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He pointed to himself. “My carvings?”
“Your art. He said, and I quote, anyone with any sense would love to have one of your exquisitely detailed pieces. He said he’s looking forward to discussing it more with you, and I told him I’d pass his information on to you.”
“I can’t…” He ran one hand down his face and set the other on his hip. For a heartbeat count of at least ten, he was quiet. “What brought all this about?”
She erased the rest of the distance and placed her hands on his chest. “You were right. I was selfish. I realized I’d let my grandma think that she was inferior and that all the great times we had were somehow overshadowed by my mom. I realized that I’d never really loved Craig. I’d pretended to be what he wanted because it was easier than taking a risk.” She moved even closer. “I also realized something else.”
“What’s that?”
Jo lowered her gaze to the ground, waited for a beat, and then lifted her gaze to his again. “I realized that I love you. That if you want it, you can have my heart. I realized that I’d rather risk everything with you than ever live safe again.”
“Oh yeah?”
She nodded. “Yeah.”
Wrapping his arms around her, he lifted her off her feet. “I’d hate for you to be without a heart, so how about a trade? I give you mine, and you hold it softly, and I’ll do the same for you.”
Tears pooled in her eyes. “I’ll take that trade.”
“Good because I love you, too.”
He held her to him with one arm and slipped his free hand behind her neck as he brought her lips to his. He’d only thought her lips were sweet before. They were soft and moved against his in a dance that made the world fall away. The gentle kiss quickly turned heated, hard, and demanding, like they were making up for the time lost.
All that wishing. All that wanting and hoping, and here she was in his arms, kissing him with a need that matched his own. He didn’t want anyone else, ever. He’d given her his heart, and she’d offered hers to him. He wanted more than this, though.
He broke the kiss. “I want more than just a few kisses and walks home.”
“I do, too.”
“Will you marry me?”
She took his face in her hands and grinned. “I thought you’d never ask.” She chuckled. “Yes, I would love to marry you. You can have all of me forever.”
“I love the sound of that.”
“I love you.”
He crushed his lips to hers again, using more than words to tell her how much he loved her that he’d love her forever.
EPILOGUE
Jo
Six months later…
Jo held Jack’s hand as they looked at their completed project. It’d taken hundreds of hours, more heartache and setbacks than they could have ever anticipated, but Wishing Well Bed and Breakfast was finally finished.
One of the crew members stood on a scaffold, helping the crane as it lowered the newly designed sign into place.
“I can’t believe it.” Jo wiped her eyes. “We did it.”
Jack tugged her flush against his side and slipped his arm across her shoulders. “We did it.”
In the last six months, they’d worked hard to get the house remodeled with the goal of being the first couple married there. Now that it was finished, in two months , they’d be standing in the arbor with friends and family, finally saying I do.
More than once, they’d been tempted to use a justice of the peace, but each time, they’d dug deep for a little more willpower and stayed the course. The place would officially be theirs as soon as they were married. Jack hadn’t wanted to wait, but Jo had insisted that she wanted to wait until she was Jo Turner.
A car stopped behind them, and the engine died. “I’ve got the celebratory Blueberry Wishes scones!” Her grandma yelled.
