Finding Forever

by Gael, Christine

  Instead, Ian’s was the face that came to mind.

  Ian, who had been her rock throughout the rollercoaster ride of the past week.

  Ian, who she felt something deep and powerful for, in spite of how quickly their relationship had developed and the rocky path it had taken.

  As if on cue, Ian rounded the corner from the parking lot, his car keys in his hand. His eyes settled on Ty for a moment before drifting over to Max, and he gave her a knowing nod. He had never met Ty before, but it was clear by the look on his face that he knew exactly who he was. Ty followed Max’s gaze, his eyes widening a little as Ian came to a stop beside them.

  “Hey,” Ian said, extending a hand to him. “I’m Ian.”

  “Ty,” Ty introduced himself, shaking his hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”

  Ian smiled at him before turning to Max. “I’m parked right over there, whenever you’re ready,” he told her, nodding in the direction of his truck. “No rush.”

  He gave Ty a nod before retreating, his hands in his pockets.

  Ty watched him go, and the look of disappointment on his face was apparent. He was an observant guy, and it was clear he had put it together. Max swallowed hard, wondering what to say, and was surprised when he turned back to her and shot her a rueful grin.

  “Well,” he said, ducking his head a little, “I should’ve known there’d be a good guy somewhere in Bluebird Bay who was smart enough to snap you up fast.”

  Max returned his bittersweet smile, holding her hands wide. “What can I say? I guess I’m a hot commodity.”

  “Yeah,” Ty agreed, shaking his head but still smiling. “You sure are.” He glanced over his shoulder towards where Ian was waiting in the truck. “Does he make you happy?”

  For a moment, Max was struck with the urge to gush about how kind, funny, and intelligent Ian was, about how he challenged her and made her rethink her preconceptions, about his childlike sense of adventure, but she held back. There was no point in twisting the knife.

  “He does.”

  Ty nodded thoughtfully. “That’s good enough for me, then.” There was a pause, and then he added, “If you could just do me a solid, though, and not honeymoon in Paris, I’d appreciate it. A man can only take so much.”

  Max chuckled, and he gave her a lopsided grin, but she felt a pang of regret; he was clearly hurting, and she was sorry for that.

  “There are a lot of smart women in France, too,” Max observed, crossing her arms. “You’ll find the right one for you, Ty – I don’t doubt that at all.”

  Ty met her gaze for a moment, that melancholy expression still on his face, and he looked like he was on the verge of saying something else, but instead he cleared his throat. “I think I’ll go give my condolences to your mom and your aunts,” he said slowly. “It was good to see you again, Max.”

  “It was good to see you, too, Ty,” Max told him, and pulled him in for another brief hug. “I’ll see you around, yeah?”

  “Sure,” Ty agreed. “See you, Max.”

  And with that, he moved away into the crowd. The pain she might once have expected was replaced by a sense of tranquility as she began to walk back towards Ian.

  Away from the past, into the future.

  22

  Anna

  "It's done. We did it."

  Anna leaned in to her oldest sister, the breath she'd felt like she'd been holding all day leaving her in a whoosh.

  The last of the guests had finally left and the three of them had just finished cleaning up Stephanie's house. Now that the frenzy of the funeral planning had passed, some of the pressure had been lifted, but grappling with the grief was going to be a long, difficult process. She was eternally grateful she didn't have to do it alone.

  "We did, Cee-cee. We did. And I think he would've been happy with that tribute, don't you?"

  "He would've, yeah," Cee-cee agreed, curling her arm around Anna.

  "He definitely would've complained about the meatballs, though," Steph added with a wistful grin as she dried her hands off on a dish towel.

  Anna chuckled and nodded, lowering her tone to mimic their father's raspy baritone. "'Meatballs are supposed to be made from beef, not turkey. They got 'meat' right in the name, for crying out loud. What is this garbage?'"

  Her sister's joined in her laughter and a warmth settled over the part of her heart that had felt so cold since that day in the hospital. They'd lost both of their parents now, and it was hard. So very hard. But she had her sisters, and that was more than a lot of people had.

  "It's going to be weird," Steph murmured, taking a seat in one of the stools at the kitchen island and gesturing for her sisters to join her.

  "For you, especially," Anna confirmed with a nod. "No doubt about it. But I keep going back to what Eva said. Pop never wanted to get to the point that he didn't recognize us. We had a really good year...more, even, with him after the fire. I'm grateful for that time with him. It's a lot more than we got with Mom."

  Cee-cee hummed her agreement, watching carefully as Stephanie took a sip from a still-full wineglass.

  "I think the thing I'm most grateful for right now, besides you two, is that he and I had finally come to peace. We didn't always agree, but I think we at least understood each other. I'd have hated to lose him and feel like I hadn't tried to break through the barriers between us. I don't feel like I had anything left unsaid."

  Anna studied her sister's serene face and knew she spoke the truth. "Speaking of peace, how are things going with weaning off the meds so far?"

  She didn't want to get on her sister's ass, today of all days, but based on what she'd read, Steph shouldn't be drinking when she was taking those pills...

  "Really good, actually. The first few days were bad, I'm not going to lie. It's a hell of a time to try to do something like this and there were some sleepless nights. Thank God for Ethan."

  When Steph had told Ethan about her struggle, her sisters by her side, he had been a real trooper. Once he'd gotten past his own self-recriminations and the guilt of not seeing that she was in trouble himself, he'd become a great support system for her.

  "The past couple nights have been a lot better. He's started doing yoga with me, and we've been meditating at night before bed. I love my new therapist, and will continue seeing her twice a week for at least the next couple months. It's a work in progress," Steph added with a shrug. "But I know I'm on a good path. With Todd taking over the day to day at the clinic for another few weeks, I think I'll get to the other side of this soon enough. The fact that I haven't been on them for all that long helped a lot. I don't know how people who are dependent for years do it. It's...tough," she said with a humorless chuckle. "But worth it." She held up the glass and swirled it around with an eye-roll. "This is sparkling cider, in case you were worried."

  Anna scoffed and glanced at Cee-cee. "Nah, we weren't worried."

  "Liar," Steph shot back, chuckling. "It's fine. You're a nosy little brat, and I wouldn't have it any other way."

  "Oh, good, because seriously, changing at this stage just isn't an option."

  A sharp rap sounded on the door and Stephanie flinched, but then took a steadying breath. "Be right back. Probably a late flower delivery or another neighbor dropping off a casserole."

  Before she'd gotten out of the kitchen, though, a female voice called out.

  "It's only me!"

  Max's sheepish face made an appearance less than a minute later. "Sorry to interrupt your slumber party but I got all the way home and was just about to jump in the shower when I realized I left my phone here."

  "Hey, honey," Cee-cee said with a tired smile. "You're not interrupting, but we just finished cleaning up and didn't find a phone. Maybe you left it in Ian's car?"

  "Nope. It was in the living room," she said, brandishing the phone in question high in the air. "I remembered setting it down on the ottoman a little while before we left. I just wanted to come in and say hi and give you all one more smooch, then I'm out
of here."

  Her phone lit up at that moment and she peered down at it with a frown.

  "Oh, geez. Ian texted a couple times." She scanned the screen and then cocked her head.

  Anna had been relieved to see that Max's new boyfriend had been steady as a rock over the past week. Despite not being very close to his own family – or maybe because of that fact – he'd been so supportive of Max since Pop had passed, even offering to man the bookstore for her as she helped them with the funeral arrangements and helped get Pop's finances in order. He'd been by her side all day today until after dinner, when only Red's kids and grandkids had remained. Then, he'd excused himself, along with Mick, Ethan, and Beckett, letting Max know he'd be home if she needed him. Anna appreciated that he'd been there for her but had also given her the space to mourn with her family.

  Despite their contentious start, he was turning out to be a very good addition to Max's life. The stability she'd needed after her catastrophic relationship with Robbie and more recent heartbreak over Ty.

  "Everything okay with Ian?" Steph asked cautiously.

  "Yeah, yeah, he's fine. He just wanted to let me know he found a really great prospective property. He wants me to check it out."

  "Oh, that's great news!" Cee-cee said. "When can you see it?"

  "He's there right now, so I might swing by on my way home. He said we can see it tomorrow, as well, but I'm too wired to relax and I can't fall asleep this early anyway. Plus, I'm kind of excited. I’m sure he wouldn't have bothered telling me about it if it wasn't a good fit."

  "Go, go," Steph said, shooing their niece away like a stray cat. "Get out of here! You don't want anyone else snapping it up if it's a winner."

  Max blew them all kisses and rushed from the room.

  "Fingers crossed," Cee-cee murmured. "That girl put so much work into the bookstore. I'd hate to see her lose it."

  "She's tough, like her grandfather. She'll handle it, whatever comes her way. She's a Sullivan, after all."

  The sisters held up their glasses by tacit agreement and tapped them together with a clink.

  "To being a Sullivan, and hanging tough," Stephanie said with a determined smile.

  Anna and Cee-cee nodded.

  "Amen to that."

  23

  Max

  Max tapped the brakes and slowed to a stop in front of a creepy Victorian, four-story home that practically begged for an exorcism.

  Maybe she had the wrong address?

  But no. There, parked in the driveway, sat Ian's truck.

  She popped her vehicle in park, squinting out the driver's side window to get a better look in the rapidly disappearing remnants of dusk.

  "He can't be serious."

  The location was great, in that it was close to the beach and all the trendy little shops and bed and breakfast places were near enough, but it was outside of the cobbled, pedestrian-friendly downtown area and there wasn't even a sidewalk leading from there to here. Casual foot traffic would be almost nil. Not to mention she had zero idea how she could possibly make this space into something even close to comparable to her bookstore.

  She turned off the ignition and let herself out of the car, full of trepidation. As much as she appreciated Ian going to the trouble of helping her, she wasn't sure how they'd gotten their wires so miserably crossed. This wasn't going to work at all.

  She made her way up the crumbling walkway, through a copse of weeping willows and gnarled tree roots, and then picked her way up the creaky stairs, wincing.

  The place was sure big enough to house more than one business, but Mr. Bonomo certainly couldn't bring his father to visit him here.

  She'd seen plenty of New England lawyers and even dentists in converted homes with setups like this, but a store with product to move that relied on passersby for more than half their business?

  No way.

  The door swung open as she reached the stoop and Ian stepped out with a warm smile.

  "You really didn't have to come tonight," he said apologetically as he bent to press his lips to her forehead.

  "You sounded so excited..." she said, trailing off.

  "I am. What do you think? First impressions," he said, pulling her inside.

  Don't poop on his parade before you even see the inside.

  It was fine to pass on the place, but it had already been a long day, and her emotions were closer to the surface than normal. Who knew? Maybe it wasn't as bad as she thought.

  Max swallowed hard and forced a smile that she hoped looked more sincere than it felt.

  "It's...really something," she managed as she took in the foyer.

  It wasn’t a lie. It was definitely something. The large foyer led to a massive great room with vaulted ceilings. A heating and air conditioning nightmare for shops with a lean margin like hers. And there was no denying it, the whole vibe was spooky as all get out. If Alfred Hitchcock stepped out from the shadows, she wouldn't have been surprised.

  She took a steadying breath and instantly regretted it. The place smelled like antiques and old rugs, which made a whole lot of sense, because it was still full of both. While the teak floors were gorgeous, they were covered by large, fraying area rugs dotted with mildew. All in all, if the outside had been a bad fit, the inside was looking even less promising.

  Max scratched her nose and cleared her throat. "Now that I think about it, wasn't this place for sale pretty recently? I assumed whoever wound up buying it would do a big renovation and make it into a B&B."

  "Yeah, it would be perfect for that type of thing, right?"

  "For sure," she said solemnly. "I'm just..." She swallowed hard past a sudden knot in her throat. She and Ian had spent a lot of time together over the past month, and she knew she could trust him enough to be honest. And the truth was, they’d spent a lot of time talking about her needs for the new space. She couldn’t deny she was hurt that he hadn’t seemed to be paying attention at all. "Ian, I appreciate you trying to find me a place, but this won't work. Like...at all. Not for me, or for Mr. Bonomo."

  Ian cocked his head, and then shook it slowly. "You think...oh my God, Max. No." He tossed his head back and let out a bark of laughter. "I guess I wasn't clear in my text, but I was so excited, I couldn't wait for you to see it.” He paused and stared down at her intently. “Babe, this place isn't for you. It's for me."

  She heard the words coming from his lips, but they didn't compute. "You're moving out of the condo?" she asked, confused. "But you have another eight months on your lease."

  "I'm not going to live here, Max. I'm going to build my escape rooms here."

  Blood rushed to her ears and she swayed on her feet.

  "What are you saying?"

  "Don't you see it? I saw it the second I walked in. The house is almost alive with mystery and magic. And I spent so much time building hidden doors and all this intricate furniture in the Alice room...I won't have to for the rest. Because it's all here!"

  He tugged her by the hand, leading her down a short hallway into a large library. "Check it out," he said, almost childlike excitement lighting his chocolate brown eyes. He grabbed hold of a dusty-looking globe and pulled.

  Sure enough, the bookshelf swung open with a squeal.

  "It's a hidden passageway. It leads to the kitchen. Can you imagine all the stuff I can do in here? The possibilities are endless."

  It was hard not to get swept up in his excitement, but she was still reeling as it all started to sink in.

  "But, Ian...you already planned everything for the strip mall. You put so much work in--"

  He took her icy hands in his and squeezed. "And sometimes, something better comes along, and you have to switch gears. Most of the stuff I did will work in here, too, but if I'm being honest, this place is giving me so much inspiration, I'm already thinking of scrapping two of the room prototypes and going horror, like a creepy doll house-inspired room, and then maybe something with witches for Halloween. But the icing on the cake? You get to stay in your bo
okstore. Don't look at me like that, Max," he said, shaking his head furiously.

  "Like what?" she sniffled, plucking uselessly at a piece of lint on his shirtsleeve.

  "Like you're about to cry. You've had so much to cry about lately, I'd hate to be the reason this time."

  "I want to be happy, Ian. I really do. And part of me is." She couldn't deny it. Under all the other bubbling emotions was a bright beam of pure joy. Could this really be happening? Could she really have her store back? And Mr. Bonomo, and Betina, and--

  She forced herself to remain calm as she met Ian's gaze head on.

  "I need to know, Ian. Right now. Is this just about me? I care about you so much, and if you put your own dreams aside for mine, I'd never forgive myself. I can't ask that of you."

  "You didn't ask me, Max. This is what I want to do,” he said, his tone solemn. “It's not a whim, either. I've been looking for a place for you, but I've also been keeping an eye out for another option for myself, too. If it turned out that I was able to find something suitable for you, and hadn't found this place, the conversation would be different. But I did find it, and now, I honestly can't imagine a better location. If you vacated the bookstore today, and Mr. Bonomo moved to New York with his father, I would still rent out the strip mall and start my business right here." He traced his thumb over her jaw and leaned closer. "I swear to you."

  It was like a dream. And, after a lot of sleepless, grief-filled nights, it was also the straw that broke the camel's back.

  Tears began to stream down her cheeks.

  "Ian...thank you."

  "Aw, man, I so didn't want you to cry, Max," he murmured, peppering her cheeks with kisses. "Please stop, you're killing me."

  "Okay, okay," she said with a soggy chuckle. "But if you don't want me to cry, then stop being so damned sweet."

  "I can't make any promises," he said, pulling away with a wicked grin. "But I'll try."