Now that they’d had a nice, brief encounter, he didn’t want to chance it turning sour. “Enjoy your time on the beach,” he said as he took a step away, pulling Reese along with him.
“Good night.” Chandler nodded curtly.
As they walked farther down the beach, Trent heard Didi say, “Your grandson seems very happy,” to which Chandler replied, “As well he should be.”
“You’re right,” Reese said in a low voice that only Trent could hear. “Your grandfather did seem happy for us, and Didi seems really nice.”
Reese truly had seen something good in his grandfather, long before anyone else did. “She seems to have really bonded with him, which is weird considering he fired so many nurses before her.”
As Reese and Trent kicked off their shoes and rolled up their jeans, she mused, “That just goes to prove that there’s someone special to fill every role in a person’s life. You’re my special person, and I’m yours.”
Carrying her shoes, Reese walked toward the water as if she hadn’t just sent his heart into a spin.
“Are there any roles that I don’t fill?” he asked.
She tapped her chin, as if she were really thinking it over, then said, “You’re a best friend, but you can’t fill the space of a best girlfriend.”
“I would be everything for you if I could.”
“You very nearly are,” she said with a smile, “although I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that you wouldn’t enjoy girls’ spa days, getting mani-pedis and catching up on island gossip.”
A moment later, Reese dipped her toes in the water, then immediately ran back up to the dry sand. “Cold! Cold! Cold!”
“It’s September in New England. What did you expect?” He laughed as he scooped her up into his arms and pressed his lips to hers. “I’ll keep you warm.”
“I need to store some of the coldness in my body for later, because you don’t keep me warm, Trent. You make me scorching hot, all the time.” She twined her arms around his neck and kissed him back. But too soon she was wriggling out of his arms and running down the beach, dragging him alongside her.
“Where are you taking me?”
“Here.” She stopped and took both his hands in hers, with a wide grin. “Do you recognize this spot?”
It was dark now, save for the light of the moon dancing across the water, and in the distance, the beam of the lighthouse split the inky sky.
“This is where we exchanged our vows,” he said softly.
“This is where I gave you my heart, Trent, and where you gave me yours.”
“You were so beautiful in your wedding gown, with your hair falling over your shoulders. And when you looked at me with so much trust and love as you said your vows…I know we said no more apologies, but I wish I could erase the hurt of the past.”
She cupped his face, in the same way he always touched hers, and gazed into his eyes so intently it was like she could see through to his soul. “You know what? I don’t want to erase the hurt or any of the past. I’m glad I remember what it felt like when I left and that I know what you felt like when you came home to an empty apartment. That hurt is what drove us both to better ourselves, and it deepened our love for each other, which enabled us to be so much better this time. We’re more giving, more aware of our own faults and of each other’s needs. Our love is inescapable and unbreakable. It’s totally consuming, and fast, and crazy, and too darn wonderful to even try to deny. All this time we’ve spent together has been like a dream come true. My parents are expecting me to come to their house for breakfast tomorrow, and I want you to come with me this time to share our joy with them.”
“Reese…” He gathered her in his arms as he tried to slow his racing heart. He hadn’t realized how desperately he’d longed to hear her complete and utter acceptance of their relationship. “There’s no place else I’d rather be than by your side.”
Chapter Thirty-One
THEY FOUND REESE’S parents outside in the backyard. A sparse forest of pitch pine trees separated their house from the neighbors’ on either side. Their yard was lined with Knock Out roses, forsythia, and hydrangeas, as well as pretty flower beds that were past their spring and summer blooms. Beside the patio there was a rose garden, and it looked as though the trellis had come unsecured from the deck. Reese’s father was standing thigh-deep in the center of a cluster of rosebushes, trying to simultaneously hold the roses back and nail the trellis into place.
Judith opened her arms as they approached. “Honey. Trent. I’m so glad you both made it.” She embraced Reese, and then Trent stepped in for a warm hug.