finding Reese.: a SAFELIGHT novel vol.2 (SAFELIGHT Series) (37 page)

As they rise against the crunchy snow, I jog over and wrap them into my arms, “I love you, guys. Now make me an uncle.”

Stryder and Catalina laugh, and as we stand hugging at the foot of Pucón I believe I’ve been given a second chance to see life with a different set of eyes; to live, breathe, and believe there’s more to my story to be written. Hope breeds life, and I’m in the best company to do just that.

S
O MUCH HAS HAPPENED IN
the last several months . . . The man of my dreams proposed, and I said yes, and I’ve successfully penned and published my final article with
Xsports Magazine
titled “finding Reese.”
a follow-up piece about Jackson’s triumphant return to professional snowboarding
.
I now work full-time for Team Reese, and after selling my loft in New York City, Stryder and I bought a beautiful log home in Casper, Wyoming and we will be moving in soon.

I recently received notice from Marcia Reed, my former editor at
Xsports Magazine,
that I’ve been nominated for a Distinguished Journalism Press Award for my article “chasing Reese.” I look forward to attending the ceremony in the city next week with my fiancé, Stryder Martynus, who is also nominated for Photographer of the Year for his surfing coverage in Australia, and the cover image of my best friend and real-life cupid, Jackson Reese
.

I’ve taken a week off from my new job to attend my best friend’s wedding in Bali, and as Stryder and I lean against each other naked in the garden bath of our bungalow, I reminisce on how much my life has changed over the past year. I was consumed with grief and regret before I met Stryder, and was living my life half-dead half-alive. Ever since I opened my heart to love I’m a better person. I’m not saying life is easy or that I don’t get scared every now and then when Stryder leaves on assignment, or when Jackson jumps from helicopters. But I know we will never be far apart, and where one goes the others follow.

I turn my body to face Stryder, and looking into his beautiful hazel eyes, I know I am home. It doesn’t matter where our jobs take us. Home is where he is, and I’ll never lose those flutters in my belly when we’re together. My wet hands smooth away those long obsidian strands of hair from his cheeks, and I smile under his affectionate gaze. The fire that was there in the beginning of our relationship still burns bright, and when he smiles devilishly, I feel his hardness press against me.

There isn’t much time for us to get dressed and ready for the wedding ceremony, so I move away and try to stand up.

“Where do you think you’re going, Catalina?” Stryder growls as his hands take possessive hold of my waist. His lips inch down to the bare skin of my shoulder, and his teeth graze against it bringing me to a shiver.

Cupping his jaw with my hands, I look into his eyes. “I’m all for you making love to me until I can’t walk, but it would be bad manners for the Maid of Honor to show up late to her best friend’s wedding, don’t you think?”

Stryder sits forward in the tub and holds my face with his wet hands. The fire and intensity of his stare makes my skin break out with goose bumps and tingles its way down to the depths of my womb. His hand reaches for the star pendant hovering over my breasts, and, bringing it to his lips, he breathes, “I guess I’ll have to be fast then, hmm?”

How can I deny him when my body wants him as well? Let’s just say we arrive at the beach with flushed cheeks and five minutes to spare. As I approach the tent where Faith is getting ready, Deedee kisses my cheek and hands me a bouquet with long-stemmed Calla lilies, then retreats to leave me alone with Faith. When she stands, my breath catches in my throat. Her mermaid gown hugs every curve of her tall and slender body, and her beautiful blonde hair is curled and falling past her shoulders. Her make-up is soft and bohemian, and the toes on her bare feet are perfectly manicured.

“Oh my goodness, Faith! You look beautiful!”

Faith looks at me and smiles. “The same could be said about you. Especially that bad-girl twinkle in your eyes that tells me you totally got laid before you got here. Am I right?”

What can I say? She knows me all too well. As we leave the tent, I carry her bouquet as I wait for Aedan, her father to hug his youngest child before she becomes a married woman. It takes everything in me not to cry at their exchange. Now that I’m engaged, I’m wistful thinking I don’t have a father to give me away. As I’m walking down the aisle, I see Stryder from the corner of my eye. The glances he is casting my way make my heart do somersaults inside my chest.

As I stand beside Faith and Matthew as they exchange their vows, I look at the chairs lined up on the beach. Stryder rubs his chin, smiling as he witnesses the moment my friends say ‘I do.’ I can’t wait to be married to him, and there’s no doubt in my mind we’ll be happy no matter what life throws our way. Happy endings are seldom guaranteed, but that doesn’t apply to us. I’ll make sure of it.

After the ceremony ends, I see Aedan and Deedee in conversation with Stryder, and at one point the three of them cast a smile my way as I pose for wedding photographs with Faith. My eyes mist over when I see Aedan hug Stryder and pat him on the back, I know he is being accepted and thanked for loving me, and giving me a second chance at life and love. That’s all they’ve wished for me since we lost Blake and our baby five years ago.

During the reception, I join the band and sing a cover of KT Tunstall’s “1000 Years.” As I stand to take a bow with the band, I see Stryder clapping and wiping away tears. Our eyes connect I walk towards him and our lips crash against each other’s. As everyone starts cheering, I look around to see Faith standing at her table and whooping. Let’s just say, I was caught up in the moment, and don’t have a single regret about it.

“And the Distinguished Journalism Press Award for outstanding achievement in a biography-based article goes to “chasing Reese,” by Catalina Pardo!”

Stryder and Jackson shout, but I can only blink twice, trying to process what I’ve just heard.

“Baby, that’s you!” Stryder cries over the claps and cheers.

“What are you waiting for, Cat? Get your ass up there and claim that award, ‘cause if you won’t I will!” Jackson laughs as he stands and pulls my chair back.

With shaky steps, I approach the podium, and as I’m awarded the silver quill statuette, I cannot believe my good fortune. The spotlight shines on me, and a sense of affirmation and realization floods my entire body. All my life I’ve worked so hard, never cut corners, and prayed for the best. Now, as I stand before my colleagues and friends, I’m left speechless. Hard work truly pays off. Later in the evening, Stryder nabs the Photographer of the Year award, and the three of us dance the night away, giving my former colleagues a thing or two to talk about.

“Have you guys set a date?” Jackson asks, as we board the taxi after spending the night at Stryder’s apartment in the city.

Stryder looks at Jackson and me, and replies, “Not yet. Hell, Jax, with work and all we haven’t been able to have an engagement party. Trust me, if I had my way, we’d be married tomorrow.”

Jackson sits back in his seat and remains pensive on the way to the airport, and all the way back home. After an uneventful flight, we land back in Casper in the early evening, and return to our respective homes. This will be the first weekend Stryder and I have been able to spend together since we bought the property. Our jobs have kept us living out of our suitcases for the past year, and it’s a breath of fresh air to see the house we’ve dreamed of slowly convert itself into a proper home.

As Stryder opens the double doors, he drops our bags in the foyer and wraps his arms around me. “Welcome home, Raven Girl,” he breathes as he squeezes me tight.

I’m overcome with emotion. Words as simple as those still have the power to make my heart race with happiness. I used to laugh at movies and books when the hero and the heroine uttered words like, “Your love saved me” at the end, and now I scoff at my past self, because it’s very true. Stryder’s love and Jackson’s friendship saved me from living my life in a blur, and taught me to face my fears head on.

With soft tears landing on my cheeks, I whisper, “Welcome home, Stud.”

I look at the remarkable man standing before me, and the smile that captivated me the day we met curls his lips. Those beautiful hazel eyes connect with mine, and I can’t help but adore the fierce kindness and love behind them, not expecting or demanding, just adoring and full of unshakable hope. I reach for his hair, and my fingers tangle with those obsidian locks that match my own. I exhale a breath of happiness that makes him smile even wider. “I love you. That is all.”

His lips crash against mine, his taste mingling with the saltiness of my happy tears. He pulls back for the briefest of seconds to look at me with a determination that has me squirming in place.

“I always promised myself it would only be a matter of time before I made you mine,” he says before scooping me into his arms and walking us to our bedroom. Kicking the door shut behind us, he lays me down on the plush bed. With a devilish smirk he says, “I’m a man of my word, and I keep my promises. Let’s christen this bed.”

With the pale of the moonlight filtering through the open windows facing the Casper Mountains, we make love- fast and hard, then low and slow the second time around. Our love grows with each passing day, and while I know nothing in life is permanent or perfect, this comes pretty damn close if you ask me.