by Jane Linfoot
‘Wise words.’ She smiled up at him.
‘Your words not mine.’ He gave her a wink. Her heart squished again. She was so lucky to love a guy like this. Love? Such a big word, but so definitely the right one, and maybe it was time she screwed up her courage to let him know. She slid her arm up around his neck, pulled him down towards her.
‘I love you, Jackson.’ She rubbed her cheek against the rough stubble on his chin, then as she slipped a kiss onto the corner of his mouth, she could already feel his lips stretching into the widest smile. Now she’d dared to say the words out loud to him, they sounded so right she didn’t want to stop. ‘I love you, I love you, I love you…’ Her heart was banging hard enough to explode. Happy didn’t begin to cover it.
‘I hoped you might, but I can’t tell you how happy it makes me to hear you say it.’ His voice was husky as he dropped a kiss on top of her head, drew her to him, and squeezed her very tightly. ‘You have no idea how much I love you.’
He drew her into a velvety snog that made her feel like the room was turning.
When, finally, their lips parted, she traced her finger down the delicious crease in his cheek. ‘It does feel like we belong together, as if it couldn’t have been any other way.’
‘You’ve done it for all your friends, now it’s your turn, our turn.’
Those dark lashed eyes of his, so soft and full of love.
‘All I needed was the right man, and the confidence to make that final leap.’ Now she had done it she had no idea how it had been so difficult. ‘Somehow, now I’m here, I feel like I’ve just done that very last bit of growing up.’
‘Spending time together has changed us both – I’ve grown up too. But the big question is, do you think you might be ready for your very own Vera Wang moment? Will you have that Vera Wang moment with me?’ He was looking down at her, and she couldn’t hold in her ear-wide grin.
She stared at him open mouthed, hardly believing what she was hearing.
‘So, will you? Will you marry me, Cherry?’
This time she found her voice.
‘Jackson, I’d love to.’ She swallowed down a lump in her throat, and then Jackson’s mouth found hers and she abandoned herself. It was long dizzying kisses when later they surfaced again and Jackson spoke.
‘Shall we ride off into the sunset on a tandem then? To be honest, that’s exactly what I wanted to do that first day.’
Her heart was still bursting here.
‘Or we could just drive off in your camper – that would work too, so long as you remember to pull into a hotel before dark.’ With Jackson she knew it was important to get the ground rules established early.
‘What, so you can starch your knickers?’
She braced herself for a confession.
‘Wouldn’t need to today, I was in such a rush I came out without any.’
She watched his face light up even more.
‘I didn’t think it was possible to get any happier, but as you do so often, you just proved me wrong. I may need to verify this, before we go anywhere…’ His warm hand slid down the back of her jeans, and he gave a growl of approval. ‘Exciting. So if the future Mrs Gale would like to kick off those Jimmy Choos, and step this way…’
‘You wouldn’t be suggesting sex with a view of the sea would you – again? You know I’ve still got the fossil you gave me that first day on the beach, in my purse.’
‘Sea view sounds good to me…’ He delved in his pocket for a second, then held up his own fossil between his thumb and finger. ‘That was the night the baby happened, wasn’t it?’
She nodded and smiled some more. ‘I think it was.’
‘Couldn’t have been be a better first date.’ From the decided way Jackson said that there was no doubt he meant it. ‘Happy?’
‘Couldn’t be happier…’ She nodded again, and he bowled her a sideways grin that melted her insides. ‘…or more excited about what’s coming next.’
And somehow that was it – the moment that marked the very end of growing up, and the beginning of the rest of their lives, the moment they went off towards their new horizon. So she kicked off her boots, and began to walk slowly across the bleached-wood floor to the sofa, all wrapped up with her very own Mr Right.
Want to read more of Jane’s fabulous romances?
‘A hot as hell, sexy and exciting story!’ After The Final Chapters
‘If you love a book with great characters, a wonderful story with sizzle and one you don’t want to end try this one.’ Racing to Read
How to Win a Guy in 10 Dates
The Right Side of Mr. Wrong
Jane Linfoot
I write fun, flirty fiction with feisty heroines and a bit of an edge. Writing romance is cool because I get to wear pretty shoes instead of wellies. I live in a mountain kingdom in Derbyshire, where my family and pets are kind enough to ignore the domestic chaos. Happily, we’re in walking distance of a supermarket. I love hearts, flowers, happy endings, all things vintage, most things French. When I’m not on Facebook and can’t find an excuse for shopping, I’ll be walking or gardening. On days when I want to be really scared, I ride a tandem.
You can follow me on Twitter @janelinfoot.
About HarperImpulse
HarperImpulse is an exciting new range of romance fiction brought to you from the women’s fiction team at HarperCollins. Our aim is to break new talent from debut authors and import the hottest trends from the US, bringing you the very best in romance. Whether that is through short reads for your mobile phone or epic sagas that span the generations we want to proudly publish romance fiction that gets everybody talking.
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