A Lifetime to Find Love

by Ava Riley

  Grabbing the bottle from her hand, he said, “Here, let me open that for you. What else did you bring?”

  “Not much else. Cheese, crackers, and strawberries.”

  “Why, Tessa Worth. If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were trying to seduce me on this secluded beach.”

  “You would be right then,” she said as she held the glasses for him while he poured the bubbly.

  Cade quickly downed the champagne not certain how to start out the conversation.

  “Cade are you okay? I’m not a big champagne drinker, but I’m pretty sure you aren’t supposed to guzzle it.”

  “Yeah, I’m good. I just wanted to talk to you about something,” he stumbled. “Something pretty important to me.” His voice shook as his nerves overtook his whole body.

  Cade’s whole demeanor changed and that made Tessa just a little bit nervous. Everything had been going perfect for them and now a million things were running through her mind and none of them positive. She feared that Cade had grown tired of her and that he was finally going to end their relationship. Tessa braced herself for the worst. The air around her seemed to have grown thick with dread and she found it hard to breathe. She felt like she was going to start hyperventilating at any moment. She identified that a panic attack must feel exactly like this did. Suddenly, the salty air blowing gently didn’t bring the peace it normally did and she felt choked by the taste lingering on her tongue as it swept around her. She sat and stared at him with her champagne glass in hand, ready to start guzzling herself once he said what he had to say.

  “I’m not even sure where to start. I’ve been trying to think of a way to say this without freaking you out, but I’m not sure if that’s possible.”

  “Cade, just get it over with.”

  “I’m trying, Tess. It’s just -”

  “Damn it, Cade. You’ve ended a dozen or more relationships. It seriously can’t be that hard for you by now. Just do it, so we can get out of here.”

  Cade sat motionless like the boulders that stood silently around them. Tessa’s words slammed into his heart like the ocean waves slamming against the rocks. He sat in that spot and let his mind register what she was saying. Suddenly, he felt an overwhelming sense of relief exhaling the breath he’d been holding since her words slipped from beyond her lips. It never even crossed his mind that Tessa would think for one second that he was going to end their relationship. The mixture of sadness and anger in her eyes and the way her lower lip puffed out in a pout made his heart turn over in his chest. She honestly thought he brought her here to break up with her. He couldn’t stop the laugh that escaped his lips. He was relieved that she was actually upset that he was going to break up with her, or so she thought. It eased his mind for what he was about to tell her.

  “I’m glad you still have your sense of humor.”

  Cade grabbed her hand as she rose to her feet, obviously intent on walking away.

  “Let go of me, Cade.” She tried to pry her hand from his but his grip was solid like a pair of vise grips.

  “No.” He rose to his knees and pulled her close to him placing a kiss on her abdomen as he wrapped his free hand around her waist. “You silly girl. I didn’t bring you here to dump you. I brought you here to tell you how much I love you.” There, he said it. Not quite the way he had planned but it was finally done.

  “What?” She realized she was standing there with her mouth hanging open when her tongue became dry from the salty air.

  “I love you, Tessa Worth. I never thought it was possible, that I would fall in love with anyone, but I have and I want you and the world to know how much I love you. Since I’ve met you, my life has exceeded my dreams because of you.”

  “Cade…” She leaned down and kissed him with everything she had within her.

  Pouring all her emotions and love and relief into the kiss, she pushed Cade to his back. Their legs intertwined as they lay there on the beach. The breeze, that just minutes ago had choked the very breath from her, now gently floated across their bodies, embracing them and pulling them closer to each other.

  Tessa pulled away from him slowly, keeping her gaze locked onto his. “I thought you were going to dump me. I thought you’d had enough of me.”

  Cade let out a laugh and pulled her to his chest. “I will never get enough of you, Tess.”

  He rolled her gently so that he was now on top of her, kissing her until neither of them could breathe. Tessa wrapped her arms around Cade’s neck, placing kisses along his jaw until she reached his most sensitive spot, his ear.

  She nibbled along his lobe then softly whispered, “I love you Cade.”

  He pulled back from her ever so slightly. “Tessa Worth, marry me.”

  “Cade, what?”

  “I’m serious, Tess. I don’t want another day to pass without you in my life. I desire nothing more than to have you as my partner, my lover, my wife. Say you will marry me.”

  Looking into the depths of his eye with tears streaming down her cheeks, Tessa’s chest ached, not with pain but with joy beyond belief. This man hovering over her was more than a lover to her, he was her best friend and she didn’t want to experience the rest of her life without him.

  “Yes, Cade. Absolutely unequivocally yes.”

  About the Author

  April Gutierrez is the author of erotic and paranormal romance. She lives in Central New Mexico with her husband, two children, two cats and six fish. She enjoys spending time with her family camping, fishing, and spending lots of time as a soccer mom. While not writing, she attends Central New Mexico Community College working toward a BA in Creative Writing with a minor in Communication/Journalism.

  During her teenage years, she found an outlet in writing, living vicariously through her characters. She has continued to live through them and is ready for others to live through them also. Along with her love for writing, she enjoys photography. She is a freelance photographer. Portraits, sporting events and an occasional wedding (if she’s feeling frisky) are her specialties.

  You can find more information on April at her website www.avariley.webs.com or her blog at http://avarileyromance.blogspot.com/ . You can also follow her on Twitter at @AvaRileyRomance.