Kayla craned her neck to look at the clock on the fireplace mantel. Ten forty-five. She glanced at her parents, both asleep in their favorite recliners. Grace had taken the boys upstairs after they had drifted off on the sofa. The only conscious people left to watch the countdown were she and Alex. She reached under her to fish out the map of the park.

"I see you've decided to go?" Alex flopped down in the couch beside her with a large bowl of popcorn and glass of cola.

"No, I was just . . ." What was she doing?

"Deciding to go?"

Kayla shrugged.

"Oh, come on, Kay. You know you want to be in the center of that park at eleven much more than you want to be sitting here with me listening to my loud crunching."

He was right. She hated the way he chewed popcorn.

With a resigned sigh, she stood up. "What if Mom and Dad wake up? I'd feel horrible leaving them when I haven't seen them in so long."

"Trust me, with the way they're sawing logs, they won't miss a thing."

Kayla leaned down and gave her sibling a hug. "Thanks, Alex."

"For what?"

"I don't know. Just being my brother, I guess."

"You're stalling." "I'm going." Kayla turned around determined to leave the room.

"Kayla?"

She stopped at the doorway to look at her brother. "Hmm?"

"Good luck."

"Thanks."

She headed upstairs to put some warm clothes on. As she slipped into a pair of blue jeans and a black turtleneck, Kayla didn't stop to think about what she was doing. Pausing would only make her chicken out. She finished her outfit with a pair of warm black hiking boots and her silver quilted down parka and grabbed a pair of black gloves just in case she was outside longer than she expected to be. With one final glance in the mirror she noticed that her cheeks had a little bit of their old color back in them. She quickly reminded herself to not get her hopes up too high. She'd already done that one time.

It was a short walk to the park across the street from her parents' house. She knew the familiar piece of land in the center of town by heart. When she was a little girl she had spent many hours playing and daydreaming there. As she reached the center of the park where the note told her to be, her mind carried her back to when this used to be her imaginary castle and she the queen of it.

The park was oval shaped and had several large hardwood trees in it making it an ideal place for picnics. At the center was an oval stone paved area that mimicked the shape of the park. Neatly trimmed holly bushes and stone benches for wanderers to rest upon surrounded the stone circle. Now that she was grown the hedges only came to her shoulders but when she was younger they looked like large walls to keep out intruders. Leading to the center of the park were four stone pathways, one from each compass direction.

As she stood looking at her fairytale world she wondered if her prince charming would show up here after all. The low sky over her was filled with a blanket of clouds that looked like it would start sprinkling snow at any moment. She'd always loved nights like these when the whole world seemed to surround her in a quiet cocoon. It seemed as though she was the only person on earth.

Kayla shivered and glanced down at her watch. The hands read eleven thirty. Standing there in the pool of light made by the decorative street lamps, she began to wonder if she was going to be left standing alone again. A little bit of fear crept up her spine. What if she got hurt again? She'd already been through one week of pain. She didn't want to make it worse. Maybe if she left quickly . . .

Her train of thought was interrupted by the sound of snow crunching behind her. Kayla's breath caught in her throat. She was afraid to turn around. What if this was just some cruel hoax?

One footstep followed another until they ceased a few feet behind her. She had no choice but to turn around if she wanted to see whom it was.

Taking a deep breath, Kayla slowly spun on one heal until she was face to face with her Prince Charming. Dressed in all black, Kevin reminded her of a knight out of one her imaginative childhood stories.

Neither of them said anything at first. Uncertain blue eyes met pleading green ones.

"Why did you ask me to come here?" Kayla looked down at her feet unable to look at his handsome face any more.

"Why did you leave New York like you did?"

"I asked you first."

"My answer depends on yours."

Kayla looked up again. On closer inspection his eyes looked tired. Like they'd been worrying over a difficult matter. She nodded her head. "I left so that I wouldn't be tortured by seeing what I couldn't have."

"What if I said you could have it?"

Kayla closed her eyes. Please, God, let this be real. "I think you'd better explain before I start coming to wrong conclusions again."

"Kayla, when I woke up and found that you'd left, I didn't know what to do. Suddenly I felt like I'd lost something that I couldn't live without."

He glanced up at the dark sky and took a deep breath. "I've never had that feeling before. I almost went out of my mind looking for you. I even called Italy." Kayla blushed a little as she remembered the hastily scribbled comment at the end of her note. She'd done it in a juvenile attempt to make him feel bad. "I did do a lot of thinking. I realize that by being afraid of hurting you, I actually hurt you worse. I never meant to push you away, Kayla. I just wanted you to be sure of what you wanted."

Kayla looked up with a thoughtful expression. "Kevin, I've never been unsure of what I wanted when it came to you. I love you. I'll always be sure about that."

It was exactly what Kevin wanted to hear. He was mildly surprised that her words didn't scare him like Anna's had. "I have something for you." He reached into the pocket of his coat and brought out a small velvet box.

As Kayla opened it she saw in the spot where she'd expected to see a woman's ring, the silver band that had always graced Kevin's thumb.

"That is so that you'll always remember how you made me stop and realized what I want in my life." He reached into his other pocket and revealed another velvet box. "This is so that you'll always know that it's you that I want." He opened the second box to reveal a ring like she'd never seen before. Only her knowledge of fashion allowed her to recognize the large oval Tanzanite stone in the center of an intricate platinum band. She'd always loved the stone, not because of its rarity or value, but because of the indescribably beautiful blue-lavender color.

Kayla's eyes misted up with unshed tears. She was so scared to take the ring in her hand. What if it wasn't an engagement ring like the situation seemed to suggest? What if Kevin still only wanted to be friends? He still hadn't said that he loved her. Kayla bit her lower lip.

Kevin watched the play of emotions cross her face. What was she thinking? Did she not like the ring? A feeling of dread started to fill Kevin as a small voice at the back of his mind suggested that maybe she didn't want it at all. No, she had just said that she loved him.

Slowly her hand came up to touch the ring, but stopped a few inches short of it. Kayla laughed at herself. What was she afraid of? The ring wasn't going to vanish at her touch. Still, she couldn't do it. She looked up at Kevin with a silent plea in her eyes.

Tucking his lower lip under his upper one in thought, Kevin closed the box and put it back into his pocket. He took the other box from Kayla's fingers so that her hands would be free. Before Kayla could tell what he was doing, he pulled her close and led her into a slow dance. The fact that there was no music to be heard didn't seem to bother either of them.

"Kayla, I love you so much. Those words don't even describe it right. How do I tell you that I don't ever want to wake up not knowing that you're in my life? Or that I can't imagine myself with anyone else? Do you know how often I think about you? I can't even do basic daily activities without something reminding me of you. Every time I even look at another woman, I can't help but compare them to you. They never match up, you know." Kayla tilted her head up and closed her eyes so that the sound of his voice could wash over her. "Say it again."

Kevin stopped their movement. "Say what again?"