The Wedding Wish

believe that his feelings for her were sincere and that he’d never intentionally do anything to hurt her. At least, she hoped with her whole heart he wouldn’t. Because, at the moment, that heart was brimming with longing and affection for the one guy she now felt she had loved forever.
    Robert brought his lips to hers and kissed her sweetly. Then he deepened his passion in a skilled way he’d never known as a boy. Isabel felt herself melting away, losing herself in Robert’s embrace and surrendering to his ardor. He pulled her toward him, then gently laid her down, covering her body with his. How she wished they could stay here forever, with ocean breezes rippling and the first morning gulls just starting to call, as he kissed her over and over and her heart lost sight of what was…and could only dream of things to come.

Chapter Five

    The next few weeks passed like a dream for Isabel. Though before they’d been seeing each other regularly, since that night on the beach she and Robert had become practically inseparable. She loved everything about him, and being near him was where she wanted to be. It didn’t matter if they were out for a fancy dinner or sharing burgers at a drive-through, just being together felt right. Both their academic schedules kept them busy, but they did their best to dovetail their efforts so Isabel’s late nights at the studio corresponded with Robert’s moonlighting at the lab. One way or another, they’d been able to work things out so they spent nearly every moment of free time each of them had together. For together was where both of them wanted to be.
    “ Nooo! ” Isabel yelped as her bowling ball zigzagged across the lane and bounced once more into the alley. “Not again!”
    Robert handed her a cold draft beer. “You’ll get better with time.”
    “That’s what you said three weeks ago.”
    He sipped from his own beer and smiled. “I wouldn’t worry too much about the bowling. You have other strengths.”
    “You do too, Doctor,” she said, poking him in the ribs.
    “I’m not a doctor yet.”
    She shot him a sexy grin. “No, but you’re working on it.”
    He studied her a long while, emotion filling his eyes. “What do you say we wrap up this game and get out of here?”
    “Where do you want to go?”
    “Someplace quiet.”

    A little while later, they sat on a bench in a downtown park, each sipping from decaf coffee. “I can’t believe how great it’s been seeing you again,” she told him.
    There was agreement in his eyes. “It’s been a pretty special summer.”
    “And summer’s almost over,” she said with a sigh.
    “Lucky for us we’re both enrolled here in the fall.”
    “Yeah.”
    “Isabel. I want you to know that, even if we weren’t going to be…” He took her hand between them on the bench and turned to face her. “What I mean is, I would have wanted to keep seeing you regardless.”
    “I would have wanted to keep seeing you too,” she said, barely breathing the words.
    He set down his cup and brought his palm to her cheek. “I’ve known this for a long time, but it’s taken me a while to get my nerve up to say it. And that’s despite the fact I spent…oh, about a million years rehearsing.”
    “What?”
    His face warmed in a smile. “When I was thirteen, I mean. I knew it then. Knew it with my whole heart, but I never told you.” He studied her a prolonged beat, his eyes lingering on hers.“I love you, Isabel. Madly and deeply. The truth of the matter is, I don’t believe I’ve ever loved anybody more.”
    Her heart thumped in response as she felt her face flame. Everything he’d said, she felt as well. She’d adored him long ago, but somehow now—after so much time—she was crazy for him all the more. In a grown-up way, the sort of way that sometimes meant forever.
    “Oh, Robert,” she said, gazing up at him. “I love you too.”
    He brought his lips to hers. “That’s precisely what I’ve waited years to hear.” Then he kissed her again with the sweetness and passion that had been bottled up from long ago, and Isabel held fast, basking in its glory. While she’d imagined lots of things as a kid, she never could have envisioned being with Robert would be so wonderful. But it was. Wonderful and unforgettable too. Just having him hold her close made everyday cares fade away and her whole world bloom in Technicolor. It was more than special. More than unique. It really was like magic.

    A few days later,