“I talked to my mom and Chris.”
“I know. I talked to them, too.”
“You were right this whole time. I was acting like a coward and for no reason.”
“When you value something so much, you don’t want to take any chances.” I shrugged.
“I do. I value you so much. You mean everything to me. It just took nearly dying to figure that out.” Blake chuckled dryly. “The worst part is, when I finally get it and want to make things right, you turn me down.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Tayia, I asked you to marry me and you didn’t respond. Not only that, you’ve been avoiding me. I’ve been home three days and this is the first time I’ve seen you.”
“You needed your rest . . .”
“Bullshit.”
He was right. I couldn’t face him. I wasn’t ready to accept that he was settling for me or that our circumstances were driving our future, not our hearts.
“Look at me.” Blake placed his hands on the sides of my face, forcing me to meet his gaze. “Do you love me?”
“Yes,” I replied without hesitation. His eyes were like truth detectors. I couldn’t deny it even if I wanted to.
“Then marry me.”
“Blake . . .”
“I don’t get it!” Exasperated, he released my face and leaned back. “You said you wanted to be in the open. Well, here we are!” He stretched his arms out to his sides. “Our parents know, our friends know. Shit, the entire island probably knows by now. There are no burning torches outside or townspeople carrying pitchforks. Nobody cares. And even if they did, so what? Now, what’s holding you back?”
“You,” I blurted, deciding to give him the truth.
“Me?” His face twisted with confusion. “Me? Tayia, I love you.” He sat forward and reached for my stomach. “I love our baby.”
I blocked his hand with my own. “That’s the problem. Would any of this be happening right now if there were no baby?” Blake stared at me for several seconds, like I’d somehow grown an extra eyeball.
“You have no idea how much it hurt to know that I’d lost you. That I let my own stupidity get in the way of being with you. When I thought you were having Brando’s baby, it crushed me. If he were the type of guy to run away from his responsibilities, maybe it would have been different, but he isn’t. He’s a standup guy. Just knowing that he was going to have the life with you that I wanted made me want to leave and never come back, but I couldn’t do it. Any part of you was better than no part at all.” The words I knew were tattooed on his ribs suddenly made sense,
“Be with me always. Take any form. Drive me mad.”
He shifted so that he could swing his legs over the side of the bed. Once he was seated next to me, he grabbed my hand. “The day you told me the baby was mine, it was the happiest day of my life. It meant that I got a second chance to do what I should have done all along. Make you mine. Forever.”
His words were penetrating the wall of protection I’d built around my heart. It was the reassurance I’d needed, even though deep down I’d always known how he felt. I just didn’t trust myself to believe it. Slowly, he scooted to the floor, his face growing tight with pain.
“Blake, don’t—” I reached for his arm and tried to pull him up.
“No, please let me do this.” He shook my hand away and pulled open the drawer in the nightstand. “Tayia Christine Jones, I have loved you since I was fourteen. I didn’t know then what the ache in my chest meant, and by the time I figured it out, I knew I couldn’t act on it. I was willing to settle for having you smile at me the way you do whenever I walk into the room. Being with you feels like home, where I belong.” He grabbed my left hand and I felt something cool slide up my ring finger.
“Marry me and be mine, always.” I looked down to see his grandmother’s diamond ring. It hadn’t been worn for years because she claimed to have no use for frivolities in her old age, but man, it was a gorgeous piece of jewelry. It was a round diamond set in a floral design with tiny stones forming the accompanying leaves on either side of the white gold band.
“Isn’t my love enough?” His uncertain eyes held mine, and I could see so much hope and passion there. It made me wonder how I could have ever doubted him.
My beautiful boy. My soul mate. The other half of me.
“Oh, Blake. Your love is the only thing I need. Yes, I will marry you.” Tears were streaming down my cheeks as I pulled his face to mine and kissed him hard.
Our entire story had just been rewritten. We had somehow managed to let go of all the secrets and move past the uncertainties that had kept us apart. Through it all, we became stronger and more in love than ever before.
“So, is now a good time to say I told you so?” I said. His face crinkled with confusion. “I told you I would marry you one day, Blakey.” I smiled triumphantly while he threw his head back and laughed.