Wet

I wave to the wet lawn. “And what was this all about?”

“It was my attempt at a grand gesture.”

“It was grand all right.”

She sighs. “I had the timer set so we’d be out here having our talk and then the sprinklers would go off. But the clock on the thing must not have been set right, so as I finished my hair I hear them start up in the backyard.”

“Damn clock.”

She nods. “And then when I rush out here, since I can’t seem to do anything without some kind of drama, the gusher is going. So I go to the control box and I’m normally good at timers and such, but I couldn’t get the damn thing to shut off, probably because I was so agitated. Then I tried getting that stupid head back into the hole so this wouldn’t be just a colossal failure and you saw how well that worked out.”

I let out a low whistle, secretly enjoying that at least that was a problem I could easily fix for her.

I clear my throat. “So walk me through the grand gesture part of all of this. What part did sprinklers ru

She bites her lip. “Well now it sounds kind of kooky, but at the time I thought it was a cool idea. It’s a lot of symbolism. We met over sprinklers.”

I grin. “Yes, we did. And what a meeting that was.”

She rolls her eyes. “I know. I was so classy. Me and my filthy mouth.”

“Are you kidding? You completely captivated me.”

“Likewise.” She gives me a grateful smile. “So see, it takes us full circle, we started out here not knowing that we could possibly have a future together . . .”

“And now we’re here to decide if we do?” I ask.

She takes a big breath. “Yes. But it’s not just that. Water is symbolic of cleansing.”

I pull on the edge of her wet hemline. “And it looks like you were baptized.”

She nudges me back with her shoulder. “Hmm, maybe I was.”

She scoots away from me so she can turn and face me more head on. Her eyebrows knit together and she suddenly looks serious.

“Sunday morning when you walked out of my house, I crumbled. I wanted to run after you but it was like my legs wouldn’t work. In my heart I knew I’d do anything to be with you, but my head kept stopping me with doubts like hurdles that seemed too high to jump over.”

“Hurdles?”

“Like what if I can never be everything that you want?”

“What if you already are?” I reply.

Her eyebrows relax and she sighs, but then she starts blinking.

“But what if over time, I’m not enough for you . . . and you get tired of me?”

I have to press my lips together to keep from laughing. This handful of a woman thinks she may not be enough for me? Oh good Lord . . . does she have no sense of how extraordinary she is?

I suddenly feel a fury burn in my chest. I want to beat the hell out of her dad, her ex, the Viking, and any man who ever made her feel that she wasn’t worthy . . . wasn’t enough.

I reach out and take her hand. “We aren’t teenagers, Elle. We’ve both been out and about in the world and have known a lot of people. You’re the most exciting, fun, sweet, sexy, awesome woman I’ve ever met.”

She tugs at my hand. “You forgot smart.”

“Yeah, you’re smart, and I’ll add sassy, too.”

“And you like that I’m sassy?”

“Are you kidding? I love it.”

She sits up taller. “You know what? I’ve started realizing that I deserve you. Some people may look at me right now and think, she needs this man but doesn’t deserve him. But I do deserve you.”

I press my lips together so I don’t grin. “And why’s that?”

“Because I’m a good woman and I love you with all my heart, and want to be my best for you.”

“Yes, you deserve me and I’d be damn lucky to have you.”

She glances down at our hands where my thumb is rubbing across her palm.

“So do you think you’d be willing to take a chance with me, knowing I’ve still got all this stuff to work out?”

“Yes. I’m all in. What about you? Are you willing to take a chance on me? I mean, I hate to break this to you, but I’m not perfect.”

She shakes her head. “Damn. I thought you were.”

“Nope. Not even close.”

“Well, we’ll just have to agree to disagree,” she says winking at me.

“Yup. We’ll take one step at a time and figure it out as we go along. So you’re going to be my girl?” I ask as I edge closer to her.

“Yes, I’m all in.”

My relief is intense as she presses her lips against mine. This is the kiss that steals my heart. She’s got me now, no matter what lies up ahead. It’s the kiss that closes the door on our past, and flings the new one open for our future.

And believe me, I can’t pass through it quick enough.

Within seconds she’s on my lap and we’re lip-locked, her hands in my hair, across my shoulders, on my chest . . . filling me up with love until I’m overflowing. It’s so emotional that we don’t even grope each other and start pulling off clothes.

This feeling is more intense than that early morning a week ago when we shared all the feelings that we’d hidden from each other. This time we’ve been tested. We sunk to the bottom and separated, but now we’ve surfaced together and we’re moving toward the horizon up ahead.

“I love you, Elle,” I whisper when we part to catch our breaths.

She’s glowing, her joy palpable. I’m going to bronze that damn book Patrick gave her and put it on our future mantel.

“I love you, too.”

“So am I still your bridge?” I ask, only partially teasing.

She places her hands on either side of my face and gazes at me with a look so full of emotion it overwhelms me.

“You were never just my bridge, Paul.”

It’s weird, but just like my parent’s way, I sense what Elle’s going to say next before the words leave her lips.

“Yes, you’re my bridge but also my heart, my future . . . and my destination.”

Those words are everything. I pull her back into my arms.

She eases closer and lets out a contented sigh. “I’ve finally arrived.”

I smile from the inside out as I take her hand in mine.

“Welcome home.”

Also by Ruth Clampett

Animate Me

Mr. 365

Work of Art ~ Book 1 The Inspiration

Work of Art ~ Book 2 The Unveiling

Work of Art ~ Book 3 The Masterpiece

Many thanks to those of you that

take a moment to leave a review

~ it’s much appreciated.

Acknowledgements

I love our community of indie authors, bloggers and readers and am so grateful for the wonderful friends I’ve made that support and encourage me with my work. I’ve met the most amazing people who have embraced not just me, but my daughter Alex, and our lives have been richer for it.

Thank you Lisa Fortunato, Glorya Hidalgo, Azu Sandoval, and beta Amy Marxen Je

I so appreciate my content editor Angela Borda who gives me tough love when I need it, and rewards me with side notes that make me laugh out loud. You make this challenging process of content editing something I look forward to.

It was such a delight to work with Heather Maven on Wet. You bring such a smart understanding of characters and their voices to the beta process. Your feedback was a gift.

Heartfelt thanks to Neda, of Ardent Prose PR, who shows great care and enthusiasm for my work and pushes me out of my promotional comfort zone—which is exactly what I need.

Jada! You hit it out of the park with this bookcover! This is our sixth book to work on together and I think we make a great team. Thank you for approaching every project with passion and great ideas.

Thank you Flavia Viotti and Meire Dias of Bookcase Agency for your continued support. You ladies rock.