second to know.”
“See ya.”
“Yeah, try to keep your hands off things that go boom and stay out of trouble in the meantime.”
“Right.” Peter winked as he got in his standard-issue blue Ford sedan.
“My God, Jay, you are the most beautiful woman in the world. How did I ever get so lucky?” Kate stood behind Jay with her arms around her waist. She was admiring her profile in the brilliant shaft of moonlight that shone down on them as they stood outside on the deck overlooking the backyard.
The moon was bright and full, and as they gazed up at the profusion of stars overhead, Jay sighed contentedly. “Sweetheart,” she rotated her head and kissed the corner of Kate’s mouth, “I’m the lucky one.” She turned fully to nuzzle the expanse of neck and shoulder that were within easy reach. “What happened today...” She trailed off as slender, graceful fingers covered her lips.
“I don’t want to talk about work right now, babe. I just want to be here with you, okay?” Kate replaced fingers with lips, punctuating her words with a long, slow kiss.
“Mm. You won’t get any arguments here.” Breathless, Jay pulled back in the circle of Kate’s arms and regarded her. “Shall we talk about the future, love?”
“As long as it involves you, me, and a lifetime of togetherness, I’m easy.”
“Sounds wonderful to me. Well, then, I guess there’s nothing more to say.” Jay made as if to go inside.
“Hey, wait a minute!”
“What?” Jay batted her eyes innocently.
“Get back here, you.”
“Something you want, honey?”
“Mm-hmm. You. I can’t wait to make you mine, love.”
“I am yours, sweetheart.”
“I know, but I really want to formalize it, sooner rather than later.”
She looked into Jay’s eyes. “Jay, you mean everything to me, and I want Lynn Ames
something tangible to reflect how I feel about you. I want to marry you, even though it’s not legally binding.”
For several heartbeats, they both were lost in bittersweet memory.
The moment Kate had first proposed marriage and Jay had accepted had been the happiest of their lives. That was just before all hell had broken loose and the future had seemed lost.
The shadows receded just as quickly as they had come. Jay smiled up at the woman with whom she wanted to spend the rest of her life, lightly brushing her fingers over chiseled cheekbones. “Darling, I would marry you right here, tonight, if you wanted.”
“This might surprise you, but I’m a pretty old-fashioned kind of gal.
No elopements here.”
Jay laughed. “No kidding.”
“I would prefer a traditional kind of ceremony.” Kate glanced down at Jay. “What do you want, love?”
“When I was a little girl and my father was abusing me,” Jay began, squeezing Kate’s hands reassuringly when she stiffened, “I would escape in my mind into fantasies. In one of them, it was my wedding day, and I was dressed in a beautiful, flowing gown with a long train. I felt like a princess in a fairy tale.”
“I want to give you everything you’ve ever dreamed of, Jay, including a fairy-tale wedding.”
“You don’t have to do that, love.”
“Babe, that’s what I want, too.”
Jay bit her lower lip in thought. “What do you think about going back where it all started? The chaplain at college was a good friend of mine. I think she might agree to perform some kind of ceremony for us.”
“That sounds perfect, sweetheart. I’d love that.”
“I’ll get in touch with her to see whether she’s willing to officiate, and if so, when she and the chapel might be available. Oh, darling, I can’t wait.” She snuggled into Kate’s embrace, the safety and security of those arms the only home her soul would ever need.
The Cost of Commitment
CHAPTER FOUR
t was shortly after 7:00 a.m. on a mid-October morning, and Jay sat Iin her customary seat on the Amtrak train headed from Albany to Grand Central Station in New York City. Although she held a book
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