my friends now, I don’t know what to say.
“Once upon a time there was a girl that wanted more than anything to grow up and change the world. What this girl didn’t realize was she had already changed the world, but not for everyone, just for someone. She changed the world for a boy who needed it more than anything. Now that boy wants to know if the girl that changed his world will join with him so they can do what she wanted to do from the start and change the world together?”
Yes, I was right. My heart really has stopped because it’s not pumping at all anymore. It’s completely melted.
“Isabelle Reagan, will you marry me?”
The answer, it’s there on the tip of my tongue and I’m going to give it to him, but first there’s something I have to do first, an answer to his question that I don’t need words for.
Sliding my hand into my coat and wrapping it around the papers nestled tightly inside, I pull them out and pass them to him with one hand, while using my other to get him to stand. I watch as he gets to his feet and takes in what I’ve just given him.
The signed paperwork for the addition of my name to the deed of his house.
“Belle, is this…does this mean you’re saying yes?”
I can see the stress lines building on his forehead, the fact that I still haven’t answered him starting to wear him down, but it’s not enough to stop me. There’s still one more thing I can do and when I do it, it’s going to take us right back to the beginning again.
Exactly what I want to do.
Begin again.
Pulling my phone from my pocket and unlocking it quickly, I type the three letters he’s waiting for into the box and press send. When the Thirty Seconds To Mars song starts going off in his pants, I hear Dillon laugh and despite the urge to turn and tell him to hush, I keep my eyes locked on Kayden as he pulls his phone out and reads the message on the screen.
Three letters that make up one word. My answer and the one he’s waited long enough to hear.
Yes.
The End
All My Heart Playlist
The Distance by Hot Chelle Rae
I Won’t Give Up by Jason Mraz
I Swear This Time I Mean It by Mayday Parade
Always Somewhere Close by Lifehouse
All My Heart by Sleeping With Sirens
Wish You Were Here by Avril Lavigne
Space In Between Us by Building 429
Scene One: James Dean & Audrey Hepburn by Sleeping With Sirens
Wrapped In Your Arms by Fireflight
Beautiful Pain by Eminem featuring Sia
I Hope You Dance by Lee Ann Womack
Whataya Want From Me by Adam Lambert
Pieces by Red
Miles Away by Memphis May Fire featuring Kellin Quinn
I Don’t Wanna Be by Gavin Degraw
Better Than I Know Myself by Adam Lambert
The Waiting One by All That Remains
Not Gonna Die by Skillet
What If I Was Nothing by All That Remains
You Are My Sunshine by Elizabeth Mitchell
Never Stop (Wedding Version) by Safetysuit
(Isabelle and Kayden’s dance)
Acknowledgements
This book was a family affair. It wouldn’t have been written at all if it wasn’t for my daughter Isabella and the cover would not be what it is without the help of my son, Caleb. So Caleb, Noah, Raine and Isabella (my CNRI), thank you for being the inspiration behind these characters and for being the wonderful children that you are. I wouldn’t be me without you. I love you.
Joey Reagan or as you are now affectionately known, Dillon Murphy. Thank you for taking countless hours out of your day to pour over these stories in the early stages, giving me a good kick in the ass when I need it and for being the most amazing sounding board ever created. Most of all thank you for being my very best friend. I energy you Joey and I always will.
Lisa, my Irish sister. You’re the apple to my pie, the straw to my berry and I am forever grateful that I had the opportunity to meet you, get to know you and call you friend. You are officially a Winchester love, so welcome to the family!
My extended family, most importantly, my parents and my cousin Denise. Thank you for all of your support right from the Love United Series a
nd now with the Count On Me novels. It means more to me than you will ever know. Without you, I wouldn’t be doing what I love to do and I will forever be in your debt. I love you.
Maayan. Thank you for loving Kayden and Belle right from the start and being so vocal about it. You’ve become such a treasured reader and friend and I am forever thankful every day that I had the privilege to get to know the beautiful human being that you are. My life has been forever altered because of your presence in it. I love your face princess.
Sunniva Dee, D. Nichole King, Ryan Ringbloom, Jennifer Weiser, Theresa Troutman, Kristin Mazzola, Shealy James, Pamela Sparkman and all of the wonderful indie authors I’ve read and come to know and treasure. Thank you for sharing your gift with the world (and with me) and for inspiring me daily just in being who you are naturally. I treasure you all and carry you with me always.
To each and every person that spends their hard earned money to pick up any of the work that I put out into the world. I feel like a broken record saying this, but even if you don’t end up liking it all that much, just the fact that you take time out to even attempt to read it, putting faith in my ability as a writer, it means the absolute world to me and it always will. I wouldn’t be able to do any of this without you.
About The Author
Melyssa Winchester is a mother of four from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. When she’s not knee deep in adolescent awesomeness, she’s falling in love, one book boyfriend and girlfriend at a time. She is a lover of all things romance and will forever believe in a real and true happily ever after.
When she’s not off being a mom or writing you can find her doing one of two things. Reading or buried under the covers watching Supernatural, Sons of Anarchy or Veronica Mars.
Melyssa is currently working on Here & Now (Dillon Murphy’s continuing saga from Hear Me Now) as well as Unbroken (Isaac Crawford’s story). There also might be another heavenly adventure in the works, as only one of the fallen can bring.
You can find her on the web, either at her personal site, Facebook (which she just might have an obsession with) or Twitter (@WinchesterBooks) where she talks incessantly about her kids, her writing and all things book boyfriend related.
Other Works by Melyssa Winchester
Love United Series
Holding On To Heaven
My Heaven (HOTH Alternate Ending)
No Surrender
Wanted
Stairway To Heaven
A Light In The Dark
Before The Light Series
(Can Be Read Standalone)
Hold Onto Me (Archangel Michael’s Story)
Absence Of Light (Ryan McGregor’s Story)
(Coming Soon)
Count On Me Series
(Can Be Read Standalone)
Count On Me
Hear Me Now
Take Me With You
All My Heart
Here & Now (coming soon)
Unbroken (coming soon)