Finally

Chapter 1

Chloe

 I always felt safest when I was in his arms. It’s where I first realized that I loved him. When I realized that I was his and he was mine and it could never be any other way. His name was Jace.

       We met back at a party back in college. I had been a little careless that night and was just a little (okay, a lot) drunk. I managed to trip over my own feet and landed straight in his arms. He caught me and held me up. And yes, that’s where, through my drunken haze, I fell in love with him. I like to think he fell in love with me then, too. I had never met him before that night. That year, I was a sophomore, he was a senior. Jace and I dated for the rest of my time in college. The night I graduated, he took me out for dinner. We ate, and talked and laughed. At the end of the night, he got out of his seat, and kneeled down in front of me (on one knee of course.).

      “When I met you that night, I never imagined us being where we are today. I never thought I would fall so completely in love with you. But I did. And now I can’t imagine life without you.” Jace paused. “Chloe Elizabeth Hayes, will you marry me?”

     "Oh my God! Yes!” I replied, “Yes I’ll marry you.” We kissed, and it was perhaps the happiest I’ve ever been.

       Time until our wedding date flew by. Before we knew it, it was the night before the wedding. We were sitting on the roof. Jace’s arms were around me just like he knew I loved. We were talking about our future, our wedding, anything we could think of.

       “Tomorrow,” he said, “You will become Mrs. Chloe Martin.”

I smiled at the thought and leaned in for a kiss. “I love you, Jace,” I said. I don’t know how long we stayed on the roof after that. It had probably been an hour when my eyes started to close. Jace looked down at me.

      “Getting tired?” he asked.

      I yawned. “Yeah.”

      “C’mon, I’ll take you back to your room.”

    We stood up and together walked off the hotel roof, down the stairs, down a few hallways. His arm stayed around me that whole time. We stopped at my door.

      “This is where I leave, isn’t it?” Jace asked.

      I nodded. We wouldn’t be sleeping in the same room. It was considered bad luck to spend the night with your fiance the night before you are married. Jace kissed me passionately, pushing me back against the door. When we broke apart, he started to turn to walk back down the hall.

       “I love you,” I said.

      “And I, you.” he responded. “I'll never stop. See you tomorrow.” Jace turned and walked back down the hall. I didn’t know that it would be the last time I ever saw him. If I did, I would have stopped him. I would have said that it didn’t matter. We could be together tonight. But I didn’t know so I didn’t stop him.

       “Eighteen more hours,” I whispered to myself. “Eighteen more hours and I will be his.”

I smiled and walked into my room.