The second go ‘round they took their time. He leisurely teased her with his tongue while she returned the favor. He tried to hurry things along as she kissed and licked him in his most sensitive spots. However, she held him off to prolong their pleasure. When she finally positioned her body on top of his, they were both overcome with lust.
After being sated, she curled into his side and began to walk her fingers over his chest. It was freeing to be with Jared completely. She’d finally released her insecurities and could enjoy connecting with him emotionally and physically. She waited to hear his breathing deepen and was surprised when she looked over and saw his eyes alert and a soft smile playing on his lips.
“What are you thinking about?” she asked with a laugh in her voice.
“I have a gift for you and I’d love to give it you now.”
“Baby, can you give me another ten minutes? I’m not sure I can handle any more of your gifts just yet.”
He chuckled. “No, it’s an actual gift. Well, there’s two presents.”
“Well, you have to give them to me now!” she declared. “You can’t tease me like that. I have no self-control when it comes to waiting for gifts.”
He climbed out of bed and put on a t-shirt and a pair of jeans. As he darted out of their bedroom, she decided to get dressed as well. Maybe the present was outdoors and she had to be clothed to receive it. He’d been dropping major hints about junking her Toyota, so maybe he’d taken it upon himself to buy her a new car.
She tossed on a t-shirt and shorts and waited for him to return. She flung her legs over the bed and swung them back and forth as she imagined what type of car she could be driving the next day. She wasn’t picky—the lack of air conditioning in the Toyota was leaving behind a permanent sweaty smell.
He returned and she sensed his jumpiness. He’d put on his jacket, and she wondered if he was hiding the keys inside one of the pockets. His anxiety began to affect her and she twisted her hands in her lap. After he inhaled shakily, he dropped to the floor in front of her. Her cheeks burned when she saw him kneeling on the ground with an earnest expression.
“I tried to think of something very romantic to say, something that would provide you with a good enough reason to marry me. But all the words I came up with didn’t feel right; like I’d be trying unsuccessfully to convince you I was worthy enough of you. I’m not sure if I deserve you, but I do see the ways you make me a better version of myself.
“All I can say is that every day I’ll try my hardest to make you happy. I want to be the man to make you smile and the one who you can rely on when things get tough. If I’m being honest, I began to fall in love with you the moment I came to your house and you tried to kick me out.”
He reached inside the jacket pocket and her eyes widened at the sight of a ring. “Marry me, Kate Edwards?”
For the first time in her entire life, she was speechless. She loved Jared and had thought about getting married, but she thought it was in the distant future. He’d been in a long-term relationship before her and hadn’t wanted to get married. She thought it would take him some time to take that leap.
With each step in their relationship she had doubts. But it was becoming apparent the apprehensive feelings were never truly hers. She’d relied on outside forces to dictate her happiness. When she was dying and saw Jared one last time before passing out, she had a moment of clarity. She was his forever and he was hers. “Of course, I’ll marry you.”
He grinned and slipped the ring he held in his hand onto her finger. The ring was gorgeous: Two small pave diamonds set to showcase a larger, pear shaped diamond in the center. The band was solid platinum and the ring sparkled as it rested on her finger.
Jared’s voice was choked with emotion. “My parents were young when they died and didn’t leave much behind. This is the engagement ring my father used to propose to my mother.” He cleared his throat and continued, “If you hate it, I totally understand and we could pick out something new that’s not from the 1980s. But I wanted to give you a piece of jewelry that means the world to me.”
She grabbed his face in her hands. “I love it, Jared. It’s amazing.”
He moved in for a kiss and she brought her lips to his. She put her whole heart into the kiss to reassure him he’d always have her no matter what. He was strong when he needed to be, but she’d seen him vulnerable and understood how much it must have taken for him to give her a memento from someone he’d loved and lost.
When they broke apart from the kiss, he said, “We’re not done yet. Remember I said you have two presents.” She pulled her eyebrows together as he went into the inside pockets of his jacket. He pulled out several papers stapled together and handed them over to her. “I booked us a trip to Hawaii. I promised once you were safe, we’d go away.”
“Jared, this is too much. I was kidding about the Hawaii thing; we don’t have to do anything so elaborate…”
“It’s for both of us.” He sucked in his lower lip and she giggled as she noticed his nervousness had returned. “You said once that the big wedding thing wasn’t for you and an island wedding was more your style. So, I was thinking we could go to Hawaii for a vacation or we could…”
“Get married there,” she finished for him in a breathless rush. “Really?”
“Yes, but only if it’s something you still want. We could have a big wedding here instead. I’m fine either way as long as the story ends with me calling you my wife.”
It was an easy answer and she didn’t hesitate. “Let’s do it,” she enthused. “But we have to invite my mom and Aunt Lizzie. And we’ll ask my dad, Julie and Declan, too.”
He burst out laughing at her passion. “We can invite whoever you want. As long as I get you alone for our wedding night.”
She kissed him again and felt her heart flutter wildly inside her chest. Her heart sang as she imagined a future as Kate Corbett. She trusted in their love and no longer believed fate had damned them to a lifetime of misery. Destinies were malleable and involved a series of forks in the roads. She may have taken a few wrong turns along the way, but she reached the destination with her love by her side.
The End
About the Author
Heather Topham Wood’s obsession with novels began in childhood while growing up in a shore town in New Jersey. Writing since her teens, she recently returned to penning novels after a successful career as a freelance writer. She’s the author of the paranormal romance Second Sight series and the standalone The Disappearing Girl.
Heather graduated from the College of New Jersey in 2005 and holds a bachelor’s degree in English. Her freelance work has appeared in publications such as USA Today, Livestrong.com, Outlook by the Bay and Step in Style magazine. She resides in Trenton, New Jersey with her husband and two sons. Besides writing, Heather is a pop culture fanatic and has an obsession with supernatural novels and TV shows.
Follow Heather on Facebook, Twitter and her blog to keep posted on her upcoming works:
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The Final Omen: Second Sight Book Four Page 20
