“Sounds good to me,” Rose said warmly. “You think Rufus will like splashing around in the water?”
“I’m sure of it,” Serena replied. “Where is he anyway? I’m surprised he didn’t come to check on me when you came back inside.”
“He planted himself in front of the door,” Will chuckled. “I think he’s guarding it in case McKinley shows up again.”
She isn’t coming back, Serena thought, refraining from saying it out loud. It would only lead to questions and she refused to have their day clouded with dark thoughts or somber conversations. She’d meant what she said to McKinley; she would never breathe a word about what transpired between them this morning as long as her sister left Will alone. And she didn’t want Will harboring anymore hard feelings towards McKinley than he already did.
She knew how he would react if she divulged what really happened that night. Will didn’t have it in his heart to forgive McKinley. Serena wasn’t sure she did either. But if that day ever came, she didn’t want to feel the need to justify her reasons to anyone but herself.
It was regretful that she would never be close to McKinley, but they had never really shared a sisterly bond to begin with so it wasn’t a tragic loss. And there was always the hope, however slim, that McKinley would discover telling the truth was a cleansing experience and want to do it on a regular basis. As for herself, Serena was ready to turn the page and begin a new chapter in her life. One that was filled with laughter and love and maybe one day…forgiveness.
***
Will watched Serena closely over days and weeks that followed her run in with McKinley. She hadn’t volunteered to tell him about it and he hadn’t asked, although he knew there was no way in hell McKinley would have offered any encouraging words unless it was completely by accident. Still, he couldn’t deny there was a dramatic change in Serena and he was content to let it go. She seemed truly happy now; unencumbered by the nightmares that used to plague her, she was light-hearted and always had a ready smile on her face.
Tonight they were going to her parents’ house to have dinner with her brothers and Rose. McKinley had been blessedly absent from their lives, another mysterious outcome of Serena’s talk with her, but he wasn’t about to question that one either. If it bothered Serena, she never said so, and tonight was far too special to bring up something that might upset her. She knew where they were going, of course. What she didn’t know was that he’d spoken with her parents earlier in the week and asked them to plan a celebration dinner.
A nervous flutter rippled through his stomach when he dipped his hand inside his jacket pocket and pulled out the small velvet box. It seemed as if he’d waited a lifetime for this moment and now that it was here, Will was starting to panic. What if he bumbled the words he’d practiced so diligently? What if the ring didn’t fit? Oh God, what if she said no?
His worrisome thoughts came to a screeching halt when Serena emerged from the bathroom. His eyes slowly glided down the perfection of her slender body and up again. Golden curls framed her beautiful face, and she was wearing the pale blue cocktail dress Rose had brought over yesterday. It was simple, but elegant, and hugged every delicious curve as if it was tailored made especially for her. She was stunning…breathtaking, and Will couldn’t even begin to imagine a life without her.
Serena paused for a moment in the middle of the room before a soft smile curved her lips and she moved in his direction. “So you like the dress,” she said, stopping in front of him to do a slow pirouette.
“How did…” the words locked in his throat.
“How did I know where you were?”
His tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth. “Uh, huh.” God, he sounded like an idiot!
Serena leaned towards him with an impish grin. “The same way I knew you liked the dress; I could hear you panting.”
Will dragged her into his arms. “Witch,” he murmured before taking possession of her soft lips.
Heat curled deep inside him, as it always did when the passion between them flared, but over the past several weeks their love making had soared to new heights. It had been good before, but there was always a part of Serena that he couldn’t quite reach; a part of herself she held back, as if she was afraid to let go. Now…she was fearless in her giving, and there was an intensity to it that left him in a euphoric stupor afterwards. Life with Serena was a euphoric experience all its own and he was anxious to make her his wife and start a family.
“I love you, Will Duncan,” she said in breathless whisper.
“I love you too. I also have a surprise for you,” he waltzed her backwards.
Serena gasped when the back of her legs hit the mattress. “If seducing me is the surprise, I’m afraid your timing stinks. We’re supposed to leave in fifteen minutes.”
“Seducing you did cross my mind,” Will admitted, “but that’s not the surprise. Sit down, honey, there’s something I want to say before we go.”
“Sounds serious.”
Will kissed the corner of her mouth where a frown had started to form. “Sit,” he ordered.
Once she was seated, he pulled the box from his pocket and plucked the ring out. Kneeling down in front of her, Will took her right hand in his and brought it to his lips. He lifted his eyes and let his gaze sweep lovingly over her face, the speech he’d rehearsed over and over flying right out of his head. This one is from the heart, my love.
“I love you, Serena. I started falling when you were nothing but knees and elbows and a shy smile, and I have been tumbling helplessly ever since. You’ve grown into a beautiful, desirable woman, and I am completely captivated by you. You are intelligent, kind, loving…everything a man could ask for and more.”
“You’re starting to worry me,” she said with a nervous laugh. “Is…is something wrong?”
“No…yes…I mean, there is something wrong, but you can make it right with one word.
What I’m trying to say is…I love you, Serena, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you.” Will lifted her hand and slipped the ring on her finger, relieved to find it was a perfect fit. “Serena, would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”
With tears in her eyes, Serena said the one word that had the power to make him the happiest man in the world.
“Yes.”
EPILOGUE
Serena woke with a smile on her lips. Yesterday morning she was Serena Cross, engaged to the most wonderful man in the universe. But this morning…her heart tripped…this morning, she was a married woman. Mrs. Will Duncan. It left her breathless just thinking about it. After six months of agonizing over flowers, food, color schemes, and picking out where and when the wedding would take place, not to mention the endless hours of dress fittings…she was finally married. Deliriously happy didn’t even begin to cover how she felt.
Even having McKinley there hadn’t dampened her spirits. Their conversations had been a bit strained, but thankfully brief. There was simply too much joy in her heart to let anything affect her in a negative way, with the possible exception of not being able to see her groom as she walked up the aisle. She’d been so sure her eyesight would return, so hopeful that her vision would be restored before the wedding, but it hadn’t happened. It was disappointing, but Will adamantly refused to postpone the wedding any longer. At any rate, she had so much to be grateful for, it seemed selfish to want more.
Still a little groggy from lack of sleep, mostly because Will had been insatiable and partly because she had been too wound up to sleep afterwards, Serena forgot she wasn’t at home in their own bed. Easing back the covers so she wouldn’t disturb Will, she slipped out of bed and shuffled towards the bathroom. Except the bathroom wasn’t where it was supposed to be. Serena silently cursed when her hip rammed into the edge of a high backed wooden chair.
Feeling her way around the table did little to orient herself because she and Will had been so anxious to peel each other’s clothes off the night before, she hadn’t been paying attention when he’d hurried
ly given her a layout of the hotel suite. Heat fused in her cheeks when she recalled how ardently they’d made love.
“I want to make a baby with you,” Will had whispered as his trembling hand settled over her belly.
Serena suppressed a giggle. It was highly unlikely she had conceived on her wedding night but it certainly wasn’t for lack of trying. The poor man was dead to the world right now. She was reluctant to wake him just so he could guide her to the bathroom, but the call of nature was growing more insistent by the moment. With her arms in front of her and fingers splayed, she inched her way forward, hoping at least to find the bed again so she would know where she was.
A soft rustle of movement off to her right told her Rufus was only a few feet away. Serena made her way towards him. Even if she had been too distracted to remember which way the bathroom was, Rufus would have had it down within minutes. Misjudging how close she was to him, she nearly tripped when the unexpected brush of his fur against her bare legs started her. Instinctively, she reached for something…anything to prevent an ungraceful fall and managed to catch herself when her fingers curled around the heavy folds of a curtain.
Heart pounding and still clutching the curtain with one hand, Serena leaned down to pat Rufus and apologize for nearly trampling him. His wet nose pressed into her palm, followed by an even wetter swig from his tongue. Inching her fingers along the bridge of his nose to his head, she stroked his soft fur a few times before slipping her fingers beneath the edge of his collar. Serena opened her mouth to whisper a command to lead her to the bathroom but all that came out was a whoosh of air. A thin stream of light wavered in front of her, shimmering as it danced across a carpet of gold.
She couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe, mesmerized by its brilliance and terrified that if she looked away it would disappear. She watched it for several minutes before Rufus shifted restlessly and it finally dawned on her that what she was seeing wasn’t gold at all. Slowly, slowly, the fingers gripping the curtain parted the fabric. Sunshine spilled through the opening, illuminating golden fur and two anxious brown eyes.
“Rufus,” she whispered hoarsely.
Tears filled her eyes and she blinked them away impatiently as she dropped down to her knees and gave Rufus a fierce hug. No doubt thinking she had lost her mind, Rufus squirmed out of her arms and backed up a step, eyeing her curiously for a moment before letting out several excited barks in rapid succession. Serena tried to quiet him but she was laughing so hard, it only enticed him to bark louder.
Will called out her name, obviously alarmed by her hysterical laughter and Rufus’ odd behavior. Light suddenly flooded the room and she squinted against the brilliance of it. Will was nothing more than a blur as he charged across the room, but before Serena could tell him she was all right, he scooped her up in his arms and carried her back to the bed. Lowering himself down on the edge of the mattress, he settled Serena on his lap, anxiously checking her for injuries.
“What happened? Did you trip and fall? Are you hurt? God, honey, I should have taken more time to make sure you knew the layout of the room. I shouldn’t have been so impatient to get you into bed. It’s my fault you…”
Serena’s fingertips covered Will’s lips. “I’m fine,” she whispered.
She gazed up him, her breath catching in her throat. He was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. His hair was raven black, just as she remembered; his cheek bones and chin even more finely chiseled than they were in his teens. Serena moved her fingers to reveal lips that were full and sensuous, and she couldn’t resist the temptation to kiss them.
Will’s voice trembled when he pulled his head back. “Serena…?”
Her smile broadened. “There’s only one thing better than hearing you say you love me. Do you want to know what it is?”
“What’s that?”
She reached up and cupped his face. “Seeing it for myself.”
Serena waited for it to sink in. She knew the precise moment comprehension hit him; it was like watching the sun come up the way his tentative smile slowly spread across his handsome face, dazzling her with its brilliance. He filled her heart so completely, there was no room for fear, no place where darkness or the demons of her past could hide from the luminescence of Will’s love.
And when he gently laid her back against the cool sheets and proceeded to make love to her…Serena didn’t close her eyes.
Table of Contents
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events are the product of the author’s imagination, or are used fictionally. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
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Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Blind Faith Page 28