* * * * *
It took Trent several seconds to grasp the significance of her words. Not only was she telling him that she loved him; she was telling him that she’d always loved him. Even after all the pain and disappointment he put her through. His heart was so full he couldn’t form words. An inarticulate sound escaped him as he pulled her into his arms and buried his face in her neck, his entire body shaking with reaction.
“Is it so hard to believe?” she whispered, her fingers moving slowly through his hair, her touch soothing him as nothing else could.
He drew back a few inches so he could look at her. “It’s not that I can’t believe it. It’s that I don’t deserve it. Not after what I did to you. I can hardly stand to think about it.”
“None of us deserve love. It’s offered without strings or expectations. Only something so unattached to reason, so unmovable in the face of possible rejection, can bind two people together for a lifetime. To love is to take a risk; it’s the ultimate truth or dare.”
“Will you dare to love with me, Sabrina?”
She smiled unsteadily. “Yes, I will.”
His mouth dropped over hers, his senses reveling in the sweetness he found there. She tasted of peppermint and something else that was uniquely her. He moved slowly from her mouth to her cheek and then to her ear and neck, aware of nothing except the woman in his arms. Everything about her was soft, yielding, exquisite. He slowly worked his way back to her lips, kissing one side of her mouth and then the other. Her fingers feathered through his hair to the sensitive skin at the nape of his neck before sliding over the ridges of his shoulder blades.
He wished they could stay hidden there for the rest of the evening, but that wasn’t possible, and given the sensations pulsing through him, it wasn’t advisable. With one last, gentle kiss, he drew away from her.
“That was, um, intense,” he said.
“Very,” she agreed, laughing softly.
“I feel like Christmas came early this year.”
“Me, too.” She straightened her coat and ran her fingers through her hair.
He watched her efforts with a grin. “You look like you’ve been thoroughly kissed.”
“That’s not what I want all the other guests to think when they see me.”
“I don’t mind. I take pride in my handiwork.”
She gave him a playful shove. “Do you want to end up in the pond with the koi?”
“No, but it would take care of me wanting to kiss you again.” He rose to his feet and then pulled her up to stand next to him. “I’ve spent the last few weeks dreaming about this moment, hoping and praying you would fall in love with me, and now that it’s here, I can hardly take it in.”
“I feel the same way. Our path to love hasn’t been smooth, but we’re closer and stronger because of it.”
Trent reached for her hand. “You’re right. There’s just one little thing we need to clear up.”
“What’s that?”
“Are you okay with me keeping you forever?”
Sabrina smiled. “I’ve been waiting six years to hear you say that.”
* * * * *
Oh, her eyes, her eyes, make the stars look like they're not shining… Sabrina tapped the screen of her phone, cutting off the soulful voice of Bruno Mars.
“This isn’t the way back to your parents’ house.”
Trent sent her an amused glance. “How observant of you! We’re taking a little detour.”
“Oh, really? Where are we going?”
“You’ll know when we get there.”
She scooted closer to the console and ran her fingers up his bare forearm. “Can’t you tell me now?”
“I could tell you, but I don’t want to.”
“That’s not very nice.” She picked up his hand and started kissing his fingers. A low growl erupted from his throat.
“Sabrina, do you remember what happened last time you did that?”
“Sure do. You dropped your glass of iced tea.”
“Do you think it’s wise to do it again? I’m driving a car this time.”
“The newness has worn off. You should be used to it now.”
He laughed. “That doesn’t work for things like this.”
“Hmm. I’ll have to remember that.”
A few minutes later, he turned off the highway and onto a narrow, dirt road. Long before she saw the sign, she saw the rows of distinctly shaped trees.
“What are we doing at a Christmas tree farm?”
“Picking out a tree.”
“Your mother already has three trees in her house.”
“This one isn’t technically for my mom, and it’s not going in the house. We’ll set it up on the porch. This is our first Christmas together as a couple. I want us to have our own tree, even if we have to sit outside to enjoy it.”
He hadn’t just listened to what she said about Christmas; he’d found a way to do something about it. “Oh, Trent! I really do love you.”
“And I really like hearing about it.”
As soon as he parked the car, Sabrina threw her arms around his neck and covered his face with kisses. “This is going to be so much fun!”
He caught her as she would have drawn away and kissed her with a thoroughness that left her reluctant to leave the car at all. “It already is,” he said softly as he put her away from him.
Twenty minutes later they were surrounded by trees of all sizes and far enough away from the other customers to be virtually alone. Trent had patiently followed her down row after row, giving his opinion when asked, looking where she pointed, and never once glancing at his watch.
Sabrina stopped in front of a tree whose slightly crooked spiked top just reached her shoulder. “I like this guy.”
Trent chuckled. “This one is a guy? Should I be jealous? Or should I be more concerned that you can tell them apart?”
“You never have to be jealous. You’ll always come first. You’re more important than anyone and anything.”
Trent laid the handsaw on the ground and took her hands in his. “I was going to do this after we cut the tree, but I can’t wait. I love every tiny atom of what you are. Every breath in your body. Every smile that you smile. Every joy and every pain. Will you marry me, Sabrina?”
Tears spilled out of her eyes as her heart threatened to burst with happiness. “Yes, Trent, I’ll marry you.”
He fumbled in the pocket of his jacket and pulled out a tiny box. “I guess I should have already had this out, and I forgot to go down on one knee. I’m sorry. I don’t seem to be doing this right.”
She watched as he removed the lid, her heart again swelling with happiness. Trent was always so organized; he planned everything to the last detail. To see him even slightly rattled made this moment between them even more poignant.
“There’s no right or wrong way to propose, darling.” A large oval diamond winked up at her in the late afternoon sunlight. She held out her hand, and he slid it on her trembling finger. “It’s beautiful, Trent. Thank you.”
He laughed a little as he drew her into his arms. “When I asked Professor Hollis for a lab partner, I didn’t know he was giving me my life partner.”
“I’m so glad he did.”
Trent skimmed his lips across her collarbone, the combination of his warm breath and the friction of his beard sending delicious tingles down her spine. Underneath her hand, she could feel the thundering of his heart and knew it matched the rhythm of her own. Her fingers played with the buttons on his shirt, drawing a low laugh from him. Then as if he could wait no longer, his mouth found hers, his lips teasing and tasting, the kisses becoming longer and more urgent until she thought she might faint from the sweet pleasure of it.
From somewhere behind them came a childish voice. “Look, Mommy, that big man is kissing that lady.”
Sabrina felt the arms around her loosen and knew Trent had heard it, too. He sighed as he drew away from her. “We’ll have to continue this later.”
; “That’s not going to be easy with your parents’ house full of people.”
He reached down to pick up the saw. “Don’t worry about that; I’ll find a way even if I have to sneak you into the attic.”
Epilogue
Trent took his eyes off the road long enough to glance at the woman in the seat next to him. Sabrina had wanted to be a spring bride; he’d wanted her to be his wife as soon as humanly possible. They compromised by getting married in March. She asked to spend their honeymoon at the cabin. He knew that a large part of the reason for that was because of its proximity to where her parents’ had stayed. He would have taken her to the moon if she’d asked; he just wanted her to be happy.
A few days after their arrival at the cabin, they returned to the lodge on Lake Chatuge. There hadn’t been a ‘catharsis’ as she once called it. Trent attributed this to their success in leaving the past behind. In any case, he hadn’t had to resort to getting lost in the woods to kiss Sabrina. It was she who would have stayed there all night if he hadn’t pointed out that they’d freeze to death.
The past week had been everything he imagined and so much more. A tender smile touched his lips as he recalled her reluctance to leave this morning. She loved him with an unselfish ardency that stirred him to the depths. With each day, he discovered something new about her; something else about her to love. He never thought he could so admire and respect another person.
They would soon be home; a thrill ran through him at the thought of her living with him at the condo. He’d already found out that she hogged the sheets and didn’t like his habit of leaving clothes on the floor. She was also delightfully shy when he walked in on one of her marathon bubble baths. She might as well get used to it; that was going to keep on happening.
He did have one more surprise in store for her. When he pulled into the parking lot of his work building, she glanced up from the magazine she’d been reading.
“Did you forget something?” she asked.
“Yeah. It might take me a few minutes to find it. Will you come in with me?”
“Sure.” She slipped on her jacket as he opened his door and went around to her side.
“There isn’t much food at our place. We’ll pick up some take-out on the way home and go to the store tomorrow.”
She smiled and squeezed his hand. “I like how you said ‘our’ place.”
He brought her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles. “It is our place now.”
Once inside the building, he led the way down the hall. He felt her sideways glance when they passed his office, but she didn’t say anything. He turned the corner and stopped in front of a set of double doors. Removing the key from his pocket, he opened it and ushered her into a huge open space with white walls and gray carpet.
“Are you thinking of moving in here?” she asked.
“No, I like my office. This will soon be the home for whatever you decide to call your graphic design business. I like the sound of Melton Enterprises, but of course, that’s up to you.”
She turned toward him, her mouth open. “My business?”
He slid his arm around her waist. “Yes, your business. Wouldn’t you like to be your own boss? I can tell you from experience that it’s very easy to get used to.”
“Oh, Trent,” she said huskily, her lips trembling. “This is too much. You’re doing too much.”
He took her lips in a long, sweet kiss that left them both breathless. “Don’t you get it? There’s no such thing as doing too much for the one you love.”
The End
I hope you enjoyed reading Sabrina and Trent’s story. If you liked it, please consider telling a friend or leaving a review. Thank you!
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Coming Early 2017: Love at Last (Finding Love, Book 6)
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