Page 93 of The Kiss Keeper
Where should he start, and what would her family do to him? He, the guy who initially was there to get their land, then pretty much duped the beloved Woolwich granddaughter, and broke her heart in the process, had stolen a Camp Woolwich sailboat and sailed to Woolwich Island to crash a vow renewal.
He, the slick guy with a scheme for everything, had no strategy, but when he felt the corner of the tiny box in his pocket dig into his thigh, a sense of euphoria rushed through him.
He had a ring.
He patted the outline of the small box. “Here we go. Wish me luck,” he whispered to his parents.
The sound of violins carried on the breeze, and he sprinted up a sandy trail toward the glowing lights coming from the center of the island. Brush had been trimmed back, but the place still had a wild, uninhabited feel. He worked his way through the winding path, picking up speed until he caught his toe on a tree root and pitched forward.
“Shit!” he cried, stumbling to get his balance when the violin music came to a squeaky, screeching halt, and he looked up to find a large covered gazebo with twinkling lights and row upon row of seated Woolwiches, all staring at him.
Like a wild animal, he scanned their faces, searching for Natalie. Hal and Bev stood along with an officiant at the far end of the gazebo with their heads cocked to the side. No one spoke a word as he continued to survey the group when a hand grabbed his arm.
“What are you doing here? How did you even get here?” Natalie demanded in a harsh whisper.
“I sailed over?” he whispered back.
She frowned. “You stole a boat and sailed here by yourself?”
“Yeah, because I need to tell you something,” he whispered back, then looked over to find that all eyes were on them.
She crossed her arms. “Well?”
He leaned in so only she could hear. “Muriel never got on the boat.”
She reared back. “What are you talking about?”
“Muriel Boothe, the girl Otis Wiscasset loved,” he said, keeping his voice down.
Natalie’s brows knit together. “Yes? What about her?”
“She never got on the boat back to England. She and Otis ran off to California. They lived a long life together and had kids and everything,” he whispered, his gaze bouncing between Natalie and the many, many sets of unfriendly Woolwich gazes.
Curiosity edged out anger in Natalie’s expression. “How do you know that?”
Good. At least, she was talking to him.
“I was drinking with that horny nun in town, and she told me the real story of Otis and Muriel. Then she drove me back to camp in the sidecar of her gardener’s motorcycle, so I could find you and tell you that there’s no curse,” he replied as her angry expression returned.
“How much have you had to drink, Jake Teller, because you sound insane. And if you’re here out of some misplaced sense of duty, you can get back on the stolen boat and leave. I don’t need you or your help. I’m taking over the camp myself. I’m never letting this land leave my family, and I’m not afraid to do this on my own,” she answered, raising her voice for all to hear.
He took her hands into his. “I’m not insane. Okay, maybe I am, but it’s only because I cannot lose you, Natalie. I never thought I’d sail again, but the thought of not spending the rest of my life here with you was the kick in the ass I needed to make me confront my fears and let go of the past and focus on what really matters. That’s you and Camp Woolwich. I know you could run the camp without me. But I hope that in your heart, you know that you don’t have to.”
She stared past him, shaking her head as her eyes welled with tears, but she didn’t pull away.
He glanced at the Woolwich clan, who were still watching, then exhaled a slow breath. He had to lay it all on the line. It was now or never.
He swallowed hard. “Maybe you and I started out as a con, but I’m pretty sure we both knew the minute that we met that we were meant to be together. I tried to deny it, but my heart knew. And your heart knows this, too.”
Her eyes shined as she held back tears. “Jake, I don’t know if I can trust you.”
He cupped her face in his hand and held her gaze. “Heels, I thought that making lots of money would fill the void inside me. I thought that it would give me complete control over my life. I never wanted to depend on anyone the way I was forced to depend on my uncle. But it never worked. There was never enough until I met you. Well, met you for the second time, and you brought me back to Camp Woolwich. You helped me remember the kind of person I want to be and the kind of person who my parents would be proud of. The kind of person who gives back and the kind of man who gives his whole heart to the woman he loves.”
“You love me?” she gasped.
He nodded. “Yes, more than anything in this world.”
She glanced away. “But what about all my failed relationships with the wrong Jakes? Why would you be any different?”
