“What are you going to do? Hey! Wait a damn second!” I raced around in front of him, forcing him to stop. “Look, I know this has to be scary and unexpected, completely overwhelming, but, James, that you can’t just let an opportunity like this pass you by! I never thought I’d say this, but your brother is right! You and your father were made for that company. You have all the right instincts, know all the right things to say. Whatever personal hang-ups you have, you can’t let them ruin this. When you get back to London, you need to walk into that boardroom and take back the company you were born to run!”
James waited for me to finish, nodded briskly, then headed for the plane. “Della, love, that’s exactly what I intend to do.”
“No!” I cried. “James, you can’t just... Wait. What?”
He paused halfway down the dock, then turned around, beaming smile. “Of course I’m flying back to London to take over my father’s company. It’s only natural, darling. My name’s on the building, isn’t it?”
There was a beat of silence before I leapt up with a shriek and landed in his arms. “You... What? This is incredible, James! I’m so proud of you.”
He threw back his head with a laugh, then kissed me, sweet and long, winding his fingers through my hair and smiling all the while. Finally, when I thought I might pass out from the excitement of it all, he pulled back and looked at me with a twinkle in his eyes. “There’s just one thing I want to do first.”
I FOLLOWED JAMES AWAY from the dock, through the trees, and down a path that led to a private beach on the other side of the island, the very path on which we’d made love that first night.
“James, what are we doing here?” I asked, staring out at the sparkling water. “Don’t we have to board the plane?”
“They’ll wait.” He came to a stop on the white sand and looked out at the gorgeous horizon before sticking his hands in his pocket. “I just... I need to talk to you.”
Oh my gosh! What does that mean?
“Okay...”
My heart stuttered and skipped in my chest, but unless I was imagining it, James was just as nervous as I was. His face was pale, and no matter how many times he tried to steady himself, it was like he couldn’t quite catch his breath. “I-I want you to promise me something,” he said slowly, glancing down before lifting his chin to look me in the eyes again. “A year from now, I want you to come back to this beach and...”
There was a pause, and again the world seemed to stand still.
“And when you do, I want you to...marry me.”
I blinked, shook my head, then blinked again. “I’m sorry. What?”
A shiver shook my body as he stepped forward and took my hands. In that moment, he looked exactly like he did the first time I saw him, staring down at me with that same magical smile.
“I know this seems...sudden,” he said, grimacing self-consciously as he stroked his thumb along my forefinger, “and I certainly didn’t plan to be drugged and kidnapped, so I didn’t have time to purchase a ring, but...” He took a deep breath and stared into my eyes, steady and sure. “I love you, Delilah Katherine Jones. I love you more than anything in this world. I never thought I could ever be happy and committed. But I am. I can’t imagine my life without you, and as I move into this new chapter, I want you by my side, not just as my girlfriend or lover but as my wife.”
My eyes teared up and spilled over, and a rush of warmth enveloped me from the ground up.
Then, before I could get a handle on myself, he sank down to one knee, ever the gentleman. “Della Jones, will you marry me?”
It was one of those pivotal moments, the kind of moment I’d dreamt of since I was a little girl. I had always wondered who would ask, if anyone, and I’d always wondered what I would say when that day came. A tear dripped down my face. I had gone through a million different scenarios in my head, but not a single one of them could have possibly prepared me for the real thing. I was stunned, stunned speechless, yet I somehow managed to utter that single, life-changing word: “Yes.”
James released the breath he was holding, then cheered. He hoisted me up in the air and smashed his lips against mine triumphantly. We kissed for what felt like an eternity, swaying in that tropical breeze, with the palms whispering their approval above us. When he finally set me down, he breathed an audible sigh of relief and beamed a ridiculously uncontrollable smile at me. “Thank goodness! I think I might have walked right into the sea if you had said no.”
The two of us burst out laughing.
Suddenly, as the humor of him becoming shark bait dimmed, he was thoughtful and sincere again. “Della, I know there wasn’t time to pick up a ring, but could we use this?” With a look of tender adoration on his face, he elevated his fingers to touch my ruby pendant, his palm pressing against my heart.
My face lit up, and I held my hand gently over his. “That sounds perfect.”
The two of us shared another long smile and another long kiss before he offered his arm. “Come, future Mrs. Cross. London awaits!”
I laced my arm through his as we turned to face the horizon together. “And the adventure continues!”
Before we boarded, I called my family, friends in the States, and, of course, Madison.
“What?” Madison screamed.
“He proposed.”
“That’s fantastic!!!! Congrats! I’m so happy for you! But please tell me you’re still going to continue to work.”