I broke up into peals of laughter. “That’s terrible!”

“No, it’s not!” He glanced at me with serious eyes. “I look at you and I say I can’t believe I am having sex with this incredible-looking woman! All my friends are jealous, even if you are a cop. They think you look like a supermodel.”

“Oh please—”

“Except you have this big, beautiful, black-girl ass. Tight and round and—”

“You talk about my ass with your friends?”

He smiled sheepishly. “It comes up in natural conversation.”

I whacked him. “You’re awful.”

“Not at all.” He grew serious. “My friends make fun of me. They say I am moonstruck. They say I am pussy whipped. They say, ‘What has happened to you, mon? What is wrong with you … that you let a woman bring you to your knees?’ But what do they know? They have never brushed their lips against yours. They have never felt your soft touch in the middle of the night. They have never held you … body and soul united … lost in rich ecstasy that lifts even the most ordinary man to a momentary king. They have never had a true union of Kiddusha—of holiness between two people who are destined, who are bashert.”

His voice had become a whisper.

“God has made this shiddach … this match. Only God could make such a match. I am … hopelessly in love with you, Cynthia Rachel Decker.”

I absorbed his words, trying not to cry, but I couldn’t hold back. My eyes watered up, but I managed to wipe them before tears rolled down my cheeks. Waiting until I could find my voice, and when I finally did speak, I was choked with emotion. “I’m hopelessly in love with you, too, Yaakov Elias David Ben Aaron Hako-hen Kutiel.” I leaned over and kissed his cheek. “That’s quite a mouthful.”

“Blame my father.” He cleared his throat. “I think we have a long, long future together.” He tapped the wheel nervously. “At least, that is what I want.”

This time, the tears escaped my eyes. We rode a few minutes in silence, both of us drinking in the moment. For twenty-eight years, it had been just me, myself, and I. But now, in all honesty, I couldn’t remember what my life had been without him. Being that dependent on someone was terrifying. Being that dependent on a man was utterly terrifying!

“If you have doubts, I will wait as long as you want,” he told me. “I only wish to make you happy.”

He had misinterpreted my silence. Still, I held back. “Be careful what you wish for.”

He didn’t answer. Disappointment crushed his face, darkening his expression. It was time to take the emotional plunge, a scarier dive than I would have ever imagined. But if I blew it now, I knew I’d regret it for the rest of my life. I took a deep breath and began to stroke his leg. “Yaakov, I have no doubts whatsoever. What you want is exactly what I want—a long future together … our entire future together actually. But I’ll tell you this. If you break my heart, I’ll kill you.”