Chapter 26
26
C apri stretched out on the sofa, her injured leg propped up on a pillow. The weight of the cast and the crutches leaning against the coffee table were constant reminders that she wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon. She hated it. Being active defined her, and now she was stuck, bored out of her mind.
The television droned on in the background, an endless loop of talking heads, reality shows, and overly dramatic medical dramas. She thumbed the buttons on the remote, flipping through the channels mindlessly.
Channel 7 – A courtroom show where two neighbors screamed at each other over a broken fence. Click.
Channel 14 – A cooking competition where a celebrity chef berated a contestant for overcooked risotto. Click.
Channel 23 – A real estate show in some exotic location where couples argued over which multimillion-dollar mansion to buy. Click.
Channel 47 – A classic Western with a standoff in the middle of a dusty street. Click.
Channel 55 – The local news, leading with another grim headline. Click.
She sighed and turned the television off, tossing the remote onto the cushion beside her. Her head pressed against the back of the sofa, and for a moment, she simply stared at the ceiling.
She reached for her phone. Maybe social media would provide a distraction. She scrolled mindlessly through posts—pictures of friends’ kids, vacation snapshots, and a relentless flood of political debates. The comments section was a war zone.
“Ugh,” she muttered, locking her phone and dropping it onto her lap. Politics. She was definitely not in the mood for that today.
A thought crossed her mind. She hadn’t talked to her mom since leaving the hospital, aside from a few brief texts. The silence gnawed at her. Maybe her mom was just giving her space, but Capri missed hearing her voice, even if their relationship had been strained lately.
She hesitated for a moment, then pulled up her mom’s number and pressed the call button. The line rang. Capri tapped her fingers against the armrest, waiting.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Mom.” Capri cleared her throat. “Just thought I’d check in.”
“Capri, sweetheart. It’s so good to hear your voice.”
Capri exhaled, a tension she hadn’t realized she was carrying loosening just a bit. Maybe this was what she needed—a little normalcy, a little connection.
“So, tell me,” her mom said warmly. “How are you?”
Capri launched into a recitation of her current medical condition, taking special note that the doctors were encouraged. “I seem to be healing up nicely.”
“Oh, good to hear, sweetheart.” There was a pause on the other end of the line. “Honey?”
“Yeah, Mom?”
“I need to cut this short. Earl and I were just about to make a trip to Costco. We go every Tuesday for senior day. Hot dogs for half off.” Her mother giggled. “It’s our weekly date.”
Capri stared at her phone for a long moment, the conversation—or lack of one—still echoing in her ears. A polite but distant “ Gotta go now.” Just a casual dismissal, like they spoke every day instead of weeks slipping by without a word.
“Yeah, okay, Mom.” She clicked off the phone without saying goodbye, then set it down on the coffee table. The living room was quiet, save for the steady tick of the clock over the fireplace. A knot formed in her stomach, coiling tighter the more she thought about it.
Her mom had moved on so seamlessly. New husband, new life, a whirlwind of change that left Capri standing on the outside, looking in. Hadn’t she given up enough? Held everything together for years while her mother struggled with Dick’s addiction? Capri had made sure she was okay, put her own life on hold time and time again. She’d made sure her mom had no financial worries. Even when Dick was sober and going through his cancer treatments, her mother buried her head in the sand, not wanting to face unpleasant things—leaving Capri to deal with the struggle by herself. And now that she’d married again, she barely warranted a five-minute phone call?
She swallowed the lump rising in her throat. She would not—would not—fall apart over this. Never had, never would.
But damn, it hurt.
She grabbed a nearby novel and began skimming the words, flipping the pages with fury. Motion kept emotions in check. At least, that’s what she told herself.
But as she tried to read the blurred page, a tear slipped down her cheek anyway.
A sound at the door pulled Capri from her spiraling thoughts. Maybe it was Bodhi. He’d visited nearly every day—and sometimes twice a day while she was in the hospital and rehab.
She sniffed, wiped the back of her hand across her cheek, and took a steadying breath watching as the door eased open.
“Hey,” Jake said, his voice as steady as ever, that quiet, grounding presence she’d come to rely on—though she hated admitting it.
She crossed her arms, pleased. “What are you doing back here already?”
“Brought you some lunch from the Rustic Pine.” He held up a bag. “Pete and Annie said to tell you hello.”
He moved in her direction, his sharp eyes taking her in like he saw more than she wanted him to. “Had a feeling you could use some company.”
Capri rolled her eyes, but it lacked any conviction. “So now you’re psychic?”
“Nah.” He shrugged. “Just good at reading people. And you, sweetheart, wear your hurt like a neon sign, whether you realize it or not.”
Her throat tightened, but she forced out a scoff. “I’m fine. Besides, you only left a few hours ago.”
Jake didn’t argue. He never did. He just sat down next to her, as if he belonged there, and opened the bag. He took out two wrapped hamburgers and a big container of fries. “Hungry?”
Capri let out a long breath and a mumbled “Thanks” before she took one of the hamburgers. She slowly unwrapped it. “I talked to my mom.”
Jake nodded, saying nothing, just giving her space to unravel.
“She brushed me off,” Capri admitted, her voice smaller than she liked. “Like I was just another person on her to-do list. We haven’t talked in weeks, and she barely even asked how I was doing.”
Jake’s expression softened, but he didn’t do the whole I’m sorry thing or try to fix it. Instead, he reached out to tuck a stray piece of hair behind her ear.
“She’s missing out,” he said simply. “She doesn’t even know what she’s got in you.”
Emotion deep within her gave way. “I know she loves me,” she murmured. “It’s just?—”
“Yeah.” Jake didn’t need her to explain. He got it.
Without thinking, she leaned into him, resting her forehead against his shoulder. His arms wrapped around her without hesitation, strong and solid, the kind of embrace that said I’m here without needing the words.
Jake’s arms around her felt safe—more so than anything had in a long time. Something inside Capri cracked wide open, the hurt, the loneliness, the years of holding everything together. It all rushed forward at once, surging into the empty spaces she hadn’t even realized were there.
Before she could think, before she could talk herself out of it, she lifted her head from his chest, searching his face. His deep brown eyes were unwavering, watching her, not pushing, not pulling away. Just there.
That was all it took.
She leaned in, pressing her lips to his with a hunger that had nothing to do with passion and everything to do with needing him.
Jake didn’t hesitate, didn’t make her feel foolish. His hands slid to her back, grounding her as he returned the kiss, slow at first, then deeper. Warmth flooded through her, not heat, but something stronger—something terrifying.
She clung to him, her fingers curling into his shirt, desperate to hold onto this moment, to not feel so alone. Jake responded, his grip tightening, his breath hitching slightly, and for a brief second, she thought—this is it. This is where everything changes.
But then?—
Jake pulled back.
Not roughly, not abruptly, but enough. Enough that the loss of him sent a cold rush through her.
Capri blinked up at him, her breath unsteady, her heart hammering. “What…?” The word was barely there, more air than sound.
Jake exhaled slowly, keeping his hands on her shoulders like he was afraid she might bolt.
“Capri,” he said, his voice rough but gentle. “Don’t get this wrong. I know I said it on the mountain, but—I love you.”
His conviction hit her like a freight train, busting through the walls she’d spent years building. She sensed the mood in the room had shifted. She could feel it in the air between them.
“But,” he continued, eyes locked onto hers, “I want our first time to be about us. Not about your hurt.”
The moment stretched between them, raw and real, and Capri didn’t know what to do with it. Her instincts screamed at her to pull away, to fold back into herself, to shove the pain down where he couldn’t see it. But Jake wasn’t letting her go.
His hands slid down, capturing hers, his hold firm as if he could tether her to the moment, keep her from slipping back into old patterns.
“I’m here,” he murmured. “I’m not going anywhere. But I won’t let this be a decision you regret later. I want you to be sure.”
Capri swallowed hard, her eyes burning. She wanted to argue, to tell him he was wrong, that it wasn’t about hurt at all. But deep down, she knew better.
Jake brushed his thumb over her knuckles, waiting, watching, giving her space.
She closed her eyes for a beat, let out a slow breath, and squeezed his hands back. “Okay,” she whispered, her voice unsteady.
Jake smiled, just a little, and pulled her into a hug—no rush, no pressure. Just him. Just them.
Capri felt the rush before she could stop it—a surge so powerful it nearly stole her breath. His words echoed in her head. I’m here. I’m not going anywhere. And she knew, deep down, that she felt the same. She had for a while. Maybe from the first time he looked at her like she was worth waiting for. Maybe from the moment he bought the stupid porch furniture just so she’d have a welcoming space to come home to.
Her fingers tightened around his, and she swallowed hard, her pulse thundering in her ears. “I’m in this for good, too.”
The words slipped out before she could second-guess them, before she could put up the usual walls. But for once, she didn’t want to take them back.
Jake went still, like she’d knocked the breath from him. His grip on her hands didn’t loosen, but his brows lifted slightly in surprise.
She powered forward before she could lose her nerve. “I’ve never said that to anyone before and meant it. Never. But I mean it now.” She squeezed his hands tighter. “I don’t want this to be casual. I don’t want to pretend like this is something we can let fade when life gets complicated.” Her voice grew stronger, more sure. “I want to choose you, Jake. Every day.”
A change shifted in his expression, deep and knowing, like he’d been waiting for this moment, like he’d always known she had it in her.
She exhaled, searching his face, needing to make him understand. “I’ve spent my whole life trying to control everything—trying to keep people from leaving me. But you…” She shook her head, a shaky laugh escaping. “You’re the first person I’ve ever met who makes me feel safe without me having to hold all the pieces together. You make me feel like I can let go, and I won’t fall apart.”
Jake’s lips parted, his eyes now raw and unreadable. But before he could say anything—before she could overthink this—she blurted, “Marry me.”
Silence.
Capri barely heard the sound of her own breath over the roaring in her ears. It wasn’t planned. It wasn’t calculated. It was just true.
Jake blinked, clearly caught off guard. “What?”
She let out a nervous laugh, suddenly aware that her heart was slamming against her ribs. “You heard me.”
His lips parted slightly, then pressed together as if he were trying to process what had just happened.
Capri’s stomach clenched. Maybe she’d said too much. Maybe she’d ruined everything. But she meant it. She didn’t want to go another day pretending she didn’t know exactly what she wanted.
And what she wanted was him.
“You and me, huh?” she murmured, her voice unsteady. “What do you say?”
Jake pulled back just enough to better look at her, his eyes shining with something so sure, so unshakable, it took her breath away.
“You and me, Capri,” he said, voice low and full of promise. “Always.”
She closed her eyes for a beat, letting the moment sink in before letting out a chuckle of pure delight. “Hear that? My heart is pounding.”
Jake squeezed her hand and pressed it to his chest. “My heart is pounding too, just so you know.”
She couldn’t stop the tears.
At last, the future wasn’t a source of fear—it was a promise to reach for. She no longer shouldered the weight of going it alone, of always being the one to hold everything together.
She wasn’t just looking ahead—she was charging toward a life she wanted, a future full of possibility. The days ahead weren’t uncertain; they were wide open, waiting to be filled with love, adventure, and a life she was ready to embrace.
She was exactly where she was meant to be, beside the man she chose—the man who chose her right back.