When the Heart Falls(161)

Gradually, the landmarks begin to look familiar. “Are we going to the Eiffel Tower?” The spot of our first kiss. Romantic.

Cade shakes his head, still smiling his secret smile.

And then we arrive at Lover’s Bridge and Cade pulls out a key and a heart-shaped lock.

I squeal and reach for it, running my finger over the CS + WD carved into it. Our initials.

He tilts my head up, his lips closing in on mine. “Winter, I love you, and I would like to become part of this tradition with you.”

“Oh my God, yes! This is the most romantic thing anyone has ever done for me.”

He pops open the lock, and we find a space on the fence. "You sure?" he asks. "This means we'll be stuck together forever."

"I'm sure." Forever. The word is a promise of more than I can imagine right now, but it fills my heart with so much joy I can hardly contain it.

Cade holds one side of the lock and I hold the other. Together we snap it shut. He hands me the key. “For you.”

I toss it into the water, watching it sink to the bottom to join hundreds, maybe thousands of other keys, promises lining the bottom of the Seine for eternity.

The necklace Daring gave me before I left is hanging around my neck, and I fidget with the empty space for a key.

Cade grins and pulls another key from his jean pockets. “I thought you might like one to keep for your necklace, so I had an extra made.”

My eyes fill with tears, and I throw myself into his arms. “You know me so well. I love you.”

Cade pulls back. "Shit.”

"Shit? That’s not the response I was hoping for."

"I dropped the key."

"Where? Not in the—"

"In the water."

"Please tell me you made another one?"

With a grin on his face he holds up his hand, displaying the key.

I swat his chest. "You're a horrible tease. You would have had to dive in and get my key back if you'd dropped it."

His eyes twinkle as he hooks the key into my necklace. "For you, I would brave the brackish waters of the Seine."

An old lady on the bridge near us yells at him. "You're supposed to leave the key in the water." Under her breath she mumbles, "Crazy tourists" and stomps off.

I laugh, lost in my happiness and the joy of this moment, when Cade pulls me into a kiss, his whole body pressed against me.

And with that kiss on Lover's Bridge, we seal our fate to live a long, happy life together.





CADE SAVAGE





CHAPTER 37





AS ROMANTIC AS our reunion has been, there’s still the reality of French class. For Winter, it’s a breeze; she could take the final exam in her sleep. For me it means late night cramming and nightmares.

Still, I wouldn’t wish myself anywhere else. Winter stays up with me on all those late nights, helping me conjugate verbs, quizzing me in basic grammar, laughing with me as I distract her with kisses and… other things.

She wears our key on her charm necklace and fiddles with it subconsciously. It feels real, significant, this commitment we’ve made. It’s not an engagement, but it might as well be. We are together, and neither of us can stand being apart for long. I don’t know what we’re going to do at the end of summer, but we’ll figure it out. We have no choice. We need each other too much.

The day of the final exam I’m trembling and sweating like a meth addict going through withdrawal. It’s bad, and nothing Winter says or does calms me down. I just need to get it over with.

We’re all together for this final exam, so Winter sits next to me as we wait for Monsieur Bellugue to show up and pass out the test. She leans in to kiss me. “Good luck. You’re going to do great. I believe in you.”

I wish I had her confidence, but I missed too many classes, and I had little chance of passing even before that.

When we get our exams, I flip through the pages hoping it’s easy, but it’s not. Half of the words look alien to me, and I can’t make sense of them.

I meticulously fill out every answer, doing my best on questions I don’t know.

Winter is done first, and she has no choice but to turn her test in and leave. I know she’ll be waiting outside for me, but I can’t think about her now.

I’m the last one to finish, and I’m barely done when Monsieur Bellugue calls time.

I know it’s not going to be enough, but I turn it in.

Monsieur Bellugue takes my exam. "How did you do?"

"I did my best."

"That’s all anyone can ask."

A burden has lifted from my shoulders. Come what may, it’s over. Whatever happens next, we’ll find a way to make it work for us.

I leave the classroom for the last time and find Winter on the steps outside the gate as expected. She’s reading something on her eReader, but looks up when I approach and smiles. “We’re done! Want to go celebrate?”

I kiss her cheek. “Not yet. There’s something I want to do first.”

I step away from a group of students leaving and take out my cell phone. I dial the familiar number and listen as it rings until she picks up. "Hey, Mom.”

"My baby, you called.” She sounds so happy, and I’m glad I made the effort.