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Half an hour later, we were walking hand in hand on the beach behind the house, enjoying the serenity. The wind had died down to a slight breeze, and the only sound that could be heard was the gentle lapping of waves at the shore. The sky was clear, and the moonlight shone brightly, casting an ethereal glow on everything around us.
We stopped at an exceptionally soft patch of sand and looked out at the endless expanse of water before us. A wave washed over my bare feet, bathing them in warmth.
I closed my eyes and let out a sigh. “This is perfect.”
Jensen stood behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist so his hands could rest protectively on my belly. “Yeah, it’s pretty great.”
Another warm wave washed over me, and I let out another rapturous sigh. “I honestly don’t think anything could make me any happier right now.”
“Are you sure about that?” Jensen asked, pulling away.
“Yes.” I turned my head to look at him. “Why—oh!”
He was down on one knee, holding out an open ring box in his right hand. A sparkling diamond on a silver band was nestled in the velvet, glinting in the moonlight. “I love you, Amerie,” he said. “Will you marry me?”
The emotion in his eyes robbed me of breath. I clutched at my chest, tears springing to my eyes. “Oh my god,” I said, voice barely above a whisper.
A cocky smirk curved Jensen’s lips. “Is that a yes?”
“Yes.” My left hand trembled with excitement as I presented it to him. “Definitely!”
“I have another surprise for you,” he said, smirk morphing into a grin as he slid the ring on. “Our wedding is in two weeks.”
“Wait… what?” My eyes were like saucers. “Two weeks? How?”
“Piper helped me plan it.” Jensen cocked his head. “Well, actually, she recruited Xander to help us, and you know what he’s like with party planning.”
“Wow.” My hand fluttered at my lips. “I can’t believe it.”
“I knew it would stress you out trying to plan a whole-ass wedding while having a newborn. So I figured I’d take it off your hands and get it done before Clara comes. All you need to do is go shopping with the girls and find a dress that fits. Piper has already scouted a few options, so you’ll have a head start.”
Another rush of emotion gripped my heart. “Thank you,” I said, voice hitching in my throat. “This is so amazing.”
Jensen smiled and pulled me close. “Who would’ve thought, huh?” he murmured in my ear. “The two of us.”
A grin curved up my lips as I remembered our old standoffs at school. “Definitely not me,” I said. “When we first met, I wanted to zap you off the face of the planet.”
“Oh, I know. I deserved it,” he replied, chuckling. “I’m just lucky you let me make it all up to you.”
“I think you did a lot more than that,” I said softly, pulling back to look up at him. “You’ve given me everything.”
He stared at me, eyes reflecting my tender expression back to me. “I’m going to keep doing it,” he said, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. “For the rest of our lives.”
With that, he kissed me, long and slow. I closed my eyes and melted into his embrace, every inch of me tingling with bliss.
“Come on,” he murmured a moment later, drawing back. “Let’s go home.”
I nodded and smiled. “Sure.”
Before I met Jensen, I didn’t have much of a concept of home. Early in life, I was moved all over the country by my father—in what I now knew was a misguided attempt to protect me from the Rosmerta contract—and then I was shunted around from house to house in the foster system after his death.
I was never in one place for long, and because of that, I was always envious of my fellow students at school. They all seemed to have warm, stable houses to return to every day, seemingly without any worry of having it all stripped away. That was what I ached for whenever I thought of the word ‘home’—a single house to return to every single day for the rest of my life.
I knew now that I was partially wrong about my old definition of the word. It wasn’t always about the location, and it wasn’t always about the stability of that location, either. Home was a person. Someone we could be our truest selves with. Someone we could always retreat to and receive love, comfort, and acceptance in its purest form.
In my case, it was Jensen. He brought me peace and joy, and I would always feel safe, welcome, and loved in his arms.
Wherever he was… that was my home.
