“Practice is a good thing.”

Zach rolled her onto her back, held her hands aside, and sucked her ni**les into tiny beads of need. She shivered, called his name.

“I love hearing my name from your lips,” he confessed. He slid down her body, wiggled her pants from her hips, tasting his way down her belly, her thigh. He opened her, tasted her until she exploded with his name on her lips.

The earth under her barely came to rest and he was inside her, taking her with him on a never-ending journey of passion.

He rode her, told her how much he loved her as they came together.

She smiled into his shoulder as their hearts slowed their wild pace. “I love you, Zach.”

Epilogue

Scaffolding wrapped around the entire north side of the five-thousand-square-foot Victorian that overlooked the Pacific Ocean. The winter breeze had Karen wrapping her arms around the sweater she’d tossed over her shoulders to ward away the cold.

Construction on the old home had been nonstop since she and Zach had found the abandoned property two months after their return from Utah. It was perfect. The two acres of property afforded them privacy and the ocean view allowed time for reflection and healing. Something every teen would need during their stay.

At the current pace of construction, they would be open to needy kids by spring. Her dream of helping others was finally coming true. She and Zach were living out of an upstairs suite during the construction, all of which he was overseeing. He’d flown back to Utah a few times to finish the work he’d started there. It didn’t take Zach long to make contacts in LA, and already he had a small team of men working on individual spec homes instead of the big housing jobs. Apparently, custom work appealed to Zach more than the cookie-cutter homes that had popped up all over the nation before the recession. With the economy bouncing back, spec houses were becoming more popular.

Karen didn’t need to turn around to know who walked up behind her. Zach’s arms, the scent of his skin, wrapped around her. “What are you doing out here?”

“Just thinking about how happy I am,” she told him.

He kissed the top of her head and held her.

“Aren’t you going to pick up your parents?”

“Not yet.”

The divorce party was the coming Friday and the entire Gardner clan would be arriving over the next couple of days to attend.

“I wish everything was done here so they could stay with us.”

Zach nuzzled her neck. “Next time.”

“Maybe we can have a grand opening…or housewarming something or other.”

“I think you like to throw parties as much as my brother.”

Karen laughed. “Yeah. We have that in common I guess. Did we get confirmation that Nolan and Becky are coming for the party?” The young couple were still very much in love and even stronger after losing their baby. Secretly, Karen hoped that if they did decide to get married right after Becky finished school in the spring, that Karen could convince them to have their wedding on the very spot she and Zach stood now. The kids deserved nothing but good things after all they’d been put through.

“My mom said they will be on a flight tomorrow. Becky had a final or something.”

“Good.”

“Oh,” Zach unwrapped his arms from her. “I almost forgot.”

She sent him a questioning look.

From his pocket, he removed a small box. She looked at him with a coy smile. The last time he’d handed her a small box it held the key to the house they now stood next to.

“What’s this?”

“Open it.”

His beautiful eyes watched her as she lifted the small silver lid.

The two-carat round diamond sat in a cluster of smaller stones in a setting that matched the era of the home they’d picked out together.

“Zach,” she whispered.

He bent down on his knee and Karen lost it. Tears instantly sprang to her eyes.

“I want you forever, Karen. I want to spend every happy and every sad memory with you by my side. Will you marry me?”

She dropped to her knees beside him. “Oh, Zach. You know I will.”

He kissed her, briefly, then slid the ring on her finger. “I love you.”

She reached out her hand, and smiled at his choice of rings. “I shouldn’t be this happy days before my divorce.”

“You should when you’re married to the wrong person.”

“It doesn’t feel like I’ve ever been married to anyone.”

He smiled, kissed her again.

“When should we plan a wedding?”

“Anxious?” she asked, smiling at the thrill in his voice.

“You have no idea. Waiting for this divorce has taken years off my life.”

Karen stared into the eyes of her future and fell in love all over again. “Well, the divorce will be final by Friday. I’ll be single by Saturday.”

He blinked. “This Saturday? You want to get married this Saturday?”

She bit her lower lip. “Why not? Your family will be here. Michael isn’t off on location…my friends are all in town. Why not?”

“Can we do this by Saturday?”

Karen tossed her head back and laughed. “Remind me to tell you how quickly all my friends have tied the knot. So what do you say, Zach Gardner…will you marry me on Saturday?”

He brought her to her feet, lifted her up on her toes, and kissed her.

“I can’t wait to make love to Mrs. Karen Gardner.”

“I can’t wait to make love as Mrs. Karen Gardner.”

“So you’ll take my name?”

“You can’t keep it from me. Now come on…we have a lot to do and less than four days to make it happen.”

Before she could pull him away, Zach stopped her. “Wait.”

He stared at her, through her.

“What is it?”

“I just want to savor this moment. Remember it forever.”

Her heart melted as they stood there, both holding the moment and knowing that they would have many more like it to come.