Page 92 of The House on Blueberry Lane

“Come sit out there with me a while.”

“Okay.”

Suddenly, Jaye swept her into his arms. “Jaye!” She laughed.

“It’s okay. I got you.”

Yes, you do, Velvet thought as he opened the back door and carried her out to the porch. Instead of placing her in her rocking chair, he eased down to his and cuddled her in his lap. With his warm arms, he held her as close to him as he could manage, and she wrapped her arms around his neck. That’s when he lowered his head to hers for another kiss.

The moment their lips connected, shivers raced through her body, and when his tongue eased into her mouth, she knew heaven. When he deepened the kiss, she groaned as blood rushed through her veins.

He abruptly broke off the kiss and she immediately felt the loss. “I love you, Velvet.”

She doubted she would ever tire of hearing those words from him. “I truly believe that you do, Jaye.”

“When did you accept it?” he asked.

“All that time I had alone to think while you were in Birmingham. I knew that I loved you and had never stopped loving you, even though I tried and at times convinced myself that I had. I thought about everything you said and everything you did and have done since moving to the cove. And I realized that you had done them just for me and to show me how much you loved me. I no longer saw it as manipulation but as a revelation. You were revealing to me in your own special way what I had come to mean to you.”

“It might have taken me a while, Velvet, but I came to realize just how much I loved you, and then I was determined to do whatever I needed to do to win back your heart and to prove how much I loved you. There was no way I could live without you.”

He paused a moment and then said, “I’m glad you realized the depth of my love for you. You don’t know how it made me feel when I arrived at that high school and saw you facing down that school board and declaring you knew that I loved you. At that moment, I could have hung the moon. It meant everything to me, knowing you believed me.”

He stood with her in his arms. He turned and placed her in the chair, and then got on bended knee. “I came to Catalina Cove to win back your heart, Velvet. I knew it wouldn’t be easy, but I also knew I wouldn’t give up. Whatever it took, I intended to do it.”

She chuckled. “Such arrogance.”

“I saw it as desperation and determination. I promised myself that if I ever got you back, I would never give you a reason to leave me again.”

He took her hand into the warmth of his and gazed directly into her eyes. What she saw in the dark depths made her draw in a trembling breath when he said, “Will you marry me, Velvet? I promise to love you always and make you happy.”

Filled with an abundance of emotions, she couldn’t stop the tears that rolled down her cheek. This was what she’d always wanted. His love and to be his wife. “Yes, Jaye. I will marry you.”

She felt him slide a ring on her finger and she looked down at her hand. Her eyes widened at the huge diamond. “Oh, my goodness. Jaye, it’s beautiful. When did you get this?”

“I’ve had it since the day I arrived in Catalina Cove. Like I said, I was determined to win your love. I had told myself that I wouldn’t leave the cove until you left here with me as my wife, and I meant it.”

Smiling broadly, he stood and pulled her into his arms. After a long drugging kiss, he released her mouth and she wrapped her arms around his neck and asked, “When do you want to get married?”

“This weekend.”

She laughed. “Sorry, we can’t marry before Ruthie and her wedding is in June. Besides, I want to finish the school year.” She then thought of something. “When is Dean getting married?”

“Not until December. And since I vowed not to return to Phoenix without you as my wife, that means I’ll remain here as well. The manager we hired for the bank starts here next month. That means I’ll be traveling back and forth to Birmingham to check on the progress there, so I will stay here with you until we get married. With Delisa coming back in a few months, I guess I’ll be moving in with you.”

She grinned. “And you are welcome to do so.”

“Thanks, and how about an August wedding?”

Velvet smiled up at him. “August will work fine. That way I’ll be ready to return to the classroom in September.”

“Good. Plan on a month-long honeymoon.” He paused, then asked, “So where do you want to live after we get married? I bought that land for you. We can live here or we can live in Phoenix. I’ll let you decide.”

She knew how much he loved Phoenix. It was his home and for years it had been hers as well. “I want to move back to Phoenix. The house we build here on the gulf will be our vacation home.”

“That sounds like a plan.”

“And thanks for buying that property for me.”

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