Page 100 of Forbidden Love Still Blooms

“Jordan!” she calls, flagging me down like I'm not waiting for her. She jogs towards me, and I absorb every minute movement of her body. Her hair is tied up in a high bun, but there are strands that have escaped, flying free in the ocean air. Her disheveled appearance thrills me.

As she approaches, I catch her by her shoulders, stopping her in her tracks. Her smile twitches in surprise. “Hi,” I say. I've never been good at these things. I need time to warm up—not much, just a little, before I can relax and speak easily.

“Hi,” she replies, chuckling. She glances at my hands, doesn't try to break free. “I didn't expect you to come here. I thought we were meeting for lunch.”

“We are. But I wanted to see you sooner. Is that alright?”

“Of course.” Her eyes warm. “I love every chance I get to see you.”

“I was thinking the same thing,” I say. Running my fingers down to her elbows, I go lower until I have her wrists. “Walk with me. I wanted to talk about something.”

“Is everything okay?” she asks, wrapping her fingers in mine. I love the way she does that, our gaps fit each other perfectly, notching together like a puzzle.

Instead of answering, I turn to the water. My strides are long, but she has no trouble keeping up. I can't get over how nice it is to be with someone nearly my height. One of the earliest things I noticed about Lorikeet was here stature.

And when I saw her naked in my bathroom, it took all I had not to swoop her up in my grip and see how her long limbs felt when I made them tremble. God, the way she looked at me with hot loathing at my kitchen table, wearing that skin-tight dress … I'm not a weak man, but she challenged me.

I press my thumb to my mouth again. Feel the invisible cut. “Your mom invited me over for dinner,” I say.

Lorikeet laughs. “That's great. She'll probably order Italian and hide the boxes.” She sees my serious expression, starts to frown. “I'm only joking. Mom's a great cook.”

“You're not hearing me,” I say. “She asked me to come over.”

“Yeah. She likes you, Jordan. Even before I told her we were dating, she thought you were a great guy.”

I nod slowly. “She really accepts us, then.”

“Jordan, what's going on? Did something happen?”

Yes,I think solemnly.So much has happened. So much is still to come.“Want to go in the water with me?” I ask.

“Sure, it feels great today.”

“Let me get my boots off.”

Her smug laugh floats on the breeze around us. “You remember when we parked my car in my little secret spot, and I told you to take your boots off?”

“Of course, I remember,” I whisper, kneeling on the sand at her feet. “I remember every single thing we've done together, Lorikeet. I'll always remember. Even if it means carving out old memories to make room for new ones with you.”

She's still laughing, but she stops now. Gazing down at me with strands of her hair dancing across her throat, her forehead, she goes still. “Jordan?” she asks.

“That day you mentioned,” I say, placing my hand in the pocket of my jeans. “You didn't just give me advice. You gave me something else. But it wasn't enough, so I had to go back on my own. I spent hours digging in the sand. I don't have your gift for finding treasure, Lorikeet. But I do know it when I see it.” I hold her stare, watch as her wide eyes get wider. Anxious tears dwell in the corners.

My hands are shaking. I didn't think they would.I'm afraid.I didn't feel this way when she declared she hated me. Not when I she spilled the truth about her father. Not even when I slipped away in the darkest hour of the night to carve away wild roses and dig up an old grave.

But doing this … holding this ring up between my heart and hers, it's terrifying.

“Jordan,” she croaks.

“I wasn't looking for you when I found you,” I say. “But now that I have you, I refuse to lose you.” The ring is a rose gold band. Her size, because unlike Dezmond, I care enough to make sure the ring I give her fits. It's set with a cluster of diamonds, and in the middle are three pieces of sea glass; the one she gave me, green as a secret valley, and two amber ones that I found myself. “Lorikeet, will you marry me?”

I'm not sure if she's breathing. I can't hear it over the ocean waves at my back. “You're serious,” she whispers.

“I am.”

“Jordan.”

“Say anything but my name.”

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