Chapter 54

Danika woke with a start, flashing her eyes open to find James right beside her. His arms tightened around her, pulling her closer. She snuggled in, feeling secure with him close by her side. So much had tried to destroy them, from their family to Ezra, but they had overcome the odds and were together.

The next time she woke, the sun was shining through the blinds, and James wasn't beside her. She sat up just as the door opened.

"Hey, you are awake."

"James!" Happiness filled her. "Thank you for saving me."

He moved to sit on the mattress beside her. "I'll move heaven and earth to save you."

"Thank you." Her heart expanded and she had to get the words out. "Back when we first connected again, I knew you were a good person, but I didn't realize you were my person."

He put his hand on her hip, squeezing gently. "So once you're healed and the scratches are gone, I want to drive over the mountains to Vegas and get married."

"Could we get married here on the beach?"

"Would you want that? No trip, no special night."

"Babe, every night with you is special. I want to be your wife today. I don't care about the scratches on my face or anything else."

Laughter spilled from his lips. "Okay, I hear you. We'll plan it for this weekend and keep it small. The guys from my team will want to be there, that's for sure."

"I owe them my life."

James nodded. "Yeah. If Peach hadn't been at the marina, I don't know if we would have made it in time."

She sighed, happiness filling her. "I don't know how much of it was luck or destiny, but I'm glad I found you at that station on that snowy day. I'm glad that snow was falling. Heck, I'm glad I picked that day. It was all so random, but somehow, all those random decisions we made put us in the right place at the exact time we needed to be there."

He cupped her face and brushed a kiss on her head. "If I'd been a day later or earlier."

"If that person hadn't run into me and pushed me down."

He pulled her up to sitting and stared into her eyes, his soul open to her, showing her all his love. "Everything seems to have worked together to bring us to this moment where I'm going to tell you that you're the love of my life. I want you forever."

Tears filled her eyes as she nodded, the smile on his face making her heart squeeze.

"I'll stay by your side, loving you until the end."

His lips found hers in a passionate but gentle kiss. Finding James in London had changed everything, or maybe set it back into motion of how it should have been in the first place. They needed that time apart to grow up, but now it was time to grow together. She'd found her true love, and she was going to hold on to him with all her heart.