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She turned back to Luke and took his large hand in hers. Where his was cool, hers were hot and shaking. “I’m sorry, Luke. I never should have let you walk out of my life, even for an hour. When I was listening to those wedding vows today, I realized they were words I’d heard countless times before, without really thinking about their meaning….”
Jane took a deep breath. Could she really say the next part? Could she really bare it all? Yes, if she was going to be known as a relationship guru, she had to take a chance on true love. She had to give it all if she wanted to have a great romance, a love that would endure.
Luke watched her silently.
“Thanks to you, I finally understand what it means to have a love so strong that two lives can be bound into one because of it. I understand that sex and love and intimacy are all intricately intertwined, and that removing one from the mix damages the other parts. You showed me that.”
“What are you saying?”
“That I’ve fallen in love with you, and I want us to be more than just lovers or friends or business associates.”
Luke closed his eyes, and for the first time, Jane saw his vulnerability. She’d always thought of him as invincible, which she realized now she’d used as an excuse for treating him badly. An indescribable mix of emotions played across his face.
“Jane, I don’t want you as any of those things, either.”
His words, spoken slowly and with deliberation, hit her low in the belly. Maybe she’d wreaked irreparable damage, and maybe her chance with Luke was lost.
He opened his eyes and penetrated her with his dark, sensual gaze. “I love you. I want you in my life permanently.”
Jane blinked again and again, stunned to silence. Before she realized she was crying, she felt Luke’s fingertips on her cheek, wiping away the dampness.
“Do you mean—”
“Shh,” he said, putting a fingertip to her lips. “Let’s do this right.”
Ignoring the seat-belt signs lit up in the cabin, Luke unbuckled his, and Jane followed suit as he tugged on her hand. When he had her standing in the aisle, he knelt on one knee, and people all over the cabin began straining their necks to see what was going on with the man and the crazy bridesmaid chick.
Holding both her hands in his, he looked into her eyes, oblivious to the stares. “You are the most amazing, exciting woman I’ve ever known. Will you marry me, Jane Langston?”
“Yes,” Jane whispered, her voice suddenly failing her.
Applause burst out in the cabin, and nearby passengers congratulated them as Luke stood up and took her into his arms. When he kissed her, Jane knew she’d finally figured out the difference between the wants of a girl and the needs of a real, grown-up woman.
Epilogue
“When in doubt, follow your heart. The answers are more often found there than in the pages of a self-help book.
—Jane Langston, from her newly titled work-in-progress, Sex and Sensuality
St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, one week later
“NO, MOM, I do not want little girls dressed up as fairies sprinkling fairy dust down the aisle before I walk out.” Jane looked over at Luke, reclined on the bed wearing nothing but a lazy smile, and rolled her eyes.
He patted the empty space on the bed beside him and gave her a meaningful look.
But Jane knew she wasn’t going to get off the phone that easily with her mother, not after just having told her about their marriage. They’d decided to elope privately on the beach in Puerto Rico, but they both were in agreement on doing a “real” wedding for the family later, once they’d enjoyed a lengthy honeymoon in the Virgin Islands.
“Honey, don’t you worry, we’ll get all the details settled when you get home. I just want you to know, we’re proud of you, very, very proud.”
Jane found herself gripping the phone a little too tightly, straining to be sure she’d heard her mother clearly.
“You’re proud of me for eloping?”
“Of course not. Don’t get me wrong, Luke seems like a fine man, but I mean I’m proud of you. Not just all you’ve accomplished with your book, and not just the way you defended yourself against that awful man at the wedding, but you—the lovely woman you’ve grown into.”
Jane leaned against the door frame, stunned to silence.
“Maybe I forget to say it, and I know I’ve been preoccupied with Heather’s wedding…”
“Thanks, Mom.”
“Well, I’ll let you two lovebirds get back to your honeymoon.”
When Jane hung up the phone, she gave Luke a stunned look. “That was weird.”
“You can tell me all about it later. Right now I have plans for us, and they don’t involve talking about your mother.”
