Page 88 of Finding Us

“You don’t have to thank me for that. I wasn’t going anywhere. You could’ve pushed me away for years, I still wouldn’t have gone anywhere. I’d still be at your side, annoying the hell out of you until you finally agreed to marry me.”

“I don’t believe you. I think you would’ve eventually given up and found someone who isn’t so difficult.”

“I like difficult. I like a challenge. And as soon as I realized you were the only person in the world for me, I had no choice but to keep chasing you until you agreed to be with me. Even if it took years. And given how stubborn you are, I’m surprised it didn’t take that long.”

“It didn’t take long because I couldn’t imagine myself with anyone but you.” I set my champagne down and glance around the tent. “Hey, did Harper pack anything for me?”

“Yeah. She packed you a bag with some other clothes in case you wanted to change. You want me to get it for you?”

“I’ll get it. Just wait here.” I spot the bag in the corner. I go over and open it. Inside are a pair of shorts, a t-shirt, a bikini, some lingerie, and the envelope I told Harper to bring to wherever it was Garret was taking me. I’m glad she remembered. I thought she might forget with so much going on today.

I take the envelope and go back over to Garret.

“Here.” I hand it to him.

“What’s this?”

“It’s my wedding gift.”

He jumps up. “I almost forgot about that. Hold on.” He goes over to his own bag, then comes back and sits beside me. “Open it.” He hands me a small white box.

The box holds a necklace with a silver chain and something circular hanging from it. It’s a piece of round glass with something inside it.

“It’s sand,” Garret says as I hold it up to the light. “It’s the sand from the beach at Cape Cod. The place we went on Valentine’s Day. I thought you might want to save it to remember your first trip to the ocean.” He smiles. “And the first time someone called you Mrs. Kensington. Do you like it?”

“I love it. That was a great idea. Can you put it on me?” I flip around, pulling my hair back. “I almost thought you were going to propose on that trip.”

“I thought about it.” He fastens the necklace and I turn back around to face him. “But I knew it was too soon, which was confirmed when I saw the look on your face when I gave you those earrings. I almost started laughing when I saw how panicked you were.”

“Well, it looked just like a ring box. And you’re right. It would’ve been too soon. Ididwant to marry you back then. I just wasn’t ready to commit to it that night.” I pick up the envelope and hand it to him. “Your turn.”

“What is it?”

“I always want to tell you stuff, but I can’t always find the words. I mean, I know what I want to say, but I have trouble actually saying it. So I wrote it down. I want to get better at telling you this stuff instead of writing it down, but I’m not there yet so just read it.”

He opens the envelope which contains a piece of paper from my notebook, the one he got me last year to write stuff down that I couldn’t say out loud. I wrote this for him without even thinking about it. I just let the words flow from my heart and this is what came out.

Garret,

I never used to believe in love. I thought it was just something in movies or books. I thought it was just a word. But you taught me that it’s so much more than that. It’s a feeling deep inside that is so overwhelming that at first I didn’t understand it. And you literally had to explain it to me. And after you did, I could finally make sense of the feelings I had for you. I realized that I loved you more than I ever thought I could love someone. That scared me. A lot. Because I was afraid of how much it would hurt if I ever lost you. So I tried to push you away. Many, many times. But you stuck by me. And I can’t thank you enough for that. You knew all along that we belonged together. You knew that I wanted this more than anything, but you also knew that I was too stubborn to admit it and too scared to go after it. If I were you, I would’ve given up on me a long time ago. But you never did. And I will always be grateful to you for that. I love you, Garret. I will love you forever.

—Jade

Garret setsthe letter down and draws me into his arms. “Now the necklace looks pretty lame. I should’ve wrote you something, too.”

“You don’t need to. You already tell me all that stuff. And I’m going to do the same. I just need to practice doing it more.”

I feel his lips brush against my ear. “Speaking of doing it more, do you want to…”

“Put a skirt on?” I push him down on the sleeping bag. “Yeah, I could do that. Or I have some lingerie in that bag over there.”

“Let’s start with the skirt.”

As I climb over him to get it, my blanket falls down around me.

Garret grabs my hips and brings me back down to him. “Forget it. I changed my mind. I like you just like this.” He flips me over and rips the towel from his waist and lowers his body over mine. And we do it again. And then again an hour later.

I don’t want this night to ever end. I love it way too much. Our private tent in an alcove on the beach, the sound of the roaring waves in the background. And best of all, Garret. My husband.

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