Page 73 of Promise of a New Beginning
He looked down at her and furrowed his brow; then he placed his warm hands on her cheeks and pressed a soft kiss to her lips. “I know you’re not, and neither am I.”
Jack opened the door and they stepped inside. The house smelled woodsy and masculine with a hint of cedar.Kinda like Jack.He motioned to the open living space.
She took another step inside and looked at the warm furniture, the expansive fireplace, the mix of textures: woods, stone, granite. “This is very nice,” she said. “It looks like a place I could envision you spending time in, reading in front of the fireplace, sitting on the deck.” Her eyes caught on a photograph on the bookshelf next to the fireplace. She moved closer, and recognized Jack in his cap and gown. “Your college graduation?”
“Yes. That’s my family.”
She realized that the blond woman beside him was probably Linda. She was very pretty and was looking up at Jack adoringly.Who wouldn’t? He is worth adoring.
“And Linda,” he added. “If it upsets you, I can put it away.”
“No need. I feel like I know where her life ended, and I know she had a life with you, so it’s nice to put a face to the woman who loved you. I’m glad you kept it.”
Jack went to her side and pulled her against him. He kissed the top of her head. “I really don’t need to keep it out. It was just a happy time with my family.”
She looked up at him and smiled. “Jack, I’m not threatened by her. If it doesn’t make you sad, then to me, it’s just another family member who’s no longer here but who doesn’t deserve to be forgotten.”
“How can you be so good, Savannah?”
“When you love someone, you want them to be happy, and repressing ten years of your life can’t make anyone happy. I didn’t know her, but I assume she was a good person, or you wouldn’t have been with her. And now you have me. There’s no issue. If you compared me to her all the time or complained that I should be more like her, that would be cause for some different action to be taken, but I can’t see that happening.” She put her hands on his waist. “I do like your house. It’s very you.”
“I’m selling it,” he said. “I needed you to see where everything happened so you would understand what I’m going to do next.”
“Why?” The minute she asked, she knew why. It was one thing to say goodbye to his past, but another to be reminded of it every day.
“My life is no longer here, Savannah.”
A powerful and unexpected thought came into her mind, and she furrowed her brow, thinking it was too impetuous and she should tuck it away, but when she looked into Jack’s eyes and saw the love there, the desire to squelch the thought disappeared.
“Move in with me.” The words tumbled out. Her heart raced at the thought, and the faster it beat, the more she was sure it was the right thing to do.
He looked down at her, and behind the shock of his gaping mouth and wide eyes, she saw—and felt—the same excitement that sent her up on her toes to steal a kiss from him.
“Jack, no one knows what tomorrow will bring. No one knows that better than you.”
He searched her eyes, and she wished he would say something, anything. She knew in her heart this was the right thing to do. She didn’t want to come home one single night and know Jack wasn’t there. She thought of him all the time, and the more time they spent together, the more she loved him.
Jack stuffed his hands in his pockets and looked around the room, blinking so much that she was sure he was trying to figure out how to let her down easily.
“It’s okay,” she said quickly. “I was just excited. I…I don’t know what I was thinking.” She looked away, her heart shattering into smithereens.What have I done?
Jack lifted her chin with his index finger, and when she drew her eyes to him, he was smiling.
“Savannah, after my mother and sister left today, I spent two hours walking around the city, making sure that none of those dark thoughts would find their way back to me and thinking about us.”
“And?” Her stomach twisted into a knot. Hadn’t he just said goodbye to his past? Was he now going to tell her it was still there? She held her breath as he continued.
“You have taught me that life is about living, and you’ve loved me through the scars that my past left behind. Do you remember the rules of three? In extreme conditions a man can live three minutes without air, three weeks without food, and—”
“Three days without water,” Savannah added.
“Yes. Three days without water. Angel, my rules are now three plus one. I don’t want to live three seconds without you in my life. If you’ll have me, I want an eternity with you. I want to fall asleep with you in my arms and wake up to your warmth beside me. I want to be there when you laugh and I want to share your sadness so you know you’re never alone. Savannah, you are my future, and I hope that I can be yours.”
Her chest constricted. She could barely breathe. “Jack?” she whispered. “Are you asking me…”
“Marry me, Savannah. I don’t care when. Tonight, next year, five years from now. Promise me an eternity and I’ll promise you the same. I’ve never wanted anything so much in my entire life.”
Now she knew why he’d been blinking so much, because as her eyes filled with tears, she couldn’t stop her lashes from trying to blink them away so his handsome face could come back into focus again.
