Tension crackled between them, and her heart jimmied in her chest.
“I love you, Levi,” she said in a throaty whisper. “I knew it even before I left, but I never had the—”
Suddenly he was there, his lips on hers. His hands framing her face, his body flush against hers. Heat and warmth and heaven.
She surrendered to his touch, her heart breathing a sigh of relief. She’d been so afraid . . .
But he was kissing her like she was all he’d ever wanted. Like he’d never let her go again. She lapped it up, every brush of his lips, every sexy sigh. And she couldn’t seem to stop the curve of her lips.
She felt his responding smile just before he pulled away, their breaths falling heavily between them.
His eyes, filled with so many wonderful things, pierced hers. “I love you too, Mia. Probably goes without saying.”
“A girl can never hear that too many times.”
“I love you.” He rubbed her nose with his. “I’ve missed you so much. I’ve been beating myself up for acting so rashly that night. I never should’ve let you go. But I thought— I didn’t think you saw me as a permanent fixture in your life.”
“Let’s not ever break up again,” she said lightly. “I don’t think my heart can take it.”
He regarded her steadily, his thumb brushing her cheek. “You’re it for me, Mia. There’s no one else.”
His words hit a soft target deep inside. “I feel the same, Levi. But we do have some challenges ahead, especially geographically.”
“We’ll manage them as they come,” he said. “It won’t be forever.”
“I’ll be in Ireland for a couple months, but we can keep in touch. And I usually have long breaks between projects.”
“You could come here . . .”
Her smile broadened. She might’ve been beaming. “I could come here.”
“See . . .” Levi gave her a sleepy-eyed smile. “Look at us, handling the challenges.”
“Look at us.” Her eyes fell to his mouth, and her lips soon followed. This kiss was slower, but her heartbeat was not.
He commandeered the kiss, pulling her closer, making her remember all the delicious ways he liked to please her. His uncanny ability to make her forget the outside world. Except the outside world was one of the things she’d come to talk to him about.
Reluctantly she eased away. Just until their breaths mingled in the space between them. She played with the soft hair at the back of his neck. “I know you have a lot on your plate, Levi. But I want to share those burdens just the way you shared mine. I want to make your life easier, not more difficult.”
His lips twitched. “Funny thing, that. Seems I may have been overreaching where my sisters were concerned. I got fired from my position as leader of their lives. And as you know, I was overstepping with the inn too. We’re working it out. There’s plenty of room for you in my life, Mia. I’m sorry I ever made you feel like there wasn’t.”
She did love a man who could admit when he was wrong. “Good for you, Levi. I’m proud of you.”
When she lowered her hand to his arm, her purse dropped to her elbow. Something rattled. The envelope.
“Oh. I have something for you.” She gave him a mock accusing look. “Sometimes you make me forget to breathe.”
The beginnings of a smug smile formed on his lips. “Anytime you want.”
She held him off. “Later. This is important. I wanted to thank you for the necklace. I never expected that, Levi, all those hours we were searching for it.”
He waved her off. “I want you to have it. It belongs to you.”
“Where’d you find it? I thought we’d looked everywhere.”
He chuckled. “It was behind a stone in the fireplace—the one in your suite.”
Mia huffed. “Are you kidding me? We turned that room upside down.”
“I guess sometimes you don’t find what you’re looking for until you stop searching for it. The stone was wedged in there pretty good—I accidently dislodged it. But the important thing is, it’s now with its rightful owner. I hope . . .” He paused, his eyes shifting in a way that set butterflies loose in her stomach. “I hope it gives you comfort. Gives you a little of those roots you’ve always longed for.”
“I have roots I didn’t even know about, Levi. But I’ll save that for later. First there’s this . . .” She pulled the thin white envelope from her purse and handed it to him.
He looked at her questioningly. “What is it?”
“Open it.”
He drew away from her enough to slip his finger under the flap, giving her another searching look as he did so. When he pulled out the piece of paper, his eyes widened. His lips parted.
Right before they slammed together again.
“I want you to have it,” she said. “For the inn.”
“Mia.” He gave her a pained look. “What did you do?”
“I sold the necklace. The check is from the auctioneer who purchased it. I want you to use the money for the inn. To preserve your parents’ legacy.”
“But I wanted you to have it.”
“I don’t need a necklace, Levi. I don’t even need roots anymore. I don’t think that’s what I’ve ever needed. I just needed to know I’m loved, and I know that now. It makes my heart happy to do this for you and your family. Please, take it.”
He wavered, obviously torn, his eyes steady on hers.
“I know you don’t really need the money. You’re good at what you do, and I have every faith you’ll make this place an amazing success with or without it.”
She placed her hand on his neck where his pulse thrummed. “But the necklace rightfully belongs to you and your sisters. And the fact that you’d give it up for me . . . You don’t know what that meant to me, Levi.”
He shook his head. “I didn’t even have to think twice.”
Her eyes roved over his features, a smile curling her lips. He had a beautiful face, no doubt about it. But his heart was even more beautiful.
She lowered her hand until her palm rested over it. “And that’s just one of the many reasons I love you, Levi Bennett.”
Epilogue
A smile tugged Mia’s lips as the floatplane swooped to the left, granting her first aerial view of Bluebell Lake, nestled in the mountains. She leaned closer to the window. The lake was clear of traffic on this September weekday, the bright sunlight glinting off the water like a million diamonds.
Skeeter’s voice sounded in her headphones. “Now there’s a pretty sight if I ever saw one.”
“It’s beautiful.” Her eyes swept the familiar bays and peninsulas, following the shoreline to the edge of town in the distance where the Bluebell Inn hunkered on a rise. Her heart tugged at the sight.
Skeeter aligned himself from the opposite side of the lake, losing altitude as he approached. The inn vanished from her line of vision.
She could hardly believe she was about to see Levi. She’d missed him so much the past two months. They’d weathered their time apart well, Skyping, texting, and talking on the phone. He’d kept her up on the goings-on at the inn. With the proceeds from the necklace they’d been able to pay off his credit cards and had enough left over to implement an extensive marketing plan.
The plane sank lower and lower, her stomach dipping with the motion. Finally the plane touched down, more smoothly than she would’ve expected. They began gliding across the water.
“Well done,” she said into her microphone.
“We’ll be there in a jiffy.”
They floated past the larger lake homes, then the smaller ones that stair-stepped up the mountain. Mia took in the beautiful views, feeling everything inside her settle. She could almost smell the woodsy pine and fresh air. Home.
Her heart fluttered in her chest as they drew nearer. The plane’s nose was aimed straight for the bay, blocking her view of the inn. But Levi was probably waiting for her. She’d texted him with their ETA.
The engine went silent, but the pla
ne continued drifting forward. They took a sharp right turn, finally bringing the inn’s dock into view.
Levi stood at the end, waiting. His hands were tucked into his jeans pockets, and a black T-shirt stretched across his chest.
Her heart clutched at the sight of him. She knew the moment he caught sight of her in the window. He broke out into a wide grin, and she couldn’t stop the smile that formed in response. She couldn’t wait to get her arms around him.
When the plane glided close Levi reached for the bar under the wing and pulled them in to the dock.
She took off her headphones as Skeeter said, “Go on out. I’ll grab your bags.”
Levi opened her door and grabbed her hand, helping her onto the float, then safely onto the pier.
She had only a moment to take in his beautiful face before he pulled her close. She wrapped her arms around him and nestled her nose into the space between his neck and shoulder, breathing in the familiar scent of him.
“I missed you,” he whispered against her temple.
“I missed you too.”
He eased back and cradled her face. His heated gaze roved over her features as if he were trying to memorize them. Then, finally, he leaned in and brushed her lips with a soft kiss before easing away.
It had been two months.
Two. Months.
Mia grabbed his face and brought it back to hers. She kissed him again, her lips lingering over his like she’d dreamed of doing when she was three thousand miles away from him.
Levi slanted his lips over hers and took the kiss deeper.
Better. So much better. She snuggled closer, losing herself in the warmth of his touch, in the safety of his arms, in the passion of his kiss.
“Uh, don’t mind me,” Skeeter said from someplace far away. “I’ll just be taking off now.”
Mia felt Levi’s hand leave her back long enough for a wave, and then she was again oblivious to anything but his demanding kiss.
Moments later when he finally drew away, breathless, they were alone. He kissed her forehead. “Have a seat. Let’s talk. I want you all to myself for a few minutes.”
Mia edged around her bags and sank onto the bench beside him.
Levi tugged her close. “I can’t believe you’re finally here. You’re probably exhausted.”
“A little. But at the moment I’m feeling pretty content.”
“How were your flights?”
“On time. That’s about the best you can hope for. It’s so good to be back here.”
They sat silently for a long moment. Mia closed her eyes and drank in the feel of his arms around her. The taut muscles of his chest under her head, the heavy thumping of his heart beneath her ear.
He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “You never said how the phone call with your dad went last night.”
When she was partway through filming, the PI she’d hired had located her dad in Louisville. Unable to wait, she called him from Ireland. Those first teary words after she’d identified herself were something that would stick with her for a lifetime.
“It went well. I finally got a chance to ask him all my questions.”
“Tell me.”
“There’s a lot I didn’t know. He was an alcoholic when he was married to my mom. Apparently they’d enabled each other. And it took him until a few years after the divorce to get sober. That’s when he started writing me.”
“How do you feel about all that?”
“Sad. And relieved, I guess, just to have answers.”
“Did he say why he didn’t try to see you after he was sober?”
“He said he didn’t feel worthy to be my father. And that when he never heard back from me he thought I didn’t want him in my life anymore. But he kept writing because he wanted me to know he loved me.”
“Well, that’s something, I guess.”
“He was so upset when I told him I never got his letters.”
“With your mom?”
“That too. But mainly he was distraught that all through my childhood I thought he didn’t care about me. He’s been keeping up with my career. He saves all the newspaper and magazine clippings. Isn’t that sweet? And he prays for me daily.”
“Did you tell him you tracked him down when you were eighteen?”
It put a lump in her throat just thinking about it. “Yeah. He got pretty emotional when I told him about that. About how it made me feel. He still has the same wife, Laurel. Those two children I saw that day are my siblings. Dylan is twelve now, and Jessica is ten.”
“Mia, that’s huge. You have a family.”
Her face broke out into a smile. “I know. He invited me for a visit.”
“That’s great. I’d love to go with you.”
“I’d love to have you along for moral support.” Mia took his hand, loving the way it engulfed hers. “Everything good around here? The inn? Your sisters?”
“Business as usual. Better than usual, actually. Revenues are up 24 percent for the year so far, even with the shutdown.”
“Levi, that’s great.”
“I’d love to credit my marketing plan, but I think we both know better.”
Word of the Carolina Breeze had spread once it sold at auction to a couple from Texas. Articles appeared in newspapers and magazines, detailing the jewel’s rich history, which, of course, centered around the Bluebell Inn. The publicity hadn’t exactly hurt the business.
“A couple more solid seasons, and we can think about putting it on the market.”
On one hand Mia thought that was kind of sad. On the other hand . . . She leaned back to look at him. “That means you’ll be free to pursue other things.”
“That’s what it means. I’ve already been scoping out commercial builders in LA.” He gave her a long, searching look. “Does that scare you?”
“Scare me? It thrills me to death. But what about that opportunity in Denver? I don’t want you to pass up something you love just because of me.”
He tilted her face up, gazing into her eyes. “You have no idea the things I’d do ‘just because of you.’”
He lowered his head and brushed her lips slowly. Mia placed her hand on the back of his neck, letting her fingers reacquaint themselves with the soft thickness of his hair.
A squeal sounded someplace far away. Quick footsteps swished through grass. Then the pier shimmied beneath them.
Levi sighed against her lips.
“You’re here!” Molly called. “How was your flight? How was Ireland? Did the filming go all right? I want to know everything.”
Levi disengaged with obvious reluctance to let Mia greet his sisters.
Mia hugged Molly first, then Grace. “You guys look great. I missed you both.”
“We missed you too. So the movie—did the filming go well?”
“It was terrific. It’s all wrapped and in post-production now.” She was proud of her work on Lesser Days.
“When does it hit theaters?” Grace asked.
“Not till May.” She elbowed Levi, who’d joined them. “I’m taking your brother to the premiere.”
Levi gave a barely audible groan.
“Hey,” Molly said. “If you don’t want to go I’ll gladly take your place.”
Grace gave a rueful grin. “You and about a million guys I know.”
Levi gave a low growl and tightened his arm around Mia. “No one’s taking my place.”
“Let’s go inside,” Molly said. “I made your favorite cookies.” They headed up the dock, Levi lagging behind, toting Mia’s luggage.
As they started up the grassy incline Mia linked arms with Molly. “So when do I get to see this ring I’ve been hearing so much about?”
Molly squealed, proudly sticking out her hand, waggling her fingers so the sunlight caught on the marquise diamond.
“Oh! It’s so gorgeous. Adam has wonderful taste in jewelry.”
Molly gazed at her finger adoringly. “I just love it.”
“Tell me about the proposa
l—and don’t leave out a single detail.”
“Not again,” Grace muttered.
Undeterred, Molly dove into the story, bubbling with excitement as if the proposal had happened two hours ago instead of two months.
Midstory, Mia glanced over her shoulder, catching Levi’s gaze locked on her. They shared a long moment, a private smile. Her insides melted at the tender look in his eyes, and Mia knew she’d finally found what she’d been searching for all her life.
* * *
For a bonus epilogue, go to www.DeniseHunterBooks.com/books-carolina-breeze.html.
Discussion Questions
Who is your favorite character and why? Which Bennett sibling did you most relate to?
Mia’s job is something she loves, but it comes with public scrutiny. Discuss the ups and downs of celebrity life. What would you have done if faced with the scandal Mia found herself embroiled in?
Mia’s lonely childhood left her yearning for a place to belong. Can you relate? What kind of role has your family, or lack thereof, played in your life?
Levi’s deathbed promise to his father left him with a responsibility that weighed him down. How did you feel about his role in his sisters’ lives and his doggedness to make the inn a success?
What do you think Mia’s search for Dorothy’s necklace might have represented? If you could discover something in your own home, what would you wish to find?
Mia’s father’s abandonment left her with trust issues. Discuss how those played out in her relationships. Have you ever found yourself holding back out of fear?
Mia feared she was unworthy of love. Have you ever felt similarly? Does knowing God will never leave you offer comfort?
Have you ever had a “head knowledge” that didn’t quite translate to the heart? Discuss.
Mia finally broke when she lost the role of Fiona. Discuss why being replaced might have triggered her breakdown.
What was your favorite scene and why? What do you think might happen in the next book in the Bluebell Inn series?
Acknowledgments
You don’t write thirty-six books without realizing the monumental team effort it takes to get a novel from the page to the shelf! I’m so incredibly blessed to partner with the fabulous team at HarperCollins Christian Fiction, led by publisher Amanda Bostic: Jocelyn Bailey, Matt Bray, Kim Carlton, Paul Fisher, Kerri Potts, Jodi Hughes, Becky Monds, Marcee Wardell, Margaret Kercher, Savannah Summers, and Laura Wheeler. Not to mention all the wonderful sales reps and amazing people in the rights department—special shout-out to Robert Downs!
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