I wrapped my arms around her from behind. “Beautiful, isn’t it?”
“Amazing.” Her eyes were wide. “I can’t believe you didn’t insist I come here sooner.”
I laughed. “I had to get the timing right.”
“For what?” She turned in my arms.
“This.” With shaking hands, I withdrew a small box from my pocket and offered it to her. She tucked her camera away and took it. “Maybe it’s a bit cliche, but I wanted to bring you here to ask you an important question. Don’t worry, it’s not a ring.” We’d already discussed the fact that neither of us wanted to marry until we were older.
I rubbed my lips together, my heart in my throat. Kennedy was returning to L.A. soon. Not for good. She planned to come back to Destiny Falls once she had everything in order, but I was terrified she’d leave and that would be the end of it. After Zoe, I was gun-shy. I might love Destiny Falls with every fiber of my being, but not everyone felt the same.
“Open it.”
She did, her fingers clumsy as they fumbled with the lid. Inside, nestled on a bed of velvet, was a key.
She raised her eyes. “What’s this?”
“Kennedy, I love you.” I heard the quaver in my voice and hoped she didn’t notice it. “I’d like you to move in with me when you come back. This is a key to my place.”
Her lips parted and a breath gusted from between them. “Really?”
There was a hint of something in her tone. Hope? Excitement?
“Yes. I want the key to be a reminder of everything that’s waiting for you while you’re gone. What do you say?”
She threw her arms around my neck and hugged me tight. “A million times, yes!”
Thank God.
I drew her in for a kiss. “We’ve pledged it in front of the falls. No takesies backsies.”
She smiled indulgently. “There isn’t a universe in which I could ever want to be apart from you. Mythical pledge or not, that doesn’t change. I love you.”
ChapterEleven
KENNEDY
As I navigated the streets of L.A. two weeks later, I was recalling the way Liam had smiled and kissed me at the waterfall. My chest ached from missing him, but I knew that within another couple of weeks, I’d be back in his arms. The separation had only served to make me more certain of where I belonged. Unfortunately, it took a bit of organizing to permanently uproot my life and move it several thousand miles across the ocean. Explaining my decision to Mom and Malcolm hadn’t been easy. I knew they’d hoped they’d have me back but they’d accepted my choice and said they wanted me to be happy. Since then, I’d been getting my paperwork in order, and I had offloaded almost all of the possessions I no longer needed or wanted.
A Lorde song came onto the radio and I sang along, heading for my family’s home in Bel Air. Hearing the singer reminded me of Liam. Nearly everything reminded me of Liam lately. A smile crept over my face. He was going to be so pleased when my flight finally landed. I knew he trusted me, but it was difficult for him to let go of that last remnant of concern that I might abandon him. I couldn’t wait to see his expression when he realized for certain that our future together was happening.
I turned a corner and slowed, frowning at the flashing lights up ahead. A police car sat outside our gates, a pair of officers waiting to be let in. I pulled up behind them and pushed the remote control to open the gate. Malcolm had had it installed, along with a high surrounding fence and a state of the art security system, because he was an agent to the rich and famous.
The police car circled the small garden and parked near the entrance to the house. I wondered idly what they thought of it, and whether they’d treat us in a certain way because of where we lived. When I’d first moved here with Blair and Mom a little over ten years ago, I’d been intimidated. The place was practically a mansion. But after being here so long, it had stopped being scary. Instead, I’d filled it with memories of playing with my siblings, helping them with their homework, and sharing meals. Now, it was just home.
But why were the police here?
Had there been a break-in? It seemed unlikely.
Perhaps Blair had gotten into trouble. He was going through a rebellious stage. The other kids were too young to have done anything to warrant police intervention. Unless, of course, one of them had been abducted.
My heart clattered against my ribcage as I parked behind them and got out of the car on shaky legs. All it took was one look at the lead officer’s face to know they’d come with bad news.
“What is it?” I asked, my pulse thundering in my ears. “What’s going on?”
“Miss Kennedy Carter?” the female officer asked, her expression full of sympathy.
“Yes, that’s me.” My voice was growing shrill. “Is someone hurt? One of the kids?”