Finding Preston’s number, I hit DIAL and held my breath.
Voicemail. It went straight to voicemail. Closing my eyes, a small sob escaped my lips as my chest felt like a heavy weight had been placed on it. Setting my phone down on the side table, I walked over to the window and looked out.
“Preston. I love you so much. I’m so sorry.”
Stepping out onto the balcony, I glanced down the beach toward the lighthouse. My heart instantly stopped. A man stood on the beach, looking out over the water. The moment his hand pushed through his hair, I sucked in a breath.
Preston? An instant rush of adrenaline raced through my veins as I screamed out, “Preston!” Turning, I rushed to grab my coat. My hands were trembling as I kept saying his name over and over.
Rushing out the door, I ran down the steps, not waiting for the elevator.
Running through the crowded lobby, I called out, “Excuse me! Please, he’s going to leave! Excuse me, coming through!”
People quickly stepped out of my way as I rushed out the door that led to the beach. Racing down the boardwalk, I prayed like hell that he was still standing there.
Please, God. Please give me this second chance. I beg of you!
Hitting the sand, I came to a stop. He was standing at the edge of the water, looking out. The wind was now blowing harder as a front moved through. Smiling, I screamed, “Preston!”
I’d never run so fast in my life, calling out his name. My eyes never left him as he stood there, not moving as he looked out over the ocean.
“Preston!”
The wind was howling and the waves crashed on the shore. Preston lifted the collar of his jacket and turned to leave. I stopped and screamed out as loud as I could, “Preston!”
Stopping, he turned and looked at me. My heart dropped as tears fell freely. It really was him.
Run. Run to him, Harmony.
“Preston,” I whispered as I took off running again. Preston smiled and stood there, waiting. Not even slowing down, I slammed into him as he wrapped his arms around me.
“You came for me,” I cried as I buried my face in his neck. “I love you, I love you, I love you so much. I’m so sorry I ran. Please forgive me.”
Preston wrapped his arms around me tighter, not saying a word. Please don’t let him hate me. Then a terrible thought came to my mind. What if he wasn’t looking for me? My heart would shatter into a million pieces if that was true.
“Harmony, baby, I’ve been searching everywhere for you.”
Crying even harder, I wrapped my arms around his neck tighter. “Please don’t ever let me go. Please, Preston!”
“Never, baby, I’m never letting you go ever again.”
It felt as if Preston held me forever before I slid down his body. He placed his hands on the sides of my face as he wiped my tears away. Preston pressed his lips to mine. “Harmony,” he whispered as he kissed around my lips, my face, along my jaw, and on my neck. Reaching my ear, he whispered, “I was so lost without you.”
My heart stopped momentarily, knowing that I had hurt Preston. My chin trembled as I looked into his beautiful green eyes. Opening my mouth to talk, I felt sick. Closing my eyes, I drew in a shaky breath.
“Please forgive me, Preston. I was so scared and the thought of losing you was more than I could bear.” Shaking my head, I wiped my tears away. “But now I know I’d rather have you in my life than to live this life without you in it. My life is complete with you…Without you…I’m nothing.”
Preston’s eyes searched my face. “Harmony, I want everything with you. Marriage, kids, rocking chairs on porches out in the middle of the country. I want to own your heart forever and I promise you, I’ll never give you a reason to run again.”
My heart melted as my stomach fluttered. “Preston, I want all of that with you, too, and it wasn’t you that made me run. It was my own fears and insecurities that I let creep into my head. Trey’s parents stopped by that day, the day of the fire.”
Nodding, he whispered, “I know. They came by to apologize the day you left.”
Rolling my eyes, I looked out over the water. “As soon as they left, I went to you. You were the first person I thought of. The first person I needed to get to. The cab driver was stuck in traffic and when I found out it was a fire, I guessed your station would be there. And then…” My voice cracked. I stopped to take a cleansing breath and calm my heart down.
Pulling me to him, Preston held me tightly. “Harmony, I know. I can’t even imagine what it must have been like for you, but I promise you won’t ever have to worry about that again.”
Pulling back, I narrowed my eyes at him. “What do you mean I won’t ever have to worry about that again?”
Dread filled my body as the realization of what Preston was about to say hit me.
“I’m no longer working at the fire station. I quit.”
Shaking my head, I grabbed Preston’s coat. “No! Preston, I don’t want you giving up something you love doing. I swear to you, I won’t ever run again. I’m not going to say I won’t worry, but please don’t do that. Don’t walk away from something you’ve always dreamed of.”
Smiling, Preston ran the back of his hand down my face. “Harmony, you’re the only thing I’ve ever dreamed of. Besides, I’ve already lined up another job.”
Butterflies danced in my stomach as Preston’s words soaked in. You’re the only thing I’ve ever dreamed of.
I prayed I wasn’t dreaming and that Preston was really here. Smiling, I asked, “Do you have to get back to your new job right away?”
Shaking his head, he gave me a naughty smile. “Nope.”
Reaching up on my toes, I brushed my lips across Preston’s as I bit his lower lip. “Good, because we have a lot of time to make up for.”
Giving me a naughty smile, Preston said, “Please tell me your place is close by.”
Smiling, I giggled as Preston kissed the tip of my nose. “The Hotel Nantucket is where I’m staying.”
Preston pulled his head back and looked at me with a stunned expression. “You’re shitting me. I’ve got a room there.”
Fate certainly has a way of working things out, and I was positive destiny had played its hand with Preston and me.
Taking my hands in his, Preston gave me the most gorgeous smile as my heartbeats increased tenfold. “It’s me and you forever, Harmony. There’s no way I could ever let you go…even if I wanted to. I’ll spend every day giving everything I have to you and only you.”
Tears built up as I stared into Preston’s eyes. I needed to do one last thing so that I could finally let go of the past to move on to the future.
“Will you help me do something?” I asked.
“Of course I will.”
Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out the charm and held it in my hand. The charm had been my talisman as I grieved for my husband and son. It had comforted me, been my strength when I needed something to guide me. Now, it would set me free from the pain and guilt.
Preston ran his finger across the charm as my entire body shuddered. How did I luck out with such an amazing man?
“It’s time for me to let go of the past, so I can move on to the future. I thought I needed this charm to hold TJ and Trey close to my heart. I realized over these last few weeks I don’t need it. They will forever and always be in my heart.”
Preston closed my hand around the charm and something incredible moved between us. It was as if I could feel the power of my heart healing as it moved through my body. Looking into Preston’s eyes, I smiled. “I love you, Preston. Thank you for not giving up on me.”
Shaking his head, he whispered, “Never.” Taking my hand in his, we walked up to the water. Opening my hand, I looked at the charm. My heart felt heavy, but at the same time it felt like a weight was being lifted off my chest.
Squeezing my hand shut, I whispered, “I’ll forever love you both.”
Reaching back, I threw the charm as hard as I could. The moment it touched the water, I turned t
o Preston and cried as he held me tightly in his arms. I wasn’t sure how long we stood there before I felt someone pulling on my jacket. Looking down, I giggled when I saw the little girl from earlier.
“You found your prince,” she said with a huge smile spread across her face.
Turning to Preston, I nodded as I smiled. “I certainly did.”
And just like that she took off running, back to her parents. “What was that all about?”
Shaking my head, I said, “Nothing. Let’s go back to the hotel. I’m freezing.”
Wiggling his eyebrows up and down, Preston said, “I know a way to warm you up.” Wrapping my arm around his waist, Preston and I walked back to the hotel. Making our way into the hotel, we stopped at the elevators and stared at each other.
“I think we should stay here a few days,” I said with a wicked smile.
Raising his eyebrow, he pulled me to him. “Your place or mine?”
My body was on fire as I thought about Preston holding me while we made love. “Mine,” I whispered.
Kissing the tip of my nose, he hit the elevator button and said, “Let me grab my bag and put it in your room and then I’ll check out.”
Pulling my head back, I looked at him and asked, “When did you check in?”
Grinning from ear to ear, he walked me into the elevator as it opened. “I checked in earlier, and the first thing I did was walk down to the lighthouse. Something drew me to it. I hadn’t been there very long before you showed up.”
My mouth dropped open. “We must have just missed each other. I’ve been going down there every day at the same time.”
Placing his hand behind my neck, he pulled me closer to him and whispered against my lips, “I’m sorry I took so long.”
Closing my eyes briefly, I opened them and looked into his eyes and asked, “How did you know to come here?”
Laughing, he said, “I didn’t. When I finally had some sense knocked into me, I went back to your condo. I walked around for about two hours until I saw the Chatten painting of the seaside. Then it hit me where you might be. I started hitting places that had lighthouses. Two nights ago I was sitting at a hotel bar and I heard this couple talking about a lighthouse on Nantucket. That’s when I remembered your dream of me taking you to Nantucket. I knew this had to be the next place I searched for you.”
The elevator door opened and I slowly backed out as I took his hands in mine. “I’m glad you found me.”
Preston picked me up and threw me over his shoulder as he quickly walked to the door to his room. “Duck your head, baby.”
Shutting the door behind us, he put me down and grabbed the sides of my face and kissed me. He backed me toward the bed until my knees hit and we both smiled against each other’s lips.
Taking a step back, Preston took his coat off and then ripped his shirt over his head. I followed his lead, and we were soon naked, with our hands moving across each other’s bodies.
Preston guided me down onto the bed as we quickly became lost in each other. Arching my back, I softly called out Preston’s name as he whispered in my ear, “You will never miss my touch again, baby.”
Smiling, I pushed Preston over as I rubbed myself against his dick and raised my eyebrow. “You know, since you officially didn’t bring me to Nantucket, the bet is still on.”
Preston’s eyes widened in horror as he slowly shook his head. “You wouldn’t.”
Giggling, I leaned over and sucked his lower lip into my mouth as we both let out a moan.
Wiggling my eyebrows, I said, “I even bought us matching T-shirts to wear!”
Preston rolled his eyes, lifted his hands up to the sky, and called out, “Why?”
My smile faded some as my eyes searched Preston’s handsome face. Laughing, he shook his head as he looked back at me. “Tell me what you’re thinking.”
A single tear rolled down my cheek as I whispered, “I’m thinking you are my forever.”
Sitting up, Preston wrapped his arms around me as he spoke softly in my ear. “And you’re my forever. I’m never letting you go.”
Chapter 26
Celebrations
Preston
Sitting in the corner, I watched Harmony talking to Sandy and another girl. Her smile was infectious and I couldn’t help but smile every time she did.
Someone hit my leg, which was resting over my knee. Looking, I saw Jake standing over me. Pulling up a chair, he sat down and gave me a knowing smile. “So, you guys got back last night, huh?”
Shrugging, I brought my beer up to my lips and took a sip. I smiled and gave him a wink. “We decided to stay in Nantucket a few extra days.”
“Uh-huh. Well, I’m glad you finally snapped out of it and went looking for her.”
Staring at Jake, I asked, “Did you know where she was?”
Shaking his head, he tipped his beer back and finished it off. I couldn’t help but notice how tired he looked. Sandy had said that Jake’s residency was kicking his ass.
“I didn’t have a damn clue where she was. I even thought about hiring a private detective. Want to know who knew exactly where she was? You’re gonna shit your pants.”
Narrowing my eyes, I shook my head as I said, “I have no clue.”
“My parents.”
Pulling my head back in shock, my mouth gaped. “Huh? How? Why?”
“They were there and saw Harmony. I guess Harmony had an American Express card that my father gave her after the accident. She never used it, so when my father’s secretary saw the bill come across, she brought it to him. My parents took a trip there and stayed a few days to make sure Harmony was okay. They never fucking thought to tell me, though.”
“Wow,” I said as I pushed my hand through my hair. “But I thought your parents didn’t want to have anything to do with Harmony?”
“Yeah, me too. I did some digging around. My father’s company was the one that came in with the highest bid on Harmony and Trey’s house.”
Glancing across the room, I watched Harmony as I asked, “Does Harmony know?”
“Nah, I figured my parents are keeping it a secret for a reason, so who am I to say anything?”
The way her hands were flying around while she talked made me chuckle. “I think she would like to know that her parents really do care, though, don’t you?” Turning back to Jake, I saw he was watching Harmony, too.
“She seems so happy, Preston. Life is moving on for her and I don’t want to upset her.”
I finished off my beer and stood up. Slapping Jake on the back, I said, “Dude, it’s getting late. It’s now or never.”
Nodding, he jumped up and began taking in deep breaths and blowing them out. “Right. Now or never. I’ve got this.” Cracking his neck from side to side, he clapped his hands together and rubbed them back and forth as he kept repeating, “I’ve got this.”
“Jesus, dude. Just go do it. My God, you’ve warmed up enough.”
“Fuck you, Preston. Wait until you do this with Harmony. Then we will talk about how easy it is.”
My heart dropped at the thought of asking Harmony to marry me. I’d almost done it in Nantucket, but felt like it was too soon. I needed to stick with my plan and be patient.
Inhaling a deep breath and blowing it out quickly, Jake turned to me and smiled. “Here goes nothing.”
Giving him a thumbs-up, I nodded and said, “Go get her, tiger!”
Jake walked over to Sandy and whispered something in her ear. She nodded and said something to Harmony and the other girl and walked with Jake to the center of the room.
Harmony glanced over and smiled when she saw me. Motioning with my finger for her to come to me, her smile grew bigger as she quickly walked over to me and said, “I think Jake is going to make a speech. Sandy was talking about the house they just bought! I bet it’s going to be about that.”
Harmony leaned her body into mine as she looked at Jake and Sandy. Resting my chin on the top of her head, I said, “Nah, I don’t think that’
s it.”
Once Jake had gotten everyone’s attention, he smiled. “First I want to thank everyone for coming to the party. I know it was supposed to be a birthday party for Sandy, but it happens to be Valentine’s Day as well.”
Everyone laughed. After everyone settled back down, Jake talked again. “I want to go ahead and give Sandy her birthday-slash-Valentine’s present now.”
“Oh shit,” Harmony whispered. “He is so going to get bitched at. He knows better than to try and combine the two.”
Smiling, I waited for Jake to make his move. Sandy had a smile on her face, but I wasn’t sure how happy she looked. But the moment Jake got down on one knee and Sandy realized what he was doing, her hands came up to her mouth as she began crying. Harmony pulled forward and said, “Oh my God! He’s asking her to marry him!” Jumping, Harmony slammed her hands against her mouth to keep from crying.
“Sandy, you are my only reason for living each day with a smile on my face. I want to seal the deal so that I know I’ll be waking up every morning to your beautiful face. Will you marry me?”
Laughing, I rolled my eyes and shook my head at his mention of sealing the deal. Sandy laughed too as she dropped to her knees and threw her arms around Jake.
Turning, Harmony threw herself into my arms as she cried happy tears for once. Pulling back, she let out a giggle. “He said ‘seal the deal.’ ”
Laughing, I leaned over and brushed my lips against hers. “Are you happy, Harmony?”
Nodding, she said, “Yes! I’m so glad we were here for this. Thank you.”
Placing my hand on the side of her face, I brushed my thumb across her wet cheek. “I hope that from now on your tears are nothing but happy tears.”
As Harmony’s eyes lit up with desire, my heart felt like it had skipped a beat. “I have a feeling they will be.”
—
“Preston, when are you going to take this off?” Harmony asked with a giggle.
The taxi was pulling up outside the pub and I was having a hell of a time keeping my excitement down. My heart was beating out of control and my hands were sweating like a son of a bitch.