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He reached for her then and pressed a kiss to her lips. “I need you, Hannah.” He spoke with his lips touching hers. “By my side. Every day.”
She blinked away tears. “Do you mean that?”
He lifted her hands to his mouth and kissed them. “With every breath I have.”
A smile started on her lips, and his chest felt fit to burst. And suddenly, he wanted to kiss her again. He closed his eyes and pressed his lips to hers. A shiver of pleasure rolled through him, and with both arms, he held her shoulders closer. He pulled back only for a few seconds to gauge her response.
“Wow,” she breathed. “Did you feel that?”
He nodded and smiled, wrapping both arms around her waist. “Sure did. But I think this is something I should experiment with again.”
“Go right ahead. I think I can handle this kind of experimenting.” She laughed softly in his ear, a lovely tinkling sound that filled him with peace.
Epilogue
Hannah froze as a familiar man dressed in a garbage bag that covered his plaid shirt and khakis pants popped into her tent.
A year to the day since Jason had met Hannah outside the office, there was another blood-drive fundraiser. Hannah was parked under her tent, a line of kids waiting for their faces to be painted. Jason had taken the day off so he could help, but she hadn’t expected this.
“What is that getup?” Hannah laughed and snapped a picture of him before he could stop her.
“It’s for my protection, in case history tries to repeat itself.”
“You’re never going to let me live that down, are you?”
He growled playfully, then glanced at her hands—probably to ensure she wasn’t holding any paints—then pulled her close.
“I love to see that ring on your hand.”
She shivered as he pressed a kiss to the back of her neck. “Funny you mention that...”
He pulled her toward him. “Yeah?”
“I think... I’m ready for an upgrade. It’s been a year, and I... just don’t see me ever wanting you out of my sight.”
He pulled her closer for a kiss. “I am sure we can work out something.”
She kissed his nose softly and then squealed. “Yay!” She sighed. “Oh, I’ve been fretting all morning about how to tell you.”
“Never worry about me being hesitant anymore. I have had enough hesitation to last me a lifetime.” He reluctantly allowed her to go back to organizing her paints for the event.
“What do you need?” he asked, not letting her squirm away. “A drink? Something from the car? A chair?”
She looked around the tent and shook her head. “I don’t think so. I’m ready to go.”
“Miss Hannah!”
She spun around to see one of her students running toward her. “Hi, Chelsey! You made it.”
After her first student arrived, many more came, and Jason sat back in his camping chair, happy to just be near Hannah while she worked.
Rueben called him when the heat of the day had him running for the office for a few minutes of reprieve. “Hey, Grandpa, what’s up?”
“How are you, son? How’s Hannah?”
No one was more thrilled about their relationship progress than Rueben, well, except for Brandy. The two of them had cheered them on during the last few months and counseled them when things got sticky. As they’d expected, the last few months had not been easy, for either one of them. Jason still didn’t love Hannah’s haphazard way of keeping house, and Hannah needed occasional reminders that he needed physical breaks.
Brandy and Rueben had mentored them since day one, and their encouragement continued.
