A Valentine's Day Dream Come True

Last month I posted about the too-often-true story of a romance gone bad. Now, with Valentine's Day upon us, I thought I'd pass along the story of the same broken-hearted lover two years later, happier than he'd dreamed he could be with the BFF of his childhood.

What is true love? He's learned it's not just hot sex and party time--not for long. He's suffered heartache and despair and come out wiser. He's rediscovered friendship and shared interests with the woman who's no longer a little neighbor girl...and together they've found their friendship has morphed into something more. After a lot of soul-searching he's realized he'd trust her with his life, after going through a time when the only woman he could trust was his own mother. He's discovered the best kind of passion grows from friendship and trust, where before he'd been ruled by mindless lust.

So...it's the day before Valentine's Day and he has a ring in his pocket. The spicy-sweet smell of two dozen American Beauty roses surrounds him as he stands at his best friend's door, vase in hand. His pulse accelerates when she appears, her smile welcoming him and her eyes twinkling with anticipation. He wonders how could he ever have thought of this gorgeous creature as his buddy--practically another sister?

He makes a living by persuading others but suddenly he's at a loss for words. He thrusts the vase of roses at her. "Here. The florist said these signify love and passion."

"You shouldn't have, but I love them. Come on in," she says, accepting the flowers.

Are those tears he sees welling up in her eyes? She's never looked so beautiful, and he's never loved another woman one tenth as much. She sets the roses on the table and sits beside him on the couch. A tear rolls down her cheek, and strangely that gives him courage.

"Happy Valentine's Day, sweetheart." Dare he say it? The words hadn't escaped his lips for so long, and so many hurts had followed that first commitment. He had to. "I love you."

"I love you, too." She laughed as though she didn't want to put more importance on the word. "We've loved each other since we were five years old, haven't we?"

"Yeah. But not always the way I love you now. My little guy loves you, too." In for a penny, in for a pound. "I want you to marry me." Taking her hand, he reached in his pocket, brought out the ring and slid it on her finger. "Please."

Would she ever say yes and put him out of his misery? For the longest time she just stared at her hand, seemingly mesmerized by the flash of the heart-shaped diamond he'd picked out just for her. "Oh, yes." She broke into a dazzling smile. "Did you know I've been in love with you for as long as I can remember?"

He let out the breath he'd been holding and took her in his arms. "I may not always have been very smart, but I finally wised up. You're the woman I've always wanted. I'm just sorry it took me so long to realize it."

And so, the two lived happily ever after, after all, and his little boy found a stable home full of love and laughter! Happy Valentine's Day, everybody.

For a heartwarming reunion Quickie set around the lovers' holiday, check out my latest, IRRESISTIBLE...AGAIN, available now from Ellora's Cave, Amazon.com, or ARebooks.