PROLOGUE

Kenzi

My love,

Walk in the rain with me. Kiss me in the misty fog.

Let me hold you all night under the hush of the wind.

I’m waiting for you. Throwing pennies… making wishes.

I’m wishing only for you. Always for you.

Come back to me.

I’ll fight for you. I’ll fight for us.

Wish for me, too… and I’ll make it come true.

The frayed parchment paper is soft in my fingers, perfectly worn and aged, and I’m very aware that he chose this texture of paper, this color of ink, with careful consideration. Because he knows how much it means to me. Because he knows me . Like no one else ever has or ever could.

I read his words over and over again, long after I have them memorized and they’re burned into my heart and soul, yet I still hold the handwritten note and stare at the words until they blur. I can hear his voice saying them—deep, yet soft and sensual. Raw .

I like touching the paper that I know he held in his hands. The hands that had once held me. Caressed me. Ignited passion and desire in me so deep that I still can’t forget.

And I don’t ever want to.

The faint scent of his cologne drifts from the paper. Or maybe I’ve just wished for it so much that I’ve imagined it. Either way, it’s comforting and stirs memories.

So many memories…

Reading his words, all the feelings rush back like acid on a wound that won’t heal. He’s my other half, the one who makes my heart beat. The man who makes me feel every feeling that could possibly be felt—and then some. The man who held me and loved me through almost every moment of my life. I have no past without him and no future without him. Quite simply, he is my world. There’s no way I will ever move on from a love like ours. We belong to each other. I’ve always known it, and I am utterly exhausted from fighting it, denying it, keeping myself from it, and hiding it—as I’m sure he must be, too.

And now after the distance… he still loves me. He still believes in us, and his words assure me he’s willing to take on the world for me. For us.

It’s time for me to go back home to my love and to my heart. Time is precious, and I don’t want to give any more up.

I lift the lid of the small antique wooden trunk on my desk and pull out a sheet of sky-blue paper and my favorite rose-gold calligraphy pen.

Tor, my love…

My wishes have always been, and always will be, for you.

I’m coming home with a clear mind and a strong heart. We’ll fight our battles together from now on.

I love you. I’ve loved you in so many different ways, and I want to continue to love you in all the beautiful ways we’ve yet to discover. I refuse to hide anymore. If there are some who cannot accept our age difference, then that is their choice, but I will not let their opinions or thoughts keep me from you—the love of my life. All I ask is that we tread gently with my father, as his heart is just as precious to me as yours is. I know you feel the same.

I will call you as soon as I’m settled in my new place. I cannot wait to be in your arms, and I promise we will never be apart again.

I love you the most,

Kenzi

I fold the letter into an envelope, write Tor’s address on it, and slip it into the mailbox on the corner. On my way back to the Inn, I walk down the beach to the water’s edge, and I toss in the penny that Tor sent with his note.

I wish for all the things that would heal our hearts and give us—and everyone we love—a happily-ever-after.