The Kiss: An Anthology About Love and Other Close Encounters(91)

“Race me?” he asked, and a flicker of that old humor returned to his face.

Without waiting for her response, he trotted down the dock. Ten yards away, he glanced back over his shoulder at her and winked, challenging her. Shaking her head but grinning, Alicia took off after him, lengthening her stride to catch up. When she finally caught up to him, he was already waiting for her at the end, resting with his hands braced behind him on the railing and his legs crossed at the ankles. Alicia grabbed the railing beside him and leaned out over the water for a few minutes to catch her breath. It felt good, and when she turned around to face the bluff, she was grinning.

“That was fun. Not fair,” she said, “but fun.”

“Yeah, it was. Almost like it used to be before life got in the way.”

Something in his voice made her glance sharply at him. He studied her with a quizzical frown, and she shifted her weight, unsettled by the intensity in his eyes.

“What?” she finally asked.

“I haven’t seen that smile in a long time. I didn’t realize how much I missed it.”

She dropped her gaze, and her smile shifted into something more poignant.

“I guess I missed it, too,” she murmured.

They stood quietly for a long while, staring up at the houses sitting atop the bluff. They looked like a crown of sunset-hued gems, their windows reflecting the fiery sun. She couldn’t remember it ever looking so stunning, and added this moment to her list of things she was going to miss. Time slipped away as the sun disappeared and the colors of sunset darkened into early twilight. Beside her, Tucker pushed off the railing and moved to stand in front of her.

“This is what we missed,” he said. “The simple things we used to love to do together. We let them get lost in the shuffle of bigger things.”

Alicia only nodded and chewed on her lip as tears again threatened.

“Babe, look at me.”

Reluctantly, she met his gaze, and the protest about his use of the pet name died in her throat.

“I can’t just let you go. I still love you too much.”


“Tucker, we’ve already talked to a lawyer, and we’ve already started filling out the paperwork for our divorce.”

“I don’t care. I have to know that there is absolutely nothing left between us to fight for.” He took her face in his hands, tenderly brushing his thumbs across her cheeks. “And I don’t. I know there’s still something.”

She closed her eyes to keep the tears locked inside. She wanted more than anything to give their love one more chance, but they’d given it dozens of chances, and every one had failed. This would be no different because what little remained wasn’t strong enough to overcome the rift that had opened between them. They’d proven that time and again.

“Just one kiss, Allie,” Tucker whispered. “One kiss to prove there’s nothing left. If there isn’t, I’ll let you go, but if there’s even a spark of what we used to have… please, let’s start over and find what we lost.”

“How can one kiss prove anything?”

“It can prove a lot.”

“This is insane.”

“Maybe it is, but I have to try. But I won’t without your permission.”

His blue eyes searched hers, begging her to comply. The hope inscribed in his lopsided smile reminded her of the boy she’d first fallen in love with in high school, and despite the months of fading romance, her heart melted. The part of her that was resigned to their divorce thought this was ridiculous, but the rest of her fervently hoped there was enough love left to give them a reason to try again, so she nodded.

With enchanting tenderness, he tilted her chin up and lowered his head. When he angled his body against hers, desire flashed through her, but it was nothing compared to the enveloping flood of emotion that rampaged through her when their lips met. She moaned and pressed her body more tightly against him, giving in to her instinctive need to be close to him. The tears streamed down her cheeks as she wrapped her arms around his neck, drawing herself up on her toes to kiss him more deeply.

It was far more powerful than a spark, and her heart soared as joy mingled with desire. That single kiss conveyed his enduring devotion, and for the first time in longer than she could recall, she felt cherished, adored, like she was the only woman he’d ever need or want.

“I love you,” she whispered against his lips. “I love you so much. But how do we fix this?”

“We start taking walks again, every night. We make time for us. Because I love you, and now I know you still love me.”

“I never stopped loving you. I just… forgot why I did.”

“Let me help you remember.”

Without warning, he picked her up, swung her around so she was straddling his waist like a horse, and took off up the dock at a trot. Laughter spilled out of her as the tears continued to flow, and relief coursed through her with sweet intensity. He was right. They had let the simple delight in each other slip away, and all those times they had tried to rediscover what had brought them together in the first place, they had overlooked it. Never again, Alicia vowed, resting her cheek against Tucker’s back. Closing her eyes, she smiled. Maybe there were no guarantees that they could make it work, but the relief and this spark of lost passion rekindled her hope that they would.