Page 68 of Return to You

“And she said that last weekend Ethan had shown up at an open house that she was having because he’d received an anonymous report of suspicious activity in the area. He didn’t find anything, but guess who lives next door to the house she was showing.” Ali paused for dramatic effect before continuing, “Mrs. Weathersby. Then, a few days later she walked to her car after work and found him there responding to an anonymous call about break-ins in the parking lot. There were no break-ins but guess who owns the building that the real estate office is in. Mr. and Mrs. Chen.”

“Don’t they know that making false police reports is a crime?” Jess snapped defensively.

Ali suppressed a smile. Usually her friend found the ladies’ shenanigans entertaining. But it seemed that their antics weren’t so funny when they involved Ethan.

“I don’t think they care. Plus, someone would have to prove that it was them and that they were knowingly lying. Who in Whisper Lake is going to do that?”

“So, what, Kennedy thinks it’s a setup?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, we thought that it was Keaton, too, and it turned out to be just coincidences.”

Again Ali had to fight a smile. Jess never missed an opportunity to gossip about the old ladies.

The rest of the ride to Foster Pond was quiet and Ali wished she could read minds.

“We’re here!” Jess announced loudly. “I think we should start at the bridge before the gazebo. I want to get a few shots there before we set up the picnic.”

“Remember how upset I was that Dean broke up with me two days before prom and I never got my pictures here?” It was Whisper Lake tradition to take prom pictures at Foster Pond standing on the bridge and in the white gazebo that it led to. Ali had been more upset about not having the picture than she’d been about her breakup.

Jess grabbed her camera and they started walking to the gazebo. Jess stopped on the grassy area a few yards from the bridge. “Why don’t you walk to the middle of the bridge and I’ll take some shots with you there.”

Ali was almost at the center of the bridge when Jess yelled, “Stop!”

“Okay.” Ali froze.

“The light is perfect there. Just look over here.”

Ali turned and Jess took several shots before she said, “Okay, now turn around. I want to get some of you walking to the gazebo.”

“You do?” Ali questioned unsure why Jess would want that for the brochure.

Jess smiled and nodded her head animatedly. “Yes,”

“Oookay,” Ali said beneath her breath.

She turned and gasped when she almost walked right into Kade.

“Hi.” He bent down and kissed her before she’d even totally registered that he was there.

“What are you doing…?” she looked around, out of habit. They’d been sneaking around so much that it had become a reflex. Jess was giving her a thumbs up.

She looked back at Kade who was beaming at her. “I’m kissing the woman that I love.”

Ali could feel her cheeks warm up. “Did Jess know you were going to be here?”

“Yes. I asked her to get you up here because I wanted to surprise you.”

“Well, mission accomplished.” A nervous laugh bubbled up in Ali.

But she fell silent when she saw the serious look in his eyes.

He took a deep breath and took her hands in his. “I love you, Ali. I always have. Even before that love was romantic, it was real and it was deep. You’ve always been my safe place. You’ve always been my home. You were the person that taught me what unconditional love was. The first time I felt it, was when I showed up on your doorstep after my accident. You threw your arms around me and hugged me and I felt it. Then you started beating the crap out of me and I felt it even more.”

Ali smiled as tears swelled in her eyes. She didn’t remember hitting him, but that sounded like something she would’ve done. She just remembered being so scared.

“I want to be the man that’s worthy of your unconditional love. I sold my motorcycle yesterday.”

---