Page 31 of #Resort Romance
“Emerald? What…?”
“Emeralds are the symbol for a fifty-fifth wedding anniversary,” she explained. “Lucky for you I know these things, huh?”
Luckily, he didn’t argue and they walked through the doorway and joined his parents, who were directing everyone on where to sit and where the guests of honor were at.
So, they spent the evening mingling with family, dancing, eating, and laughing. It was one of the best nights she’d had in a really long time. Being with Jayce’s family was like…well…it was like coming home, oddly. It didn’t take long for it to feel like she’d known these people all her life. By the end of the night, it was as if she’d just made dozens of new friends and it made her heart ridiculously happy.
They stayed until the party ended and then did the leisurely group stroll back to their cabins while trying not to laugh at all of Jayce’s eye rolls. When they said goodnight to everyone and wished his grandparents a happy anniversary again, Eleanor pulled her aside. For a moment, Kelsey panicked because for all her big talk about being able to handle herself, she really didn’t want to have a conversation about sex.
“I just want you to know,” Eleanor began, “that it meant the world to me that you came to our party tonight. Seeing you and my grandson together has been the best gift anyone could have given us.” She cupped Kelsey’s face. “Don’t be afraid, Kelsey,” she whispered fiercely. “Don’t be afraid to take that leap of faith. You could be embarking on the adventure of a lifetime.” And with that, she gave her a kiss on the cheek and returned to her husband’s side. “Goodnight, everyone! Thank you for a wonderful evening!”
It wasn’t until they were in Jayce’s cabin that he spoke. “Are you okay? Did she say something to upset you? If she did, I’ll go over right now and…”
Kelsey held up a hand to stop him. “She didn’t upset me. If anything, she gave me some wonderful advice.”
“Oh?” One dark brow arched.
Moving in close, she smoothed a hand up over his chest, coming to rest over his heart. “I want to move to Raleigh. I want to start a new life with you. I’m ready. If you truly want me there with you, then I’m going to pack up all my things in Rochester, sell the house, and be with you.”
His smile was so tender, and his eyes shone with unshed tears. “Kelsey Brooks, I definitely want you there with me. Hell, I want you everywhere I go. Forever.”
Then he was kissing her and they were done talking for now and that was just fine with her.
They had the rest of their lives.
Epilogue
One Month Later…
“I think that’s the last of it.”
Jayce looked around, shaking his head with amusement. “Are we sure? Because the last time we said that, another dozen boxes appeared out of nowhere.”
“Oh, stop. We knew there was going to be a lot, and I totally forgot to look under that blanket in the back of the moving truck.” Even now, she couldn’t be quite sure she had grabbed all the boxes. “Give me a minute. I’ll look again. There might be one or two small ones on the front seat.”
Jayce had flown up to Rochester five days ago and helped her pack up the house and then the moving truck. It had been hard to say goodbye to her childhood home, but she had sold it to a sweet little family and she knew they were going to make the best memories there. Once the house was empty, Jayce had climbed behind the wheel of the moving truck for the drive down to Raleigh, and she had followed in her little SUV. It had taken two days to get here, but now Kelsey genuinely felt like she could say she was home.
“I’ll go look,” he assured her. “Why don’t you…?” His words were cut off by the ringing of his phone. After glancing at the screen, he frowned. “Um…I need to take this. Can you…?”
“I’ll go double and triple check for boxes,” she told him. “Go.”
Outside, she found one box and a small bag that had somehow slid under the driver’s seat of her car. After inspecting everywhere else, she could now say with great certainty that this was definitely the last of it.
Relieved, she stepped back into the house and shut the door. Jayce’s home was amazing. It was a cozy, three-bedroom brick ranch on a beautiful wooded lot. When they first started planning this move, he had explained that the house was a good fit for him, but he always knew it wasn’t his forever home.
They were going to find that one together.
She still sighed happily at the memory of that discussion.
Things were definitely going to be tight around here once she unpacked, but luckily, she had put a lot of stuff in storage.
“Hard to believe these are all the necessities,” she murmured, hoping Jayce didn’t think she was a high-maintenance person.
Speaking of Jayce, she wondered where he was. She could hear him talking, but she didn’t know the layout of the house well enough to pinpoint which room he was in. Plus, it was obvious the call was important—and private—so she didn’t want to interrupt. Unfortunately, there wasn’t anything she could do until he was done because she couldn’t really start unpacking without him.
Sighing, she went to the kitchen, grabbed a bottle of water, and sat down on the sofa. With nothing else to do, she picked up her phone and just scrolled through her social media to pass the time.
Several minutes later, Jayce came strolling into the room, smiling. Without a word, he went to the kitchen and grabbed himself a drink before joining her on the sofa.
