Her father, who’d been surprisingly quiet throughout the conversation, walked toward them. Jasper didn’t know what to expect, so he was surprised when Byron offered his hand to him. When Jasper went to shake it, Byron pulled him up and into a hug. “Welcome to the family, son.”
Cheers erupted in the room and Jasper saw that Courtney had to fight back the tears that were threatening to fall.
Jasper smiled broadly as he looked down at Courtney. It meant a great deal to him to earn Mr. Adams’s respect. He wasn’t an easy man to like, but he was a fair one and Jasper appreciated that. They had come a long way. “Thank you, sir.” He hoped to be asking him for Courtney’s hand in marriage very, very soon.
“Well, if you’ll excuse us,” Jasper said, grabbing Courtney’s hand and pulling her out onto the terrace. “It’s been one helluva week and we have a talk that’s long overdue.”
“You lovebirds have fun now.” Gabrielle gave Courtney a wink as the couple opened the terrace doors and walked out into the cool morning air.
They walked hand in hand in silence for some time, neither saying a word. It had been a drama-filled few weeks. There had been lies, betrayal, revelations and confessions, but there was still one confession left to be made.
Courtney breathed in the scent of hibiscus and rose from her mother’s garden until they came to a stone bench in the middle of the garden and sat down. Jasper turned to face Courtney. He stroked her cheek while gazing into her eyes.
“I’m glad we’re finally alone,” Jasper said.
“So am I.”
“There’s a lot I’ve wanted to say for a while now, but the timing hasn’t been right. But it is now. And I want to tell you what’s in my heart.”
“Yes...?”
“The night of the accident,” Jasper began, “put a lot of things into perspective for me. It made me see how close I came to losing you and it scared me. The only thing I can remember is seeing you falling into that street with oncoming traffic. The fear of losing you made me spring into action.”
“You leaped in front of that car,” Courtney said, her green eyes widening. “I’d never seen anything so daring, so crazy, so absolutely amazing in my entire life. I doubt most men would have done the same.”
“All I knew was that I had to get to you. I didn’t want to lose you without getting the chance to tell you how I feel.”
“And how do you feel?” Courtney whispered tenderly.
“I love you, Courtney,” Jasper said. “I know I said it a couple of times at the hospital, but I didn’t get to tell you in private that I fell in love with you in Punta Cana. From the moment I saw those sexy shorts and long legs on the pavement, I was a goner. I enjoyed our time in and out of bed more than even I realized. It wasn’t until you left without a word that I realized just how much you’d come to mean to me.”
“My family needed me,” Courtney said.
“I know, I know,” Jasper murmured, but then Courtney interrupted him with a finger to his lips.
“You know that’s not completely the truth.” She had to stop lying to herself and to him. “I used my family’s business as an excuse to come home. Our relationship was moving so fast, so quick, that it snuck up on me. I wasn’t ready for it all, so when the opportunity presented itself, I ran.”
“I understand fear.” Jasper nodded. “Distance didn’t get you out of my system, and I decided to follow you back here to Atlanta, desperate to find out why you left and make you regret leaving me. But little did I know that I would fall harder for you, that you would come to mean more to me than life itself. I love you, Courtney Adams.”
“Jasper...”
“I know we’ve had a tough road to get here, with my lying to you about who I was, my father and all his attempts to hurt you and your family, and your family being against us, but that’s all behind us now. You and me, we are unbreakable, so I’m hoping that you can see a future with me. A long future. Please tell me you do.”
“I love you, Jasper,” Courtney said. “I love you with all my heart.”
“You do?” he said, hope springing up in his voice.
Courtney nodded. “I’ve known for some time, but like you I’ve been afraid and denied the feelings existed, but they’ve been there all along. You’ve done so much for me, for my family. My love for you is eternal and I see a long, happy future with you, Jasper Jackson.”
“As Mrs. Jackson?”
“Is someone asking?”
He chuckled and then scooted off the concrete bench to kneel in front of her. “Courtney Adams, will you marry me?”
“Yes, I will marry you.” Courtney wrapped her arms around him and kissed him with all the love that was in her heart. They fell back onto the grass with Jasper taking the full weight of her. A quiver of love and happiness flowed through her, because at last she’d found her home.
Epilogue
“To Courtney and Jasper!” Shane held up his wine flute.
“To Courtney and Jasper!” The Adams family held up their flutes to celebrate the newly married couple.
The entire Adams family and a few close friends like Tea, Mark and Piper had been invited to Courtney and Jasper’s destination wedding at Sea Breeze Resorts in Punta Cana for Christmas later that year.
Jasper hadn’t wanted a long engagement. He wanted Courtney as his wife as soon as possible. Soon after he’d proposed, he’d slid a beautiful ring with a center stone set with pavé diamonds on her finger and then started making wedding preparations. They’d agreed to a small, intimate gathering at the place where they fell in love. Mark stood up as his best man with Shane and Ethan as groomsmen while Tea was her maid of honor and Kayla and Gabby were her bridesmaids.
Courtney and Jasper turned to look at each other and he leaned in for a kiss. When his lips met hers, her lips parted to release a sigh of pure delight. Courtney beamed with love at the man that was her friend, her partner, her lover for life. She couldn’t wait for what the future had in store.
“Hello, Mrs. Jackson. Have I told you that you look absolutely radiant today?” he asked.
The strapless taffeta gown she wore with floral appliqués had a formfitting bodice and a cascading train. Her beautiful honey-blond hair was spun in delicate curls behind a simple headpiece and a cathedral-length veil.
“I believe you did, once or twice.” She smiled with delight.
Just then, Courtney’s father walked up to them.
“Can I steal a moment with the groom?” her father asked.
“Sure, Daddy.” Courtney moved away to allow them to speak. It would give her a few minutes to congratulate her sister-in-law, Gabby, who’d revealed during the rehearsal dinner that she and Shane were expecting. They’d only been married four months. Her brother sure hadn’t wasted any time.
“I don’t need to tell you that I expect you to make my daughter very happy,” Byron told Jasper.
“No, you do not, sir.” Jasper shook his head. “Because I most certainly will spend the rest of my life treating your daughter like the princess she is.”
Byron smiled broadly. “I know you will, son.” He patted his shoulder affectionately. “You’re a good man and my daughter is lucky to have you.”
“I sure am,” Courtney said, slipping her arm around her father’s waist as she came back to join them. “Because I had a father like you who helped me realize what a great man is like.”
“Th...thanks, baby girl.”
Courtney could see her father was visibly moved and he nodded at her before stepping away.
“I think you almost made your dad cry,” Jasper said in disbelief.
Courtney shrugged. “He needed to know that I found the man I love. Because forever is how long I’m going to love you, Jasper.”
“Forever,” Jasper murmured, kissing her to seal th
e promise.
* * * * *
We hope you enjoyed this Harlequin ebook. Connect with us for info on our new releases, access to exclusive offers, free online reads and much more!
Subscribe to our newsletter: Harlequin.com/newsletters
Visit Harlequin.com
We like you—why not like us on Facebook: Facebook.com/HarlequinBooks
Follow us on Twitter: Twitter.com/HarlequinBooks
Read our blog for all the latest news on our authors and books: HarlequinBlog.com
ISBN: 9781459238350
Copyright © 2012 by Yahrah Yisrael
All rights reserved. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
® and ™ are trademarks of the publisher. Trademarks indicated with ® are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Trade Marks Office and in other countries.
www.Harlequin.com
Formula for Passion Page 19