It had been there all along. Her confession. If only he’d read it that morning, or on the plane. He closed his eyes and shook his head. Or maybe it was supposed to have been this way. Maybe he had to leave to know what he’d lost.
He pulled his telegram out of his pocket and read the first two lines.
I COULDN’T LET YOU GO WITHOUT TELLING YOU THE TRUTH. STOP. I LOVE YOU. STOP.
They’d used exactly the same words.
He leaned forward anxiously, then realized that he couldn’t make the plane go faster, no matter how much he willed it. So he forced himself to relax and to wait. He would call her from Hawaii. This time he would get through. He had to. He loved her.
* * *
ARIZONA PRESSED THE receiver harder against his ear. The noise in the terminal was deafening. “Chloe, is that you?”
“Yes.” Her voice sounded strange.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. I sound funny because I’m crying.”
His chest tightened. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, silly. I’m crying because I’m happy. I got your telegram. I’m sorry you had to cut your trip short, but I’m glad you’re coming home. I love you, Arizona.”
“I love you, too.” He practically had to shout, but it was worth it. They were actually talking to each other. “I missed you.”
“I’ve missed you, too.” She cleared her throat. “Are you sure you want to do this? I mean with your work and everything, are you sure you want to give up the travel?”
He understood that she was asking for him—wanting him to make sure that he wasn’t going to regret his decision later. “I have two things to say about that,” he told her. “First, I’m going to take the job at Bradley University. Their offer gave me plenty of time to travel in the summer, along with scheduled sabbaticals. I sort of thought you’d go with me.”
“Of course. I’d like that. First class all the way, right?”
“Sure. I’ll get you the best camels and carts around.”
She laughed. “I do love you. What else?”
“I sent the telegram before I read the article, Chloe. I sent it before I knew what you’d written on the last page.”
He heard her breath catch. She was crying again.
“Chloe, don’t.”
“I can’t help it. I’m so happy.”
He looked at the crowds in the terminal. The public-address system announced the first boarding call for his flight. This was not how he’d wanted to do it, but he didn’t have a choice.
“I have to go,” he said. “But first I want to ask you something.”
She sniffed. “What?”
“Will you marry me?”
“What?”
The terminal suddenly got very quiet. Arizona looked up and saw several dozen people staring at him. He waved, then turned his back on them. “Will you marry me? I love you and I want us to be together for the rest of our lives. We’ll make it work. I know we can do that.”
“I know we can, too. Yes, I’ll marry you, Arizona. I’ll also be waiting at the gate in San Francisco. I’ll rent a room down by the waterfront and we can spend the night drinking champagne and making love.”
He thought about the little statue in his pocket and knew they would have to pass on the champagne. But the rest of it sounded perfect.
“I’ll see you in about five hours,” he said. “I love you. I can’t wait to see you.”
“Fly safe. ’Bye.”
He hung up the phone and picked up his carry-on bag. The crowd around him burst into applause. He was still grinning when he took his seat.
* * *
“SPARKLING CIDER?” Chloe asked, as she handed him his glass.
Arizona raised himself up on one elbow to take the fruit drink and smiled. “I wasn’t in the mood for alcohol. Thanks for indulging me.”
She slipped into bed and snuggled close. “Right now I would do anything for you.”
She would, too. It felt so right to be back together with him. Letting him go had been difficult, but in her heart Chloe knew she’d made the right decision. Maybe Arizona had needed to go away to figure out where he really wanted to be. She didn’t know if it was fate, the nightgown, the stars or just luck, but they were together and they were going to stay together. She couldn’t ask for anything more.
Arizona leaned over, put down his glass and grabbed a pad of paper from the nightstand.
“What’s that for?” she asked.
“A list. Eventually we’re going to leave this bed and head back to Bradley.”
“Probably,” she teased.
He kissed her, then returned his attention to the paper. “This is everything we have to do in the next few days. First, I have to call and accept the job offer at the university.”
“I made an appointment for you with Dr. Grantham. It’s on Friday at ten.” She winked. “I know your style. You would want to see him as soon as possible.”
He grinned. “We’re going to be great together. Okay, that’s done. Second, I have to call my father. Nada, the woman I was telling you about, wants him to come visit her.”
“I’m sure he’ll enjoy his time there.” Chloe glanced at the fat little statue he’d brought her. It sat on the dresser, its unblinking eyes seeming to see everything. “There’s something strange about the shape of that thing,” she said. “I just can’t put my finger on it.”
“We need to set a date for the wedding.”
She considered that. “I don’t need anything fancy, so we can have it quickly, if you would like to.”
He kissed her again. “I would like to very much.”
“Good, I—”
But instead of pulling back, he deepened the kiss. Chloe leaned close to him. “What about your list?” she asked.
He tossed the paper and pen onto the floor. “It can wait. I think we have a little more catching up to do.”
He lowered her onto her back and slid his hand over her body. Chloe arched into his touch. His warm fingers lingered on her belly, stroking the smooth skin there. Without meaning to, she opened her eyes and saw the little stone statue. How odd, she thought. If she didn’t know better, she would swear its little face was smiling. Then Arizona’s fingers slipped lower and she couldn’t think about anything except how wonderful it was to be back where she belonged…where they both belonged.
She closed her eyes as he entered her and for that brief second, she thought she felt straw under her back, as if they were in the cave again. Just like in the dream. As passion carried her higher and higher, she realized that nothing about life with Arizona was ever going to be completely normal, but it was always going to be wonderful and exciting. They could give each other everything and accept everything in return. They were bound by forces they couldn’t see or understand, caught up in the tide of love. After all, they were each other’s destiny.