He tore his eyes off of Serena to look at me. I felt overcome by emotion all of a sudden and I couldn't help the few tears that fell as I said, "Second chances to be with the one you love don't come by often. Take it from me that you would be a fool to let this opportunity slip you by."
Jim nodded slowly and moved past me toward Serena. The big man had more courage than two men put together, but in this moment you would've thought he was a coward.
He came to a stop at a respectful distance from the hugging Aunt and Niece. Christina drew back slightly as she looked from one to the other.
Quietly I prayed out under my breath, "Come on spit it out!" Even from here I could see Jim's jaw muscles ticking a million flicks a minute.
Jim's mouth opened, "I……."
Literally that was all he had managed to say before Serena burst out with, "I thought you'd never ask!"
She vaulted forward as if she had springs in her feet. Her legs curled around Jim's waist and crossed over at the ankles behind his back even as she seized his face with both hands and began to kiss him with a wild abandon of pent-up passion that would not be denied any longer.
Her actions mirrored that of a lover without inhibition, who wanted to express how deep her love was unmindful of what others around may think. Jim responded in kind by gripping onto her and kissing her back with all the hidden passion he'd built up for her through the years they had crewed together.
The crowd of surrounding onlookers in general were a mixture of open smiles and envious looks. Christina laughed nervously, her face completely flushed as she happily glanced from one to the other of the two people she loved and respected most in life.
Figuratively speaking she was theirs to finish raising and while their openly displayed passion for each other was embarrassing it was also a source of relaxation and instruction for her. It was relaxing because the passion of the kiss and embrace reaffirmed the strength of the bond between her guardians. It was instructional because it showed her what true passionate devotion looks like and how it was reciprocated in kind, which would go far in keeping her from wasting a kiss or much less the use of her body on a boy that she could never exhibit the same amount of passion for.
Sometimes it took years of waiting before one found the right one, but from Christina's perspective as she watched the two of them together it was clearly worth the wait.