by Cyndi Raye
Jake dried himself off while she sat on the counter in the bathroom, drained of all energy. He wrapped two towels over her body and then took the nightgown Abby left on the bed and put it on her. As he picked her up, she looked in the floor length mirror. “Look at us.”
He stopped when he saw their reflection in the mirror. Naked and taut, Jake held her in his arms like she were a princess in her nightgown. “There’s one thing missing,” he said.
She smiled at him. “What?”
He picked up her left hand and kissed her ring finger. She watched him in the mirror, saw the exhaustion in his eyes and the strength of the man she loved reflected there. “A diamond, the size of my love for you, Maggie McCoy. I promise you tomorrow there will be one there.” He bent down and kissed her to seal his word.
When he placed her in bed, she reached up and pulled him to her. “I don’t want to be alone,” she told him. He reached over and turned out the light, then slid down beside her.
As he pulled her close, he murmured in her ear, “I don’t want to be alone either.”
<><>
“You can stay here as long as you need to,” Abby told Maggie as they sat at the kitchen counter for coffee. “I don’t mind and neither does Jon. Plus, look at Jax and Penny. I think she took the little fellow under her wing.” Maggie stretched her neck to look out the window to find Penny mothering Jax. He was still a bit weak and he stumbled when he walked. That’s when Penny would circle around him like she was herding him and he would sit down until he got his strength back.
“Thanks Abby. I’m not sure what to do yet. We haven’t talked about it and Jake ran off early this morning to take care of some things at work. He promised he’d be back here by dinner because he said he had something special for me. I can’t wait.”
“Do you think he’ll be here on time?” Abby asked.
Maggie nodded. “After what we went through, yes. He’ll be here. I think the explosion made Jake realized life is too precious and short to spend so much time at work. I’m going to try to live by that code too. I know I get carried away at times and hide at my desk for weeks at a time.”
“Sounds like the two of you have things worked out. I’m glad you’ll be with the living from now on, Maggie. There were times I worried about you. I would call and you wouldn’t answer so I knew you were at work writing, only to get a call back a week or so later.”
“True. I’m sorry about that but when I get involved in my books I forget about the rest of the world. When Jake and I talked last night before we fell asleep, I realized we both need to walk away from our work now and again. We promised each other we would work on this part of our lives. We decided to have a date night every week and nothing will prevent it from happening.”
Abby reached out and squeezed her hand. “I’m so happy for you Maggs. I know your house is destroyed, but homes can be rebuilt. Have you given any thought to what you want to rebuild there?”
Maggie shook her head. “I’m not sure. When Jake gets back, we’re going to go back to the property. I told him I want to see if I can salvage anything.”
“Maggie, are you sure that’s a good idea?”
She nodded. “Jake said the same thing, but I want to. I need to go back in the light of day and make a decision. He says it’s up to me. We can rebuild our home or find another property. I’m not sure. It’s all so raw.”
“Whatever you decide, I’ll be here for you, Maggie. I can help and I know Sara will too. We can have fun with this, it doesn’t have to be so sad.”
“I love you Abby. You make the people around you feel like no matter what, it will all be okay.” She got up and hugged her friend. “Now, I’m going to take advantage of the sunshine and go sit out on your beautiful deck by the water. I need to think a bit.”
<><>
Maggie didn’t realize she sat by the water all day long. Jax and Penny frolicked behind her and then Jax, worn out, lay down beside her chair. Penny ran off to find other things to do. This is the life, Maggie thought. She loved living by the water. Abby’s place was ocean front, where theirs was along a canal.
Perhaps it was time for them to build their own home, by the ocean. She could write with a backdrop like this, Maggie thought. Even more so than their place in the canal. She loved their place but didn’t know if she could go back, even if they rebuilt the home. Maggie sighed and closed her eyes.
She wanted to run away. Get away from the chaos that Jerry caused. She sent up a special prayer for him to be caught in the drug bust and be put away for a long time. Right now, all she wanted was to bask in serenity. Peace. She found it for a while right here with the bluest skies and white clouds so close it was as if heaven were a breath away.
Maggie had her hand on Jax’s back, running her hand over his fur. When Jax became taut and his tail began to wag, she closed her eyes. She knew Jake tried to sneak up on her but the dog gave him away. “Too late, love. Jax told on you.”
A gentle laugh followed and then he reached down and nuzzled her neck. His arms went around her from behind. “You ready to go?” he asked.
“I think so.” She let him pull her up from the chair and fell in to his arms. “Are you?” she asked, concern at the way he looked. She reached up and traced a line across the dark circles under his eyes. “You seem to be a bit disheveled.”
“I’m fine. I’m better than you think. Now, my lady, let’s go take a look at our home.” He held out his arm so she could tuck her own around his. Maggie waved to Abby, who was out on the veranda with her hand in the air.
“Don’t worry, Jax can stay here,” she yelled. “He’ll be taken great care of.”
Maggie gave her a thumbs up as Jake helped her in to the boat once again. “She acts as if we’re not coming back,” Maggie said.
Jake shrugged right before he started the boat and guided it back out in the water. She sat beside him and leaned her head back as the sea wind rustled her hair. The sun kissed her skin and she picked up the lotion from the console with a giggle.
Jake looked at the tube of lotion and then in to her eyes. “Maggie. I can’t look at a tube of lotion without thoughts of you in that delicious bikini.”
“I can’t look at it without seeing you doing a slow motion strip tease with your white tee shirt.” She placed the tube back on the console.
They laughed and enjoyed the boat ride back to their property. Jake took her hand and brought it to his mouth. “If you can’t do this, say the word and we leave.”
She nodded, then swallowed hard as the burnt out home came in to view. Jake held on to her a bit tighter as her eyes widened at the destruction. She shook her head. No, she would not let one criminal destroy their lives. “I hope they burn him and put him in jail forever!” Maggie’s adrenaline kicked in as the fury of what Jerry did hit her full force. She jumped out of the boat and stomped up the path, her steps slowing down the closer she got to the structure.
“Be careful Maggie, it isn’t too safe,” Jake warned.
“How would you know?”
“I was here this morning.”
“Why?”
“Because I wanted to look at it first to make sure it was okay before I brought you here.” His sweet gesture tore at Maggie’s heart. He tried to protect her from so many things.
She swung back to face him. “There’s nothing left. I can’t salvage anything. Our lives, everything we own is in a pile of soot and dust ruined by a savage beast.” A sob escaped her. Maggie bit her lip, she would not cry!
“We’re here, Maggie. I almost lost you. Do you realize how close you were to being in the kitchen when the bomb exploded?” The raw emotion in his eyes caught at her heartstrings.
He looked down at his wrist watch.
“Jake? You in a hurry? We’re having a serious discussion and you look at your watch!” Her emotions began to unravel. Why did he have to look at his watch?
“I’m timing things.”
She turned away and took a few steps closer t
o the rubble. “Timing? I don’t understand.”
“You’ll see.”
Maggie felt his hands on her shoulders. They were warm and strong and all she wanted to do was fall in to his arms and bury herself in his chest, but he hadn’t changed at all. “I thought you could stand here with me in this moment without a worry about your work. But all I can see now is how your eyes darted to check the time. I can’t do this.”
She tried to pull away but his strong hands held her there. He turned her around to face him. He gathered her hands in his and then took his one hand and reached in his pocket.
Jake got down on one knee for the second time and as he opened the case he said to her, “Maggie McCoy, I asked you before to become my wife and you said yes. Except I drug my feet and put one of the most important parts of my life in second place. You. No longer, baby. You will always be first place in my life. Will you marry me, again?”
She looked down at him, her love. He stole her heart so long ago. She nodded because there were no words that she could say without breaking down in a puddle of sobs. Her heart raced and she saw the deep love in his eyes. “I love you.”
He took the ring and slid it on her left finger before he pulled her in to his arms. They kneeled on the sand and soot filled yard, arms wrapped around each other as he pressed his mouth to hers in a deep kiss that took her breath away.
The buzz of a sea plane could be heard in the distance. Jake reached up and cupped her cheeks. His dark eyes looked in to hers and he grinned. “I’m not done yet,” he said. He began to dish in his pocket for his cell phone.
A deep fear surged through Maggie. On one hand, she knew he wouldn’t make a call, not now, not when he proposed like this. Yet there he was, a smile on his face as he hit the digits on the phone.
“Who are you calling?” she asked, a bit in shock.
“Work.”
“What, Jake? You’re not serious?”
He nodded and then began to speak in to the phone. “Bonnie?”
“Jake, what the he-” He placed a finger over her mouth. Her heart began to pound louder and the anger at his audacity began to build.
“Bonnie, listen. I’m going to be out of town for a few weeks. Why? I’m taking my soon to be bride and we’re going to get married. Where? Well, I can’t disclose the location. I’ll be unavailable. Hold all my calls, have the general manager take over and the crews know what to do. I expect you to keep everything under control. You’ll be well compensated.”
“Jake,” she whispered. What was he going to do? Her heart raced again but in a good way. Excitement roared it’s head and she placed a hand on his chest. Maggie gazed in to his eyes as he took the phone and sunk it in his pocket.
Jake winked at her and grinned. “Do you see the plane out on the water by the dock?” At her nod, he continued. “The sea plane will take us to a private jet where we will be on a two week adventure. Oh and we’re getting married before we return.”
“Married, for real? Can you leave work again so soon? How can I get married without my friends? Where are we going? What, oh Jake! Oh Jake!” She kissed him so hard and so long she was breathless by the time he pulled away.
“I love you Maggie. With every single part of me. My work can wait. I may have to check in but that will never take away from us. I won’t let it ever again.”
She placed kisses all over his face and ran her hands through his hair.
“I almost lost you. When the house blew up with you so close to being inside, I made a vow last night to never let you go, to keep you safe in my arms always.” He kissed her again, long and slow and full of every fibre of love.
The vibration and sound from the sea plane’s motor rent the air. “We have to go,” he told her and pulled her towards the dock.
“Where?” she asked.
He laughed out loud. “I’ll leave that up to you. There’s a whole world out there waiting for us. Where ever you want to get married, is where we’ll go.”
“No one does this,” Maggie began. He placed a kiss on her mouth.
“We do. There is no corner of this earth where we can’t go. I want you to choose.”
Maggie stared. “I’m supposed to pick a place, any place and we’ll go there, tonight? Right now?”
He nodded.
“To get married?”
“Yes.” He helped her on to the sea plane. Her emotions were all over the place. She looked out at their home, a burnt out mass of destruction.
“I don’t want to come back here to live,” she said.
Jake took her hand and placed a kiss there. “You don’t have to. We’ll rebuild this and put it on the market. We can stay at my Dad’s hotel or rent a place until we buy another. I’ve got property, land all over the Keys. Paradise can be yours for a one time promise of your love forever baby.”
“Do you have ocean front land?”
He nodded.
“That’s where I want to be. In a house where I can see the ocean and feel the breeze on my skin and in my hair. I want to sit in the sand and write my stories and have you come home and gather me in your arms every single day of our lives.”
Jake kissed her, a gentle kiss that deepened as the plane took off. It skidded through the water and began to descend in the air. “You don’t have much time until we get to the Miami airport to catch the charter jet. We’ll have to let the pilot know where to take us. He’ll need to make arrangements. Have any idea where you want to get married?”
“Do we have our passports?”
“Of course. The fire didn’t destroy everything. I was at the house this morning and salvaged what little we had left. Passports were locked in my steel safe.”
She loved the fact Jake never went to work this morning, but arranged all of this for the two of them. “Thank You.”
“You’re worth it baby.” His urgent kiss told her he meant every single word. She sat back in her seat. She now had to make one of the biggest decisions of her life. Where did she want to be married?
“I can pick anywhere on this earth of ours to get married?”
“Anywhere, name the place,” he told her as he pressed kisses to her neck. She shivered.
“I can’t wait until we get there,” she whispered as she turned her face to his.
“Where, Maggie McCoy. Where do you want to go to get married?”
“Hmm. I think I know but first I need one of those frantic, knock me to my knees kisses from you my love,” she told him as she nipped his mouth in a seductive tease. “Then I’ll tell you where.”
“Baby, there’s no more empty promises from me. Tomorrow ends here, right now, in your arms. I love you. The only tomorrow we have is this one, as man and wife, a life together.”
She nodded and smiled. “No more talk. Kiss me.”
Jake kissed her with every ounce of his soul and his breath. She tasted him, felt his arms, so strong as they surrounded her. The world stopped for those moments as he gave her a kiss that did knock her to her knees.
Jake pulled away, his breath ragged, her own doing the same. “Was it enough to help you make up your mind? Can you decide now where we will get married?”
She opened her eyes and took a deep breath that made her shudder. “I know the perfect place where I want to marry you.”
“Where?”
“It’s, well, perhaps I need one more of those kisses before I unleash the answer.”
Jake’s deep gaze filled with so much love and desire, it took her back. “I’ve got all the time you need baby. Kiss me.”
She did.
The End
About The Author
Where do you think Maggie decides to get married? I would love to hear your ideas. I love to hear from my readers. Please go to www.cyndiraye.com and let me know where you would like to see Jake and Maggies wedding take place? You can also sign up to find out when the next book comes out.
If you loved Romance in the Keys series, you may enjoy the other books by Cyndi Raye.
&n
bsp; Nothing Waits Forever is the story of Jon and Abby, Jake’s twin brother. Key West Wild is the story of Josh Eden, the undercover agent in When Tomorrow Ends. Then there is Jesse Storm, the hot, young agent who has been trying to bust Jerry and his Dad. He’s got an exciting thrilling story as well. Don’t forget to go to Cyndiraye.com to find out more.
In the meantime, here’s a chapter of Nothing Waits Forever....Jon and Abby’s story:
Chapter 1
Dr. Jon Hatfield lifted the bottle of water to his mouth when he noticed a golf cart barrelling across the open field behind the Urgent Care Center. He blinked, then scrunched dark eyes because what he saw fascinated him to no end. Someone was in a big hurry, someone with bright, red, long hair flying in the wind. The bold, orange stripes and purple polka dot colors of the outfit clashed with each other and the person behind the wheel looked like a clown dressed for a circus. He shook his head and grinned, anything was possible here in the Florida Keys. That’s why he loved this place.
