Love Lasts Forever (38 page)

BOOK: Love Lasts Forever

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“When I returned home to Pop and Cal and left you behind to deal with Grady Falls, I completely lost it. They can tell you; I was totally messed up. The very idea of Grady putting his hands on you made me want to kill him. The fear of not knowing how to get back to you made me want to die. I can’t bear the thought of anything hurting you, and knowing that I’ve caused you pain lately makes me mad. I am sorry, Willow.”

“You don’t have to apologize.”

“Yes, I do. I’m bad at this. With football, you get a playbook to tell you what to do. When you fall in love, you get nothing but a bad case of stubborn stupidity.”

“You don’t have to say that. I know that you care for me.”

“But just caring isn’t enough for you. You deserve more. I should have said it a long time ago, but I thought you knew. I tried to show you, but I messed up somehow. I wanted to give you the world when I brought you here with me. Instead, I just gave you a world of heartache.”

“I didn’t come here because I wanted the world. I came because I wanted to be with you.”

He exhaled. “Well, I don’t want you to go. Please, don’t leave. Stay with me.”

“I want to…”

“Before you say anything else,” he said, leading her to the bed, “have a seat. I have to get something. Don’t move.”

Willow watched his retreating back until he slipped out the door and then she drew in a deep breath. Although she was seated, her legs felt wobbly.

Thor loves me.
Blessed be!
It did her heart good to hear the words.

He returned to the room with a bounce in his step. Crimson darkened his tan face. His eyes sparkled with a secret. He balled his right hand into a fist, and as he knelt on one knee at her feet, he placed both hands on her thighs.

“I don’t have a speech prepared. I learned that winging it sometimes works, so that’s what I’ll do.”

“What are you doing?”

“I’m asking you to marry me. I don’t have much to offer, but what I have is yours. I love you, Willow, and want you to be my wife.”

A soft gasp escaped her. His declaration caught her off guard. A marriage proposal? “Blessed be.”

“Is that all you have to say?” The corner of Thor’s eyes crinkled as he teased her. He opened his balled hand and lifted a ring from his palm. “I have a ring. Pop gave it to me the day we came back. It was Eva’s. If you say yes and let me slide this on, the engagement can be official as of this moment.”

Willow bubbled with joy. A warm glow shot through her. She extended her hand. “Yes!”

Thor slid the ring on faster than a speeding bullet. His mouth closed over hers in a devouring kiss and not much later, he took her to heaven.

Epilogue

Canton, Georgia

October 2005

Thor couldn’t sleep. Lovemaking usually tired him out, but tonight not even Willow’s unrestrained passion tuckered him. The idea of watching the DVD again refused to let him rest. Careful not to wake his sleeping wife, he rolled out of bed. He pulled on his robe and wandered downstairs.

His hands glided over the railing. Since his marriage and the birth of his first child, the cabin underwent a number of changes. Thor was mindful of Anders’s original design and workmanship, taking great pains to match it.

The second floor was efficient, yet spacious. He and Willow decorated it in an old country style with oak furnishings and warm, thick quilts in every room. Cal and Pop teased them at first, but weren’t shy about offering their suggestions.

A window here and the den over there. The cabin became the family’s preferred vacation spot, and Thor made sure his children knew the history of it and appreciated the Magnusen legacy.

He turned on the lamp beside his recliner and grabbed the remote. With one push, the large screen digital television roared to life, and with another push, the DVD player did, too.

A velvet carpet of green covered the football field. Two sets of players sized each other up over the fifty-yard line. The Falcons had the ball this go ’round and the quarterback threw the sweetest pass Thor ever saw. Even though he knew the outcome of the game, the Falcons whipped the Eagles twenty-four to eighteen, his breath caught in his throat. The pass set a record, and that quarterback did his heart proud.

“How many times do you plan to watch that?” Willow asked, surprising him as she hopped onto his lap. “You’ve seen it at least ten times already and the game was yesterday! You’ll wear the disc out.”

He pulled her close to him and snuggled. “It’s okay. I made copies.”

“Olivia will be mortified.”

He shrugged. “She’ll get over it. It’s not everyday my little girl scores the pass that wins the homecoming game.”

“She’s sixteen. If you pull that DVD out the night her date picks her up for the prom, I’ll take care of you myself.”

He growled, and his lower body twitched with renewed vigor. “That sounds promising.”

She giggled and rested her head against his shoulder. Her hand slipped underneath his robe. Sensual caresses teased his chest. He flattened his hand over hers and shook his head with mock warning.

“Your three children are upstairs fast asleep. What would they think if they knew their mother was initiating a forward pass?”

“They’ll think she’s happy and very much in love.”

“Still?” He cocked an eyebrow and regarded her closely. “After twenty years?”

“Yes.” Her voice was a wanton mixture of silk and huskiness. “And you?”

“You don’t have to ask. I love you, Willow Elkridge Magnusen, and each day that passes, I know that our love will last forever.”

About the Author

Dominiqua Douglas
discovered the joys of writing through fan fiction. Readers’ responses, awards, and encouragement prompted her to focus on her own original work. Her desire to learn more about the craft prompted her to join Romance Writers of America, which provides a wealth of information for unpublished and published writers. When she is not writing or reading, she enjoys listening to 80s music, designing websites, watching movies, traveling and delicious chocolate.

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