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I’d left her in our bedroom with instructions to dress for a walk in the forest, and she’d done as I asked, wearing a tank top and shorts that displayed her gorgeous legs to full advantage. Her hair was tied back, almost entirely brown now. She’d let Bailey cut it shorter, getting rid of the remnants of blonde dye. Summer’s friend, who considered herself a budding social media influencer and lifestyle blogger, had been over the moon and had plastered photos all over her accounts. Once, that might have bothered me, but neither Kennedy nor I had minded.
After Tyler was arrested, Kennedy’s name and picture were flashed throughout the media. We’d agreed they probably wouldn’t leave us alone until we gave them the whole story, so we’d given an exclusive interview to a reporter Gray had recommended, Aria Simons. She’d been friendly, professional, and made sure the story came out the way we wanted. I’d wondered if Kennedy’s fans might be angry she’d decided to give up acting in part because of me, but her adoring public seemed to love our unlikely reunion. Now, the excitement had more or less died down. People were no longer visiting Destiny Falls in droves for a peek of movie star Kennedy Cox, although the stream of tourists attracted by the town’s romantic reputation remained steady.
“No, I’m not telling you,” I said, slinging the backpack over one shoulder. “You’ll figure it out soon, but I want it to be a surprise for as long as possible.”
She huffed. “You’re no fun.”
“You’re impatient.”
She grinned but didn’t deny it. She kissed my cheek and leaned against me for a moment, sighing happily. Another perk of the past month was that we’d gotten to know more about each other again and had grown more familiar with the people we were now. At our core, we were still that young couple who’d fallen madly in love, but we’d developed and matured, and things were different in subtle and intriguing ways.
“Let’s go.” She bounced toward the door. She’d been eager to go hiking for a couple of weeks now, but I didn’t want to encourage her until we were sure it wouldn’t cause any issues with her injury.
Once outside, we got into her Subaru Outback. I’d decided to finally say goodbye to my beloved Ute. The damage caused by the crash—and Tyler tampering with the brakes—would have cost more than it was worth to fix. I’d get another vehicle soon—I had my eye on one in Queenstown—but in the meantime, Kennedy’s Subaru could get us anywhere further than we wanted to walk.
She handed me the keys, and I drove us to the parking area at the base of the trails that went to Destiny Falls and Destiny Tarn.
Kennedy turned to me, her eyes alight with excitement. “We’re going to the falls, aren’t we?”
“Yeah,” I admitted.
She beamed. “Did you know this will only be my second time going there? I didn’t want to go again without you.”
My heart melted. Kaput. I didn’t know how I’d ever resisted this woman, even for a couple of weeks. She was so sweet. So perfect.
“I’m glad.” I cleared my throat, my voice huskier than I’d have liked.
I got out and donned the backpack. I insisted on being the one to carry supplies, since she was still healing. Logically, I knew it probably wouldn’t do her any harm, but my instinct was still to protect her in whatever way I could.
We started up the trail. When Kennedy spotted something she wanted to photograph, I handed her camera over. We made slow progress, but it was more enjoyable that way, even if it did give me plenty of time to stew over what was coming.
When we arrived at the falls, they were as stunning as ever. On the tail end of summer, the pool of bluish water at the base of the waterfall was smaller than it was during wetter seasons, but it was no less beautiful. Water cascaded down the mossy rock face, with tiered steps at the top seemingly cut by God.
Kennedy released a slow breath. “I forgot how much this place took my breath away.”
“It’s pretty impressive.”
I wiped my sweaty palms on my shirt, laid the backpack on the ground, then sank to one knee in front of her.
“Liam?” Her eyes widened, glowing even bluer than usual. The falls and the sky had nothing on her eyes.
I reached into my pocket and withdrew the box I’d been carrying with me all day. I popped the lid open to reveal a simple diamond ring that glittered in the sunlight filtering through the trees.
“Kennedy Carter.” My voice shook with emotion, and I drew a deep breath, giving myself a mental pep talk so I could continue. “You are the love of my life. I know we haven’t been back together for long, but it feels like we’ve been waiting forever for our happily ever after. I don’t want to waste any more time. Will you marry me and be with me for the rest of my life?”
Kennedy’s eyes sparkled with tears. Good ones, I hoped.
“Yes, Liam.” Her smile wobbled. She seemed as overcome as I was. “You’re right. Let’s not waste any time. I want to get married and be your wife. I want to have the children we always talked about, and have a life full of love and color.”
I rose to my feet and took her hand, gently sliding the ring onto her finger. “I will cherish you,” I promised. “Every single day.”
Her lips curved and she looked at me as if I were something special. I really was the luckiest bastard on the planet.
ChapterFifty-Five
KENNEDY
“I love you so much,”I whispered, stretching up onto my toes to kiss him before standing back to admire the way the ring glittered in the light. “It’s beautiful.”
