She turned her back and said something to the man she grasped. The guy who looked vaguely familiar glanced over her shoulder, and slung an arm around Kayla's neck. The expression on his face was unreadable.
Sean stepped up to her, but she refused to turn around. "Kayla. I'm here. I need to talk to you. I know you're probably angry as hell, and you have a right to be, but I will explain in a minute if you would just turn around."
She shrugged the man's arm off, and he stepped aside. "I don't want to hear it. It doesn't matter anymore. You left. I moved on."
Kayla lifted her chin in the air, and by damn he wanted to kiss that stubborn little chin. And then her lips, tenderly and sweetly for a long, long time, until her anger dissipated and she melted in his arms. "No, you didn't," he said patiently, willing to take it slow if he had to. He would romance her back one kiss at a time, for as long as it took.
"You don't know anything because you never bothered to call." Her voice trembled, giving her away. She was damn near tears, and he had put them there.
He winced, guilty as hell. Loving her so much he felt his heart would burst. "I love you. I came back to be with you. My life is over in Boston and I don't intend to leave you ever again."
"Too late. I'm over you now. I don't want us to be together." She blinked rapidly and dragged a hand over her eyes. "It hurts too much. I can't do it again. I won't!" she said stubbornly.
He pulled her toward him, and cradled her in his arms. She resisted, but he simply held on tighter. Finally, she surrendered and went limp next to him.
"I looked for you every night," she said quietly. "I would sit at the pier and stare at the ocean, praying that you would come back to me."
He swallowed a big lump in his throat and kissed her softly. "It took me awhile to realize that Boston wasn't my home any more. I could never be the man I once was. Not without you. I wanted to be whole. And I am, here with you."
She sniffed. "What about your job? You can't just walk away from it."
"I'm going to be working at Mount Sinai—just down the road at Coral Gables."
"You are?" She smiled for the first time and her eyes lit with happiness. "You would leave Boston for me?"
"I already have. You are my home now, Kayla. If you will have me?"
Anna stepped forward. "Was that a marriage proposal?" she asked, one hand on her hip, the other clasping a glass of wine.
Sean laughed. "Not a very good one, but it is." He dropped to his knees. "Will you, Kayla Holmes, make me the happiest man alive and be my wife?" Not waiting for an answer he stood up and put a finger under her chin so he could look directly into her eyes. "As a doctor I open people's hearts all the time. It took me a long time to realize that I had to open my own in order for it to heal." He kissed her long and slow. "Mine is open wide and it belongs to you."
Anna clapped. "Oh my word! What a lovely proposal." She sighed with pleasure.
Taylor stepped forward. "Hurry up and answer him, Kayla. We can't stand the suspense!"
The man who had comforted Kayla a few minutes ago, slid a hand around Taylor's waist. "Say yes, Kayla. You've been upset since he left."
Sean recognized him now. He was the fisherman who was hooked on Taylor. He decided he liked this fellow after all.
"Yes, yes. I will marry you. But I can't leave Paradise Cove, or our cottages. It's my business and I need to run it. Is that all right with you?"
"It's more than all right. We'll both be busy with our work, but at the end of the day we'll have each other."
"Oh, Sean. I do love you." She kissed him then, leaving no doubt that she did.
"Anna," Sean turned to her mother. "I would like to marry your daughter, and we would love to have the wedding here. And soon. Do we have your permission?"
She laughed with joy. "I thought you would never ask."
THE END
A Note from the Author
Thank you for reading PARADISE COVE, the first book in my new series. If you enjoyed this book, I’d appreciate it if you’d help others
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MORE BOOKS BY PATRICE WILTON--
REPLACING BARNIE – book one in the Candy Bar series
WHERE WISHES COME TRUE – book two in the Candy Bar series
NIGHT MUSIC –book 3 in the Candy Bar series
REVENGE IS SWEET—single title Women’s Fiction
CHAMPAGNE FOR TWO—single title Contemporary Romance
ALL OF ME—single title Women’s Fiction
CATERED AFFAIR –single title Women’s Fiction
A HERO LIES WITHIN –Contemporary Romance
HANDLE WITH CARE –Contemporary Romance
AT FIRST SIGHT—Contemporary Romance
SERENDIPITY FALLS – Romantic-comedy-book one in the Serendipity Falls series.
WEDDING FEVER – Romantic-comedy- book two in the Serendipity Falls series.
LOVE STRUCK -- Romantic comedy - book three in the Serendipity Falls series
TROUBLE IN VEGAS -- Romantic comedy - book one in the Vegas series
A HOT NIGHT IN VEGAS -- Romantic comedy- book two in the Vegas series.
KISS ME SANTA -- Holiday romance
A HEAVENLY CHRISTMAS -- Holiday romance
PARADISE COVE (PARADISE SERIES Book 1) Page 22