Chapter Twenty-One #2
Without hesitation, he unbuttoned his shirt and dropped it with her sarong.
‘Take good care of our things now, you two scallywags,’ he said, smiling at the dogs.
He took her hand, and together they charged towards the shoreline, their bare feet sinking into the cool, wet sand.
The first touch of the sea was invigorating, drawing a gasp that was soon swallowed by her laughter as she playfully splashed Caleb, who retaliated with a larger wave of seawater that sent droplets shimmering through the air like tiny prisms. Their playful antics continued as they waded a little deeper into the clear water, their bodies swaying to and fro with each gentle swell.
With a shared look of excitement, they dived beneath the surface, entering a world where gravity held no power over them.
And as they resurfaced, breathless but smiling from ear to ear, their gazes collided with love and admiration.
Caleb swam close to her, his muscular form cutting through the water with ease.
And when they finally stopped swimming nearer the shoreline, where Jet and Ragnar patiently waited beside their clothes, and instead floated, he reached out, brushing his fingers against her arm in a gesture that spoke more than words ever could.
Nyah understood it as an affirmation of their love, a declaration that even in the vast expanse of the ocean she was never alone, and never again would be as long as he lived.
God, she prayed that would be for her lifetime.
Because she wouldn’t be able to bear a day without him.
And as they floated in this sacred space between sea and sky, bathed in the golden glow of the sun, the world around them seemed to fade into insignificance as she surrendered to the magnificence of two hearts entwined, lost in the ebb and flow of the ocean and each other.
‘I’m getting hungry; how about you, Ny?’
‘Actually, now you mention it.’ She dropped her arms and legs and waded the few inches between them. ‘I’m starving.’ She kissed his lips, relishing the taste of salt. ‘Let’s head home and I’ll make us some French toast.’
‘Oh yum.’ Treading water, he tugged her close. ‘You know the way to my heart, don’t you.’
‘I sure do.’ She grinned. ‘Through your stomach.’
The salty ocean water clung to their skin, leaving a glistening sheen that caught the sunlight as they emerged from the sea. After passing her sarong over, Caleb tugged his shirt on, did a few buttons up, pulled something from the shirt pocket and then without another word, sank to one knee.
Caught completely off guard, Nyah almost fell to her own knees. ‘Caleb?’ She blinked faster; was this truly what she thought it was?
‘Ny,’ Caleb began, his sandy blond hair tousled by the sea salt, and his brown eyes filled with earnest devotion. ‘From the moment I met you, all those years ago, I knew my life had changed for the better, and now I couldn’t imagine a day without you.’
Nyah’s hands flew to cover her mouth.
‘Nyah Love,’ Caleb continued as he held up a velvet box, revealing a ring that captured the essence of the ocean in its sparkling depths, ‘will you marry me?’
A single ‘Yes!’ escaped Nyah’s lips, and as their dogs watched on, she sank to her knees and threw her arms around Caleb in a tight embrace. ‘I can’t believe I’m going to be Mrs Hart.’
‘Hart and Love, a match made in heaven,’ Caleb replied with a chuckle. ‘You’ve just made me the happiest man alive.’ And he kissed her as if he’d never kissed her before.
And when they pulled back a little, Nyah closed the gap and kissed him some more.
With a smile that spoke of just how happy he was, Caleb stood then helped her back to her feet.
‘How about we go and pull up a bit of sand over there?’ He pointed towards a secluded spot where a couple of palm trees offered dappled shade.
‘Let’s sit for a minute, so we can really let this sink in, before we head home. ’
Nyah followed his gaze and nodded. ‘Great thinking, my sexy fiancé.’
‘Fiancé, huh, I’m liking the sound of that.’ He scooped her up and into his arms, and carried her across the sand, with their dogs in tow.
Wrapping her arms around his shoulders, Nyah looked to where Caleb left behind a single set of footprints that would soon be claimed by the tide.
Now, finally, they were one. Reaching the shade, he placed her back on her feet and they settled down onto the sand, their bodies instinctively finding comfort against each other’s.
‘I love you, Hart,’ she murmured, her eyes tracing the line where sea met sky, the horizon a hazy promise of continuity.
‘I love you, Ny.’ Caleb’s voice was soft, a gentle accompaniment to the rhythm of the sea. ‘And I will for the rest of our beautiful lives together.’
A sacredness existed in the companiable silence that followed, a shared reverence for the moment, safeguarding the tender shoots of a future they’d finally dared to cultivate.
Time seemed to stand still, as if the world itself was listening to the silent conversation unfolding between them.
And as the sunlight wove its way through the overhead palm leaves, casting a dappled pattern upon their skin, Nyah felt completely and utterly satisfied with her life.
Tracing a finger along the intricate lines of Caleb’s tattoos, she knew the inked designs that danced across his forearm were leading her through the memories that had helped to shape him.
‘Remember that time when I tried to rescue the baby possum from the drain?’ Nyah’s voice broke the peaceful silence. ‘I was so determined to save it.’
‘I sure do.’ Caleb chuckled softly, his scarred brow creasing as he glanced down and smiled at her tenderly.
‘And I, being your foolish young knight, followed you into battle.’ He laughed.
‘Lucky your dad ended up calling wildlife rescue, because we were both out of our depth, out there in the pouring rain, with water rushing past us like a wild river.’
‘Uh-huh, we were, and both of us were covered in mud from head to toe, too.’
‘Oh yeah, I forgot about that bit.’
Their laughter blended with the gentle rustle of leaves in the breeze.
Looking up at him, smiling contentedly, Nyah felt an immense sense of comfort and safety wash over her.
‘You’ve always been there for me, Caleb.
’ She spoke earnestly, her eyes seeking his unwavering gaze.
‘Through every possum rescue attempt and through all the darkness that followed after Skye’s disappearance.
’ She choked back raw emotions. ‘You may have been miles away for some time, but in reality, you never left my side.’
He interlaced his fingers with hers. ‘I promised you when we were just kids, Ny, that I would stand by you, always, no matter what,’ he whispered, his touch grounding her. ‘And I meant it.’
The vulnerability between them was palpable, a tangible force that drew them closer still, both physically and emotionally. ‘I know you did.’ She reached up and cupped his cheek. ‘What a lucky woman I am, to be loved by you.’
With their fingers and hearts entwined, they imagined a beachside wedding. It would be simple yet profound, with the ocean as their witness and the horizon as their altar.
‘I want it to be exactly like this,’ Nyah murmured, her gaze lost in the vastness of the sea. ‘Raw and beautiful, with nothing but the horizon before us.’
Caleb nodded. ‘Agreed.’
Heading home as an engaged couple, their footsteps fell into a perfect rhythm with the waves, their fingers interlaced with a gentle but unbreakable grip as they moved like two halves of a whole—quiet, content, happy.
The intoxicating scent of frangipani blossoms mixed with the anticipation humming in the air as they wandered towards their forever home.
Together, they were ready to embrace a future filled with endless possibilities, and Nyah couldn’t wait for each and every day she got to spend by this amazing man’s side.