“You’ll see.” Honeymoon Island closed at dusk, but I had an annual pass that allowed me to go in after-hours to fish and kayak.
I unlocked the gate, then drove toward the end of the park, but pulled into the first parking lot. Most of the pass-holders parked in the last lot so they could be at the tip of the island.
When we parked, she smiled, but still hadn’t uttered a word. I reached for the backpack I’d tossed in the back seat, putting my arm through one strap. I opened the passenger door and pulled her into my arms.
I removed her shoes, tossing them lightly into the cab. “I’ll carry you until we get to the sand.”
Chapter 20 - Kayla
As soon as Jesse crossed the boardwalk, he lowered me so I could walk. How romantic. Here we were, dressed in formal wear, but walking barefoot on the beach at night. This was all I’d ever wanted. Since I was thirteen, I’d dreamed of finding a real prince. Not the wealthy son of a king, but a man who’d treat me as though I were a princess.
It was probably all the books Jesse read. He really knew how to make a woman’s blood boil, and yet he was the perfect gentleman. Sometimes I wished he wasn’t, but I understood his concern. His fear that he’d get me pregnant and then I’d abandon him and our child as his mother had done caused him to abstain from sex — or anything remotely close to sex.
The few other people on the beach were so far away that I only saw a hint of light from a lantern. The air was cool, but next to Jesse I felt warm. I inhaled deeply, relishing the scents. No words could accurately describe the smell of the beach. Leftover aromas of suntan oils, a hint of fresh fish, and when the breeze swept my face, I tasted a bit of salt on my tongue.
With the boardwalk a couple hundred feet behind us, Jesse pulled a blanket from his backpack and spread it over the sand. He pulled me down with him as he lowered himself onto the blanket. My hair lapped at my face, so Jesse jumped up and sat on the other side of me.
“Better?” he asked when I turned to him.
“Yes, thank you. This is beautiful. I’ve never been on the beach at night. Have you?”
He laughed. “It is beautiful. And no, to answer your unasked question, I haven’t brought another girl here. I only come to fish.” He leaned forward and placed a delicate kiss on my lips, but then pulled back too soon. “I had an entire evening planned, which was a little interrupted, but I’m glad. I enjoyed the evening with your family, and of course, your dad making my mom stay; that was pretty funny. Did you put him up to that?”
“No. That was all my dad. He’s big on family stuff, as you can imagine. Even when he’s up to his eyeballs with work, he never misses one of my riding events.”
“That’s nice. I’m glad your dad challenged my mother to stay. More so, I’m happy that my dad has a little extra time to talk with her. Maybe they’ll air out some stuff, and he’ll be able to rejoin the land of the living.” Jesse stared off at the water as though he was thinking through his comment, but then shook his head as if clearing his thoughts. “Enough about our parents. This is our time.” He touched his lips to the edge of my mouth, then leaned back. “I know we have all summer together, Kayla, but there’s something I wanted to ask you now.”
Jesse could be so serious. I hoped he wasn’t going to get all worried about our relationship. Only slightly concerned, I sat stock-still, waiting for his question.
“I know you love me, Kayla,” Jesse continued. “There’s no way I can doubt that, but how much do you love me?”
Confused by his question, I shook my head. How could I describe how much I loved him? I’d always believed that actions spoke louder than words. Surely he already knew how I felt. “I don’t understand. What are you asking?”
He bit down on his lip, then released our linked fingers. He touched his hand to my face, then skimmed his fingers down my arm, sending chills through my body. At my hand, he twisted the promise ring on my finger for a few seconds. “I know we’re young, but I can honestly say that I love you enough that I want to be with you forever. Do you love me like that? And please be honest, Kayla. I can take anything. If you’re not sure, we have plenty of time to find out.”
“I don’t have to wonder if I’m sure, Jesse.” I pressed myself closer against his side, enjoying the warmth of his body. “I can’t imagine ever being with anyone else. I knew from the first night that you would always be the love of my life.”
His lips turned up at the corners but, for some reason, he held a full smile at bay. “You don’t think we’re too young to know this?”
Wondering what he was getting at, I narrowed my eyes. Jesse said he would love me forever, but now it sounded as if he thought we should take it slow. Maybe because I’d pushed him for more time together this morning.
He stood and pulled me up in front of him. Oh, no … He did think we were too young … and believed we were going too fast. I’d thought we were on the same wavelength. Just him graduating felt like another hurdle gone. We had less than a year until we could be together forever. Or at least that’s what I’d thought.
“Jesse, I —” Unshed tears filled his eyes. “What did I say? Please don’t break —”
He placed his fingers over my lips and dropped to one knee. My heart started beating so fast that I thought it might take flight right out of my body. Without warning, tears overflowed from my eyes. The salty stream trickled past my upturned lips. I swiped my free hand down both sides of my nose and across my mouth. Jesse wasn’t breaking up with me. Just the opposite. Jesse wanted me forever.
“Kayla M’Lynn Jordan, I know there are a lot of specifics to discuss, and I know we’re young, but I swear I will love and cherish you for the rest of my life. And now, I only have one more question for you. Will you marry me, Kayla?” He held a ring in his hand as he waited for me to agree.
I fell to my knees in front of him and kissed him. “Yes, Jesse. Yes, I’ll marry you, and I don’t care about the specifics or the fact that we’re young. I know what I want, forever.”
He slid the promise ring off my finger. I was making another promise now. To Jesse. He slipped my mother’s ring onto my right hand before taking my left hand in his and kissing it. As soon as he slid the engagement ring on my finger, he pressed his mouth to mine for a full kiss. My heart raced in anticipation of more. Maybe an engagement was enough to soothe his worried mind, and Jesse would start trying to rip off my clothes like most seventeen-year-old boys would.
All too soon, though, his kisses slowed as he trailed them up my cheek to my ear. “I love you more than life itself, Kayla.”
I turned my face toward his kisses and wrapped my arms tightly around him so he couldn’t escape.
After a few minutes, his mouth stilled again. He gathered my hands from around his waist and leaned back. “Do you want to talk about the specifics your father and I discussed?”
“You asked my dad?” Excited and anxious, my voice cracked on my question.
“Of course. That’s the respectful way, right? You said your father was old-fashioned. It must have been the right way because he gave us his blessing.”
My face burned with exhilaration. “He did?” I screeched. “Then, yes, as much as I’d rather keep kissing you, I guess I need to know,” I made quote marks in the air, “the ‘specifics’ you discussed.” Jesse was always so organized and business-like. He had a plan for everything.
Jesse squeezed my hand, then fiddled with my new ring. “I haven’t agreed to anything. I told your father we’d discuss everything first.”
I bit my lip and grinned, loving that he’d said we. We were a couple. Our separate dreams had merged into one, and together we’d make new dreams and goals.
Jesse wrapped an arm around my waist, then explained his conversation with my father.
“So, Dad offered you a job and a place to live, and we won’t have to be apart for nine months while you wait for me to graduate?”
Jesse laughed softly. “Yes. Is that the only part you heard?”
&nb
sp; I closed my eyes and sighed. “No, I also heard the part about us getting married in three months and you still not touching me for another nine months. Why on earth not?”
“Because I want you to finish your high school year without feeling like an old married woman.”
“Jesse,” I moaned. “I’m probably the only girl in my high school that hasn’t had sex yet.”
“It may seem that way, but I just read an article that said more than fifty-five percent of teenagers haven’t had sex. We’re just bamboozled by Hollywood to think that all kids do it. Same thing with drugs. Did you ever stop to think that if two out of ten kids smoke pot, that means eight out of ten don’t?”
I snorted. “You read too much, Jesse.”
He shrugged. “Anyway, this isn’t about sex. I’d be leaving my dad and his business. I wouldn’t be making something of myself on my own. I don’t know how I feel about that. I don’t know how you’ll view me since you said you wanted to be like your dad and mom and not accept help from anyone.”
Serious now, understanding where his thoughts were coming from, I nodded. I had said that. On our first date, I’d told Jesse that I didn’t want my dad’s money … that I’d wanted to be like my father. “Okay, Jesse, let me ask you a question?” In rapt attention, he nodded, as though his future depended on what I thought of him. I’d never realized that my opinion of his success was so important to him. “First of all, I’ll love you no matter what you do. But what if you weren’t taking over your dad’s business? You’d look for a job, then work your way to the top. Isn’t that what most people do? Or, what if my dad’s business wasn’t successful? What if it was smaller, like your dad’s? Then would it make a difference? It’s not like my father’s handing you a business. He’s saying you’re the perfect person for the job. But what if you took that ball and ran with it, took it to the next level? Would that be enough for you?”
He grabbed my shoulders and planted a quick kiss on my lips, then pulled back and smiled. “That’s an awful lot of questions, cowgirl. But you’re right. You’re always right.”
Happy with his assessment of me, my lips turned up. “So you’ll take his offer then, and I’ll be your wife?”
“Those are much easier questions. Yes, and absolutely!” He pulled me back down to the blanket and rolled me over on my back so he was hovering over me. “Oh, and he said okay on the camping trip, too. Now, enough with the specifics. I have a month’s worth of kissing to make up.”
Chapter 21 - Kayla
Everyone was still up when I walked inside my grandmother’s house. My dad couldn’t hide the gleam in his eyes, but Gram and Charity looked confused, so he must not have said anything to her about Jesse’s request.
Grateful for my father’s keen sense of my happiness, I threw myself onto his lap and wrapped my arms around his neck. “Thank you, Daddy! Jesse is wonderful, and I love him more than I can explain. Thank you for believing in us.”
Gram and Charity looked up, an assortment of expressions dancing across their faces at my words as they waited for the punchline. Instead of screaming I’M ENGAGED, I wiggled my fingers beneath the overhead lights, allowing the diamond to communicate on my behalf.
“Honey!” My grandmother squealed. “He didn’t! Oh my heavens, darling, come over here and let me see that.” At her request, I pranced across the floor. Kneeling in front of her, I placed the tips of my fingers in her weathered hand. “Whew! That’s some ring.”
Charity zipped across the room, jealousy and shock clear on her face. I didn’t understand. Charity wasn’t interested in Jesse, so I couldn’t fathom why she looked so annoyed.
Within seconds, Charity’s color changed from bright crimson to her normal pale peach. The scowl also diminished, and if I wasn’t mistaken, she may have even smiled. “That is a beautiful ring, Kayla. And you’re right. Jesse is a great guy. I’m so sorry for what I did in March. I thought he was using you. Can you forgive me?”
“Of course,” I said, pulling my cousin in for a hug. “We can put this behind us and have a good summer. Maybe Jesse has a friend.”
Charity huffed out a breath. “I haven’t seen Jesse hang out with anyone since he broke up with Morgan. No matter how many girls tried to get his attention, he didn’t do anything but work and study. Until he met you, that is.”
“Well, maybe you could come out with us sometime. We can meet new people together.”
“That sounds good. Thanks, Kayla.”
For the first time since I could remember, Charity sounded genuine.
“So what did Jesse decide about my offer?” my dad asked, a worried crease expanding the length of his forehead.
“We decided that we accept.” I grinned at the thought of we. It was the two of us now. Together, we would make decisions about our life.
“Good,” he said matter-of-factly. “Guess I’ll get to work readying up an apartment and then finding y’all a house.”
I threw myself at him again. “Thank you, Daddy. I love you.”
“Anything for my baby girl. I love you too.”
Chapter 22 - Jesse
From the time I got up each morning and went to work, to heading over to Kayla’s house to clean up and change for whatever we had planned, I filled every minute of the day. I’d fall into bed around midnight, and be up by five the following morning.
The days were exhausting, but it didn’t matter. I never tired of spending the day with Kayla, and I refused to leave my father employee-less when I knew I’d be leaving permanently soon. Over the years, he’d hired a select number of plumbers, a few operators, and the occasional temp secretary during tax season. Since I’d turned fourteen, though, it’d been just him and me, and one operator. I’d tried to find my replacement, but he was never satisfied. He’d also begged me to wait until after Christmas to leave. My father had never requested anything of me, so why would he ask now? I wasn’t happy about it and wanted to say no, but Kayla insisted that I do what my father asked, since it would only be a couple of months. “Besides,” she’d grumbled, “It’s not like you’re gonna consummate our marriage anyway.”
I reluctantly gave in to my father’s request, but told him I’d have to take several long weekends and drive up to stay with Kayla for several days. It wasn’t like before when I’d only been with her for a week. I’d filled my every conscious thought, even while working or sleeping, with her for months, and I couldn’t imagine how I’d go without seeing her for one day, let alone weeks at a time.
As always, Kayla looked at things altruistically. “It’s only a few more months, Jesse. If it pleases your dad, shouldn’t you do this one final thing to make him happy? And imagine how much you’ll anticipate seeing me after being away for several weeks.”
I rolled my eyes. “I miss you overnight and can barely get through the workday.”
When the day finally arrived to begin our week-long camping trip, I waited outside her house, packed and ready to go while she grabbed a few extra necessities. It would be the first time we’d be alone an entire night with no worries about getting home or having to work in the morning.
“Ready!” She tossed her bag in the back seat and then snuggled up beside me. “You ready to get away?”
“You bet I am.” I sighed, throwing my head back. “I’m so tired.”
Kayla’s body shifted beside me. “You’re gonna sleep all week?”
“No, silly.” I chuckled. “Just being away from work and doing the things I love best, spending time with you and kayaking, will be relaxing enough.”
Sprawling homes and long wooden docks dotted nearly every inch of the west bank of the crystal clear Rainbow River, but the east side bordered a state park. Between kayaking, bike riding, snorkeling, swimming, and sunbathing, our days would be filled. The nights were another issue entirely. I wasn’t sure how we’d fill the nights when I wanted her so badly my insides hurt. Still, I wanted this last chance to enjoy the things I loved about Florida with Kayla before I moved to her home st
ate of North Carolina.
After taking turns swimming downstream behind the kayak, I stopped at what my friends and I had dubbed the jumping tree. Not to be outdone by my friends and me — boys, she’d mocked — Kayla ascended to the highest limb.
“Hey, cowgirl! I’m not climbing up there to rescue you.”
“Hah! As if I’d need rescuing — by a boy!”
She bounced on the limb as I followed her. I never climbed to the highest limb, but I couldn’t have a girl show me up. As I reached her, she jumped, screaming the entire way. I waited until she cleared from below me, then jumped quickly so she wouldn’t get to shore before I landed. As soon as I broke the surface, I used my upper body strength to catch up to her. She might be braver than I’d ever been before I met her, but she wasn’t stronger.
“Gotcha!” I encircled her, daring her to escape.
“You most certainly did, Jesse James,” she said in a low drawl that sent a molten-hot sensation throughout my entire body, even though we were swimming in seventy-two-degree water.
I moved up the bank just far enough that I could stand so she’d have to keep hold of me, and took advantage of the situation. “You taste so good,” I said after a few delicious kisses.
“Maybe it’s the magnificent spring water we’re swimming in.” She nuzzled her lips up to my ear. “Are you sure you want to leave this?”
I sighed. “I’ll choose you over spring water any day. I’ll miss Florida, but nothing could be worse than missing you, Kayla.”
Seemingly content, she grinned mischievously as she wrapped her legs around my waist.
Yep, tonight was going to be torture.
When the sun faded behind the clouds and our lips started turning blue from the frigid spring-fed water, we headed to make camp. Well, I made camp while Kayla fed half of our snacks to the neighborhood squirrels. Based on their size, the little hoarders had more food than they needed for a lifetime of Florida winters, but knowing Kayla’s love of animals, I’d be wasting my breath if I told her not to feed the wildlife.
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