Page 151 of The One for Me
He nods. “It is.”
“And I smell the ocean.”
“Nothing gets by you.”
I slap his chest. “Jerk.”
Sean’s laugh is low as he takes my hand. “Come on.”
We start to walk to where there’s a limo waiting. I can hear the swaying of the palm trees in the warm wind. It’s paradise, and I start to realize where he brought me.
My hand clings to Sean’s bicep, and I fight back the urge to squee. I can’t believe he whisked me away to an island without me knowing. “You know, this is a pretty extravagant pre-Valentine’s Day present.”
He chuckles. “This isn’t a present.”
“No? What would you call it?”
Sean’s lips press to the top of my head. “I’d call it the beginning.”
I have no idea what exactly it’s the beginning of, but it’s definitely off to a good start. If all beginnings are this way, count me in.
But then I think about how our entire relationship has gone, and I realize it’s always been this way. When we were little, we were instant best friends. It didn’t matter that I was a dumb girl or that he was a stupid boy, we were just Sean and Devney. As we grew up, we didn’t let other people interfere with our relationship, he was my number one and I was his. If he was dating someone I hated, he dumped her. I never really got to date because of his overprotective ass, but I know, in my heart, I would’ve done the same.
Sean and I have never really struggled. We’re both adventurous, like to laugh, and lack reservations when in regards to the other. It’s probably why I fought against loving him as more than a friend.
I knew that this would be us. We’d fall so hard, so fast, so deeply in love that there would be no going back.
And now, here we are . . . on an island—together.
We approach a driver, who opens the door for us.
“Mr. Arrowood, my name is Dennis, and I will be your driver to the resort.”
“Thank you, Dennis. This is Ms. Maxwell.”
He kisses the top of my hand. “Ms. Maxwell, allow me to be the first to welcome you to St. Lucia.”
My heart pounds faster. “St. Lucia?”
The world seems to fade around me as I stare at him, waiting to see if this is a joke. Sean gives me a sweet smile that says it isn’t a joke and, in fact, it was very purposeful. “Twelve years ago, my best friend wrote me a letter about her dreams, do you remember?”
I nod with tears in my eyes. “I do.”
“Do you remember what you wrote?”
“That I wanted to have a destination wedding.”
“Where?”
“Here,” I whisper, hoping the wind will carry it into the universe to make it true. He remembered. He brought me to the place I wanted to stand in the sand to say the words that would bind me to the one I was meant to stand beside all my days.
He lifts his hand, brushing back my hair. “Yes, here.”
“Sean, we don’t . . .”
“No, we don’t, but I sure hope you will.”
My heart pounds against my chest as he reaches in his pocket. “I hadn’t planned to do this here.” He looks around the airport. “I had a whole plan, but I also shouldn’t be surprised because we both suck at planning.”
