Tori couldn’t believe her eyes or her ears. Jake was in bed with her and he was talking as though she was important to him. But he still hadn’t made any promises. With a firm shake of her head, Tori accepted the fact that she needed to take a risk here. Life wasn’t meant to be lived in the shadows. She was going to have to step out in faith if she was ever going to get what she wanted. She couldn’t expect Jake to make all of the concessions.
Not exactly sure how to say what she wanted to say, Tori ran her hands over Jake’s face. Her fingers worked around his neck and into his hair. Almost absentmindedly, she loosened the ponytail. Tori was so caught up in the discussion she was having in her head, she wasn’t paying too much attention to what words were actually coming out of her mouth. She was as surprised as Jake looked when she heard herself whisper, “Did she see you like this? Did she run her fingers through your hair? Did she make love to you, Jake?”
Flames jumped behind Jake’s eyes. Tori watched as the color of his irises darkened with his emotions. He answered her in a controlled, yet equally quiet voice, “No, Tori. She didn’t see me like this. She didn’t touch my hair and she didn’t make love to me. And just so you will know, I didn’t make love to her, either.” This last part he added with a small smile on his face. He went on, “I hoped that you would care. Does this mean that you realize what we have?”
Tori cocked her head to the side. “What do we have, Jake? I know how I feel. I realized it on the day we made love. I love you, Jake. I think I have from the first moment I walked into your dark office. You complete me, Jake. Is that what you feel? Is that what we have?”
Instead of answering her verbally, Jake pulled Tori to him. Passion flared between them as he looked deeply into her eyes. He lowered his mouth and kissed her soundly. Tori felt that he was holding her very heart in his hands. When he finally spoke again, he said, “Tori, I will never leave you again. I was crushed when you couldn’t admit that what we had was perfect. I had to get away. I admit that I did hope that you would be a little bit jealous of all the running around that I was having to do in D.C., but I only did it to help you realize how you felt about me – well, that, and to close a very lucrative case!”
Tori laughed out loud, “You turkey! Did I come first or did the case? No, don’t answer that. I don’t think I want to know!”
Jake’s kiss convinced Tori that she already knew the answer. She was first in Jake’s life and always would be. But he still hadn’t said the words. Pulling away a few inches, she rubbed her nose against his. “Jake, I told you how I feel. And your reply was that I was special to you. How special Jake?”
Grinning, Jake dropped a quick kiss on her lips, then scooted out of bed. Tori wasn’t expecting that reaction and she made a grab to keep him with her. But Jake eluded her hands and moved across the room. When he came back, he was holding something behind his back.
He said, “I bought you something while I was in D.C. Want to see it?”
Tori sat upright in the bed and cocked her head to the side. “You brought me a present? That’s so sweet! What is it?”
Jake looked like he was about to laugh out loud at Tori. “Woman, you really need to read more romance novels!” Then, dropping to one knee beside the bed, he pulled Tori to the side. Taking her hand in his, he looked up at her and said, “Tori, no woman has ever made me feel like you do. You have made me believe that I could face the world – literally. I have spent the last month doing all the things that I only read about before. I was so afraid of how people would react to me. And other than a few short stares, nobody seemed to notice. Tori, you have opened my eyes to the world. If you are interested, I would like to offer you a permanent position in my life.”
Tori looked at Jake in confusion, “This is a job offer?”
Jake laughed, “Well, of sorts. Tori, I love you with all that I am. Will you marry me and be my cheerleader for ever?” Then he whipped his hand from behind his back and held out a diamond solitaire.
Bewildered, Tori stared from the ring, to Jake’s face, then back to the ring. She threw her hands over her cheeks and said, “Oh, Jake, I was just hoping for you to tell me that you loved me. I never dared to hope that you would want to actually marry me. What if I embarrass you or say the wrong thing, or someone makes fun of you for marrying me? Oh, Jake!”
Pulling himself up from the floor, Jake sat on the side of the bed and pulled Tori to him. Shaking his head, he said, “Tori, have you forgotten everything that you taught me? Sure, there may be some ignorant people out there who say or do cruel things, but that’s not who makes up most of the world’s population. You are so beautiful, so smart and so sweet. Tori, if you’ll be my cheerleader, I’ll spend the rest of my life being yours.”
No other excuses came to Tori’s mind. She felt like she ought to protest to protect Jake, but he really didn’t look like he needed to be protected. In fact, he looked like a man who had found what he wanted in life. And it looked like she was what he wanted.
Giving Jake what she hoped was a serious and solemn look, Tori slowly nodded her head. “Yes, Jake. I would like that. I would love to be your wife!” Then she burst into fits of laughter.
Jake hugged her to him and ran his hands down her back. It had been a whole month since she had felt his touch and Tori’s skin seemed to burst into flames under his hands. Jake pulled away only long enough to slip the ring onto Tori’s finger, then he spent the rest of the morning making sure that she remembered just how good they were together – and, the truth was, they were perfect together!
Epilogue
Three months had passed since Jake had proposed to Tori. Although there were some wedding plans to be made during that time, there were lots of other developments and changes going on in their lives, as well.
Jake’s exposure following the Vallirosa trial had opened up new doors for him. Although the law firm offered to bring him in as a full partner, he declined the offer and chose to stay with the detective style work he had been doing. He felt that being a lawyer added an edge to his work that others didn’t have and he wanted to keep using that advantage to benefit the firm’s clients.
Jake also decided to make use of his interest in photography. He had made arrangements with the local community college to offer a class for men and women interested in becoming private investigators. Although there were no educational requirements to be a P.I., there were certainly courses that could benefit anyone interested in the field. Jake offered to lead a class on photography. Jake taught not only how to take pictures, but he also went over the various equipment that a private investigator could utilize. The response was overwhelming. After his first six week class, Jake was offered a two year contract with the school. He readily agreed and was truly enjoying every aspect of his new job.