Chapter 24
The soft press of her lips against his made Jayden’s entire world narrow down to that single point of contact. His heart stuttered, then started racing like he’d just sprinted a marathon.
All the fear and panic that had been clawing at him just moments before simply… evaporated. Replaced by something so warm and right that he felt like he might melt into the sand beneath them.
“Nothing important,” he said softly, his voice still rough with emotion but infinitely calmer than it had been all day.
The beach crowd had thinned considerably as the evening wore on. Taking advantage of their relative
privacy, Jayden gently tilted Arianna’s chin up with his fingertips.
“That was nice,” he murmured, his eyes locked on hers. “But it was over way too fast.”
He leaned down and kissed her again–slowly this time, deliberately, like he was trying to memorize the
exact shape of her lips against his.
This kiss. Jesus, he’d been dreaming about this kiss since he was fifteen years old and too scared to do anything but hold her hand.
He felt her melt into him, her hands fisting in the front of his shirt like she was afraid he might pull away. When they finally broke apart, both of them were breathing hard.
“Better?” she asked with a shy smile that made his chest feel too small for his heart.
“Much,” he managed, his voice coming out like gravel.
Back at their B&B that night, they lay curled together in the antiqué four–poster bed, windows open to let
in the sound of waves and the salt–sweet ocean breeze.
Jayden held Arianna close, both of them gazing out at the moonlight reflecting off the water. His heart was hammering against his ribs, but this time it wasn’t from fear–it was from anticipation.
With hands that were definitely shaking, he slowly reached under his pillow.
“What are you up to over there?” Arianna asked, noticing his movement.
Instead of answering directly, Jayden shifted so he was facing her fully, his expression suddenly serious in a way that made her breath catch.
“Arianna,” he said quietly, “where do you see yourself in five years? Ten years?”
Chapter 24
She studied his face, clearly sensing that this wasn’t just casual conversation. “With you,” she said simply. “Wherever you are, that’s where I want to be.”
“And if I said I wanted to stay in Vermont? Maybe buy a house, put down real roots?”
“Then Vermont it is.” She smiled, reaching up to trace the line of his jaw. head of yours?”
“Why? What’s going on in that
Jayden’s throat felt like it was closing up. With trembling fingers, he pulled out a small velvet box and opened it to reveal a classic solitaire diamond that caught the moonlight and threw tiny rainbows across the ceiling.
“Because,” he said, his voice cracking with the weight of everything he was feeling, “I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want to wake up next to you every morning and fall asleep with you every night. I want to fight about whose turn it is to take out the trash and whether we’re having too many people over for dinner.”
Tears were streaming down his face now, but he couldn’t stop talking.
“I want to grow old with you, Arianna. I want everything we talked about when we were kids and thought we had all the time in the world.”
He took a shaky breath. “Will you marry me?”
For a terrifying moment, Arianna just stared at him, her eyes wide with shock. Then her face crumpled and she started crying so hard that Jayden briefly panicked, thinkin
she was about to say no.
Instead, she threw herself at him with so much force they both nearly tumbled off the bed.
“Yes,” she sobbed into his neck. “Yes, yes, obviously yes, you ridiculous man!”
Jayden felt like he might actually pass out from relief. He held her so tight he was probably bruising her
ribs, but she didn’t seem to mind.
Seventeen years of loving her from a distance.
Ten years of thinking he’d lost her forever.
And now, finally, they were going to get their happy ending.
Three days later, reality called them back to Vermont. Jayden had a full patient load waiting for him, and they’d already extended their trip twice.
Their first stop was the pet hotel to collect Orange, who immediately claimed every bit of Arianna’s
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Chapter 24
attention the moment they walked through the door.
“Well, I can see where I stand,” Jayden said with mock offense as Arianna completely ignored him in favor of cooing over their kitten. “Three days away and I’m already chopped liver.”
“What? No, of course not,” Arianna said distractedly, not even looking up from where she was letting Orange climb all over her. “You know you’re my favorite.”
But she made absolutely no move to actually acknowledg
too busy reuniting with their “baby.”
Jayden shook his head with fond exasperation. The constant anxiety that had been his unwelcome companion for weeks had finally started to quiet. Seeing Arianna like this–completely herself, radiantly happy, wearing his ring–was better than any therapy session.
His phone buzzed with a text from Uncle Charles.
Charles: How are you doing, kiddo? Things good with that girlfriend of yours? Bring her by the office when you get a chance–I’d love to meet her properly.
Jayden looked up at Arianna, who was now lying on the floor letting Orange use her as a jungle gym while she giggled at his tiny antics. The engagement ring sparkled on her finger, catching the afternoon sunlight streaming through the windows.
He couldn’t suppress the ridiculous grin that spread across his face as he typed back:
Free this afternoon. And she’s not my girlfriend anymore–she’s my fiancée.
