My Despicable Ex - Book 2 (29 page)

“
You’re not over him, Ashly. You’re still in love with him.”

My lips pressed into grim lines. “He took a payoff and left me high and dry on my wedding day.”

“
Yes, that was horrible, but it was years ago, and it’s over. Just get over it and leave it in the past. He almost died saving you from a crocodile. In my book, that means the guy deserves a little redemption. You know he’s changed. He’s grown up over the last five years. He’s a firefighter, for goodness sake. He makes a living saving people’s lives and homes. I know if he had it all to do again, he’d make a different decision. I just can’t believe you guys found each other again. Two lovers reuniting is like something out of a romance movie. It’s…like fate. And now you’re gonna give up on love because of something that happened five years ago.”

“
You’re taking his side?”

“
Forget about the past, Ashly. That’s what your mother wanted. Why do you think she organized the trip in the first place? She wanted you to have a second shot at the man you never, ever stopped loving. That means she was willing to forgive him, so why can’t you?”

“
So you’ve forgiven him? You were the one who called him despicable.”

“
Meh, give the guy a break. He was young and naïve, and he made a horrible mistake. He was scared to death of going to jail. I also believe he wasn’t really wasn’t ready to settle down, and your mother took advantage of that. Not only did she flash a million dollars in a poor man’s face, but she used his fear of jail and settling down, then belittled him and told him he’d never fit into a rich family. Your mother used every trick she had up her sleeve. But he’s a grown man now, and he still loves you after all these years. If that’s not romantic, I don’t know what is.”

I pondered. “How do I know if he’s the right one?”

She smiled. “When you feel those familiar butterflies fluttering in your stomach, and your heart races when he touches you, when you melt at the sight of his smile, when his name stops just being his name and starts being the most ‘beautiful name’ you’ve ever heard, when you stare into his beautiful eyes and your knees go weak, and then suddenly you forget about the world around you when he embraces you in a deep, passionate kiss. Well, that’s love, and you my friend have it bad!”

“
I love him,” I admitted.

She smiled widely. “I know.”

“
It’s always been about him,” I said, my voice wavering.

“
He told me it’s always been about you. You both are grown adults. You both love each other, right? So why not go for it?”

“
It’s too late,” I breathed out. “I’ll never make it before his plane leaves.”

“
Nobody drives as fast as you do. When I ride with you, I feel like I’m in one of those adventure movies.”

I grinned. “I’ve gotta stop him, or else I’m gonna lose him forever.”

She handed me my keys. “Then what are you waiting for? Just pull up to the gates and let them tow your car. You’ve got twenty-five million dollars now. So what’s a little fine?”

“
I’ve got fifty. Jake signed his half of the inheritance back over to me.”

Her jaw dropped. “See? Jake isn’t a gold digger after all.”

“
I know. He’s the most wonderful person I know.”

She clapped my shoulder and smiled. “So what are you waiting for, girl? Go get the man of your dreams.”

And with that, I gripped the keys tightly and bolted to my car. With a
screech
, I headed for the airport to catch Jake before he left.

* * *

I peered around the terminal and searched through the crowd. Finally, I spotted him, holding his carryon bag, and the rhythm of my heart doubled, then tripled. “Jake!” I shouted.

He turned around and met my gaze as shock and confusion flooded through him. “Ashly?”

I rushed over like a bumbling idiot. I wasn’t sure what to say to him, so I blurted out, “Don’t go. Not yet.”

“
Ashly, my flight’s leaving. I’ve gotta go. I’m getting my old job back in Texas.”

“
Don’t get on that plane.”

He cocked a brow.

I continued. “Just hear me out first. I at least deserve that.”

He walked out of line and gripped my hands. “What’s going on?”

I reached in my bag and grabbed all the eight-by-ten pictures. “Here. Look at them.”

He leafed through the photos. “They’re beautiful. Is this a parting gift to remember us by?”

“
No.”

He arched a brow. “So what does it mean?”

“
We dreamt of traveling the world. We used to sit and talk about it all the time. We read all those travel books and magazines. It was our dream, and we got to live it. We created memories.” I held up a picture. “These belong to us, and I don’t wanna let go of them.”

“
I don’t either.”

I cupped his face. “I want to create more.”

He touched my hands that were resting on his face. “What are you saying?”

“
My mom knew if we went on our dream trip, we’d reconnect. She knew we’d fall in love all over again, and we did. Do you know how my mom knew this?”

“
How?”

“
She knew we never stopped loving each other, and she was guilt ridden for taking the love of my life away from me. In the end, she knew no one could ever tear us apart. She might have taken you away physically, but she couldn’t rip you from my heart. She learned that our love was so strong, so passionate that we simply had to be together. My mother knew I never got over you. She knew my heart was bleeding. She knew she’d made the biggest mistake by taking you away, and she wanted me to have a second shot at love.

“
She knew we’d fall in love again,” he said. “I think at first, she thought you’d move on after a year or two of grieving.”

“
But it didn’t happen that way. I never moved on. I tried to go on with my life, even to date, but none of those men were
you
. I wanted you, Jake. My heart never healed, and my mother was only trying to make amends by creating that crazy Will. It was her last-ditch effort to fix things. She just wanted me to be happy again.”

He flashed those intense eyes at me. “Are you?”

“
Yes,” I said with heartfelt honesty. “I don’t care about what happened all those years ago. I’ve forgiven you. It’s in the past. Let’s live in the present. I’m willing to give it another shot because I’ve never stopped loving you.”

“
I’ve never stopped loving you either.”

“
Then stay. Let’s make this thing work. We’ll buy the biggest ranch in Texas and—”

“
No. I can’t let you give up on your dreams. To make your business successful, you need to stay in New York City. I don’t care where I live, as long as I’m with you.”

“
We’ll lead a simple life outside New York. I’ll commute, and I’ll hire some help so I can work more normal hours. We’ll make this work, baby. I want the dream we’ve always talked about, the white picket fence and the two and a half kids—and I want all that with
you
.”

He stared deeply into my eyes. “And these pictures are just the start. We’re gonna create so many more memories.”

“
I’m offering you my heart and soul. I’m willing to put myself out there again because my heart…well, I just can’t live without you.”

He wiped away the tear that was running down my cheek. “Marry me, Ashly. I promise to be the best husband ever, and I’ll never hurt you again.”

I smiled through the tears. “I’d be honored to be your wife.”

His hand grasped the back of my head, and he pulled me close. All the nerves in my body danced in celebration as my blood thumped through my veins. My heart raced at the thought of being captured again in one of his amazing kisses. He kissed me gently, then softer and softer, till his lips were barely touching mine. His slow style heightened my intensity and desire, and his lips crashed against mine in a powerful, intense kiss. His mouth soon became greedy, but I loved every second of it. Our tongues swirled in perfect unison, and my heartbeat spiked as he wove his fingers through my long hair.

“
I love you so much,” he whispered.

I intertwined my fingers with his as he pulled me against his strong chest.

He lowered his luscious lips on mine. “So…how many grandbabies did your mom ask for in that video clip?”

“
Four or five.”

“
We can plan a wedding, starting tonight.”

I laughed. “No wedding.”

“
Why not?”

“
I’m thinking Las Vegas, just the two of us.”

“
How about tonight? We can catch a flight straight there. After traveling across the globe, what’s one more trip?”

I stared into his eyes. “Yes! I’ll marry you tonight.” Sometimes when he looked at me like that, I could barely breathe. I was completely smitten by him, and he was my dream come true. My heart melted as the light from the large window shone in his pretty eyes and I ran a hand through his thick, messy hair.

A crowd gathered around us, clapping and cheering. Some even whistled, shouted, and hooted. Others were sentimental, and there was a chorus of, “Awww!” I hadn’t realized we’d drawn so much attention, and Jake and I looked at each other and laughed.

“
I hope you know I love you more than life itself,” he said, spinning me around.

The emotion in his voice was overwhelming. He pressed his lips against mine in another passionate kiss, and in that mind-blowing moment, I knew one thing for sure: This time, he was mine forever.

***

Epilogue:

10 years later…

Jake wrapped his strong arms around me as we cuddled in bed listening to the orchestra of birds outside. I gazed out the large window at the African sunrise. The sun’s rays shone brilliantly through the swirls of mist dancing outside. An amazing array of fiery colors from deep orange to red stretched across the horizon. I could almost swear the sky was on fire.

“
It’s beautiful,” Jake whispered. “I’m so happy we came back here for our tenth wedding anniversary.”

“
Me too. It’s just as magical as I remembered.”

“
Can you believe we have the exact same suite?” he said.

“
It brings back all those memories of that trip my mom sent us on.”

He pulled me close. “That was the trip that brought us back together.” I smiled. “Yes, we fell in love all over again.”

“
I meant every single word I said on that trip. You’re the only woman for me.”

Tears welled up in my eyes. As he kissed my lips, the door suddenly burst open and our three kids jumped on the bed.

“
Mommy! Daddy!” Hannah yelled. “The elephants are drinking from the little pool outside.”

Jake chuckled. “You should’ve seen your mother the first time that happened and she was in the pool.”

Hannah squealed with laughter.

I laughed and playfully slugged him. “Hey, I wasn’t expecting it.”

He grinned as I smiled.

Josh was nine. Alex was seven, and my little girl, Hannah, was six. These children were my life, and I loved them with everything I had. They all had Jake’s thick, black hair and his breathtaking blue eyes.

“
When are we going to see the animals?” Hannah asked. “I want to see a lion!”

“
And I want to see a crocodile too!” Josh chimed.

He wore his daddy’s safari hat on his head, and I laughed as it tilted to the side.