Thomas Greening is standing at my side. This time, he’s wearing the baseball hat, but no sunglasses. His murky black eyes are even more frightening than his creepy grin.

  My whole body tenses. I feel myself spring up onto my toes, my quads bunched as I get ready to bolt.

  Before I can run, he speaks. “Don’t even think about running.”

  He steps closer. “Don’t make any sudden movements, or it will be the last thing that you do. Understand?” He reaches a hand out, and places it on my shoulder. He smiles.

  To an observing stranger, it might look like he’s greeting me with a pat on the shoulder. To me, his hand is a vice grip, sealing my fate.

  This is the end.

  He starts steering me away from the security gate, back toward the exit. “Keep walking. Keep your head down,” he instructs.

  His voice is close to my ear. I look down, but from the corners of my eyes I’m searching the crowds, hoping that someone will see what’s happening and help me. Greening releases his hand from my shoulder, but stays so close that I can feel his upper arm touching mine.

  I see a teenage girl looking in our direction. She’s sitting on a bench outside of a fast-food stand, watching people pass. From the corner of my eye, it looks like she’s examining us.

  I chance a quick look up, hoping that she’ll see the panic in my eyes.

  “Head down!” whispers Greening.

  He wraps his arm around me, tight, as we keep moving.

  “I told you not to try anything funny. You’re going to pay for that,” he whispers. There’s a sick tone of joy in his tone, as if this is all great fun to him.

  “Where are you taking me?” I ask.

  “Shut up and keep walking,” he orders.

  We must be almost at the exit. He’ll put me into a car, and take me who knows where. These people—strangers that I’m passing by—might be the last people that I see. This might be my last chance to give a signal, yell for help—do something.

  But fear has paralyzed me. My mouth feels like it’s filled with cotton, and my legs seem to be made of jelly. Greening is propelling us forward, and I feel powerless under the pressure of his arm around my shoulders.

  He speaks softly into my ear. “I don’t want to have to hurt you Harper. You know what? I don’t want to have to hurt Charlie, either.”

  I thought my blood was cold before, but now it turns to ice in my veins.

  “Charlie?” My voice sounds like a whimper.

  “Just keep walking. I’ll leave him alone if you behave. Good girl… Keep walking. Keep that head down.”

  I know that he’s saying anything that he can to keep me from yelling, screaming, trying to fight him or run. And it’s working. His words have zapped any inkling to fight or make a scene straight out of me. Maybe he’s bluffing about Charlie, but maybe he’s not. I keep walking, silently, trying but failing to think of any way to get out of this.

  We step into the revolving doors and they spit us out into the fresh air.

  It’s evening, and the sidewalk is lit by pale white glow of the airport’s overhead street lights. But suddenly, as we step out, there’s a flash of red and blue lights. I hear a car door slam. I look up and see a police car screech to a halt, blocking the road. More cars swarm in after it, from every direction.

  A voice blasts through a loudspeaker. “Step away from the woman. Put your hands up in the air!”

  For a second, Greening’s grip tightens around me.

  The voice repeats. “I said step away, with your hands up!”

  His arm lifts off of me, and it feels like a thousand pounds has just been lifted off of my shoulders.

  I feel like I can breathe. Thomas’s hands are up, and the police are closing in on him.

  I’m saved!

  That’s when I spot Jason. He’s dodging around police officers, making his way to me. One tries to stop him, and he says something quickly. The policeman lets him through, and suddenly, Jason is at my side.

  I’m crying, of course. I feel like it’s all I’ve been doing these past few days.

  But now, the tears are from relief.

  “It’s okay, Harper. It’s okay,” Jason says. He wraps his arms around me, holding me safe. I grip him hard, hugging him as if my life depends on it. I almost never got to see him again, never got to tell him how I really feel.

  “It’s okay, it’s okay,” he says over and over into my ear.

  Finally, I believe him. I trust him. Finally, I feel myself letting go of any need to defend myself. I let myself be held in his strong arms and comforted by his words.

  “How did you know?” I ask.

  “I hired a team of detectives the night you told me about seeing Greening in Ireland. They’ve been tracking him, and just after you left the house tonight, they called to say that he was heading to the airport. I knew what he was after.”

  I collapse into Jason again, and he holds me up, stroking my hair, whispering in my ear.

  “It’s over now,” he says. “Harper, you’re safe. I’m here. I’ll take care of you. Everything is okay.” His body is warm and sturdy. I press my head against the firm plane of his chest. I can feel his heart beating as he holds me.

  “It’s over,” he whispers. “The police have him now. They’ll have CCTV footage of the whole thing, inside of the airport. This time, with evidence of an attempted kidnapping, he’s sure to go to prison for a very, very long time.”

  Jason’s words soothe me. I feel my tears dry, and my body stops shaking as he rubs circles over my back.

  He’s holding me. He’s here. He saved me.

  I peel myself back, off of his chest, and tilt my chin upwards, looking into his face.

  There he is, the man I’ve come to know so well… The man I’ve fallen in love with.

  He looks down at me, and his strong fingers brush my bangs out of my eyes. Then he runs his thumb over my cheek, erasing the dried streak of a tear.

  “I’m here,” he whispers. “I’ll take care of you. Now that this is over, there’s nothing to stop us from being together, Harper.”

  I want him to say it again. I want him to say it louder, over and over again. These are the words I’ve been longing to hear.

  “You mean…you want to be with me?” I ask. I know that he does, but I want to hear it again.

  “More than anything in the whole world,” he says softly. His tone is low and raspy. I can tell that he’s full to the brim with emotion.

  My head feels clear. I suppose that’s what almost dying will do to you.

  “I want to be with you, too,” I say.

  His eyes burn into mine. “Then let’s do it. Let’s be together, Harper. Don’t leave. Don’t go back to Boston.”

  I meet his gaze. “Okay” I say. “I’ll stay.”

  My heart swells with love for him. He leans down and kisses me, and I wrap my arms around his neck and kiss him back. The flashing blue and red lights illuminate our surroundings, and I feel happier and more alive than I’ve felt in a long, long time.

  Epilogue

  Six Months Later: Harper

  Charlie takes off his snow-covered hat and mittens and throws them to the ground. Before I can remind him to pick them up, he’s scampering through our hotel suite, eagerly checking out room after room.

  I look over at Jason. He’s laughing, shaking his head. “For a kid who travels a lot, he never seems to get over the excitement of getting to a new hotel room,” he says.

  “No kidding! It’s like he thinks that there might be an amusement park waiting in the bedroom for him.”

  “Well, for the price tag on one night here, there very well might be,” Jason jokes.

  “Good thing we’re only staying for a weekend,” I tease back.

  He gives me a look—like he has a surprise for me that he’s been waiting to share.

  Yep, I know that look well, by now. Over the past six months, I’ve seen that look plenty of times before. Jason seems to delight in giving me things: a new car, new dresses, a membership to one of the fanciest spas in Queens.

  “What?” I ask.

  “Well…” he sidles toward me.

  I continue looking at him questioningly. “What did you do?” I ask.

  “I may have extended our stay, just a little bit.”

  I gasp. Jason told me that our ski vacation in Aspen would have to be brief—three days and two nights—because he’s leaving for a work trip on Tuesday morning.

  “You did?” I ask. “But I thought you had that trip to China—”

  Just then, Charlie darts out of a doorway that’s down the hall. “I can see the whole mountain from in here!”

  “Cool, buddy!” Jason signs, grinning.

  Charlie runs on to the next room. I keep looking at Jason, waiting for him to answer me.

  “I rescheduled,” he says, wrapping his arms around me.

  “You did? For when?”

  We hug for a moment. I’m thrilled with this news, but also a little worried about his work trip.

  “Two weeks out,” he says. “We can stay and ski. There’s supposed to be some great snow coming in later in the week, around Friday. We’ll have powder days.”

  The thought of skiing powder with my two favorite guys in the world makes me excited, but I can’t let go of the China thing. Everything he’s mentioned about the trip has made it sound like an unmissable opportunity.

  “But Jason, isn’t your trip to China important? Will everything be fine, even if you postpone it?”

  He pulls back so that he can look me in the eye. “Baby, nothing is as important as you and Charlie. I want to be here, spending time with you. I love you. Let’s have a great vacation.”

  I smile. It’s taken time, but over the past six months, Jason has become less and less stressed about work. I think that the Greening scare really caused him to examine his priorities.

  I stand on my tiptoes and kiss him. “That means a lot to me,” I whisper.

  He smiles. “Good. I want you to be happy.”

  “I am.” I smile, and it’s the truth. Every day feels better than the last.

  He kisses me again. This time, our kiss is more than just a peck. His lips move against mine, and my body bends toward his. He lifts me up, and the tidal wave of need and desire that always seems to be just under the surface washes over me.

  I love this man.

  Every time we kiss, it feels like the first time. I reach my hands up, and run them through the hair on the back of his neck.

  His lips move from mine, and he whispers in my ear. “I can’t wait to check out the master bedroom,” he says pointedly.

  I giggle, and we part, each thinking about what the night has in store for us.

  “What do you say we go check out the lounge?” Jason says, as we begin walking into the suite. It’s the size of a full house, and it will be the perfect place for our two weeks of skiing and fun.

  “Sure,” I say. “I’d like to freshen up first, maybe change out of my traveling clothes.”

  “Okay,” Jason says. “I’ll take Charlie down now and we’ll save us a couch. It looked like they were filling up fast.”

  The hotel seems to be a popular one, for good reason—it’s known for being the best in Aspen. When we checked in, there were already swarms of people mingling in the hotel lounge, sipping glasses of red wine and laughing about the day’s skiing adventures.

  “Perfect,” I say.

  I spend the next half hour showering, doing my hair and makeup, and dressing. I’ve had lots of fun with Jason’s credit card, buying a whole new wardrobe with his blessing, and it’s more exciting than ever before to pick out clothes for the evening. I choose a pair of perfectly fitting black jeans and a beautifully cut cashmere sweater in black. I wrap a red statement necklace around my neck, which matches my lipstick and the color of my latest manicure, and then I peer into the mirror.

  I’m stunned by the woman I see. She looks confident, beautiful, and radiantly happy.

  As I descend the hotel stairs on my way to the lounge, I can see the tables, couches, and the tops of people’s heads as they mill about. I scan the room for the Rayneses, but there are too many people around. At the bottom of the stairs, I pause, once again looking over the many faces.

  I instinctively reach for my phone, but it’s all the way back up in the room, and I don’t want to go get it. Instead, I begin moving between couches, looking for Jason and Charlie.

  I’m nearing the bar when, finally, I spot them.

  Jason has seen me first, and by the time our eyes lock, he’s got this love-struck look on his face that makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

  I feel so loved as I walk toward him. As I near the table, he lifts his hand as if he’s hailing waitstaff. “Excuse me, miss?” he says. “Could we get a drink menu over here?”

  I laugh. I know that he’s making a joke—reminding me of the way we met, in a lounge similar to this one.

  I look down at my outfit. “Do I look like a waitress to you?” I ask. “Because maybe I need to change my outfit or something—”

  “No!” he protests. “Don’t. You look gorgeous. You’re the most gorgeous waitress I’ve ever seen. I’m still waiting on that drink menu.”

  “All right, sir,” I say, playing along. “What’ll it be?”

  “Are you sure you’ll be able to remember my order?” he asks.

  “I have a mind like a steel trap.”

  “Okay… I’ll have a whiskey and spring water—no ice. And a lemonade for the little guy.”

  I roll my eyes, and laugh as I head toward the bar.

  After a couple minutes of waiting, I request the two drinks from the bartender, adding on a glass of Chianti to the order for myself.

  While I wait for our drinks, I look over at Jason and Charlie. They’re signing to each other and laughing. It makes me so happy that Jason’s been spending more time with him lately. Charlie is crazy about his father, just like I am.

  Charlie flourishes under his dad’s attention and he seems to like my attention too. I’m still tutoring him, but we also do other stuff together now, besides learning. Sometimes, I read to him before bed, or we cook pancakes together in the morning. It’s one of the best things about living with Jason—the time that I get to spend with his son. I love Charlie as if he was my own child.

  “Here you go, ma’am,” the bartender says, sliding a small tray across the polished wooden bar. “Do you want to pay now, or start a tab?”

  “We’re staying for dinner, so might as well start a tab.” I give him Jason’s credit card and then pick up the tray before carefully weaving my way back to our table. I’m about to say something sassy to Jason about his order, when Charlie catches my attention by signing, “Guess what they have on the menu, Harper?”

  “What?” I ask, pretending to be just as excited as he is.

  “Come look!” He points excitedly to the menu that is unfolded on the table before him.

  I move around the table and sit down on the couch next to him. He snuggles against me, and points at the menu. I bend over it and read the section he’s pointing to.

  “Octopus!” I sign. “Whoa! Should we get it?”

  He makes a face. “I don’t know… What do you think?”

  “Let’s try it!” I say. “What else are you going to get?”

  He puts his hand against his lip, thinking hard. I see him start to read over the menu, deep in thought.

  Jason is sitting on the other side of Charlie. He leans forward, holding his drink out. “Um, miss? There’s something wrong with my drink.” His tone is all snooty, as if he’s an upset customer complaining to his server.

  I laugh. “Oh, is there, sir?”

  “Yes… Here, I’ll show you.” He stands up.

  I don’t know what he’s getting at, but it’s fun to joke with him. I stand up too, leaving Charlie to look over the menu.

  Only, as I stand and round the table, I see that Charlie isn’t looking at the menu at all. He’s looking up at his dad, grinning. Charlie’s expression is one that, up until now, I’ve only seen on his father’s face. It’s that same look as earlier—one that tells of a surprise about to be delivered.

  I quickly look over to Jason. He’s grinning wildly too now, and I catch him shoot a wink down in Charlie’s direction.

  “What are you two up to?” I ask.

  I meet Jason in the middle of the table. Charlie is across from us.

  Jason holds out his drink. “Really, ma’am. There’s something in here. Maybe it needs to go back, or…” He holds it out to me, and I peer into his glass. As I look in, I feel his eyes on me, and Charlie’s as well.

  Then, I see it. There, at the bottom of the glass, is a ring. A big ring.

  A diamond ring, by the looks of it.

  I gasp.

  Jason drops down onto one knee. He’s laughing as he pours the drink out into an empty water glass on the table, catching the ring as it slides out with the liquid.

  He holds the ring up, toward me.

  “It’s a bit wet,” he signs, still smiling. I see Charlie laughing.

  My hands are on my chest. I am speechless. I can barely breathe.

  “Harper,” he signs. “I have so much fun with you. You make me smile every day we’re together. You make me feel like the luckiest man in the world. Charlie and I would be lost without you. Will you marry me?”

  I have to take a few breaths. If I don’t, I might pass out.

  This man is looking up at me with so much adoration. I glance over at Charlie, and see him beaming with happiness.

  When I look back to Jason, I breathe in again, and then I feel my eyes sparkling and my smile widening. As it spreads across my face, I sign, “Yes! Yes, yes, yes!”, crying the words out loud for good measure.

  Jason reaches for my hand. I’m still in shock as he slides the large diamond up and over my left ring finger. Still holding my hand, he stands and then leans toward me and kisses me.

  I kiss him back. This man is going to be my husband!

  I’ve reached the pinnacle of happiness. In Jason’s arms, as his fiancée, I have everything a girl could ever want.

  At least, that’s what I think…until I feel Charlie’s arms wrap around us, and my world gets even better.