see the man who has made me feel special.”
“You are special, and you will see again, sweetheart. I believe you will. Those flashes of light are something positive. Your doctor’s appointment this week confirmed that. But if you don’t ever see again, then that’s okay, too, because I’ll be here regardless. I’ll be by your side. Always.”
Ben knew what he was saying, the commitment he was pledging, and meant each and every word. He was getting used to telling Mona to watch her step, used to telling her where things were and being her eyes. He felt it wasn’t an inconvenience but an honor. Not a burden but a privilege.
“You ready to take a walk on the beach?” he asked, pushing tendrils of hair back from her face.
“Yes.”
He reached down and unhooked her sandals, brushing his hands against her ankles. He heard her sharp intake of breath. He smiled. Sight wasn’t needed when it came to chemistry between two people. Especially when that chemistry was fueled by feelings and emotions.
Ben helped her up and tenderly continued holding her hand as they began walking underneath the brightness of the sun. It was a beautiful day, and they would enjoy it.
* * *
“Look around. Make yourself at home.”
Gripping her overnight bag in her hand, Shana stepped into the living room and glanced around. She wasn’t sure what she would find after traveling several miles past the entrance to Shenandoah National Park and then driving another hour through miles and miles of wilderness as they made their way up the Blue Ridge Mountains. According to Jace, he’d called ahead to tell the caretaker he would be arriving and to have the cabin ready.
As Shana glanced around, her thoughts, the same ones she’d had when they’d pulled up to the cabin, were confirmed. This was not the cabin she thought she would find. Instead, it looked more like a beautiful château in the mountains. It had two stories with the second floor overlooking the first. The walls were made of stained wood and the downstairs was spacious, with an open concept. The kitchen belonged to someone who loved to cook and the dining area to someone with a big family. The living room was enormous, with a huge fireplace on one solid wall and a wide-screen television on the other. Rugs scattered about on the floor gave the place a lived-in look, while the silk plants that looked almost real added foliage that wasn’t grown in this area. The greenery enhanced the inside scenery to complement the outside. What she liked most was that the entire back wall was made of glass and provided a panoramic view of Streater Lake and the rest of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
“So what do you think?” Jace asked, joining her after closing the door behind him with the heel of his boot. His arms were full of grocery bags. They’d made a stop at one of the general stores at the foot of the mountain. He claimed he could cook, and she was dying to see if he was telling the truth. She had no problem admitting that cooking wasn’t her specialty.
“I think it’s beautiful. How long have you had it?” she asked, setting her bag on the sofa.
She tried not to notice how sexy he looked in a T-shirt, scruffy jeans and battered boots. He’d arrived at her place bright and early at seven, and when she’d opened the door, her heart had gone pitter-pat. He’d been smiling, and as soon as he’d stepped inside her house, he had pulled her into his arms and kissed her. If she hadn’t been wide-awake before, that kiss had definitely done it.
“I’ve had it for a couple of years now. My family owned one about four miles east of here,” he said, moving toward the kitchen. “After Mom died and Dad was sent away, no one wanted to come here, so Granddad sold it.”
He placed the bags on the counter. “Dad used to take us camping a lot, and I’ve always liked being close to nature. I heard about this place going up for sale and grabbed it. This is only my third time coming here.”
She joined him in the kitchen, and without asking if he needed help, she assisted in going through the bags and putting items away. Although the kitchen was large, it seemed they would occasionally bump into each other, making the simmering sparks inside of her flare even more.
It had felt odd pushing a grocery cart