Jack wouldn’t leave her.
Her one-woman expedition to save her friends almost had a horrible outcome, but it also gave her a valuable insight.
In the past four years, she’d kept everyone—including her four best friends, at arms-length. Jack pushed straight through her barriers and it had scared the shit out of her. She’d done exactly what her father would have done by heading out like a lone wolf and not thinking about others.
Keeping everyone at arms-length, wanting to do everything by herself while also feeling responsible for what happened to her friends was a toxic one-way street.
Even though she still would search for Raven and Liv, she would work together with the rest as a team. It would take her some time, but she would enjoy a day fishing with Reed without feeling guilty.
She almost fell to her death from that cliff earlier today. Adela wasn’t proud of her stubbornness that had almost cost her life. At least they could save Hailey’s life.
“I’m going to make the most out of our stay here, Jack. And I don’t care if we’re here for another day, week or till the end of times. I’m not going to sit around the sidelines and watch time slip away from me. If we ever get rescued, I’ll follow you out to LA.”
Jack smiled. “Yeah?”
He pulled her into his arms, kissing her temple.
“Are you ready to fully give yourself to me?” he asked.
“Yes. We’ll keep searching for Raven and Liv, but I’m also going to start living. I almost died today, Jack.”
He snaked her even closer in his arms. “I know. I never want to relive anything like that ever again.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I know a way how you can make it up to me,” he said.
She pulled a brow. “Oh?”
“Marry me.”
“What?”
She watched Jack go down on one knee in the sand. Adela glanced around their empty beach, since the others were sitting in their small huts further down the beach.
“Jack…”
“Even though we can’t officially get married here, I don’t care. You’ve changed something inside of me, sweetheart.”
She pushed away a stray tear from her cheek as she listened to Jack pour out his soul to her.
“I never wanted to get married before I met you. I lived my life on autopilot, working insane hours. Working on insane calls, just so I didn’t have to think about everything that happened to my family.”
She fell on her knees before him, needing to close the distance. Jack instantly palmed her cheeks, his green orbs holding her captive.
“You’ve made me see that time is a gift. No matter how hard I’ve tried, I can’t control it. And I can’t control you and keep you safe at all times.”
She stroked his cheek. “I’ll never run from you again.”
“Good.”
He took a deep breath and continued, “The only thing we can do is choose how we spend the time that we’re given; whether it’s on this island, back in LA, or in this lifetime in general. And I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”
“I’d like that, Jack. Because I also choose to spend my time with you.”
Jack finally kissed her.
Adela giggled against his lips when Reed, Zane and Hailey cheered from their beach huts.
Jack broke their kiss and whispered, “Let’s go home.”
She accepted his hand and let him pull her up from the sand. He lifted her in his arms and walked them over to their hut.
Adela didn’t know if they would build another hut somewhere on this island where they could live together. Maybe a little vacation home nearby the lake with the waterfalls?
She didn’t care.
She’d found her home in Jack.
* * *