Prologue
Ten years ago…
Matt’s fingertipsbrushed against the small, delicate ring hidden deep in his pocket. His pulse relaxed, knowing it was still there. Not that he should’ve been surprised...after all, he’d only checked on the damn thing a million times since that morning.
Still, it calmed his nerves to know it was safe and secure. No way in hell could he risk losing it. It was too important.She’s too important.
Though he couldn’t see it, Matt knew the smile spreading across his face was the same, goofy grin his buddies had been giving him shit about for the past few weeks. The past year, really.
A year ago today, he met the girl who’d changed everything. Kat was beautiful, funny, and smart as hell. Like, genius-level smart. But somehow despite the fact that they came from totally separate worlds, she’d chosen to be with him.
Matt’s smile grew, knowing in less than an hour Kat would no longer be his girlfriend. She’d be his fiancée.
If she says yes.
He ignored the tiny voice threatening to kill his emotional buzz. Of course, she’d say yes. She loved him every bit as much as he loved her. Even more so, to hear Kat tell it. But she was wrong.
The fact that he’d never been in love before didn’t matter. Not to Matt. Neither did his young age. Even at twenty, Matt knew he’d never love anyone more than he loved her.
Kat was his and his alone. He’d known it almost from the moment they met, but as he toyed with the simple diamond ring once more, Matt relished in the fact that soon the whole world would know it, too.
Her dad’s gonna be so pissed.
That tidbit of knowledge only added to the joy he was feeling. Thomas Marsh was a silver-spooned blowhard who owned half of California. Thankfully not the half Matt lived in.
From day one, the prick had fought Kat’s decision to date him. Thankfully Kat didn’t share her father’s opinion of those who lived in a lower tax bracket.
She judged people by the size of their hearts, not their bank accounts. It was one of about a billion reasons Matt loved her.
Speaking of Kat…
Matt checked his watch, his nerves ratcheting up once more when he saw what time it was. If he didn’t leave now, he’d be late.
With one final pat of his pocket, he threw on his boots, grabbed his sunglasses and keys, and headed to his truck. The fifteen-minute drive to the pier flew by as Matt used that time to mentally rehearse what he planned to say.
A year ago today, my buddies and I came to this same pier to go fishing. I thought my life was perfect, and then I saw you.
You were standing right over there with a group of girls. You were all talking and laughing, and I remember a small breeze blew by, sending some hair into your face.
You turned your head against the wind to brush it away, and when our eyes met, it was as if lightning had struck. I knew, from that moment on, my life would never be the same.
Matt pictured himself pulling the ring from his denim pocket and dropping to one knee. He imagined Kat’s face lighting up with surprise and tears of joy welling up and streaming down her soft, flawless cheeks. Then, he’d say…
“Katherine Jean Marsh, I have loved you from the second I first saw you. Will you make me the happiest man in the world and be my wife?”
She’d say yes and jump into his arms. And after he placed the modest ring on her hand, they’d go to their special place. They’d make love, then. Like they almost always did when he took her there.
Kat was a virgin when they’d started dating and had wanted to wait a while before having sex. As hard as it was—literally—Matt had respected the hell out of that.
For the first six months of their relationship, he’d walked around with balls as blue as the open sea. But man, had it been worth it. Knowing he was her first…that he would be her only…filled him with a ridiculous amount of alpha pride.
Thankfully, Kat understood the way male hormones worked and didn’t fault him for not being a virgin when they’d met, too. He had, however, kept himself only for her. And he would for the rest of his life.
His friends all thought he was crazy to even consider getting married at such a young age, but Matt knew she was worth the commitment. She was…everything.
He spotted the red mini coupe her dad had bought her for her sixteenth birthday and pulled into the space beside it. Through his windshield he could see her at the end of the pier.
Facing the water, she didn’t see him, so he took a few extra minutes to relish in the moment. Even from here he could tell she was wearing one of her strappy sundresses and sandals, and like a year ago, the breeze blew against her long hair.
