Heart of Stone - Book 1: Fighting Fate

Once they got off the Ferris Wheel, Dan tried to hide the fact that his legs were shaking. He wiped the sweat from his palms before reaching down to hold her hand again.

“Well.” Dan heaved a sigh. “That wasn’t so bad.”

Aubree flashed him a big grin. “Great. So, you up for the swings next?”

He blanched, making her laugh profusely.

“I’m kidding,” she teased.

“Please, don’t tease me like that,” he said, squeezing her hand.

She giggled helplessly, pulling him into her arms and nuzzling her face into his neck. She inhaled his scent, but couldn’t help thinking about Stone and how his earthy, spicy scent overwhelmed her so much.

Dan’s arms were soothing, not suffocating like Stone’s.

Wait, why was she thinking about Stone?

She pushed Stone out of her mind as Dan planted a kiss on her head. Her lips pulled up in a smile as she leaned back to look up at him. “Feel better now that you have both feet planted on the ground?”

He looked somewhat embarrassed, as if being afraid of heights made him less of a man. Aubree tried not to laugh at this thought because the poor guy was embarrassed enough by it. He did, after all, go on the ride with her just to make her happy.

“Come on,” she said, stepping back and taking his hand in hers and giving it a squeeze. “The sun will be setting soon and it’s a bit of a walk out.”

Walking side by side down the pier out into the lake, she felt light, as if she was strolling along without a care in the world. She had always loved holding Dan’s hand. It made her feel more connected to him. It wasn’t as big and rough as Stone’s.

Dammit! Her nose wrinkled, and she turned her head so Dan wouldn’t notice.

Why did Stone keep invading her mind? It was like she couldn’t live a moment without being reminded of him in some way.

Like the way he entwined his fingers with hers and brought the back of her hand to his lips.

Her heart fluttered with the memory and her cheeks grew hot. His lips had been soft as they pressed gently on her knuckles. She had pushed the bubbling of emotions down at the time because of her worry about Dan’s health, but now it was all she could think about.

The intensity of his eyes and the way he looked at her tormented her. There was an internal battle going on behind those swirling pools of blue, and she wondered if there was something more going on with him than he was letting on.

How much longer would it take before she’d be able to get him out of her head? He shouldn’t even be in there in the first place!

The wind nipped at her neck as it blew her hair around her face.

“You weren’t kidding,” Dan said, breaking her out of her deep reverie. “The skyline is going to be awesome.”

Glancing up at him, her gaze followed his to the skyline behind them as they walked farther out into the lake. There were a few clouds in the sky to catch the light and turn a pinkish-orange color.

It was going to be breath-taking soon and she would see it with Dan, the most important person in her life.

She grinned up at him, feeling her inner child come out again like she had moments ago. “Come on! I’ll race ya to the end!”

He laughed. “Are you serious?”

She raked her teeth over her bottom lip and didn’t give him an answer before she sprinted forward.

“Bree!”

Squealing, her feet carried her through the crowds of people with Dan hot on her heels, chuckling at her and her shenanigans.

The wind blew against her face, nipping at her nose as she exhaled. She saw an elderly woman shake her head in disapproval from the corner of her eye as she raced ahead, but Aubree didn’t care. That woman could stay a fussy old fart for all she cared.

Distracted, she didn’t even notice that Dan managed to catch up with her. A pair of arms grabbed her from behind and picked her up off the ground.

“Gotcha!” Dan declared as she shrieked, her feet kicking at the air under her.

Dammit, why did he have to be six feet tall? It wasn’t fair!

“Dan! Put me down!” she wailed between fits of laughter.

“You cheated,” he accused, squeezing her tightly to his chest. “You got a head start. My turn now.”

Laughter burst from her as he set her down behind him and he took off through the crowds.

“Dammit Dan!” she yelled, running after him. “Your legs are longer than mine! I deserved the head start!”

The crowds started to thicken the farther out they got. Everyone was trying to get the best view of the skyline for those few precious moments it took for the sun to set.

Dan’s size made it harder for him to maneuver through, while Aubree’s petite frame enabled her to weave through them more smoothly.

In the end, she beat him after all.

They were both laughing between pants when Dan caught up to her and wrapped her in his arms. “You little minx,” he said as he kissed the top of her head.

She grinned as she buried her face into his neck again. His arms were warm, not that she was cold after that little sprint, but she found comfort in them. He was always solid, strong, dependable, loving, and kind. She could spend all day in his arms if there was nothing to pull her away from him.

He smoothed her hair back and she looked up to meet his gaze. Her heart swelled with all the love that shone in his brown eyes.

“You know how you asked me if I believed in soulmates?” he asked, his voice soft and laced with emotion.

Aubree nodded, thinking about how flustered he got, even with sauce on his cheek.

“I never thought about it until then, and you got me thinking. Maybe we are soulmates and maybe we aren’t. But being with you here makes me realize that if there is a greater power in this world, He put us together for a reason. And I can’t think of anyone else I’d want to spend my life with.”

Aubree could feel her eyes widening as the realization hit her. Her heart skipped a beat before resuming its strong and quickening rhythm within her chest as he pulled away and got down on one knee.

He took her left hand in his and reached into his pocket and pulled out a ring.

“Aubree Marie Brennan, will you marry me?”