Now she just had to not screw it up.
“It’s like you said. I’m an adult now. Not because I moved to London, or got a job some place new. But because I’m finally ready to grow up. I don’t think I realised, until this week, what that means.”
“What does it mean?” Jake asked.
“Accepting that I know myself better than anyone else ever can. That only I can take responsibility for my choices, my actions… and my dreams.”
“Sounds like a good start.” She could almost hear him thinking, but where do I fit in?
“I realised that everything I was doing – moving to London, leaving the hotel – it was all because I thought that was what success looked like. Even Jenna’s dare… she wanted me to sleep with you to get you out of my system, so I could go out on the pull with her in London.” A scowl crossed Jake’s face at her words, and she held back a laugh.
“But I realised, I’m not Dory. I don’t want that life. And I’m not Tim, or Jenna, or even Mum or Dad or Lara. The things they want, and even the things they want for me, they might not be right. Only I can decide what’s right for me.” She looked up at Jake willing him to understand.
“And I thought I knew what was right for you too,” he said. “I thought I needed to stay away from you. And then I changed my mind without even talking to you about it.” He shook his head. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. Because in the end, you walking away… that’s what forced me to think about what I really wanted. And I figured it out, at last.”
“Yeah?” Was that hope in his eyes? Molly hoped so. “So, what does a happy, successful life look like for Molly Mackenzie?”
The million dollar question.
“I started out by figuring out what I didn’t want,” she explained. “London… it’s a great city, but it’s not for me. And I need a job that’s new and different every day. So… I emailed my resignation to my company. I still have to work out my notice and pack up my room at the flat but after that… there’s an events job going at the Majestic hotel. Krissie, my old boss, thinks I’d be perfect for it.”
“So you’re moving back home?” Jake smiled. “Your mum and dad must be pleased.”
“I hope they will be. I haven’t told them yet,” Molly admitted. “I wanted to talk it all through with you first.”
“Me? Why?”
“Because the next part has to do with you.” Molly took a deep breath. “The thing is, I can’t keep sneaking around with you, Jake. I can’t lie to the people I care about that way. Least of all you.”
“I get it.” Hands in his pockets, Jake took a step back. “And look, if it’s too weird to have me around—”
“No, Jake. You don’t get it.” Swallowing hard, she moved towards him, one hand pressed against his chest. “You’re one of the people I care about. And I was lying if I let you think that all I wanted was one night. Maybe that’s how it started out, but it could never be just that between us, Jake. You matter too much to me.”
“As an almost brother?” he asked, and she shook her head.
“As a partner. As the man who made me grow up. Who makes me feel more, think more, and want more than I ever believed possible.” And now, the hardest part. “As the man I’ve fallen in love with.”
They were the right words, it seemed. Jake swept her up in his arms, his kisses desperate, as if he couldn’t get close enough to her.
“You are my family, Jake,” she whispered, between kisses. “Just not the way everyone always thought.”
“As long as I’m yours, I don’t give a damn what anyone else thinks,” Jake murmured back.
Molly smiled against his mouth. He was right. They’d found what was right for them. Now they just had to live it, together.
“I did make one more resolution,” Molly said, as Jake rested his forehead against hers, smiling down at her.
“Yeah? What was that?”
“To be kissing you at midnight on New Year’s Eve,” Molly told him. “Next year, and every year.”
“You’re definitely getting better at this resolutions thing,” Jake told her, and kissed her soundly.
Molly ran her hands up his back and kissed him back. In that case, she couldn’t wait to see what she came up with next year.
Behind her, a cork popped out of a Prosecco bottle and she realised that the party had spilled out into the hall. It was nearly midnight, nearly a whole new year. She was kissing Jake, and she didn’t care who saw.
She just knew that this new year, and every day after it, would be her best year ever.
Also by Sophie Pembroke…
The Kiss Before Christmas
Sophie Pembroke
I’ve been dreaming, reading and writing romance for years, ever since I stayed up all night devouring Harlequin Mills and Boon novels as part of my English degree, and promptly gave up any pretext of enjoying tragic stories. After all, what’s the point of a book without a happy ending? Born overseas, I grew up in Wales and now make my home in Hertfordshire with my scientist husband and our four year old, Alice in Wonderland obsessed, daughter. I keep a blog on my website, which should be about romance and writing, but is usually about cake and castles instead.
Follow me on Twitter at @Sophie_Pembroke.
About HarperImpulse
HarperImpulse is an exciting new range of romance fiction brought to you from the women’s fiction team at HarperCollins. Our aim is to break new talent from debut authors and import the hottest trends from the US, bringing you the very best in romance. Whether that is through short reads for your mobile phone or epic sagas that span the generations we want to proudly publish romance fiction that gets everybody talking.
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