She belonged in Destiny Falls, whether Adam wanted her or not.
“I didn’t run to Molly’s rescue,” she murmured. “I ran to mine. I couldn’t have done it without your support, either. You gave me the time I needed, finally.” Beaming at his confused frown, she pressed on, “And I love you dearly for it. Without that time, I couldn’t have reached the decisions I reached.”
“I didn’t give you time, Jess. I—”
“Shh.” She touched a finger to his lips. “I know about the postcard, and I don’t care. In fact, I’m thrilled you tried to contact me. It made all the difference in the world.”
“It did? Why?”
“Because, one word? From you? I’ve never known you to act so restrained. It helped me realize how stubborn I’ve been.” She clasped his good hand. As her thumb grazed his palm, warmth spread through her. “And then I missed you like crazy, too. I dreamt about you every night. It got so I never wanted to wake up.”
His forehead smoothed. “Every night, huh?”
She moved back into his arms. His breath fanned her neck, hot and sensual. She raised her head to meet his gaze. What she saw in the clear, blue depths of his eyes gave her the courage to continue.
“I know what I want. I realize it’s been a long time coming. When Dad and Danny died, I couldn’t cope—with my memories, with the betrayal I felt when Mom married Pete.”
“You were scared.” Adam brushed her cheek. “You felt alone.”
She nodded against the comforting heat of his palm. “But now I’m through running. You were right. See? I can say it.” She felt weightless, devoid of gravity, as if she could drift like a kite on a spring breeze, taking Adam with her. “You pressured me, and I didn’t react well. Yet you were right about so many things. Especially that I’ve been running scared since I was eighteen, refusing to face what I really want out of life for fear I might lose it.”
“And what do you want?” he asked, voice husky. His gaze searched hers, alight with hope and love and trust.
“To live with you. After the wedding. Mom says she doesn’t mind if I spend the night at your place now and then, but she frowns on out-and-out living together without benefit of marriage.”
He tugged her snug against him. “‘Mom says,’ huh?”
“Okay. I say, too. I want to marry you, Adam. I want to have your babies, to build a life here with you in Destiny Falls. I’m not talking a halfway commitment. I want it all.”
“Ah.” His eyes glittered as he gazed at her. “You took a big risk there, Jess, thinking I’d still want you. If tonight is anything to go by, I’m the most eligible bachelors in these parts. I could have my pick of all twelve unmarried women in town.”
She laughed. “In case you’ve forgotten, Mr. Swelled Head, I bought back every one of your votes.”
“You were that eager to win me over?” He swept her hair off her neck and gently nibbled her flesh.
She closed her eyes, swaying to the pull of his mouth. “I was that eager to prove to you that I finally know where I belong. That’s why I didn’t contact you earlier. Why... oh, that feels so good. Um, why I wanted to sign the loan with Molly first. Why we cooked up the vote buy-back scheme, why I left my job so quickly, so there’d be no turning back.”
His mouth shifted from her neck to her ear, but she stilled his questing lips with her hand. Every moment in her life from this point forward depended on his answer to her question. She wanted to look at him while she asked it.
She gazed up at him. “So, how about it, Adam Thomas Perseverance Wright? Will you marry me?”
He grinned. “Just try to stop me.”
Then his lips dipped to hers again, claiming her mouth, her soul, and her heart.
Acknowledgments
As always, I have to give a shout-out to my husband, Steven King, for his understanding and support when we decided I should remain at home after the kids started school so I could write while raising our sons. Also, thanks, Steve, for kicking that mean-tempered black bear in the head when she treed you in the forests outside Clearwater, B.C. Not only did your quick thinking save me from enduring horrible memories of what she might have done to you while our oldest child was enjoying his first birthday party, but the experience provided inspiration for this story.
Where She Belongs is a “book of my heart.” I drafted the novel several years ago, after we left Clearwater. While the setting is loosely based on my memories of that wonderful North Thompson Valley community, Destiny Falls has evolved into an undoubtedly fictional setting in my mind (for one thing, there isn’t a lake in the middle of Destiny Falls). From time to time, I’d revise the book and send it to critique partners for review. As a result, I have several early readers to thank for helping develop this story. Most notably, I must thank Mary J. Forbes and Brenda K. Jernigan. I am indebted to you both. My appreciation also extends to Verna Baak, Diane Dyrdal, Starla Criser, Karen Logue, Marie Murtagh, and Jamie Sobrato. If I’ve forgotten someone, I apologize.
Thank you to my dear childhood friend, Line Lauzon, who allowed me to pick her brains about her job as a shoe buyer in Montreal years ago. All errors and fictional liberties are mine.
About the Author
Cindy Procter-King earned a B.A. in English Lit. before unleashing herself on the unsuspecting workforce. She quickly realized her aversion to fluorescent lights and the numbers 9–2–5 wouldn’t earn her kudos from her various bosses. So she moved to a tiny town where she couldn’t find a job—unless you count a stint as a prison secretary. There, she began writing novels, and she hasn’t looked back.
Cindy is a Romance Writers of America® Golden Heart finalist and author of poignant contemporary romances and rollicking romantic comedies. Her mission in life is to see her surname spelled properly—with an E. That’s P-r-o-c-t-E-r. So take heed. Cindy lives in beautiful British Columbia with her family, a cat obsessed with dripping tap water, and Allie McBeagle.
Website – http://www.cindyprocter-king.com
Blog – http://www.museinterrupted.com
Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/cindyprocterkingauthor
Twitter – http://www.twitter.com/cindypk
Email: [email protected]
Also by Cindy Procter-King:
Borrowing Alex
Head Over Heels
Short Stories:
Catching Claire (Love & Other Calamities)
Deceiving Derek (Love & Other Calamities)
For more information, visit www.cindyprocter-king.com.
What Reviewers Have to Say about ‘Where She Belongs’
“Procter-King has written a ‘home’ for all of us. Destiny Falls is the place that holds your first love, your first triumph; it’s where you lost a person you cared about. Jess is a character who women will identify with, having to forget a past that is beyond difficult to do.” RT Book Reviews
“Cindy Procter-King weaves together the lives of her characters with a skill that creates a beautiful pattern of love with just enough darkness in the design to highlight the beauty of unconditional friendship, familial love that ebbs and flows but never disappears, and best of all, she weaves in the love of a man and woman who suffered bitter grief and loss but come out of that dark part of life to the glorious light of true love.” Long and Short Reviews
“WHERE SHE BELONGS is a very emotional and heartfelt story of broken relationships and painful memories. Finding where she truly belongs is a heartwarming lesson for Jess in revealing the true meaning of love and the ability to forgive.” Fresh Fiction
Contents
About this Story
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Ch
apter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Acknowledgements
About the Author
Also by Cindy Procter-King
What Reviewers Have to Say about ‘Where She Belongs’
Where She Belongs (Destiny Falls) Page 22