“Is he all right? Can I see him?” Even as the words left her mouth, Dana was walking past his desk, trying to peer down the hallway at the back of the room.
“Hey, wait. You can’t just walk in here like that.” The officer hopped up from his seat and hurried after her. “That’s a restricted area.”
“I know,” Dana said, exasperated. “I’m sorry but I just need to see him. Can you take me to him? Please?”
“Okay, okay. Just hold your horses. Let me get the key.” Mumbling as he went, he walked over to a steel cupboard mounted on the wall, selected a key then turned back to her. “Let’s go.”
As they walked, the other police officers in the room turned to stare at her but she didn’t care. She just needed to see Rock and that was all that was on her mind.
Her guide took her down a dimly lit hallway, past an empty cell and two occupied ones, and then to the one at the very back of the building. And there, seated on a narrow cot with his head down, sat Rock.
Dana’s heart quaked at the sight of him, so alone, so humbled, so despondent. All because of her.
She walked up to the cell and put up both hands to hold onto the bars. “Rock?” she whispered. “It’s Dana.”
At her words, Rock’s head jerked up and in his eyes was a pain so deep that Dana tightened her grip on the bars to keep from trembling. Had she hurt him that much?
“Dana.” His voice was a hoarse whisper and then he was up and off the cot and standing right in front of her, the heavy metal bars the only thing keeping them apart.
“Rock. I’m so sorry. I never meant for this to happen. I thought-”
“Shh. None of this is your fault.” He gave her a gentle smile. “I chose to be here.”
“No, you didn’t,” she said, her voice rising with frustration. “I was the one who called the police on you.” Why was he being so good about it? Why was he taking the blame?
That made his smile widen. “You made the call but I could have cooperated. I chose not to.”
“But…why not?” She frowned. Had he gone bonkers?
“I wanted them to take me to jail. I thought of a plan and it worked.” With a look full of emotion he reached through the bars and cupped her cheek with his palm. “You’re here.”
Dana’s mouth fell open in disbelief. “You…you got yourself arrested so you could see me?”
He chuckled. “Smart girl.”
“What? I could kill you. I almost had a heart attack when they took you away. Are you mad?” Dana’s voice rose with each word. The whole police station was probably hearing every word but she didn’t give a damn. When it came to crazy, Rock St. Stephens took the cake.
“I’m mad, all right,” Rock said, seeming not the least bit perturbed by her outburst. “Mad about you.”
And then the hand at her cheek slid to the back of her head and he pulled her close and leaned forward to kiss her so softly and sweetly that she totally forgot what she was supposed to be upset about.
When he released her, she looked up at him in wonder. “What did you just say?”
“I said I love you, Dana, with every ounce of my being.”
“But…but…”
“Shh,” he said, hushing her again. “It’s because I love you that I went through all this trouble just to see you.” He gave her a crooked smile. “The way I saw it, if you had feelings for me you wouldn’t let me rot in my cell.” Then, slowly, his smile faded and his look turned solemn. “I’m glad you came.”
Dana got so choked up she could not utter a word. All she could do was stare at him, her lips trembling as she struggled to keep from crying. Her greatest wish had finally come true.
“Dana,” Rock continued, “ever since I came from Alaska there’s a big favor I’ve been wanting to ask you.”
“Yes?” Dana asked, her heart going still. “What is it?”
And then, as she stared at him through the bars, Rock went down on one knee and looked up at her with earnest eyes. “Dana Daniels, will you do me the honor of being my wife?”
Dana sucked in her breath. Was she dreaming? But no, the cold bars against her palms told her this was real.
“Dana,” Rock said again from his position on the ground, “you didn’t answer me. Just in case you didn’t hear me the first time, I’m asking you to take my hand in marriage.”
“But…but Rock,” she half laughed, half cried, “you’re asking me here, right now, like this? What will we tell our children?” And she sank to her knees, her heart feeling like it would burst with the love she felt for this man.
“Is that your way of saying yes?” Rock reached out to take her hand and then he kissed her fingertips.
It was then that the tears came, sliding down her cheeks and dripping off her chin. But who cared? She was going to spend the rest of her life with the man she loved. “Yes, Rock, yes. I will marry you.”
And then he was reaching through the bars and pulling her close again and this time his kiss was long and deep and filled with a passion that made Dana’s head spin.
And as they kissed, Dana heard the sounds of clapping and then the cheers and she knew they had an audience, but she didn’t care. They could have been in the middle of Times Square and she would kiss Rock just as passionately.
Because she loved him and she had no doubt that he loved her, too.
She’d finally found her heaven – right here on earth.
EPILOGUE
“Mommy, Daddy’s being bad again.”
Dana sighed as the kitchen door burst open and six-year-old Maya and her four-year-old brother dashed in.
“Yeah,” Michael said, “he’s hugging the ball.”
“Hogging the ball,” Maya corrected, rolling her eyes. Then she put her hands on her h*ps and set her mouth in her classic pout. “Mama,” she whined, dragging the word out so far it was like fingernails on a chalkboard, “make him stop.”
Dana pursed her lips then stuck her head out the window. “Daddy,” she called out, her voice stern, “behave.”