“I’m glad you’re here,” she said. “That means a lot.”
“I’m happy to be here. I wasn’t sure you had all your old/new/borrowed/blue items together. Well, I can see the blue. Here’s something borrowed. They belonged to my mother, and I’m sure she would be proud.”
For a few seconds, the image of the intricately made earrings blurred in front of her eyes. “Thank you so much,” Jayce said. “I’ll be honored.”
They had chosen light blue for shoes. The dresses were new, each of them had some older jewelry, and Kitty had taken care of getting them both something borrowed. There was no way a person could ever have too much good luck.
“Good. I think it’s your turn now.”
In retrospect, the minutes flew by, and Jayce didn’t remember all that much except for the pure joy on Emma’s face, her eyes welling up at the magical words “I do.”
Finally, she could kiss her again, this time with the cheering of their guests.
* * * *
Suitcases were packed, and a cab brought them from the party to the airport where their flight to Prague took off a couple of hours later.
After checking in and a short nap, they spent the first day discovering tourist destinations, enjoying a pastry and coffee near the Old Market Square for lunch, crossing the Charles Bridge and walking up to the Castle after.
They had lunch in the area, and walked back the same way. The now illuminated bridge was packed with tourists this time, but they didn’t mind the slower pace, jetlag starting to catch up with them. It made the beautiful scenery almost unreal, like a dream. Holding on to Jayce’s hand, Emma felt assured of the place they were in now, and the commitment they’d made to their shared future.
A few streets from their hotel, they stopped at a bar for a nightcap, tired, but unwilling to let the day and its magic end yet.
“It’s strange,” she said after they’d sat down in the corner of the bar and ordered. “For all this time, I always felt like I had to make up for the time lost, like I was always running behind.” That was as good an explanation as any why she’d had such trouble dealing with Caren—or dealing with her situation. Luck and determination, meeting kind and caring people had brought her here. In love. Married, in a place she’d never imagined she’d see someday.
“And now?”
“I’ve changed direction. I realized I can never get that time back, and I’ve stopped trying, because there’s so much I look forward to.”
“I know the feeling,” Jayce said softly, as she took Emma’s hand and placed a kiss on the back of it. “No more looking back.”
* * * *
The plan had been to start the day early. They had set the alarm, and Jayce was studying the instructions of the coffeemaker in her room, reminding her of the bold proposition she’d made to her supervisor. Oh well, if everything worked according to plan, a coffee station like Chomsky enjoyed would be well within the budget.
She smiled when Emma came up behind her, embracing her.
Emma’s words from the previous night had resonated deeply with her. The struggle to prove herself, wrestling with an uncertain future, lay behind her. She could approach new challenges with a new outlook.
“You know, I was thinking…”
“You’d like to change the itinerary for today?”
“Sort of.”
“Okay…” Jayce drew a sharp breath when Emma’s hands wandered underneath her shirt. “I think I know where this is going.”
“Who says the wedding night has to be…at night?”
Jayce turned around to kiss her, making sure Emma knew she was on board with the idea. All the places they were going to visit would still be there in an hour or two.
“No one. It’s up to us.”
This new freedom was even more precious since they were in it together.
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Suspense/Thrillers
The Joanna Mitchell thrillers
1. Killer Instinct
2. Exit Strategy
3. Original Sin
The Amnesia Project
Amber Alert
Secrets
The Carpenter/Harding thrillers:
1. Indiscretions
2. Insinuations
3. Incisions
4. Intrusions
5. Initiations
6. Intentions
7. Infatuations
8. Impressions
9. Implications
10. Infractions
11. Incidents
12. Illusions
+ Introductions (the Carpenter/Harding prequel)
Jayce & Emma (romantic suspense, series complete)
1. Halfway Home
2. Familiar Places
3. New Rooms
4. Close Quarters
5. Honeymoon Suite
Paranormal/Suspense
Rise
Romance
Venus & Aphrodite
Bells Will Be Ringing (Christmas Romance)
A Girlfriend For Christmas (Christmas Romance)
The Interpretation of Love and the Truth
The Design of Everything Perfect
Open Spaces
Callie & Rebecca (series complete):
1. Autumn Leaves
2. Winter Storm
3. Spring Fever
4. Summer Wine
Utopian/Dystopian
The Exodus Strategy
Cypher
Jayce & Emma Page 26