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“It’s like riding a bike, you have to practice. Use it or lose it, baby.”
“It’s your funeral.” She shrugged with a smile. “Possibly literally.”
“Get in and drive, woman.” He winked. “We’ve got things to do.”
It took her half an hour to warm up to the car. Thirty minutes of jolting stops, shuddering accelerations, and turns that were more like diversions, they were so far off the mark. But eventually she relaxed, right as she turned off the highway and they reached the hills and brush above Angel Sands.
“How’s your dad?” she asked him, feeling more confident as the minutes past.
“He’s good. He beat Frank Megassey in the Angel Sands Chess Tournament, so he’s riding on a high from that.”
Lydia grinned. She had such a soft spot for Ryan. He was already like a second father to her. “And your mom?”
“I spoke to her a couple of weeks ago. She has a job. Only part time, but it’s a start.” Jackson shrugged. “As long as she’s paying her own way, I’m good.”
She loved the way he looked so relaxed about his parents. He’d really taken his dad’s words to heart, letting them sort out their own problems. Which was good, because right now she wanted him to concentrate on her.
They had a lot of catching up to do.
In front of her, the Pacific Ocean danced and sparkled, as though it was filled with a million tiny diamonds. She could feel the warmth of the sun on her face through the windshield, making her smile.
“The water looks so pretty today.”
“Does it?” Jackson murmured. “I can’t see past the view right here.”
Her smile widened. “Hey, have you heard from Simba’s family recently?”
“He and Bella had a play date on the beach last week,” Jackson told her. “The two of them had a contest to see who could shake the most water off and get us drenched. We called it a tie.”
“Can we arrange another play date soon? I’ve missed that guy.”
Bella barked. “But not as much as I’ve missed you, pretty girl,” Lydia crooned.
“Hey, stop!” Jackson called out. Without thinking, she pressed her foot to the brake.
“What is it?” she asked, as his car came to a juddering halt.
But he was out of the car, pulling Bella’s door open and running into the shrubs. Was this the same spot that she’d found Eddie? Lydia frowned, it certainly looked like it. What were the chances he’d spotted another dog?
By the time she climbed out and chased after them, Jackson and Bella were at least thirty yards ahead. She ran, feeling breathless already, coming to a stop where they were both standing in front of a large brown rock.
“What is it?” she puffed. “Did you see an animal?”
Jackson shook his head. “No,” he told her. “Not an animal.” He pointed at something, and she leaned over the rock to get a better look. It was nestled in a crevice, glinting in the sun.
Slowly, she turned to look at Jackson. Her chest was already tight from her sprint across the grass, but now it was tighter still. “Is that…?”
Jackson picked the glinting gem from the rock and dropped to his knee, holding it out for her to see. It was a beautiful white gold ring, set with a square diamond at the center, bordered by more sparkling gems at the edges. Lydia swallowed hard, her eyes watering as Jackson smiled up at her.
“Yes!” she said, before he could open his mouth.
Jackson laughed and shook his head. “I have a speech planned. I practiced it on Bella last night.”
Bella barked as if in agreement.
“Okay.” Lydia nodded. “But I thought I’d take the tension out of it. The answer is definitely yes.” She bit her lip. “Sorry, go ahead. I’m listening.”
His lip quirked as he stared up at her, his eyes full of love. “Lydia Paxton, will you do the honor of being my wife? Not because I want you to be tied to me, but because I want us to fly together. To land together. To live together wherever we decide to call home. And I don’t care where that is, because home isn’t a place. Not anymore. Home is you, and wherever you go, that’s where I’ll be.”
