“IT’S JUST A PIECE of glass,” she whispered, awed by his reaction. Kat studied his every move, holding her breath, hoping she wasn’t too late. Praying she hadn’t waited too long to follow her heart.
Last night she’d left her family shortly after their Christmas Eve celebration and flew standby on the red-eye out of Lihue in order to be here now.
A few hours ago it seemed imperative she see him immediately, that she be with him for Christmas. Last night, waiting in line with the handful of passengers who’d opted to fly on Christmas Eve, she felt as if she were standing on the edge of a deep, dark pool, ready to dive in with no hint of what dangers lurked beneath the surface of the water.
She wasn’t afraid anymore. All she knew was that she had to take the plunge or she would regret it for the rest of her life.
Now, with her hand in Ty’s, her heart was racing and her cheeks were on fire. The rest of her life would be determined in the next few minutes and she wanted them to be perfect, but she had no idea what to say or do next.
Watching Ty stare down at the piece of glass in his hand, a fragment that had once been part of someone’s rubbish, she thought she must have been crazy to think it was the perfect Christmas offering.
Right now, miles and hours away from the glistening sands of Kauai, a hunk of beach glass seemed like a paltry, foolish gift.
Tell him. Tell him why you’re here.
She was tongue-tied just looking at him. She felt the warmth of his hand, the strength tempered by gentleness in his touch.
He was a thousand times more handsome than she’d remembered. Tall, dark, handsome—and more than that, he was a good man, a solid, caring man. The kind of man who gave his word and kept it. A man who valued family above all else.
She’d walked away from all he’d offered once, but then she’d been afraid. Her fear was gone now. It was a thing of the past. She wasn’t running away this time.
The only way she would leave was if he sent her away.
Ty, this crazy house, a quiet life in Twilight Cove, they were all she wanted.
So tell him.
“Ty, I—”
“Wait. I have something for you, too.” He drew her arm through his and led her through the living room without further explanation.
Department store boxes and tissue paper were strewn all over the floor, along with gift bags and tags and enough toys to fill a porta-crib.
A huge Christmas tree was crammed into the corner of the room, the pine needles dry, branches drooping from the heat. A popcorn chain and another made of red and green construction paper was looped through the branches, surrounded by old ornaments and new, many of them nautical. A mermaid tree topper with wide gauze angel wings that were covered with glitter perched on the highest point of the trunk.
He stopped before the Christmas tree and carefully reached up into the branches. There, amid the homemade paper chains, the popcorn, snowmen, Santas, sand dollars, and starfish, a small box wrapped in gold foil paper dangled from a shiny red ribbon.
Kat watched as Ty carefully slipped the ribbon off the tree branch and handed her the box. She stared at a small gift tag with her name carefully printed on it, cradled it in the palm of her hand.
“Dad?”
Kat recognized Sunny’s voice calling him from the kitchen.
“I’ll be there in a minute.”
Kat started to protest, to tell him to go to Sunny, to get on with their celebration. This was a day for family. She should have known that they would be sharing Christmas. He wasn’t alone now.
But Ty gently shushed her by placing his fingertips against her lips, and then he whispered, “Come with me.”
Stealing through the living room, he drew her out the front door. The heat and sunshine hit them full-on. He closed the door silently behind them and then, hand in hand, he led her through the front garden and across the lane to a wooden bench with a view that stretched all the way to Twilight. The town looked even smaller than it was, set against the backdrop of the rolling hills and the ocean that stretched to the horizon and beyond.
The bench was perched on the side of the point in front of the house, out of sight of the patio in back.
“Sit down, Kat.” He waited until she acted settled—no small feat with her pulse hammering through her veins—before he slid onto the bench beside her. “You can open it now,” he urged.
Her hands were shaking as she slipped off the ribbon, then the gold foil paper. He took them from her, balled them up, and shoved them into his pocket. Kat held her breath as she lifted the lid and saw a velvet jewelry box tucked inside the outer one.
Her heart skipped a beat. She looked up into his dark-blue eyes and hoped what she saw in them was her future.
“Ty, what have you done?”
“Maybe you’d better open it before you say anything.” His smile was as mysterious as it was tempting.
Slowly she lifted the hinged lid on the black velvet box, and there, nestled inside, was a piece of frosted white beach glass in the shape of a heart. It had been set with a gold loop and threaded onto a gold chain.
The minute she saw it, her eyes misted with tears and she knew exactly why he had reacted the way he did when she’d given him his gift.
“It’s beautiful, Ty. It’s perfect.”
He held out his hand, and there, lying on his palm, was the beach glass she’d given him. Before she could say another word, he put his hand beneath her chin and kissed her, slowly, thoroughly. His lips were warm, gentle, eloquently saying all that he hadn’t been able to voice.
More than the blazing heat of the stifling afternoon had elevated her temperature as he tucked her against his heart and deepened the kiss. They fit together naturally, but there was an urgency now, a need to be filled because they’d been apart.
She was blinded by his touch, his kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck, held the necklace tight in one hand while she let the fingers of her free hand slip through his hair.
He wanted her. She could taste it on his kiss, feel it in his touch. She moaned, frustrated, fully aware that they were out in broad daylight where anyone could see them, but if the soul-stirring kiss lasted any longer, she was afraid she was going to throw caution and good sense to the wind and rip his clothes off him.
Somehow she mustered the will to draw back and catch her breath.
Without saying a word, he took her hand, opened her fingers, and picked up the necklace. Then he slipped it around her neck and fastened it, smoothing it down against her skin below the hollow of her throat.
“I’d say our gifts prove we’re meant for each other, Kat.”
She had been moved by his gift, his kiss, but touched the most by his steadfastness.
“Once upon a time you told me that my heart would be safe with you, no matter what,” she said.
“I meant every word. I still do. I love you.”
“That’s all I wanted for Christmas—to hear you say it. That’s why I had to come back here today. I had to find out if you still love me, the way I love you. I had to ask you to give me another chance.”
“Telling you exactly how much I love you is going to take a while.” He tried to look serious, but couldn’t hide his smile.
“How long?”
“A lifetime, for sure. Are you interested in sticking around that long?”
“Of course.” With the beach glass warm against her skin, she wrapped her arms around his neck again and said softly against his lips, “Maybe you should get started right now. What do you think?”
He glanced over her shoulder, toward the house, and gave her a quick kiss. “There’s nothing I want more, but I’m afraid we’ve got company.”
She turned in his arms and saw Sunny walking down the garden path. Sunny wasn’t alone.
“
Is that R.J.?” Kat watched as he waved at them from across the sandy lane.
“He’s here for Christmas dinner.”
“So, everything is all right?”
“More than all right. Sunny is working for him a couple of days a week again.”
Sunny waved, too. Kat waved back and watched as Callie appeared at the front door and then started down the walk carrying Alice. Callie was still thin, but not painfully so. Alice looked as if she’d grown a couple of inches. She was frantically bouncing up and down, shouting “Key! Key!” and waving a spoon around.
“I barbequed turkey.” Ty sighed, then smiled into her eyes. “I’m afraid I won’t be able to welcome you home the way I’d like, at least not for a few hours. A whole lot has happened since we saw each other last.” Then he laughed and shook his head. “Maybe you shouldn’t agree to anything before you’ve spent a few days here. There’s no privacy and definitely not enough bathrooms anymore.”
“Callie’s living here, too?”
“What’s one more?” He shrugged and tried to pretend he was put out, but he couldn’t hide his contentment. He was gathering the houseful of kids he’d always wanted, hanai style.
Sunny ran across the road. Kat stood up to greet her, and without hesitation, the girl threw her arms around Kat’s neck and gave her a big hug.
“What a great surprise!” Sunny turned her megawatt smile on Ty. “Isn’t it, Dad? Isn’t this a great surprise? You’re staying, aren’t you, Kat?”
Ty gave Kat no chance to decline. “She’s staying.”
By now R.J. and Callie had reached the bench. Alice was still yelling, “Key! Key!” when Callie handed her over to R.J. Alice promptly began hitting him on the head with the spoon.
“There’s going to be a mutiny if we don’t eat soon,” R.J. grumbled, but there was a definite twinkle in his eye when he added, “Glad to see you, Kat. Welcome back.”
“Just give us another minute alone, would you?” Ty found Kat’s hand again and threaded his fingers through hers. “Start carving the turkey and passing out samples,” he suggested to R.J. “We’ll be right there.”
“Don’t blow it, Dad.” Sunny winked and quickly herded them all back to the house. Ty draped his arm around Kat and she leaned into him, watching them go.
“Are you sure this is what you want, Kat?” His voice was low, his breath tickled her ear as he pressed his lips against her temple.
She turned in his arms and laid her hand against his chest, felt his heart beating strong and true beneath it.
“There’s no place else on earth I’d rather be than in your arms, and in your life.”
“You know this is forever? I’ll never let you go now.”
“As if I’d want to go anywhere.”
“No more guns? No more stakeouts?”
“We’ll talk about that later, okay?”
“Kat—”
“Shut up and kiss me, Chandler. I’ve missed you so much.”
There, on the bluff above the Pacific, as the waves rolled in and crashed over the rocks below, gulls circled overhead, the sun beat down, and the Santa Ana winds blew through the canyons toward the sea, he kissed her, and she knew she’d finally come home.
The End
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About the Author
JILL MARIE LANDIS has written nearly thirty novels which have earned distinguished awards and slots on such national bestseller lists as the USA Today Top 50 and the New York Times Best Sellers. She is a seven-time finalist for Romance Writers of America’s RITA Award in both Single Title and Contemporary Romance as well as a Golden Heart and RITA Award winner. She’s written historical and contemporary romance, inspirational historical romance, and she is now penning the popular Tiki Goddess Series.
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