“I don’t think this is a good idea…”
Austin didn’t expect Sam to fall back into his arms as soon as he showed up. He knew he had to work harder to get her back. After all, why would she trust him now? He’d broken his promise twice. What she probably didn’t realize yet was that he didn’t have a life in New York anymore. He had sold everything he owned there, including his own business, hoping to get a normal life back in Bluebell Valley. And if Sam needed him to prove himself, he could do it.
“Oh, I almost forgot. I have a surprise for you.”
“Austin, I just really want to go home, can we talk―”
“Please, give me a minute. You’re going to love this.” He turned around, hoping Sam wasn’t going to vanish as he had his back to her. He opened the passenger door of his truck and leaned in, grabbing a folder on the floor. When he came back, Sam was still there, her arms crossed over her chest, her eyes gaze on her shoes.
“Here,” Austin said as he handed the folder to her. “This is what I bought after I sold my company. I was hoping you’d go there with me.”
Curiosity took over Sam, and she slowly opened the folder as he waited patiently.
“You… you bought this?”
Her eyes were wide open, now fixed on Austin. He couldn’t help smiling. “I only had to use half of the money I got when I sold my apartment in New York to buy it. Do you like it?”
“Do I like it? Are you kidding me? I love it!” Sam’s eyes went back to the papers, mesmerized by what was in front of her. “But wait. Did you buy this villa in Tuscany just to win me back? Because that’s not going to work.”
“I had to do something with my money, and between buying an expensive villa on a vineyard in Tuscany or buying a motorcycle, I thought you’d be more happy about the villa. Italy is such a beautiful country. I want it to be accessible to you, so here.” Austin dug into his jeans back pocket and handed Sam a key. “That’s yours. You can go whenever you want. And if you lose it, you’ll have to wait a whole day for me to come and get the door open for you.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t,” Sam replied as she held the key between her fingers. Austin could feel that she was in a better mood already. She’d even been smiling a bit while looking at the picture and when he’d handed her the key. “Why are you doing all of this?” she asked, looking back at him.
“Because I can’t stop thinking about you. You’re the one for me, and I’m ready to do whatever it takes to be with you.”
“But―”
“Please, let me finish,” Austin insisted as he grabbed her hands. Sam didn’t fight him, and she even dared looking him in the eyes to see how truthful he was.
“You reminded me of how fun and exciting life can be. When I left, I realized you were right—I was simply heading back to my mediocre life. That’s not what I want anymore. I want to wake up next to you every morning. I want to talk for hours, sitting with our feet in the river. I want to laugh with you as we drive to my parents’ orchard―well, I should say my orchard now. I just want to be happy with you. I’m here, and I’m not going anywhere. And I’m sorry for everything I said last Friday. I didn’t mean it. I’d just had a lot of awful news and didn’t know how to deal with it. I promise that won’t happen again.”
“I’m sorry for what I said, too,” Sam said. “I don’t know what got into me.”
“But you were right. And I see it now.”
“I wasn’t right. I was just attack―”
“You were right, Sam. It’s okay. I can admit it,” Austin cut her off as a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. “Can you forgive me?”
He looked into Sam’s eyes, waiting for an answer. She was suddenly silent and it made his heart race.
Sam was studying him. She bit her lower lip before opening her mouth and closing it again. Austin’s heart skipped a beat as he thought she was going to say something. Finally, she sighed and a smile appeared on her face.
“I forgive you… on one condition.”
Austin was so happy he couldn’t stop smiling. “Anything!”
“You have to take me to your villa within the next month.”
“Deal!” Austin replied as he grabbed Sam by the hips, lifting her off the ground. He couldn’t contain his excitement as he felt like all the pieces of the puzzle were finally falling into place. He’d spent so many years following a dream that wasn’t really his own, and now he was going to start living his life the way his heart wanted him to. That started with dating Sam.
She laughed and he decided to finally put her down, all the moments they’d spent together coming back to him. He remembered how good it felt to have her hands on his shoulder, her face so close to his. He could smell her breath, a mix of coffee and mint, her freshly washed hair, and a hint of perfume. All those smells reminded him of how much he loved her and how he couldn’t spend his life without her.
As he stared into her beautiful eyes, he could imagine spending the rest of his life looking into them and not being bored for a single moment.
He had done the right thing.
“I love you so much, Samantha Decker.”
“I love you too, Austin Cole,” she replied, putting her arms around his neck. He would never get tired of that smile.
As their lips touched, Austin knew there was never anything that would take him away from Sam again. He needed her kisses to survive like he needed air to breathe.
Epilogue
Sam
“Here you go, Abby,” said Sam as she handed a coffee to her mom’s friend.
“You have a lovely smile on your face. Keep it up there,” Abby said. Sam watched as the woman she considered her aunt left with her cup, going to sit with Gemma. Abby had been the first one to tell her Austin was in town. Sam could still remember how she thought it wouldn’t change anything. At the time, she’d been fairly certain she’d be able to avoid him while he was in town, but that hadn’t happened. Not at all.
Sam glanced at her mother, happily chatting with her best friend. Sam was too far away to hear what they were talking about, but it was definitely gossip. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have made so many gestures with their hands.
Sam’s life was finally back on track, and it couldn’t have made her happier. Tasks that had seemed like chores only weeks ago now were strangely enjoyable. Though she’d never liked waking up crazy early in the morning, she was starting to enjoy it since it gave her her afternoon off to spend with Austin.
It had been three weeks already and, like he’d promised, he hadn’t left her. He’d taken over the orchard, giving his parents a well-deserved break as they boarded a ship for an Alaskan cruise.
Since then, he and Sam had spent a lot of time together, hanging out at the orchard since his parents were gone. They both knew they’d have to figure something out in the future, but for now it was the peaceful break they both deserved after going through so many troubles.
“Sam, I’ve got a problem with the espresso machine,” said a voice behind her. After her mother had realized that Sam would enjoy some time with her new boyfriend, she had agreed to take on more employees. Sam had hired two high school girls―Olivia and Kate―to help during the weekend and on some weeknights. They’d started a week ago and were learning fast enough for Sam to sneak out of the bakery in the evenings after she was done all her paperwork.
“Here,” Sam said, “let me give you a hand.”
Her mother had also been very helpful in training the girls and even giving them relationship advice on the side. It reminded Sam of how she was when she was still in high school. Sam must have looked like one of these girls, desperately in love with Austin but too afraid to admit it. She was almost certain Kate was in a similar situation, but she’d decided to not say anything. After all, she’d learned a great lesson recently: if something was meant to happen, then it would.
After shaking the espresso machine a bit, it started working again.
“Do you think you’ll be okay next week?”
Sam asked Olivia.
“I think so. Gemma is going to be here most of the time, right?”
“Yes. And if you can’t reach my mother, just call April.”
“The flower shop girl?”
“Yes. She knows how things work around here.”
Olivia nodded and went back to work as Sam took her apron off and hung it on the wall. Her day was done. Gemma would watch over Olivia for the rest of the afternoon while Sam had much better plans.
She kissed her mother on the cheek before walking out of the shop, looking for Austin’s blue truck. She quickly found it, waiting on the other side of the road.
“Hey, handsome!” Sam said, walking up to Austin and giving him a long kiss.
“Ready to go?” he asked her, looking even more excited than she was.
“More than ever,” she replied, a smile appearing on her lips.
In four hours, they would be boarding a plane to Italy. Sam couldn’t believe her dream was finally coming true. On top of being able to visit the country where she’d always wanted to go, she was getting to do it with the man she loved.
As she jumped into the car, she realized how lucky she was. If she had stayed inside her apartment for the full weekend Austin was in town, trying to avoid any kind of pain or confrontation, she would never have had the chance to experience the kind of love she was experiencing right now. Yes, it had come with bumps at times, but in the end, it was all worth it.
She had given herself a second chance at love, and it was rewarding her with a lifetime of happiness.
Austin started the car, driving out of the parking spot and onto the main road. Soon enough they reached the highway, leaving Bluebell Valley behind them for a short two weeks.
As Sam looked back at her hometown, she knew she would never want to leave Bluebell Valley for good, just like she would never leave Austin’s side again.
I forgive you, she thought as she headed for a lifetime of happiness.
The End
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About the author
Ginnie is a French-Canadian author who decided to follow her dreams and live a creative life. She’s been writing since she was fourteen years old and it’s not a surprise that she chose this path. Being an author also allowed her to travel full-time with her boyfriend. Both her childhood dreams came true and she is ready to do whatever it takes to keep writing and traveling. If you want to know more about her lifestyle and where she currently is, check out her travel blog: FarmBoy & CityGirl