Page 29 of Owen's Heart

How did we ever lose our minds?

And fall apart, knowing we're the only ones

To heal each other's hearts

Bring your love back to me

Stop this insanity

Before we go too far

“Owen, hey,” I speak over the music.

“Hey, sweetheart.”

Realizing he could be here on a date himself erases the elation I have from seeing him. “What are you doing here?” I ask after the shock wears off.

“I’m here to spend the rest of the night with you.”

“Spend the rest of the night with me,” I parrot. “Wait, where’s Janae?” I look around for her, expecting her to walk back into the room at any moment.

“She’s gone to the hotel. She and her husband have a suite there for the weekend.”

I’ve been had, and Janae was a coconspirator in getting me here with Owen. I guess neither of them knows I would have come had he just asked me out.

“You didn’t have to do this. When you said you would set something up, I never thought this would be it. You could have just set up a date.”

Owen takes the seat across from me. “I wanted to surprise you. I wanted to see this look on your face. I want you to know what it will be like being with me if you give me another chance. I will spend the rest of my life doing whatever it takes to make sure you are always surprisingly happy and never bored,” he says with a heart-warming smile.

I scan the direction Janae disappeared to, and she really is nowhere in sight. “You and Janae are going to get it.”

Owen adjusts himself in his seat and gets comfortable. “Trust me, sweetheart, I’m looking forward to getting it from you.”

A song I’ve never heard before begins to play as the DJ makes an announcement, “This song is from Owen Clemonte to his sweetheart, Janae Brown.”

“It’s a song I wrote,” Owen confesses as a melody comes over the river boat’s speakers.

Owen is singing a song entitled Sometimes Rania. There is no real production, just Owen singing on top of a beat. The lyrics explain how he felt when we broke up.

Owen stands and reaches out a hand, “Dance with me.”

I accept his hand and follow him to the dance floor, where he hauls me into his arms. He holds me tight, close, and flush to his body. Like he has no intention of ever letting me go.

My body instantly comes alive and remembers the feel of his touch. His woodsy, citrusy scent impales my senses, rendering me his once again.

I know it’s not a spell this time. It’s not a trick. This is the love that was meant to be. The love that was always meant to be.

“You feel so good in my arms, Rania. I just can’t stop touching you,” he breathes against my ear.

Owen’s hands leave no part of my body untouched. The way he palms the globes of my butt cheeks into his hands makes me wonder if the dress is still covering it. I’m so deep into his orbit that I cannot even think enough about it to care.

As if this night is already more than I could have imagined it would be, after the Harriett III pulls back up to the dock, Owen and I sit in the grass and listen to the live concert. Hands intertwined, we listen to each ballad, singing along together wherever we could. And yes, I slipped on my leggings before getting off the boat.

Once we finish singing loudly to Frankie Beverly’s “Before I Let Go,” Owen makes an announcement. “I have one more thing I want us to do tonight.”

He stands and helps me up from my place on the grass. We walk to the edge of the grassy area, and a neighing horse and old-style carriage are waiting for us.

“Owen and Rania?” the driver asks when Owen approaches him.

---