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I ran home and grabbed my purse and car keys, jumped into my car, and drove as fast as the speed limit would allow toward the port. I parked the car and walked quickly toward the docks, pushing down the nervousness. My entire future rested on what was about to happen, and I just hoped Sam would give me a chance again.
I had no idea which boat was his. I glanced up and down the marina, hoping to catch sight of him, but I soon discovered that to my untrained eyes the boats all looked very similar. After several minutes of searching, I still hadn’t found him.
It didn’t matter; I wasn’t going to give up that easily. I spotted a fisherman working on a boat further down the docks. He looked up from his work when I approached.
“Excuse me. I’m looking for Sam Mooney. Do you know him?” I prayed silently that the man could help me.
“Sure, I know Sam. He usually comes in about this time. He’ll dock right over there.” The man pointed to the right of where we were standing, just a few spaces over. “He shouldn’t be much longer if you want to wait on him.”
“Thank you.” I ran down the dock to the spot where the man had pointed. Looking out in the distance, I saw a large boat heading toward the shore. I assumed that must be him.
I watched the boat grow closer, and as it did, my heart began to beat faster. I’d waited ten years for this moment, and now that it was here, I was scared to death. There was so much at stake; not only my happiness, but Sam’s and Bridget’s as well. All our futures hung in the balance, and I knew that whatever we said today would make or break that future.
The vessel grew larger as it sailed closer. Finally, I was able to make out the figure of the man standing on deck, and I knew without a doubt it was Sam. His shaggy blond hair blew in the breeze, and his strong, sturdy body looked like it was an extension of the boat itself. He worked quickly, moving back and forth across the deck, his confidence apparent in every single step. He was truly in his element on the water. I marveled at the man he’d become.
When I’d left Woodridge ten years ago, he’d been just a boy; a scared boy who was trying to make the very best of an impossible situation. Not many teenage boys would have had the decency to stick around and be a father. Sam’s character wouldn’t let him do anything else, and while I should have admired him for it, I hadn’t ever been able to see beyond my own pain. I’d blamed him for years because he hurt me. Selfishly, I’d never even tried to think of what he must have gone through. As I looked at the man he’d become, I felt a surge of pride. I didn’t know how much I truly loved him until that very moment.
Sam expertly maneuvered the vessel into the open space in front of me. For the first time, I noticed the name of his boat. I sucked in my breath as I read the words painted in large, bold letters across the stern, Always Hope. I blinked away tears as I digested the fact that he had named his boat after me.
When the vessel came to a halt, I knew what I had to do. It was now or never. He hadn’t yet spotted me, so I took a deep breath, wiped my sweaty palms on my jeans, and walked toward him. I stood directly in front of his boat and cleared my throat so he would notice me. Sam looked up from his work, and his blue eyes locked on to mine. His face registered surprise, but then quickly turned to irritation. It wasn’t exactly the welcome I’d expected, but I wouldn’t let it deter me.
“What are you doing here, Hope?” He didn’t sound angry, but he did sound frustrated. I knew he didn’t want to see me.
“We need to talk.” I left little room in my statement for an argument.
Whether he wanted to talk to me or not, he was going to. I wasn’t giving up this time. I’d spent my whole life running, but now I was determined to stand my ground and fight for what I wanted, and I wanted him more than I’d ever wanted anything. He was worth fighting for.
“There’s nothing for us to talk about.” He busied himself with the ropes, refusing to meet my eyes.
“That’s where you’re wrong. We have a lot to talk about. More than you could ever imagine. So either you’re coming down here, or I’m coming up there.” Honestly, I hoped he decided to come down to the docks. I had no desire to fall overboard trying to get onto his boat.
“I’m busy, but I’ll give you five minutes.” He glanced at his watch and then back at me.
“I’m afraid I’m going to need more of your time than that, but it’s a good start.” I smiled timidly, hoping to chisel my way past the wall he’d built against me.
He sighed and reluctantly climbed off the boat and joined me on the dock; he shoved his hands into his pockets and stared at me. The pained look on his face nearly killed me. I kept reminding myself that he was worth whatever I had to do to get him back. I motioned him toward a nearby bench, and he followed. I sat down on one end and he sat on the other. It felt like there were miles between us, and I wondered if I could really bridge the distance. So many things, both spoken and unspoken, lingered between us.
“What do you have to say?” Sam spoke quietly. “Does your husband know you’re here?”
“That’s what I want to explain. You have the wrong idea about Jonathan. He is my ex-husband. The paperwork is finalized.”
“Ex-husband? Does he know that? He seemed pretty possessive of you when I saw him in the driveway that day.” He looked at me uncertainly.
“That was his last-ditch effort to get me back. I think he knew deep down that wasn’t going to happen, but he wasn’t ready to give up yet. He went back to New York and signed the papers a few days later, and that’s the end of it.”
“I didn’t even know you were married, Hope. Can you imagine what that felt like? Thinking of you being married to someone else?” Sam raked his hands through his hair, but stopped quickly as he realized the irony of what he’d just said.
“Yes, I can imagine. That’s what I’ve lived with for ten years, imagining you married to someone else. It was the worst thing I’ve ever felt.” I met his eyes and saw the deep pools of pain. I’m certain he saw the same thing in mine.
“Why did you get divorced?” His face looked agonizingly sad, and I knew far too well how difficult it was to fight past all the pain we had caused each other. I had finally done it, and I hoped he could too. “Do you still love him?” He looked at me expectantly, and I knew our entire future hinged upon my answer to that one simple question.
“No, I don’t. The truth is I never really did. I tried to, but I couldn’t.”
“Why?”
“Because my heart belongs to you, it always has.”
“Why did you marry him if you didn’t love him?”
“I’ve asked myself that question a million times. The only answer I can come up with is that I was running away. I was trying to escape. I believed you and Annie got married, so all I wanted to do was get out of this town, and go as far away as I could from all the hurt. Jonathan offered that opportunity, and I took it. I ran from you, from my mom, my dad, and all the other painful memories here in Woodridge.”
I swallowed hard before continuing. “I kept running for ten years. If Mom hadn’t gotten sick, I would probably still be running. I told myself every single day if I kept going, eventually I’d outrun the memories. But I never did.”
His face softened and he moved closer to me.
“Hope—” He started to say something but I interrupted him.
“Please, just let me get this out before I lose my nerve.” He nodded and I continued. “It all comes down to this. I love you. I’ve loved you since I was fourteen years old. And no matter what you say today, I’ll love you until the day I die. And I finally realize that none of the rest of it matters. I love you, without conditions, and without expectations. I just... love you.”
He rose and stood with his back to me, facing the water. I knew he was replaying every word I’d just said in his mind, trying to determine if we were worth the fight. I knew that’s what he was doing, because it’s exactly what I’d done the past few weeks. After a few minutes of painful silence, he returned to the bench and sat right next to me. My heart pounded rapidly as our eyes met.
“I’ve waited so long to hear you say those words. You’re all I’ve ever wanted.” He cupped my face in his hands and our lips met in a kiss that was filled with promise. In that moment, I felt the final fragments of my heart slide gently into place.
I returned his kiss with more passion than I’d ever felt in my life. Finally, after all these years, he was mine and I was his. I pulled him closer to me, feeling like I would never get enough of him. He stood, lifting me off my feet and into his arms. I knew there were other people at the marina, but I didn’t even care.
“I want you more than I’ve ever wanted anything before.” My voice sounded breathless.
“You have me. You have me forever. You’re never getting rid of me again.” He began walking, still carrying me in his arms.
I looked around, suddenly aware that we were being watched by the fishermen in the boats nearby. “We have an audience.”
He gave me the mischievous look that I remembered and loved so much and planted another smoldering kiss on my lips. It’s a good thing he was carrying me, because his kisses always left me weak in the knees.
“Looks like you found some treasure, Sam,” the weathered fisherman in the boat next to us called out.
“Sure did, Joe. I found the best treasure of all, and I’m claiming her for my own,” he replied as he lifted me over the edge of his boat before climbing on board himself.
“Enjoy!” Joe chuckled as he climbed off his boat and retreated down the dock.
“What are we doing?” I had no idea what he planned, but I was up for it, as long as we were together.
He wrapped his arms around me and kissed me again. “I thought you might like to see the cabin.”
“The cabin? What’s in there?” I smiled teasingly.
“You’ll see.” He took my hand and led me through the door of the small space. There wasn’t much to look at in there, but I went along with it anyway.
He punched some buttons into the keypad and opened up a safe in the wall of the boat. He took out a small, black box. I knew what was inside before he even opened it. My eyes began to fill with tears as he dropped to one knee. He reached inside the box and took out a beautiful, glistening, oval-shaped diamond ring. Taking my left hand in his, he kissed it tenderly.
“Hope, I’ve carried this ring around with me for a very long time. I bought it years ago, long after you’d left town, knowing I might never get to give it to you. The past couple of weeks I’ve contemplated throwing it overboard, but I’m sure glad I didn’t.” He smiled and I could tell he was nervous. He continued. “I’ve wanted to ask you this question since I was fourteen years old. Will you marry me?”
My heart was bursting with happiness. Tears spilled from my eyes as I said, “Yes, I’ll marry you, Sam. A thousand times, yes!”
He slipped the lovely diamond onto my finger, and I practically jumped into his arms when he stood. Finally, after all this time, we were getting our happy ending.
“I love you. I love you so much.”
“I’ll love you forever, Hope. It’s you and me against the world, just like I always said.” As he spoke those words, our words, he pulled me next to him. I rested my head on his chest and felt with certainty that after all these years I’d finally found my home.
As we stood on the Always Hope, I knew that I was where I belonged. I’d come back to Woodridge lost and adrift, aimlessly floating in a sea of bitterness and pain. Slowly and excruciatingly, I’d navigated through the waves of heartache. I had worked hard to finally get to this place, and I was confident that my anchor was firmly set.
They say you can never really go home again, but that wasn’t exactly true. I had come back to Woodridge, but what I had found was a different home; a home that hadn’t even existed before. I discovered a new depth to my love for Sam, appreciation and understanding for my parents, and gratefulness for finding Bridget and June. But what I had really found was myself, and that was the compass that finally pointed me to my true north.
