Chapter Thirty-Eight

Candles and Macaroni

I don't know what just happened. I mean, I just told Chris; the love of my life, that I was putting his life in danger and I walked out on him. Wait, where was I planning on going anyways? I just walked out of my house. I reached for my phone and began to dial the first number that came to my mind. I hadn't realized which number I had called until after about the tenth ring. I hung up the phone when no one picked up and took the phone away from my ear. Tears began to form in my eyes.

I dialed mum.

My mind went on auto-pilot once again and kept any sense of discernment out. The line began ringing into my ear.

"Hello?"

Oh my goodness.

"Is that you Nicole?"

I cannot believe that I was stupid enough to dial that number.

"Please answer me darlin' I know you're there"

I hung up. I called Chris. How could I be so oblivious? We fought literally thirty minutes ago.

I was currently driving to god knows where in the drivers seat of my Honda Civic. Where did I plan on going you may ask? I don't know. I was just driving wherever my car would take me.

It wasn't until about forty or so minutes later that I realized where I was driving off to. Jacobs Bay. Even though Chris and I were supposed to be enjoying a nice few days up there together starting today, I still found myself wanting to go; needing to go. Jacobs Bay was my happy place as a child. The world around me would vanish; and take my problems along with it. After three more hours of driving, I had reached my destination. I lifted my suitcase out of the trunk of my car and dragged it behind me along the gravel driveway. Mum, dad and I used to rent this cabin every summer when I was growing up but after dad left, mum decided to use some of the money she received during the divorce to buy it so that we could come whenever we wanted to. We used to come here three or four times during the summer until my junior year in high school when I began focusing more on my studies. I had planned on going to the college in Beckton, but when I met Chris, that quickly changed. A friend of Chris and Addison's ran the lawfirm in town and he was looking for a new secretary so Chris talked to me and I was more than happy to accept. I didn't start until September. I get pretty much the entire summer off and holidays, as well as a very healthy paycheck.

When I had got inside of the cabin, I set my suitcase down and unpacked a little before I began to make my way to the cove. Mum and I had found the cove the second or third summer that we came here. It was about a fifteen minute walk from the cabin but it was so worth it. The cove was breathtakingly gorgeous. It was a little cave that opened up at the end of it. It had two giant cliffs on either side of the opening and it overlooked the bay. The sun would set in perfect view over the horizon every night. I don't think that anyone else found it because every time mum and I would come down, no one but us were there. I didn't seem to notice it much back when I was a kid; but now I couldn't be happier that the only noise in this cove was the sound of the water hitting the rocks. All I wanted to be right now was alone with my thoughts.

When I reached my serene cove, I plopped myself down on the rocks and dipped my toes into the water. I put my hands on the rock behind me to hold myself up and I gazed over the bay. It was about six o'clock when the sun began to set. The sky lit up with bright oranges and vibrant red and pink tones bouncing off of everything the light could reach. My mind instantly drifted to what had happened earlier today. I leaned forward and put my head in my hands.

How could I push him away from me like that? Chris was pretty much all I had left in my messed up life. He stood by me through all of my crap. How could I let him go? You almost got him killed remember? Oh yeah. That's why. It wasn't my fault that Jay was crazy I guess. A tear slid down my cheek before I was interrupted by someone's voice.

"I don't know why you did that"

I turned around and saw mum leaning against one of the cliffs to the side of the cave.

"I was protecting him mum" I sighed. I knew how ridiculous that sounded but I couldn't have him hurt because of me.

"You didn't protect him from anything honey. The person you are trying to protect him from is gone"

Wait, was Jay dead? Did Chris kill him the night of the accident?

"Oh my-" I breathed "I had no idea"

"That's because that jackass knocked you out cold"

I chuckled a little at her choice of words. Mum never really liked Jay. I think she figured out that he was abusing me a while before Jay and I broke up but never said anything, she just kept dropping hints suggesting that I should dump his sorry ass.

"What did I do mum? I screwed up real bad" I said "I even left the ring-" I looked down at my finger. The ring was gone. I left it on the kitchen counter back at home when I left. I'm officially stupid. My finger felt bare without it. I found myself making a move to play with the ring as I had done since I got it, but it wasn't there anymore. Great job Nicole. You really screwed up this time.

"You may think you screwed up. But someone else doesn't" she smiled.

Just then, my Lieutenant Garrett made his grand entrance into the cave I thought no one knew about.

"Hey darlin'" he smiled weakly.

"Hi" I returned his smile, tears beginning to form in my red puffy eyes once again.

I stood from my spot on the rocks and he began to walk towards me. I crashed into his shoulder that was once injured and he wrapped his arms around my shoulders.

"Why did you come? I screwed up Chris. You should have left me alone-I deserved that after what I did" I said sadly.

"Hey" he started, his voice stern. "I could never let that happen to you. Sure, you maybe screwed up a little, but I was the one who didn't tell you about Jay. I could never ever let you get away from me. Ever. I love you Nicole Jessica. And I'll never let you go"

He brushed through my hair with his fingers and rocked me back and forth. I had learned that this was his way of trying to calm me when I was upset. And I had also found out that it worked.

"Why didn't you tell me about Jay?" I asked slightly pulling away from his grip and instantly regretting doing so because my arms were cold where he held them.

"I honestly don't know. I should have told you but I guess I felt a little bad for having to kill him"

"You were the one who killed him?"

"Yeah. I had no other choice I mean, he shot Ryan and Kyle, and hurt you. What else is a man supposed to do? Stand there and let him take you from me? No. You were almost taken from me once and I wasn't going to let that come virtually close to happening again"

I instantly hugged him at the sound of those words. My arms wrapped around his torso and he held my head against his chest. The sun was setting now and it was the most beautiful thing I had seen in my life. This landscape managed to take my breath away every time I visited.

I took Chris's hand and sat down with him where I was before he showed up. With my back against his chest; how we always sit together.

"Wanna go swimming?" he asked smiling.

"Love to" I smiled at him and he gave me a long-awaited kiss that I didn't exactly know I was needing until now.

He helped me to my feet and I took off my shirt and shorts leaving me in the bikini I put on earlier today. He wasn't wearing swim shorts but boxers were close enough for him I guess.

"One, two, three!!" and we jumped into the cold bay waters High School Musical style. The water was too deep for me to touch but Chris could just fine considering he was a good ten inches taller than me.

"Hey Nicole"

"Yeah honey?" I asked looking intently at him, while trying desperately to stay afloat.

He grabbed my waist and held me bridal style while looking me in the eyes. His grey-blue eyes looked back at me with love and emotion. I could tell that he truly loved me. And I knew he could tell that I loved him too.

"Will you marry me?"

"What?"

"You left the ring at home after you left so I figured that I needed to ask you all over again" he smiled. laughing a little "Now, let me try that again. Nicole Jessica Collins, will you marry me?"

"Mmm I guess" I said, beaming.

He laughed before dunking the both of us underwater and slipping the ring back into its place on my finger. He pulled me close to him once again while we were submerged and kissed me. I kissed him back with all of the love I could offer him. This was probably one of my favourite kisses I had shared with him. Next to, the Eiffel Tower after our first engagement and our first kiss on the top of the ferris wheel at the Beckton Fair.

When we reached the surface, he kissed me again before we swam around for a little longer. After about twenty minutes, the sun had fully set and we were making our way back to the cabin.

"How did you know where the cove was?" I asked.

"You may have told me about it once or twice"

"I don't remember telling you though"

"Well, I think you did. Or maybe I got it out of your mum a while back but who cares right?" he said chuckling.

I playfully smacked his arm and he threw me over his shoulder, carrying me back to the cabin like a sack of potatoes.

We arrived back at the cabin and Chris began to make us dinner. I loved that he could cook because I really needed a relaxing bath. I ran the water and stepped in. I let the hot water surround me as all of my stress began to slip away.

I got out about thirty minutes later and Chris was finishing up with dinner. It was simple; just macaroni and cheese. But since we hadn't really went shopping to stock the fridge yet, it was all we could really make.

He was stirring the cheese into the pasta when I wrapped my arms around him from behind. He turned off the stove and spun to face me. He kissed me lightly before I grabbed some bowls from out of the cupboard. I spooned some macaroni into the bowls and walked out onto the deck which also overlooked the bay. I lit the candles that were out there and we sat together in the candlelight, eating macaroni and conversing the night away.

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Phew! Well happy ending to that chapter! Wasn't it cute that Chris proposed again? And that it was sort of an underwater proposal? Aw I totally ship Chris and Nicole together.

Keep commenting and voting and I will keep the chapters a comin'

Happy reading!

Eagle_Eye_13 xx