“Forget him.” War grasped my hand. “Let’s go for a walk.”
“Is this another form of your torture—I mean, exercise?”
He laughed and shook his head. “I want to go for a walk with my girlfriend. What’s so hard to get about that?”
When he put it like that, my heart melted.
He was already barefoot, wearing the black sweats shorts and a gray tee he’d put on after our shower. I toed off my sandals, then quickly plucked a daisy. He lifted an eyebrow, then said, “In two days, we have to go to the city. They’ve scheduled the shoot for the commercial.”
“Oh good, I’ll tag along. I’ll get to watch you toss your mane and smolder for the camera.”
He didn’t rise to my baiting, just shook his head, amusement rife in his eyes as we strolled across the yard and through the underbrush.
At the rocks sloping down to the beach, War leaped onto them and jumped down.
Ugh. No way could I do that. I stuck the daisy stem in my topknot to keep it safe, and carefully descended the rocks, then leaped down onto the soft sands to where he waited for me.
The noon sunlight enveloped us in warmth, but the light breeze stole that away as we reached the shore and damp sand. War slowed down, sticking his hands into his pockets. But I took a few steps into the waves rolling up to us.
“What are you doing?” he asked, joining me.
I removed the daisy from my hair and let it go in the water, and the receding waves took it to sea. “It’s for your mom. We don’t have a gravesite to go to, and since her ashes are scattered in the ocean, I wanted to tell her you are not alone anymore.”
The wind tossed his hair as he stared at me. His throat worked as if he found it hard to swallow. He hauled me close and just held me.
Then his soft voice drifted to me. “The moment you crossed my sight in Mulligan’s, my life was never the same. And not too long after, I fell hard. It was as if you had awakened me, pulled me out of the endless emptiness, showed me that hockey wasn’t the only way for me. I love you, Charlotte Jones, so damn much.”
My eyes watered, and I hugged him. “I love you, too.”
He kissed my head. “Here. This is for you.” He pulled out a palm-sized, flat jeweler’s box from the pockets of his sweats.
I blinked, and my pounding heart eased a little. Okay. Not a ring. “What is it?”
“Open it.”
I removed the lid. Nestled on navy velvet was a fine gold chain from which hung an oval, dome-style locket. The center had a lover’s knot etched in it.
I lifted it out of the box. “It’s beautiful.”
“I’m glad you like it.”
“I do.” This was a gift from him, and I’d treasure it like I did the artwork he bought me. “When did you get this?” I asked.
“While we were in town last week. I ordered it at the jeweler’s, and asked Jack to pick it up for me.”
“Ah, right.” So that was what Jack handed him.
I looked for a link, an opening, and then tried to pry it apart but couldn’t.
“Careful, or it will snap. Not a good sign if this gift to you breaks,” he murmured, easily opening it, revealing a place for two snapshots.
“Wow. I love it.”
“Good. You can put a picture of me in there and our stray pet,” he drawled, shutting it closed and fastening it around my neck.
Crash rarely stayed at the house. We only knew he’d come by when we found the food bowl empty,aaanda dead rat or bird next to it as athank you. Man.
“Thank you.” I stroked the locket, then lifted on my toes to kiss him. His arms slipped around my waist, and he lifted me to face level, kissing me deeply, the sound of the crashing waves our only company.
I sighed, happiness flooding me.
Where our lives together would take us, I didn’t know, but I couldn’t wait to experience every new day with this incredible man who made me believe in love again.
