Page 113 of Free to Run
And then I see the sunlight glint off the facets in the sun.
Keene’s mother’s diamond.
“Keene…” I choke out.
“I understand why you took this off, baby, but it’s time to put it back on. Unless you tell me in the next thirty seconds you don’t love me.” Keene’s eyes bore into my wet ones. “We can work anything out, as long as we’re together, Alison. Together.”
I nod my head slowly before whispering, “Together.”
He sighs heavily. Slowly, he slides his mother’s necklace over my head, his fingers trailing down my neck, shaking. “Can I kiss you, my love?” he whispers as he starts to lean in.
I’m trembling. It’s now or never, Alison.
“No.” He pulls back as if I slapped him. I take his hand and place it over my stomach, right where our little avocado has been growing. “But you can kiss your family.” I bite my trembling lip, waiting for his reaction.
Ecstatic finishers push past us, bumping us closer to one another. One jostles me particularly hard in the back.
Keene snarls at him, “For fuck’s sake, my woman’s pregnant. Watch where the hell you’re going, asshole!”
“Dude, sorry. You should probably move though,” the runner says.
“Right after I do this,” Keene breathes. Then, he crashes his mouth down on mine.
Heaven. I must have died on the race course. Otherwise, there’s no other explanation for being locked in Keene’s arms with his scent wrapped around me and our baby.
Ripping his mouth away, he says, “Alison, what in the hell is that beeping?”
Tossing my head back and laughing, I say, “That’s my heart monitor going wild.”
He smirks. “Bet your ass it is.”
Sliding his hands under my rear, he picks me up and wraps my legs around his waist, then moves us through the crowd. “Now, let’s get back to your place so we can figure out how soon we can get you home.”
Sliding my fingers through his thick hair, I tell him, “Okay.”
As Keene carries me through the masses of people, I catch a glimpse of snowy-white hair standing at the rail. Seeing Miss Julie’s face smiling, I blow her a kiss, knowing down to my soul that she’s somehow responsible for Keene being at the finish line.
After catching it, she mouths to me, “For better or worse.”
Dropping my head in Keene’s neck, I guess we’re about to find out.
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Keene
After we get past the crowd, I slide Alison down my body. I didn’t want to let her go, but she told me she needed to relax her muscles after running.
We walk back to the parking lot, stopping briefly to grab her a banana and a bottle of Powerade. I watch her devour the banana. “I’ll get you something else in just a few minutes, angel,” she murmurs down to her stomach, patting it reverently. Her body goes stiff before her other hand reaches for the diamond, like it’s a lifeline.
“Alison, we have to talk before we go back,” I say quietly. Her body begins to shake, but she nods her head.
“Why don’t you follow me back to my place? It’s not far from here.”
I pull out my phone. “What’s the address?” She rattles it off. Just a couple of minutes in normal traffic, then I can see where my heart’s been for the last few months.
“I’ll walk you to your car,” I say firmly.
The expression on her face softens. “Keene, I’m done running.”
