The Heart Remembers (17 page)

He drew a deep, shuddering breath. This day couldn't hold much more joy.

“I love you, Maggie.”

“I love you, too. With all my heart.” Her voice broke on the last word, and he reached over to frame her face with his hands, his thumbs gentle as they stroked her damp cheeks.

“Now it's your turn.” He retrieved the two small packages, handing her the smaller one first.

Maggie tore off the wrapping and lifted the lid of the small box to reveal an antique, gold-filigreed locket. She flipped it open to find two tiny photos—one of her and Jake taken when they were about nine and ten, and one of them taken by the twins on her last birthday. Those two photos seemed to reaffirm what her heart had long known—that their lives had always been destined to join.

“That was Mom's locket. I found it when I was cleaning out the house for Dad. Her mother gave it to her when she turned twenty, and it was always one of her most treasured possessions. I know she'd want you to have it. And so do I.”

“Oh, Jake! It's lovely! Thank you.”

He handed her the other package and waited silently as she tore off the wrapping, raised the lid and folded back the tissue paper. With unsteady hands she withdrew a small, framed document, and
her breath caught in her throat as she was immediately transported back to another time and place. At the top, in careful lettering, were the words
Official Document.
Below that it read, “I, Jake West, and I, Maggie Fitzgerald, promise to always be friends forever and ever, no matter what happens.” It was dated twenty-eight years before, and they'd each signed it in their childish scrawls. Their mothers had signed also, as witnesses.

A gentle smile tugged at her lips. “I'd forgotten all about this.”

“I found it in my mother's fireproof ‘treasure box' the same day I found the locket. I meant those words then, Maggie. And I mean them now.”

Maggie could no longer hold back her tears. They streamed down her cheeks unchecked as she stared down at the yellowed document in her hands. She thought about the gifts they had just exchanged—the locket that had once belonged to Jake's mother, this sentimental document, her painting. None of them had much, if any, monetary value. But they were worth far more than gold to her, for they came from the heart and were born of love.

When she looked up Jake reached over to brush her tears away.

“No more tears, Maggie. There've been enough of those in this relationship.” He reached down
and drew her to her feet, guiding her to the French doors that looked out onto the lights of Paris, the illuminated Eiffel Tower rising majestically into the night sky.

“Remember how we used to talk about Paris? How we thought it was so romantic, and how we dreamed of spending our honeymoon here?”

She nodded, a smile of remembrance touching her lips. “Mmm-hmm.”

He turned to face her, his hands resting gently at her waist. She looked up at him, and the intensity in his eyes drove the breath from her lungs. “Well, our honeymoon might have been a little delayed. But I promise you this, my love. I'll spend the rest of my life making up for lost time. Starting right now.”

Then he took her hand and drew her back inside, closing the door on the lights of Paris before he pulled her into his waiting arms. And as his lips claimed hers, in a kiss filled with promise and passion, Maggie said a silent prayer of thanks. After all these years, she had, at last, come home to the man she loved. And it was where she belonged.

For always.

Two and a half years later

“A
llison, will you run down to the cottage and tell Pop dinner's almost ready?”

“Sure.” Allison pulled off a piece of the turkey that stood waiting to be carried to the table and popped it into her mouth. “Mmm. Fantastic! Sure beats the food in the dorms.”

“Well, you'll only have to put up with the food for one more semester.” Maggie shook her head. “I still can't believe you two are graduating in less than six months!”

“We can't, either,” Abby chimed in. “Watch out, world, here we come!”

Maggie laughed. “More like, world, brace yourself.”

Jake ambled into the kitchen, sniffed appre
ciatively and headed straight for the turkey. “That smells great!”

As he reached for a piece, Maggie stepped in his way. “If everyone eats their turkey in the kitchen, I'll end up having mine alone in the dining room. And that's no way to spend Thanksgiving.”

“Well, I have to nibble on something.” Without giving her a chance to elude his grasp, Jake reached for her and pulled her into a dip. “I guess your ear will have to do.”

Abby giggled. “You two act like you're still on your honeymoon.”

Jake's eyes, only inches from Maggie's, softened as he went from teasing to tender in a heartbeat. “That's because we still feel like we are.”

Abby expelled a dramatic sigh. “That's s-o-o-o romantic. I sure hope I meet somebody like you when I'm ready to get married, Jake.”

“I hope you do too, honey.” Maggie's final word came out muffled under Jake's lingering kiss.

“Mmm,” he murmured. “I like this idea. Start with dessert.”

Maggie laughed. “That's all you're going to get if you don't let me up before everything burns.”

“That's all I need.” He raised one eyebrow wickedly.

She blushed. “Well, I don't think the others
would agree to defer dinner until after you have…dessert.”

With an exaggerated sigh, he slowly released her. “Oh, all right. I suppose I have to be a good sport about this.”

“Pop's on his way,” Allison informed them as she breezed back into the kitchen.

“Okay, let's get this show on the road, then. Everybody grab a dish and let's eat!”

It took a few minutes for everyone to settle in. And as Maggie looked around, she was filled with a sense of absolute peace and deep contentment. All of the people she cared about most were with her today, and that alone made her heart overflow with gratitude. Pop, who loved living in his own little cottage and now had a thriving woodworking business. Allison and Abby, still incurable romantics, ready to launch their own careers. And Jake.

Her gaze paused on him as he carved the turkey. Every moment with him had been a joy. Each day their relationship grew and deepened and took on new dimensions.

At that moment, one of those dimensions began to loudly demand attention, and Maggie's gaze moved to the high chair next to her husband. Her lips curved up as she gazed at the newest member of their family. For the past nine months, Michael had disrupted their household, and they'd loved
every minute of it. True to his word, Jake had gone out of his way to make sure that this time, raising a child was a shared experience. He'd attended every childbirth class, coached her through labor, took most of the night feedings and changed more than his share of diapers. And Maggie loved him more every day.

As Michael demonstrated his hunger in a particularly vocal way, Jake turned to him with a smile and reached over to ruffle the toddler's auburn locks. “Hold on there, big fella, chow's on the way.”

Then he glanced at Maggie, and they smiled across the table at each other. It was a smile filled with tenderness, understanding, joy and love. Especially love. Because both of them realized how very blessed they were to have been given a second chance to find their destiny. And how close they'd come to losing it.

Though no words were spoken, Maggie knew what Jake was thinking. She could read it in his eyes. And it mirrored her thoughts exactly.

It didn't get any better than this.