by V. K. Sykes
Holly kicked off her sandals and stepped inside, her heart fluttering like Old Glory in a stiff wind. She had so many things she wanted to tell him that she hardly knew where to start.
Or maybe she’d just lost the ability to think rationally due to her surging hormones. After all, the back view of Micah was just as good as the front view. She could barely keep her hands off his brawny shoulders, fine ass, and long, muscled legs.
Mercy. To think she’d almost let this man get away.
Micah was as fine a man as she could ever meet, and he clearly adored her. How had she gotten so lucky twice in her life? To have had her time with Drew, however short, and now the possibility of a future with Micah… it was truly humbling.
She leaned against a counter and let her gaze wander as he uncorked the wine and half filled a pair of large-bowl wineglasses. The simple all-white kitchen was like the man—clean, organized, practical, and utterly comfortable.
“Here’s to a hell of a day,” he said, holding up his glass. His smile held more than a hint of a question.
Holly gently tapped her glass against his. “Yes, but it’s still not quite over.” She took a hefty swallow, hoping for some liquid courage.
Micah’s gaze warmed as it roamed over her, despite the fact that she was barely presentable in jeans, plain white T-shirt, and mussed hair. Then he took a quick glance down at his own body. She couldn’t miss that it had started to respond to her presence.
“Hmmm. I guess I should either put on some more clothes or you should take some off,” he said in a thoughtful voice. “The latter would be my strong preference.”
Oh boy, mine too.
But not just yet. First, she had to own up, and it was turning out to be harder than she thought—her damn pride was getting in the way again.
“Micah, I need to tell you something. And I need to do it right now.”
His sexy smile evaporated. “You’re leaving sooner than you thought.”
She shook her head. “No, I came to say that I hated the way we left things at the restaurant. The way I left things. Because you were pretty much right about everything. I knew it too but just couldn’t admit it. I didn’t know how to admit it.”
He studied her for a few long moments before nodding. “Okay, maybe we should head to the living room and get comfortable. This doesn’t sound like a kitchen conversation.”
“No, please, Micah. Let me just get it out. I’ve kept all these feelings bottled up inside for so long…”
And dammit, there she was choking up again when she least wanted to. She was not some fragile creature they all had to tiptoe around. She was no longer afraid of taking risks, and she was determined to show him that.
Still, when he took her in his arms, she didn’t resist. He cradled her to his chest, his strong arms wrapped tightly around her back. It felt so comforting, so right, that Holly didn’t want to move—ever. But after a few moments, she found the strength to wedge her hands in between them and gently push him back.
“Okay, no more coddling me,” she said. “I’m not going to break.”
“Hell, I know that, especially after today. I’ve always known that, but I like coddling you anyway.” He reached for her again. “And cuddling too. Cuddling’s okay, right?”
She held up a restraining hand. “I’m trying to be serious here, Deputy Lancaster.”
He leaned against the kitchen counter and crossed his arms over his chest. When he smiled at her, he was pure temptation. “Okay, Ms. Tyler. I’m listening.”
She took in a deep breath. “Good. Well, you were right that I haven’t been happy. And no, I don’t believe New York is going to change that very much, even though I’ve tried superhard to convince myself otherwise. But being with you this summer, and with my aunts… seeing everything they’re going through and how much they need me, it’s made me finally face the truth. I know now that going to New York would just be another way to avoid feeling what I need to feel, what I should feel if I had the guts to face it.” She shook her head. “I’ve been running away from myself for too long. I’m done with all that.”
Micah gently grasped her shoulders. “Babe, don’t beat yourself up over it. You did what you had to do to survive. We all knew that.”
While what she’d done might have been right at the time, a necessary step on her path to healing, now she knew what she truly wanted. She wanted family and friends, people who counted for something and who loved her—people who would be there for her when she needed them. And, just as much, Holly wanted to be there for them when they needed her. It had taken four long years, but she finally realized that almost everything important to her was right here in Seashell Bay.
Starting with the man standing right in front of her.
“Micah, you told me you loved me tonight. You said you’d do whatever it took to be with me.” She shook her head, awed by what he was willing to give up for her. “Well, I love you that much, and I’m prepared to do whatever it takes to be with you. Not for visits, but for always. Hell, I’ll flip burgers in Portland if I have to,” she joked, even though her throat was getting tight again.
“But what about your new partnership?”
Holly did hate the idea of disappointing David and Cory after she’d made commitments. But she had no choice. “The guys won’t be happy, obviously, but they’ll just have to accept my decision. Besides, I’m not exactly their only alternative for a third partner.”
“Music to my ears,” Micah said, giving her a smile so loving that it lit her up like a thousand firecrackers on the Fourth of July. “But I hope you don’t think you have to give up the work you love.”
“I’ve been thinking about that. I’m pretty darn good at what I do, if I do say so myself. So I figure I shouldn’t have much trouble cobbling together work here in Maine. And it’ll be fantastic to be able to stick around to help Florence and Beatrice and move forward with the changes to the store. I still have a lot I want to accomplish on that front.”
Micah blew out a long sigh, as if he’d been holding his breath for a year. “Thank God. That is the best damn news I’ve ever heard.” He rested his forehead against hers. “I really would have followed you anywhere though, Holly. Anywhere,” he said softly.
She slipped her arms around his waist, imprinting the moment on her heart. It had been so long—a lifetime, it seemed—since she’d felt such happiness.
And a bone-deep certainty that the world was just as it should be.
But she knew if she tried to voice the depth of her emotions, she’d start crying. So instead she leaned back and smiled up at him. “Just shut up and kiss me, Deputy. And don’t stop until I tell you to.”
Micah laughed. “You know my motto—I live to serve.”
Epilogue
October, Seashell Bay
Micah swung the cruiser onto the gravel road that led to the resort construction site.
“What are you doing?” Holly asked. They’d been heading to Lily and Aiden’s house for a barbecue on a warm and perfect autumn day, but it looked like he was taking the scenic route.
He flashed her a smile—the one that never failed to make her go all gooey inside. Even though she’d been living with Micah for several weeks, the thrill of being with him had yet to wear off. She had a wonderful feeling it never would.
“I want to show you what the resort looks like now that it’s almost finished. The view is pretty spectacular.” He stopped the car in front of the chain-link fence. “I’ll unlock the gate, and you drive through, okay?”
Holly came around to the driver’s side while Micah opened a big brass padlock and then swung the gate open. She inched through the gap and waited while he relocked the gate.
“I can’t remember the last time I was up on these bluffs,” she said after he got in the passenger seat. She wound the cruiser past several construction trailers, Dumpsters, and storage sites. “This was all Flynn land, and Aiden’s dad didn’t like kids poking around on his property.”
> Micah nodded. “Lily and Aiden really wanted that to change. So when the place opens in the spring, everybody will be able to enjoy it, not just resort guests. People can come for a meal or a drink or just to walk along the bluffs and enjoy the view.”
After they parked in front of the hotel complex, they strolled down a graveled path that wound westward along the edge of a steep slope, lushly covered with bushes and sumac plants, already starting to blaze with autumn colors.
“Wow, what a view,” Holly said, looking east toward the Atlantic horizon. Since it was Sunday, there were no fishing boats out on the placid blue waters. In fact, there were no boats at all. The quiet was almost eerie. There was no breeze, and she could barely hear the faint lapping of the sea against the huge rocks that dotted the driftwood-strewn beach below. For a moment, it felt like she and Micah had both the island and the ocean to themselves, as if they’d been marooned on a remote shore.
Micah gently turned her chin until she gazed at him. “Beautiful sea, beautiful island, beautiful woman,” he said in a low voice. Then he took her in his arms and kissed her with a passion that made her knees go weak.
“For the strong and silent type, you are such a sweet-talker,” she said after he let her up for air. “You brought me here to make out? I thought we did that all morning.”
And most of the night.
They’d managed maybe three or four hours of sleep, then started up again when the sun finally woke them around seven. Holly had made pancakes while Micah cooked bacon, and then they’d headed straight back to the bedroom. Because she’d been so busy—first at the store and then at her new job with a Boston-based consulting firm that had just asked her to set up a Portland branch office—she and Micah hadn’t seen much of each other this last couple of weeks. So when they did have a chunk of free time, they took advantage of every moment they had together.
“Are you complaining?” he said, nuzzling her neck.
“Not a chance, but I don’t want to show up at Lily’s looking like I’ve just gotten my ashes hauled. Again.”
“You won’t,” Micah said with a laugh. “Let’s walk.”
His arm wrapped securely around her waist, he led her to a grassy area in the shadow of a pair of tall pines. Micah propped his back against one of the trees and settled Holly against his chest. She snuggled into his warmth with a happy sigh, content to quietly live in the moment as they took in the view.
Finally, Micah stirred. “I was thinking this morning about how cool it is that we’ve been getting more people moving back to Seashell Bay. A lot of locals worry about the island’s future, but I think we might just get a little population boom in the next while.”
“Well, I know Aiden and Ryan are certainly keen to do their part,” Holly said drily. “Lily’s already trying to get pregnant, and Morgan wants to have a big family too. I think it’s just a matter of time before we have a new crop of Butler and Flynn kids populating the local school.”
She felt him hesitate.
“And what about Lancaster kids?” he finally said. “Think they’ll be showing up on the school playground at some point?”
Ah, there it is. She and Micah hadn’t yet talked about children. She was sure he didn’t know she’d been pregnant once, finding out shortly after Drew left for his final deployment. She’d suffered an early miscarriage a week after his helicopter was shot down, redoubling her misery. Holly had only told Lily and Morgan, and she’d sworn her friends to secrecy. At the time, the last thing she’d needed was more sympathy to remind her of everything she’d lost.
But she was done with secrets and with being afraid of living again.
“Micah, almost nobody knows this, but I was pregnant once. I miscarried right after Drew was killed.”
His arms tightened around her, then he turned her in his arms. His eyes were dark with sympathy and worry. “Babe, I’m so sorry. I had no idea…”
“I only told Lily and Morgan because it was too painful to talk about. And too…”
“Private?” he guessed.
She managed a smile. “Yeah, you know me. Miss None of Your Business. But I was so miserable that I didn’t even want to think about it, you know? And for a long time after that, I wasn’t sure I would ever want to have children again.”
He nodded, looking solemn. “And now?”
“I do want kids with you,” she said. “Very much.”
The tension bled away from his face. “That makes me very happy, but you need to know that it wouldn’t make any difference if you didn’t. Whatever is best for you—that’s all I want.”
Holly went up on her toes and kissed him. “You’re a hell of a man, Deputy Micah Lancaster.”
He smiled and nestled her under his arm so they could both look out over the ocean. “This area is where Aiden and Lily held the ground-breaking ceremony last fall. It was exactly one year ago today. I remember it so well.”
Holly had missed it, too busy with work to make it up that weekend. “And?” She could tell he wanted to say more.
“Morgan and Lily were plotting about how they could lure you back to Seashell Bay. They said it would make things perfect if you came back.”
Holly rolled her eyes. “Yeah, that’s me. Perfection personified. And what did you say to that plan?”
“I was all for it but didn’t say much. How could I?” He paused for a moment, his gaze drifting out to the horizon. “I wanted it so bad, but I never really thought it could happen.”
Like he’d done to her a few minutes ago, she reached a hand up to nudge his jaw, making him look at her. “It all worked out in the end, didn’t it?”
The shadows that lingered in his gaze vanished with his smile. “It sure as hell did. So… I’ve got something for you.”
“A present?” she asked. He was always bringing home little things for her—flowers, her favorite bottle of wine, a pretty piece of sea glass to add to her collection.
“You might call it that.”
“I hope it’s good,” she said in a joking voice. “My standards are high, you know.”
When Micah pulled a small jeweler’s box from the pocket of his leather jacket, Holly’s heart practically stuttered to a halt. But when he went down on one knee in front of her, it kicked back into action at about a thousand beats a minute.
“Holly, I love you, and I’m going to love you until the end of time.” He opened the blue box to reveal a truly stunning diamond ring set in white gold.
Wow. On top of everything else, the guy had amazing taste in jewelry. Holly instantly fell in love with it.
“I might sound like a total sap,” he said in a serious voice, “but I want to raise our kids and grow old with you right here in Seashell Bay, surrounded by the people we love and who love us right back. So, how about you show off this ring at the party and make me the happiest guy in the world?”
He took the ring out of the box, ready to slip it on her finger. “Will you marry me, Holly Tyler? Will you spend your life with me here on this funny little rock in the Atlantic Ocean?”
Sucking in a huge breath, she tried to calm the tidal wave of emotion surging through her. She’d need to sort out some of what she felt later, especially her lingering sadness about Drew, but right now it was all good—perfect, as a matter of fact.
She extended a hand to pull him up. “I love you too, Micah Lancaster, and yes, of course I’ll marry you. And thank you for never giving up on me. I promise to spend the rest of my life making sure you don’t regret that for a single instant.”
He slipped the ring on her finger and then swept her into a tight embrace. Holly hugged him back, torn between laughter and tears, reveling in the joy of the moment.
“I’ll hold you to that promise, babe,” Micah whispered in her ear. “And right back at you.”
ALSO BY V. K. SYKES
Meet Me at the Beach
Summer at the Shore
Acclaim for the Seashell Bay Series
SUMMER AT THE SHORE
“4 stars! A quintessential love story set on a romantic island, the second in the Seashell Bay series delivers readers a great summer read. Morgan and Ryan have sizzling chemistry and the plot stays consistently interesting and keeps things moving. Summer at the Shore is definitely not to be missed.”
—RT Book Reviews
“Well-developed characters and a realistic plot give depth to this sweet contemporary.”
—Publishers Weekly
“4 Stars! I have to say that Summer at the Shore had me hook, line, and sinker from the first page to the last. The road to HEA for these two takes its twists and turns, but in the end, it will have you cheering and sighing.”
—HarlequinJunkie.com
MEET ME AT THE BEACH
“4 Stars! A sexy series starter set on an island where anyone would love to spend the summer, Sykes’s latest is a winner.”
—RT Book Reviews
“As Aiden and Lily take a chance on their romance, neither knows whether it will be fleeting or turn into forever. Their intense romance is sensuous and moving, with a perfect small-town setting.”
—Publishers Weekly
“V. K. Sykes has created a unique island removed from the chaos of the mainland, accessible only by ferry or private boat, and populated it with a community of strong-minded people who work hard, take pride in their heritage, and band together to celebrate the good times and get through the bad times as they protect and support each other… It’s a place I want to visit with people I want to know. They’ve touched my heart and I’m now invested in their happiness. I can’t wait to catch the ferry over for my next visit to Seashell Bay!”
—TheRomanceDish.com
“Genuine emotions plus intriguing characters make Meet Me at the Beach constantly enjoyable, and V. K. Sykes always keeps the reader engaged during every entertaining scene. This author is a talented husband-and-wife writing team, and they perfectly balance duty with dreams for a very imaginative story.”