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  “I’ll be right down. I just need to have a word with Maxon.” Nina’s eyes met mine, and I knew that whatever she had planned, it involved covering up Colette’s death. “You guys go to the car. I’ll meet you there in a minute.” I gave her a subtle nod before she headed down the hallway. Watching her retreating back, I thought about how much I’d underestimated her all this time.

  19

  THE DATE

  WHEN THE KNOCK sounded on the door, my heart skipped a beat. Tonight, Jasper was taking me on our first official date. Actually, he had used the words “proper date” when he asked me, and it seemed like a Jasper thing to say. Our relationship had been such a whirlwind that it hadn’t even occurred to me that we’d never been on a date until he brought it up.

  Since I had no idea where he was taking me, I opted for a simple black dress and my favorite black booties. To add a splash of color, a strand of red beads hung around my neck. I matched my lips and nails to my necklace, and wore my hair in loose curls down my back.

  Hearing Dad talking with Jasper downstairs, I hurriedly snatched up my purse and flung open my bedroom door. Dad still hadn’t warmed to the idea of Jasper. When I told him Jasper was taking me out on a date tonight he’d said, “Great,” but his expression betrayed that he didn’t think it was great.

  I got halfway down the stairs when Jasper spotted me. His eyebrows shot clear up his forehead, his eyes widening.

  “Wow.” It was the same thing he had said the first time he’d seen me in a dress.

  My cheeks warmed.

  He stepped around my dad, meeting me at the bottom of the stairs. “Just when I think you can’t get any prettier you prove me wrong.”

  “Thank you.” I smiled, my flush deepening. “You clean up pretty nicely yourself.” I took in his slacks and collared shirt. His hair was still a little long, but he’d gelled it down the best he could. I liked it tousled and messy, so it didn’t bother me the way it curled slightly at the edges. I was glad I’d chosen against wearing jeans as I’d originally contemplated. Jasper had changed physically, but deep down he was still an old soul. Therefore, I figured he’d dress up for our “proper date,” and I was right.

  He took my hand and guided me gracefully down the last step. Continuing to hold onto my fingers, he ushered me to the front door.

  “I’ll have her home by curfew, sir,” Jasper said to my dad on the way out.

  “Okay.” Dad nodded, but still hadn’t smiled. “Have fun, you two.”

  As we stepped outside, I thought about how funny it was that I had a curfew. I was technically an adult, after all. But after all that had happened, I suppose it made sense. My dad was still slightly worried I’d disappear again. My mom wasn’t, but only because of the promise I’d made to her. Also, because she trusted Jasper more than Dad did. But the last few months had been hard on Dad, so I’d cut him some slack.

  “Where are we going?” I asked Jasper once we’d gotten in his car and he began driving away from my house. We were in Jasper and Nina’s old clunker and it lurched slowly down the street. However, I didn’t mind. For much of my life, I’d put so much stock into things that weren’t important – looks, money, material things. Jasper had taught me that all of those things don’t matter. Love is what’s important.

  “You hate not knowing things, huh?” Jasper teased.

  No doubt he was thinking of when I tore off his mask, or when I asked about the photo of his mom, or when I escaped and almost drowned in the stream. It was true. I was overly curious, and he knew it better than anyone. Instead of answering, I simply giggled.

  “I know how much my girl likes pizza, so--”

  I interrupted, “My girl?”

  His gaze left the front window of the car and flickered to me briefly, an embarrassed expression painting his face. “Yeah, is that not right? I just thought that’s what you called the girl you were dating. I-I must’ve read it in a book.” He clutched the steering wheel tightly, his jaw clenching. “I can call you something else if you’d rather.”

  “No,” I said, feeling bad that I’d said anything at all. I hadn’t meant to get him flustered. “I love it. You just never called me it before, so I was surprised.” I reached out and touched his thigh, and his lips lifted slightly at the corners. “Anyway, since I like pizza you’re taking me…”

  “Ah, yes. I found this pizza place that is a little off the beaten path, but it serves authentic Italian pizza. They have a wood-fired oven and everything. It’s supposed to be the best pizza in the area.”

  “Wow,” I said, impressed. “You went to a lot of trouble for me.”

  “You’re worth it.” He grinned. “You told me once that guys never took you on pizza dates, so I wanted your first one to be perfect.”

  “It was always going to be perfect, because it’s with you,” I pointed out. “You do know that, right? You don’t have to prove anything, Jasper. You already have my love.”

  “And now I’m going to be worthy of it.”

  They were the sweetest words a guy had ever uttered to me. It made me feel like I was in a romance novel. But they concerned me as well. I wondered if Jasper would ever forgive himself for our beginning. Could a relationship that revolved around guilt work? My stomach tightened.

  “You already are worthy of it, Jasper. You don’t have to keep jumping through hoops for me. Love doesn’t work like that. Unconditional love doesn’t need to be earned. I love you for who you are, not what you do.”

  “I know,” he said. “And I know you’ve forgiven me for everything. That’s not what this is about.”

  “Then what is it about?”

  “It’s about my feelings for you. I care about you, and nothing makes me happier than when you’re happy. It broke my heart when you told me that your ex-boyfriend never took you on dates. A girl like you should be cherished. I never want to take you for granted, Layla. It’s important to me that you know every minute of every day how much you mean to me. This is just one way to show you that.”

  I swallowed back the emotion welling in my throat. “Seriously? Are you for real?”

  His lips curled upward. “That I’m not sure about.” A light chuckle escaped through his perfect lips. “Often, I look in the mirror, and I don’t feel real. None of this does.”

  “It is,” I assured him. “It’s all very real.”

  ***

  The restaurant was everything Jasper promised it would be. It was like we’d stepped into another country. Like we really were in Italy. I’d never been, but my parents had once and I’d seen the pictures. It looked a lot like this.

  We sat at a table in the corner, a candle glowing between us. The pizza was wonderful – thin, light crust with just the right amount of toppings.

  “Sure beats the last time we had pizza, huh?” Jasper asked when I sat back in my chair letting out a delighted sigh.

  “I don’t know. I enjoyed the last time,” I answered honestly. “I liked our time together at your house.”

  He set down his napkin and pinned me with a stare. “But you kept trying to leave.”

  I swallowed hard. “I couldn’t get in touch with my family. I wanted to get back to them.”

  His gaze fell to his lap. “You’re really close to them. I see that now. I’m sorry I kept you from them for so long.”

  My stomach twisted, and I let out a frustrated groan. “Jasper, please stop apologizing. I know you feel bad, but we can’t keep rehashing this.” I paused, biting my lip. Then an idea struck. “Hey, what do you say we start over?”

  “Start over?” He raised one eyebrow. It was strange how much Jasper’s face had changed and yet remained similar. He looked nothing like the Jasper he’d been when we met, but his expressions were identical. Therefore, I could still see traces of the boy he was before.

  “Yeah.” I nodded, the idea taking shape in my mind. “Let’s make a pact not to talk about that time in your house any longer. We’ll just start over today on our first official date.”


  Jasper stared at me a moment, as if mulling it over. “You think we can do that?”

  “I don’t see why not.” I shrugged. “I’ve forgiven you and I’ve moved on. I love you, and I’m really only interested in getting to know the man you are now and in the future.”

  He smiled. “Okay. Then let’s do it.”

  “Great.” My shoulders relaxed, and even though I was already full I reached for another piece of pizza.

  “So, Layla Higgins,” Jasper drawled. “Since this is our first date, why don’t you tell me about yourself?”

  After swallowing down a bite of pizza, I giggled. Then I wiped my hands on my napkin and played along. “Well, I have two older brothers who have tormented me endlessly all my life. Although, I get along pretty well with Kevin. He’s the younger of the two. The oldest one is named Grant. I have a harder time getting along with him. However, I adore my mom and dad. I love music. I’ve been playing piano and singing almost all my life.”

  “You never told me how you got into that,” Jasper pressed.

  “Well, of course not. It’s only our first date,” I teased.

  “Right.” He smiled.

  I thought back. “Honestly, I can’t remember a time when I didn’t love music. I was always listening to it, and dancing and singing along, even as a toddler. But I didn’t start taking lessons until around seven year’s old. It started at my grandma’s house. She had this amazing grand piano, and I would sneak into her living room and pound on the keys. So, one day she taught me a simple song, and I learned easily. She encouraged my mom to put me in lessons. Once my family saw how much I loved it, they ended up buying a piano too.”

  “Do you still take lessons?”

  I shook my head. “I stopped a few months before graduation. I was so busy with schoolwork and everything.”

  “Clearly, you learned a lot in that timeframe. You play really well.” A wistful expression cloaked his face.

  “Was there ever anything you wanted to do? Lessons or sports?”

  “I don’t know.” His shoulders bobbed up and down. “I couldn’t anything outside of our home, so I guess I didn’t think of it much. But sometimes I’d read a book about baseball or something, and I’d imagine playing it.”

  I nodded, feeling that same sadness I always felt when he talked about his childhood. But I’d promised him we’d start over, and I didn’t want to spend our date dwelling on the loneliness of his past. “How did you learn to read? From Nina?”

  “Yeah. Everything I’ve learned has been from her.”

  Smiling, I said, “She’s a pretty amazing woman, huh?”

  “She really is.” He grinned. “I’m glad you two are finally getting along.”

  “I think we finally understand each other,” I said.

  “I can’t wait to get there with your family.”

  “Kevin and Mom like you a lot.”

  “True. Now I just have to win over your dad and Grant.”

  “You’ll win over Dad, I have no doubt. And just so you know, Grant takes awhile to warm up to anyone. I’m not even sure he’s fully warmed up to me yet.” I chuckled.

  “Oh, I think he loves you a lot, Layla.”

  “Really? What makes you think that?” I raised my brows.

  Jasper scooted closer to me, the legs of his chair scraping the floor. His arm came around my shoulders. “How could anyone not love you?” Nuzzling my face with his nose, his warm breath fanned over my skin. I shivered.

  “This seems pretty forward for a first date,” I teased.

  He winked, and I found it incredibly sexy. “What about this? Is this too forward?” he asked before tenderly pressing his lips to mine.

  I kissed him back softly. “No, I think that’s perfect,” I murmured against his mouth.

  In fact, everything about our first date was perfect. The restaurant was romantic, and the food was amazing. But the most magical part of the evening was being there with Jasper.

  20

  THE EVER AFTER

  Four years later

  “READY?” DAD OFFERED me his arm. He wore a black and white tuxedo, his hair was perfectly gelled and his eyes shone. “You look stunning. Jasper is a lucky man.”

  Smiling, I slipped my arm through his. The truth was that I was the lucky one. Today I was marrying the man of my dreams. Since we were getting married outside, I wore sandals under my A-line dress. My hair was swept up in a loose up-do with curly tendrils framing my face, and a veil made of tiny white flowers sat on top of my head.

  As Dad guided me down the aisle, my gaze found Jasper’s. He wore an expression of awe. His lips were slightly curled upward, but they shook as if he was holding back sobs, and his eyes were filled with moisture. Tears stung the back of my eyes too. Each step brought me closer to the man I loved more than life itself. I was acutely aware of his eyes on my body, drinking in every inch of me. We’d waited a long time for this day, and I was anxious to start my life with him.

  Jasper had insisted that I go to college. He didn’t want me to miss out on anything in life, especially since he knew how that felt. Therefore, I’d gone away to school four years ago as planned. It was difficult being away from Jasper, but he visited almost every weekend, and I was home for every single holiday. It worked out, especially since Jasper was busy attending to his late father’s investments and real estate.

  Since his one and only visit with his dad hadn’t gone well, we weren’t expecting anything. Mostly, we were just glad that Jasper finally got closure. That he finally got a chance to meet his dad, no matter how awful and rude the man was.

  But a month after that visit, an attorney showed up at Jasper’s door to let him know that Maxon had died and left everything to his only son. Being the kind man he is, Jasper found all of his sisters and gave them their share of the fortune. Still, there was plenty for him.

  Jasper proposed to me my last semester of college. It was a fairy tale proposal. One most girls dream about. He’d taken me to a house he owned in the mountains because he knew it was my favorite of all the properties. Earlier in the day he and Nina had strung white lights all over the back patio. It was breathtaking out there with the twinkling lights and the city spread out before us. I’ll never forget the moment when he got down on one knee and promised to love me forever.

  I had no doubt he would.

  When we reached Jasper, dad kissed my cheek and handed me over to my future husband. They exchanged a hug and nod. It took awhile for Dad to trust Jasper and forgive him for keeping me hidden for two months. But eventually he saw Jasper for who he was, and he grew to love him.

  Holding Jasper’s hand, I stepped forward until we stood together in front of the minister. As the minister recited scripture and talked about the definition of unconditional love, I glanced down to where my mom sat. She was holding a tissue up to her face to catch the tears that poured down her cheeks. I smiled at her, grateful for her unwavering support of Jasper and me. She’d been the first one to believe in us, and for that I would always be thankful to her.

  For that and for so much more.

  Next to her sat Grant and Kevin. Both of them beamed up at me. Grant and Jasper had worked through their issues a long time ago. Now they were close friends, even closer than he and Kevin were, oddly enough. But maybe that was because Kevin was my friend. As much as he loved Jasper, his love for me always trumped it. In a lot of ways I’d always thought of Kevin as my best friend, and that hadn’t changed.

  My grandparents sat on the other side of Kevin, both smiling broadly. They’d only known Jasper since his transformation, and they’d loved him from the moment they’d met. Grandma said she’d never seen me so happy, and Grandpa loved to talk real estate with Jasper. They actually had a lot in common.

  Finally, my gaze landed on Nina. She was crying as hard as Mom was. Years ago, I would’ve assumed the tears were ones of sadness, not joy. However, that wasn’t the case anymore. Nina and I had bonded over the years. We were closer than I e
ver thought possible.

  She had covered up Colette’s death for me, and the subject had never come up again. It had given me peace to know that Colette could never hurt us again, that Jasper was free and safe now.

  When the minister asked us to recite our vows, I faced Jasper and stared into those dreamy eyes of his. No matter how long we were together, I was certain I would never tire of losing myself in his eyes. I’d never seen eyes so beautiful before, and I was sure I never would in the future.

  “Layla,” Jasper said in that strong, low voice of his. “When I first saw you I thought you were the most beautiful person I’d ever laid eyes on. But when I got to know you, I realized that your beauty wasn’t only skin deep. Your heart is pure, kind and good. You were able to see past my looks, dig deep, and find the person that had been trapped inside of me for so long. Your love awakened me. Your love healed me. Your love made me whole. We’ve been together for over four years now, but you still make my heart beat fast and my palms sweat. You still take my breath away. I promise to take care of you all the days of your life, in sickness and in health. And I promise to love you unconditionally until the day I die.”

  Sniffing, I wiped my nose and face. There was no way I could top that. I’d written out some notes earlier in the week, but standing before him, I decided to speak from the heart. After taking a deep breath, I said, “Jasper, when I first met you I knew I was supposed to be scared. But there was something about you that calmed me and gave me peace. Even when you were trying to frighten me, it didn’t feel authentic.” He chuckled at that, and so did many others. “And the first time I looked into your eyes, I knew that there was goodness and kindness in you. As I got to know you, your tender side came out, and that’s when I saw the real you. And the real you is the most amazing, gentle, kind man the world has ever known. Even before you were given this face, you were beautiful. I fell in love with you in that little house in the woods, and I’ve loved you ever since. Jasper, I promise to take care of you all the days of your life, in sickness and in health. And I promise to love you unconditionally until the day I die.”