She can’t say no. She can’t.
Off in the distance, I hear my name. Soft like the wind. Floating in on a wispy cloud. Then I hear it again, this time louder, as my body shudders.
“Jensen! Jensen!” I blink a few times. Work to focus my vision, to come out of the dark fog. Notice Sam has her hands on my shoulders and shakes them with a firm grip. “Can you hear me, Jensen?”
My eyes lift to hers and I blink again, watching as she comes into focus. “Sorry.”
Sam drops to her knees in front of me and frames my face in her palms. “You scared me half to death.”
My brows tighten at the middle. “What?”
She drops her forehead to mine. Her breath hot and ragged on my lips. Nose grazing the side of mine. “I wiped the tears from my eyes, ready to say yes, and saw you pale as a ghost.” Sam strengthens her hold on my cheeks. “Don’t do that to me again.” Her words are hoarse and jagged and panicky.
Damn, I didn’t mean to frighten her.
Out of everything to leave her lips, all I hear is that she said yes.Yes!Sam said yes. She wants to marry me. Wants to be mine forever. Wants to share a life together until we are old and gray and crotchety.
She said yes! Sam said yes!
I drop my lips to hers and kiss her as if it is our last. Kiss her with every ounce of love and passion I hold in my heart for her.
“Didn’t mean to frighten you,” I say as I break the kiss. “Sorry.” Then my lips drop back to hers. I relish in the taste of her. Allow her warmth to bring me back to life. Bask in the reality of what just happened. Sooner than desirable, I break the kiss and drop my forehead to hers. “Did you say yes? You’ll marry me?”
She leans back, combs her fingers through my hair, and follows the action with her eyes. She takes a deep breath as her eyes find mine once more. Her beautiful smile slowly plumps her cheeks. “You make me laugh.”
I tilt my head to the side, curious what she means. By no means am I a comedian, but I have my moments. “Oh, yeah?”
She nods. “Yep. You ask if I’ll marry you as if there was another option.”
I open my mouth to say she always has a choice, but she cuts me off with a finger pressed to my lips.
“It has never been a matter ofwillI marry you. It’s always been a matter ofwhen.”
No use in fighting the cheek-stinging smile on my face.
“Jensen, it has always been you.”
I speak up before she stops me again. “Always been you too, Sam.” Tucking a few flyaway strands of hair behind her ear, I press a chaste kiss to her lips. “God, I love you.”
“And I love you.” She swipes her thumbs across my cheeks and sighs. “Now…” I meet her expectant gaze as she drops her left hand from my cheek and holds it out between us. “I believe you have something for me.”
Laughter threatens to spill from my lips, but I bite it back. We have a lifetime to laugh together. Right now, I want to slip forever onto her left ring finger and share with the world that Samantha Benson will soon be my wife. The woman I will confide in and love and cherish as long as there is breath in my lungs and blood in my veins.
“Thank you for loving me, Sam,” I say as I slide the ring in place.
I loved her radiant smile before, but the one lighting her face right now… I want this smile every day of forever. Will do whatever it takes to see it daily. Because our love makes her glow.
Luckiest. Man. Alive.
“Thank you for letting me love you.”
“Now, let’s go tell the world.”
Right there, on the edge of a cliff in Cannon Beach, Oregon, we shout from the top of our lungs.
“Samantha Benson said yes!”
“Jensen Page is my forever!”