he comes to her. Likeevery night she dreams about the day on the dock. The day replays moment by moment.The wind in her hair, the gaze in his eyes, the sweet smell of his cologne mixed with thesalty ocean breeze, and the feel of his arms wrapped in hers. Yet tonight, the dream seemsto go further. She sees him come to her in her sleep. Shannon is shocked by the new levelof detail her dream has progressed to. She refuses to allow herself to wake now, eager tosee what next will come.She feels Jay’s presence in the dark of her dream. His hand sweeping over herface, grazing her lips with his smooth fingertips and moving them from there to the tip ofher ear where he brings his lips gently to whisper. The feeling of his breath on her is warmand makes Shannon’s body tingle as she begins to believe that he really is in the room withher. She smells the distinct flavor of his cologne in the air and on her pillow and longs forhim to wrap her in his arms. “Jay, I need you here with me.” she proclaims as if he can hear her.“I’m here. Forever and always.” He speaks and she is calmed by his tender voice. Shannon feels the embrace of his arms around her, and the whispered phrase thataccompanies every nightly dream she encounters, declaring his love for her. Finally readyto be disappointed by reality, she opens her eyes only to find that he is real. As she looksat him, he slides the gold sparkling ring onto her finger and their lips find each other. Theremainder of the night had come to life with passion. At dawn, when she finally fell asleepwith his arms around her, she felt the grin on her face form and the comfort in her heart,knowing that he meant what he said. He would never leave again. ...
