Chapter 42
The knock on the door was a welcome distraction after all of the fretting Caroline had done since Trevor and Clara left for Bali.
She’d told them not to keep her updated. The only thing she wanted to know was whether he was coming back or not.
When she opened the door, the answer was standing in front of her. J.T. smiled at her, but she noted the fatigue in his eyes, somehow more noticeable with his freshly shaved jaw.
“I’m back,” he said, holding his hands out as if to announce his presence, “but before you say anything, let me get a few things off my chest. Can I come inside?”
She wasn’t going to let him off too easy so she said, “I thought I wasn’t supposed to talk.”
He looked like he was biting the inside of his cheek. “Right. I can do this here. I’ve had hours of travel—and hours in Bali—to consider what I could possibly say to convince you that I’ll never again disappear, that I’ll stand by your side and love you like you deserve.”
Now they were getting somewhere.
“First, I was wrong to leave, but honestly, I didn’t see any other way. I was hurt and in shock, and all I wanted to do was protect you and everyone else the only way left to me. You getting hurt was bad enough, but Arthur nearly dying…I couldn’t take that.”
She nodded, but remained silent as he’d asked.
“Second, while I didn’t want to live up to my nickname of Mud Slinger, I did what was needed. Cynthia is officially checkmated. I want to thank you for your role in obtaining that video. You and Aunt Clara are two of the strongest and most beautiful women I know, and I’m grateful for you. More than I could ever say.”
He coughed to clear his throat, and she could feel the emotion well up in her too. He’d better finish this speech fast. There were things she needed to say as well.
“Third, I know loving me hasn’t been the easiest, but I’m expecting that to change now.”
Oh, he was so dumb. Loving him wasn’t the hard part. The crap surrounding him hadn’t been a walk in the park.
“I’m not worried about Cynthia hurting you or anyone else anymore. Well, I’m still a little paranoid, but I’m hoping that will go away with time. And if she does try something, I’ll stand my ground and fight her tooth and nail. I won’t let her take away my future. What I hope is our future. What I’m trying to say is that I’ve done some things that require a heck of a lot of forgiveness on your part, and I was wondering if you could forgive me and trust me enough to begin again. I love you, and God, I hope I didn’t ruin this.”
Talk faster, you moron, and I’ll tell you.
He held up a hand and then blew out a long breath. “I’m nervous,” he said, laughing briefly. “I was trying so hard to be all cool, but my insides… Never mind. Caroline, I want to show you something that might help prove to you how different things are. How different I feel. Will you come with me?”
“Can I speak now?” she asked, giving him a stern look.
He let out another shaky breath. “Yes, of course. Sorry that was such a speech. I rehearsed it… Forget I said that. Maybe come with me and then talk. I feel like my surprise might help things.”
“You’re really calling the shots here, J.T.” She crossed her arms for good measure.
He shrugged, his gray suit slightly metallic in the late morning sun. “I know, but this is important. I figure I messed up royally, so the making amends should be equally huge.”
Okay, that sounded more like the J.T. she’d fallen in love with. “All right, I’ll come with you. Where are we going?”
“How do you feel about surprises?” He pulled a black bandana from his pocket. “Blindfolds?”
“You can’t be serious,” she said.
“Please.”
“Aunt Clara would urge you to get to the point,” she said, arching an eyebrow. He was making her seriously consider smacking him.
“I’m not in love with Aunt Clara,” he said. “I’m in love with you.”
She paused again.
“Not that the old girl doesn’t have her charm, but I believe she’s got eyes for Uncle Arthur.”
“Yes, isn’t it wonderful?” she commented. “Fine. Put the darn bandana on me. But this had better be good. I could be doing my nails or something.”
He laughed but reached around her and tied the bandana. Without her vision, her other senses kicked into higher gear. She caught the scents of leather, spice, and citrus in his cologne and felt his body heat inches away from her. Then she heard a blast of something off in the distance.
“Whew, thank God that timing worked out,” he said cryptically. “Will you take my hand? It would be easier, and I’d really like to hold it right now.”
That damn charm of his… She held out her hand, and he clasped it tightly before she felt him raise it upward. His lips planted a gentle kiss on the back of her hand.
“You’re beautiful,” he said softly. “Thank you for coming with me.”
Another strange blast sounded, this one closer than the last. “Did you hear that?”
He led her slowly off the front steps and then down the sidewalk. Because she couldn’t see where she was going, she took her time feeling the ground beneath her.
That blast erupted much closer this time, and she shied away. “What is that?”
He laughed, leading her forward. “Step up.”
She felt the ground change to something different, something she couldn’t make out.
“Over here,” J.T. said, propelling her forward. “Put your hands out. I’m right behind you.”
His presence was comforting somehow. She reached out and touched a thatch of woven material. From the feel of the edges, it was some kind of wicker. Boy, she was confused.
“Hang on,” J.T. said close to her ear.
Then she heard that loud whoosh again. Super loud this time, and then her knees bent as everything shifted. A blast of heat surrounded her, and suddenly it felt like she was in an elevator. Her mind filled in the rest.
“Are we in a hot air balloon?” she asked. No one else in the world…
“You sound shocked,” he said, his hands resting lightly on her waist for balance. “It seemed like the easiest way to get to where I wanted.”
She couldn’t begin to imagine what that meant. “You’re crazy!”
His soft chuckle sounded in her ear. “Welcome to my world, Caroline Hale.”
He sounded like the old J.T. again, and all she wanted to do was throw off the infernal bandana covering her eyes and see his face. Hope was rising in her as high as they seemed to be climbing in the balloon, and her love for him was firing up her heart.
“Please tell me we aren’t going to Rome in this,” she said dryly, speaking up to be heard over creaking of the balloon. “You’re lucky I’m not afraid of heights.”
“I checked with Moira,” he said. “I’d never knowingly put you in an uncomfortable or scary situation. Again.”
Leaning back against him seemed the best way to communicate her gratitude. Her love. His whole body shook for a moment, and then his arms came hesitantly around her waist.
“You’re giving me hope,” he whispered. “Thank you.”
Tears burned her eyes behind the bandana. His cheek came to rest against hers.
“This is a strange way to have a balloon ride,” she commented over the emotion roiling through her. “Usually people go on these for the scenery.”
“You’ll have plenty of time to take in the view, babe. Don’t worry. Just let your senses unfold.”
And so she did. The cold wind touched her face, and its freshness seemed to dissolve the worry and fear she’d been stewing in. As they continued their ascent, she felt like they were soaring through the air together, his arms around her.
“If you make a Titanic joke right now, I’m going to kill you,” she muttered.
He laughed, and she felt a familiar click between them. A new beginning was taking root. She took a moment to think about Cynthia being out of his life for good. God, it was hard to believe after everything that woman had done to them. She could tell he felt lighter too, could hear it as he talked to the balloon operator whose name she learned was Roy.
Then music started to play, and J.T. laughed. “That’s Trev, calling to see if we’re airborne.”
“What’s that song?” she asked. “It’s familiar…”
“Trev programmed it onto the phone he gave me,” he said. “It’s Jay-Z’s ‘99 Problems,’ and the first verse says, ‘Ninety-nine problems, but a bitch ain’t one.’ His idea of a joke.”
“Your brother has a crazy sense of humor,” she said, laughing.
“Yeah, but he came to Bali to slap some sense into me—literally—and for that he can pretty much get away with anything. All right, hang on tight.”
She felt the balloon shift again. “We’re going down?”
“Yes,” he said. “I can’t wait to show you where.”
His hands gripped her waist moments later and then the balloon touched the ground. Her knees dipped, but she was prepared. All motion stopped, and then J.T. was reaching for her hand.
“This way, my lady,” he said, leading her onto solid ground again.
“I’m giving you ten seconds to take this bandana off,” she said. “Ten, nine, eight—”
“Okay, okay,” he said urgently. “You’ve been more than a good sport.”
His hands touched her head and the cloth lifted from her eyes. “Oh, my God.”
A purple balloon accented with green and yellow towered over her. Behind it, all she saw were blue sky and mountains. Snowcaps dotted most of them, and she cradled her arms as a cold wind rushed around her.
“Do you know why I brought you here?” he asked, drawing her gaze.
She watched as he stretched his arms out and closed his eyes. His face lifted as if he were basking in the sunlight. Words wouldn’t form in response, but her heart expanded in her chest as she watched him.
He looked back at her with a grin. “You’ve helped me feel like I’m back on a mountaintop again, Caroline.”
She remembered his story about how he used climb up to the tallest mountain in Dare Valley and feel like he was the king.
“My life suddenly seems as full of possibility as the blue sky above us,” he said. “There’s no one I’d like to have by my side more than you. I love you with all my heart, Caroline Hale. And I want to show you just how much.”
Sinking to one knee, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a black box. Her mouth dropped open. After the hell he’d been through with Cynthia, she knew just how big a step this was for him. Funny, how it shot a stream of pure electricity through her own veins.
“You’re… You’re…”
When he opened the box, the diamond ring nestled inside seemed to send out an arc of rainbows. She put her hand over her mouth, feeling the urge to cry and laugh and sing, all at the same time.
“Will you marry me and be my queen of the mountaintop?” he asked. “Because, babe, I’ve got my groove back.”
Her lips twitched. “You told me not to speak while you did all of this.” She gestured around them. “What were you going to do if I said no?” She wanted to be able to tell Clara she’d given him somewhat of a tough time.
“Leave you up here until you came to your senses,” he said, pursing his lips. “Seriously though. I know it’s a lot to ask…after everything.”
Everything indeed. He was the one who’d said he wasn’t comfortable getting married again. Men! She marched over and poked him in the chest, causing him to lose his balance and sit back in the snow.
“Jeez, that’s cold,” he cried, balancing her and the ring he was holding.
“Serves you right,” Caroline said. “You should have let me get my speech in before you proposed.”
“What can I say? I needed to pull out all of the stops to convince you I’m worth forgiving and that I’ll never fail you again.”
He looked down, and she could sense his vulnerability. Taking his beloved face in her hands, she gazed into his eyes.
“You’re forgiven for leaving this once, but if you ever do it again—”
“I got your note,” he said, shivering playfully. “You’re right. Uncle Arthur would be one scary ghost.”
“Yes, he would,” she said. “Now, while your butt freezes, I’m going to give you the highlights of my speech.”
He barked out a laugh. “If you take too long, I might be frozen to this mountaintop.”
“Roy and I will just have to fly off without you,” she said, poking him again for good measure.
“Are you enjoying yourself?” he asked.
“Yes,” she said, her tone playful. “You?”
“Cold, but amused. All right, give me the highlights. My butt is numb now. I should be able to take it.”
She kissed his right cheek. “First, I do understood why you left, but like I said, don’t ever do it again.”
“A day into it, I wanted to die,” he said. “I was missing you and Trev, and hell… It wasn’t pretty.”
The honesty of his words gripped her heart.
“Second, while you seem to think there’s a lot to forgive, there isn’t. As far as I’m concerned, most of it is on Cynthia. She made her bed, and I’m glad you tucked her in, so to speak.”
She’d do a victory dance with Clara and her sisters at some point. Everyone was happy that bitch was gone for good. She likely wouldn’t be going to prison for stalking or for what she’d done to Arthur, but that didn’t matter so long as she stayed away.
“Third, I’m glad you’re back to feeling like yourself. You’ve always been king of the mountain in my eyes.”
“Does that mean you’ll be my queen?” he asked.
She shot him a look. “I’m still giving my speech.”
“My ass is getting hypothermia, Caroline,” he said, shifting on the cold hard ground.
“Don’t whine, honey,” she said, unable to contain her smile. “Fourth, yes, I will marry you because I love and adore you, you silly man.”
His eyes flashed, first with shock and then joy. Then he grabbed her by the waist and fell back onto the snow. She shrieked.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“Getting us both cold and freezing,” he quipped. “That way we can warm each other up when we get home.”
Home.
There was that word again. The rainbow light from the diamond caught her eye as he slipped on the ring, and for a moment, she could see herself holding hands with J.T. and that little girl.
“I love you,” he said, sitting up and caressing her cheek.
“I love you too,” she whispered back.
“I’m going to make you the happiest woman on earth and be the best husband,” he said. “I give you my word.”
She pressed a hard kiss to his mouth, her heart dancing in her chest. “You have my word right back.”
“Since I seriously am losing feeling in my extremities, can I simply say, ‘my queen, your chariot awaits’?”
They stood, and he led her back into the balloon’s basket. Linking hands, they walked to the edge and looked out together.
They sailed into the sky of endless blue and their happily ever after.