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"Where are we going?" I ask.
He grins. "Trust me, Piper. Please."
I nod, feeling a flicker of excitement in my chest despite my apprehension. Jesse always knows how to surprise me and make me feel better.
We drive in silence for a while, the only sound coming from the radio's soft murmur. The road is bumpy and narrow, and we're surrounded by trees on both sides. It's so dark I can barely see my hand in front of my face.
Finally, we reach a clearing. Jesse parks the car and turns off the engine.
"Are we...here?" I ask, peering out of the window. I can't see much outside what's lit by the moon's glow.
He reaches over to take my hand. "Yes, we are."
I open the door and step out of the car, looking around. The clearing is bathed in moonlight, the trees opening up on the opposite side of us. Jesse takes me by the hand and leads me forward, and city lights suddenly come into view below us.
It's Fern Hollow.
Beautiful...small, twinkling, magical.
"Oh," I say quietly. "Jesse...why did you bring me here?"
He comes up beside me and takes my hand. "This is your home," he says. "I wanted you to see it."
I bite my lip, tears brimming again.
"It's beautiful...and it's a beautiful idea," I whisper. "Thank you."
Jesse wraps his arms around me from behind, holding me close. "You belong here, Piper," he says softly. "Just like you belong with me and my family. Even if you weren't meant to be with Caleb, you wereabsolutelymeant to be a Hart. Don't ever doubt that."
I turn in his arms and look up at him, feeling the love and security he offers me wash over me. I put my arms around his neck and pull him down for a kiss.
As our lips meet, I feel the weight of my insecurities slowly lift, and I realize that Jesse is right. I do belong here.
With him, with his family, in this magical little town.
We kiss and kiss, his hands running over my shoulders, down my waist, holding my belly between us. Then he reaches behind me...cupping my ass, squeezing. Heated.
I want him so bad, but I know we need to be careful. Sex is what got us into trouble in the first place.
"Jesse," I murmur as I pull away, my hands fisted in his shirt. He looks at me, eyes dark with desire. "Yeah?"
"We need to be careful," I say, my voice low. "We can't risk anything happening to the baby."
He nods, understanding. "I know. I just...I can't help it. You're so beautiful, Piper."
I smile, feeling myself blush. "You're not so bad yourself," I say, running my hands over his chest.
He leans down to kiss me again, and this time it's slow and gentle. We stay like that for a while, lost in each other.
Finally, Jesse pulls away. "We should probably head back," he says. "It's getting late."
I nod, feeling a little disappointed.
As we get back in the car, I glance back at Fern Hollow, feeling a sense of longing.
But I know that I'll be back to this view soon enough.
And this time, I won't be so scared...and hopefully I'll be painting.
