Taylor stood and pulled her up from the couch into his arms. “Laura, I’m sorry—so sorry. I have been such an idiot, but I’m here now, and I love you. I love you.”
Holding her face in his hands, Taylor looked into her eyes, and then kissed her gently. He felt her arms come up around him, pulling him closer. “Laura?” he whispered and looked into her eyes for the answer he was seeking. Finding it there, he lowered his mouth to hers again, kissing her deeply as he pulled her close to him.
Laura was overwhelmed with the closeness of him, the feel of him in her arms, his mouth covering hers. Almost as if they had a life of their own, her hands crept under his sweater, caressing him. A low moan came from him as he pulled her even closer. She brought her hands around to his chest and pushed him gently away. Instantly, he broke the contact, his breathing ragged, his eyes full of questions, unwilling to hurt her in any way.
Smiling, she caressed his cheek before she took his hand and led him to her bedroom. They stood beside the bed, the light from the living room providing just enough illumination for him to see her before she put her arms around him again and rested her head on his shoulder. For a long moment, that was enough, to be holding her, smelling the scent of her hair, feeling her softness as she leaned against him. Then, sliding her hands once again beneath his sweater, her trailing fingers leaving paths of heat along his bare skin, she kissed him deeply, a kiss full of promise.
He met her passion with his own, his hands finding their way to her breasts beneath her sweater. Insistently, she pulled his sweater up and over his head, tossing it into a corner before she pulled off her own.
Gently brushing his hands over the fragile fabric that covered them, he felt her nipples harden beneath his touch as he lowered his mouth to her throat and then followed with his lips the path his hands had taken. Sliding the straps from her shoulders, he found the clasp and released her breasts and cupped them in his hands.
Forcing himself to take it slowly, he stepped back from her and found the snap on her jeans, his fingers brushing lightly inside her waistband before he opened the snap and slid them, with her panties, to the floor. His arms came around her, and he caressed the length of her back as he felt her arch against him.
Trembling, Laura unbuckled his belt and let his jeans fall to the floor where he impatiently kicked them away, his body on fire where it contacted hers. Releasing her, he pulled the covers back from her bed and tumbled her onto the sheets, laughing as he covered her body with his own.
“What’s so funny, Taylor Morgan?” she whispered.
“Not funny, my darling Laura. Just happy,” he said as he turned to the serious business of loving her.
* * *
It was a long time later, their passion spent for the moment, when Taylor said, “Laura?”
She stretched like a cat waking from a well-deserved nap. “What, Taylor?” she asked as she turned to cross her arms on his chest, lifting her head to look at him.
“How long would you have waited for me?” he asked as he traced her mouth with his finger.
“Another week,” she said, then laughed when she saw his face. “Truly, Taylor! Another week, then that was it…” she kissed him softly, “…then I was coming to look for you.”
“I love you,” he said as he tangled his fingers into her hair. She laughed softly. “You said that already.”
“I know, but I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of saying it.” Then, he twisted away from her and got out of the bed. Startled, she sat up and watched as he searched the floor for his discarded jeans.
“You could turn on a light, Taylor.”
“Never mind. I found what I was looking for.”
As he came back to her bed, Laura realized she wanted him again. All of her fears of intimacy were proving to be groundless. Sitting beside her, he trailed his fingers down her cheek and throat, brushing them across her breast before resting them on her hip. Then he took her hand in his and said, “Will you marry me, Laura?” as he slipped a ring onto her finger.
* * *
“Am I to take that as a ‘yes’?” Taylor said some time later.
“Yes,” she said as she kissed his mouth. “Yes, Yes, Yes,” she whispered as she kissed his eyes and nose, returning to his mouth for a kiss that took his breath away.
“Tomorrow?”
“What?” Laura sat up and pushed the hair back from her face. “You’re crazy, Taylor!”
“I have to go back to Europe tomorrow, Laura. I promised Betta’s family she would be home for Christmas. We have reservations, four of them, on a flight out at six tomorrow evening.”
“Taylor. It’s too soon. People will talk. We should wait.”
He sat up and took her by the shoulders. “No, Laura. No more waiting. I don’t give a damn what the world thinks. I love you, and I won’t wait any longer to spend my life with you.”
“Taylor, we have time. What if I marry you on New Year’s Day? It’s just a little over a week.”
“You are a cruel woman, Laura… I don’t even know your middle name!” He seemed genuinely astonished at the discovery.
Laughing, she said, “It’s Elizabeth, the same as both your daughters.”
“All right, Laura Elizabeth Collins. I’ll wait until New Year’s Day but no longer. In the meantime, will you come back with me so we can have Christmas together?”
He looked so much like a little boy, she couldn’t help laughing. “Yes, Taylor, I’ll go back with you. Although how we’re going to pull a wedding together is beyond me.”
* * *
Laura woke early for a change. Taylor was still asleep, and she took a moment to study his face in the morning light and smiled. The lines around his eyes and mouth seemed less deeply etched this morning. She stretched her arms out and the morning light caught the ring she’d not yet really looked at. Holding her hand in a sunbeam, she admired the simple beauty of the emerald framed in diamonds on a gold band.
“Do you like it?” His voice was sleepy as she felt his fingers trace a pattern down her spine. “I carried it every day of the tour, waiting for a chance to give it to you.”
“It’s beautiful, Taylor,” she said as she kissed him.
“You’re beautiful,” he said as he pulled her to him once again.
Chapter 59
It was mid-morning before they finally got up. A shared shower delayed them further, and it was almost noon before they started back to her parents’ house.
Laura was withdrawn as they pulled into the driveway and
Taylor, worried, asked, “Laura? Is something wrong?”
She turned to him. “Taylor, what about Meg?”
“She’ll be fine, Laura.”
“Are you sure? It’s not been that long…”
“Laura, Meg knew I was coming here to ask you to marry me.”
“Still, before we tell my parents, let me talk to her.”
“You’re worrying for nothing, but I’ll send her out.”
Laura wandered around to the front of the house that overlooked the river. She hadn’t known it was possible to love someone this way, and she finally understood what had been between her parents all these years. For the first time in what seemed like forever, she was at peace.
* * *
Once Taylor had sent Meg out to meet Laura, he asked Maria to call Beth to come over. He knew he had better do some fence-mending with the best friend of his bride-to-be.
Beth had lost track of Laura last night as everyone had crowded into their house. She had been surprised that Laura hadn’t come to help her in the kitchen but didn’t have time to check. It wasn’t until later that she saw Maria and Sean to ask.
“Where’d Laura get to?”
“She’s with Taylor, Beth,” Sean had replied.
“Taylor! He’s here?”
“He called and
wanted to see her. He was at our house during the procession and joined it then. He and Laura have gone off together,” Maria’s voice was gentle as she looked at her almost daughter. “He loves her, Beth.”
“That’s what he told me last year before Laura went to work for him. And look what happened!”
“Beth, you can’t live her life for her or protect her from everything,” Sean had said as he put his arm around her shoulders. “Besides, I had a long talk with Mr. Morgan while we waited for the procession. It will be all right, Beth, you’ll see.”
He’d kissed her forehead as she muttered, “It had better be.”
* * *
He was waiting for her as she came down the driveway.
“Hello, Beth.”
“Taylor. Breaking her heart twice wasn’t enough? Are you counting on the third time being the charm?”
“Beth, can we sit down and talk for a minute?”
She nodded then followed him to the low wall that framed the garden.
“You have every right to be mad at me, Beth. I know that you think I used you to get back to Laura and, I guess, in a way, I did. But everything I told you that day was true. I love Laura. I have from the moment I met her. You know why I left last year. But, what you don’t know is why I married Annie.”
“But I do, Taylor. Laura finally told me a couple of weeks ago. She’d made up her mind…” Beth stopped before telling him that Laura had planned to go searching for him. This time she wasn’t volunteering any information. “Why are you back this time, Taylor? How can I be sure you’re not going to hurt her again?”
“Beth, I promise you, I’ll do my best never to hurt her again. And, one of the things that would hurt her terribly would be if you and I couldn’t get along. Can you at least find it in your heart to give me a chance to prove to you that I can be trusted with your best friend?”
As Beth looked at him, he was struck again by how much she reminded him of Annie. It was more than the physical resemblance. Beth had Annie’s fiercely loyal spirit and he hoped they could be friends before this was all done.
“All right, Taylor. But God help you if you screw up this time.”
He laughed and held out his hand to her. “Then come inside. Laura and Meg will be back soon, and I think she’ll have something to tell you.
* * *
“Laura?”
She turned and saw Meg coming down the steps from the deck. She hadn’t seen her since before the tour began, and Meg had changed quite a bit. Taylor probably hadn’t noticed since he’d been around her daily, but Laura could see the changes. She was taller and had lost much of that little-girl innocence. The past year had left its mark on her as well.
“Meg! You’re so tan!” Laura gave her a hug.
“I spend a lot of time in the pool. Taylor is sure I’m going to grow fins soon.”
“Taylor said that Betta is with you. I want to meet her, but I wanted a few minutes with you first. I’d like to show you something.”
Laura led the way down the cliff path to the river. When they came to “her” rock, she climbed up on it and sat in the sun. Meg followed her and waited for Laura to speak. She’d checked earlier to see if Laura was wearing the ring Taylor had shown her and had been pleased to see that she was.
“This is the place I always come to when I need to think things through,” Laura said as she gazed across the river. “Meg, Taylor says you know that he’s asked me to marry him. I guess I need to know how you feel about it.”
Meg knew that Laura was serious and wanted to give her the best answer that she could. “I guess I’m happy for Taylor—and for you, too! I think Taylor needs you.”
“What about you, Meg? You and Taylor have made yourselves a family. Will you mind terribly that I’ll be moving into your life?”
“Mom left me a letter when she died. She told me then that Taylor was in love with you and would come back for you when it was the right time. She told me that it wouldn’t make Taylor love me any less, and I know she was right.”
“Meg, I don’t know anything about being a mother, and I know I could never replace your mother. Do you think being a friend would be enough? I think I could handle that.”
“I think that would be great, Laura. I’m glad you’re coming to live with us. Taylor’s been too sad.”
“Well, now that I know this is all okay with you, I guess we should go tell my parents. They are going to be so excited to have an instant granddaughter.”
Hand in hand, they walked back up the trail.
* * *
Taylor was waiting for them on the deck. He kissed Meg and sent her inside.
“So?”
“So, you were right. She’s an extraordinary girl.”
“So are you,” he said as he kissed her in a far-from-fatherly manner. “I called Beth and told her to come over. I knew you’d want her here, and maybe now she’ll forgive me for deserting you.”
Laughing, they went to share the news that no one was really surprised to hear.
Chapter 60
As the bell tower on the Italian chapel chimed the twelve strokes of noon, Taylor turned to the doorway and waited for Laura to appear.
It had been a scramble to put it all together. They’d flown back to Europe and had Christmas with Betta and her family. He’d lost track of how many phone calls it had taken to get everything arranged before everyone had arrived here two days ago.
Now, with a violinist softly playing, he saw her come to the doorway. Sean was holding her hand on his arm, less to support her than to support himself. Maria had come in a few minutes before and given Taylor a kiss before she took her place in the front row. Meg and Betta, looking more alike than ever in their matching dresses, were solemn, and Beth was fighting tears as everyone turned to Laura. The only other guests were Rosina and Matteo, Beth’s parents, and Mother Caterina. She was smiling with satisfaction as Taylor Morgan watched his bride.
Laura was radiant. Her long dress was the palest shade of green, and she carried a simple bouquet of mixed white flowers with trailing ivy. Other than her engagement ring, the only jewelry she wore were the earrings Taylor had given her that ill-fated Christmas that nearly cost them each other. She’d chosen to not wear a veil, letting her hair provide a frame for the cameo of her face.
She kissed her father, then took her place beside Taylor, ready to begin again.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sabra Brown Steinsiek is a born-reader who never expected to find herself writing novels. A native New Mexican, Sabra spent her whole life as a librarian until she took a chance in early 2003 and quit her job to focus full time on her writing. Besides reading, she enjoys walking for exercise, calligraphy, and various crafts. She shares her home with her husband and son and their two spoiled, rotten cats. Sabra enjoys hearing from her readers and can be reached at [email protected].
Table of Contents
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chap
ter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Timing Is Everything Page 31