Three Little Words (Fool's Gold #12)(92)

He tossed that envelope on the bed and picked up another one. “Three nights in a frozen shit hole with no food or water. You’d discovered Billy and surfing, and reading your letter took me away to L.A. and something good.”

He fanned out the letters, then dropped them all onto the bed. “The reason I don’t talk about what happened is I already did. To you. You were there with me, every step of the way. You kept me company when I was lonely. You reminded me what I was fighting for, and in the end, you brought me home.”

She didn’t know what to think, what to say.

“I watched you grow up, Isabel,” he continued. “I know you better than I know anyone. It took your skinny accountant brother-in-law to get me to see the truth, but the reason I’ve never fallen in love with anyone before now is that I’ve always been in love with you. I don’t know if it happened with the first letter, or the second, but I can tell you by the time you kicked Warren in the balls after the prom, I was yours. I was just too stupid to figure it out for myself.”

He shrugged. “If you’re still in love with me, I’d like that a lot, because I’m sure in love with you.”

She didn’t remember moving, but suddenly she was in his arms. He held her so tight, she didn’t think she could breathe, but that was okay. She had Ford and he loved her.

She started to laugh, and laughter turned to tears; then he was kissing her, and she was kissing him back.

“I do love you,” he murmured, his lips moving against hers.

“I love you, too.”

He cupped her face and stared into her eyes. “We can stay here, if you want, but if you need to be in New York, I’ll go with you.”

She pressed her hands against his broad chest. “No. I want to be in Fool’s Gold.” She sniffed, then smiled. “By the way, your mom says she knew we were faking it all along.”

“No way.”

“That’s what she told me.”

He grinned and kissed her again. “But that’s the thing. I wasn’t faking after all. Isabel, marry me?”

She felt happy enough to float. “Yes.”

He pointed to the letters. “After all this, I’m going to have to write all of our vows myself.”

She smiled. “I think you’re up to the challenge.”

“I’m up for anything, as long as I’m with you.”