She took a step away from him. “Cameron, please don’t say this for Emma’s sake. What she needs most is stability, not two parents who are together simply out of duty and obligation.”
He moved toward her, quickly bridging the gap between them. He reached out and cupped her face in his hands. He dipped his head down and captured her lips in a stunning, powerful kiss that left her breathless. It nearly knocked her off her feet because the kiss radiated love. It was something you couldn’t fake or manufacture. The kiss said it all. Cameron was in love with her!
“I love you, Paige Reynolds. I always have. I always will. Two years ago I made the most foolish decision of my life. Despite everything I knew about you, I chose to believe the worst of you. I chose not to support the woman I loved. And that decision has cast a shadow over me ever since.” He leaned down and brushed a kiss across Paige’s forehead. “When you came back to Love with a big fat check for the town, I thought that was the biggest gift you could bestow on us. I still couldn’t see the forest for the trees.” Tears shone in his eyes. “Until I saw Emma. Until I realized that you gave me something even more precious. And ever since your return, you’ve been fighting for this town. To make things right. To fulfill your father’s dying wish. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a person act with so much love in their heart.”
A tremor ran across his jaw. “Every single thing you’ve done has been for the benefit of others. Emma. Robert’s dying wish. Me. And this town. You have given unselfishly.”
“Love has always been my home, Cameron. Deep down I think that I was hoping there would be a permanent place here for Emma and me.”
“Of course there’s a place for the two of you. And it’s with me. You belong in Love, Paige, just as much as you belong wherever I am.”
Tears slid down her face. “Oh, Cameron. God brought me back to Alaska. My heart led me straight back to you.”
“I don’t ever want to lose sight of the love we feel for one another. Having lost you once, I don’t ever want to endure that hardship again. It’s too painful.”
“‘Where you go I will go. Where you stay I will stay.’” Paige recited the verse solemnly. She meant it with every fiber of her being. A life lived without Cameron by her side would always feel incomplete. “And I’ve decided that Emma doesn’t need a trust fund. She has the two of us—a family. I’m going to donate the money to a very worthy cause. This town we love so much.”
Cameron’s eyes went wide. “Are you sure? That’s above and beyond.” She nodded her head.
“Oh, Paige,” Cameron said, placing a sweet kiss on her temple. “Jasper is going to do cartwheels when he finds out.”
Paige laughed out loud and shook her head. “Let’s hope not. This town needs the mayor in one piece.”
“Two years ago I made a big mistake in forcing your hand. Instead of running after you and begging you to come back, I stuck my head in the sand and allowed pride and bitterness to consume me.” He let out a hollow laugh. “Even then I loved you. Matter of fact, I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t in love with you. When you came walking back into my life, you turned me upside down. I wasn’t ready to admit even to myself that I still had feelings for you. Part of me was still reeling from losing you the first time around. I didn’t want to open myself up only to have a door closed on me.”
“Oh, Cameron. I was wary, too. It broke my heart when I had to leave Alaska. And it tore me up inside to know that we would never have our happily-ever-after. Coming back wasn’t supposed to be about our love story. It was supposed to be about Emma meeting her dad and fulfilling my father’s wishes. But in the end, true love couldn’t be denied.”
“No, it can’t. It perseveres despite the most challenging of circumstances.” His voice was filled with awe.
Cameron lowered himself so that he was on bended knee. He looked up at Paige and winked. “I agree with you one hundred percent.” He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a dark velvet box. “I had this ring made two and a half years ago for you.” He made a face. “I was waiting for the perfect time to propose. Everything fell apart before I could find that moment. Needless to say, I’m mighty glad I held on to it.”
Paige gasped as he flipped the box open. She raised her hand to her mouth. Her hands were trembling.
“I know you’ve always liked sapphires,” Cameron said. “I hope you like it.”
The stunning sapphire ring was surrounded by diamonds in a solitaire setting. It sparkled from inside the box. Paige had never seen a more spectacular ring in her life.
“I was foolish to ever let you walk out of my life.” Tears shimmered in Cameron’s eyes before a few slid down his face. Paige reached down and wiped them away. He smiled up at her.
“Paige, will you and Emma make me the happiest man in the world and marry me and be my family? I want nothing more than to build a life with you and our precious child, if you’ll have me.”
Paige felt as if her heart might just burst from sheer happiness. “Yes, Cameron,” she said in a triumphant voice. “I love you. And nothing would make me happier than to commit myself to you before God and all our family and friends. Being a family is all I’ve ever wanted for us.”
Cameron took the ring from the box and placed it on Paige’s ring finger. “Family is everything. Without it, we’re just hollow shells.”
Paige nodded. “I wish we’d made our commitment to God and one another before we started our family, but I’m grateful for Emma and I am glad for His forgiveness.”
Cameron stood up. “Emma was always in God’s plan. And you and I were always meant to be together.”
“And we will be,” Paige said with a grin. “For the rest of our days.”
Paige reached up and placed an exuberant kiss on Cameron’s lips. He kissed her back, placing his hands around her waist and drawing her close.
“Forever,” Cameron whispered against her lips as the joy they both felt about their magnificent future pulsed in the air around them.
Epilogue
The sun was shining brilliantly in a robin’s-egg-colored sky. A light breeze swept over Paige and ruffled the hem of her lace-and-satin wedding gown. The melodic lilt of a harp filled the air. The smell of poppies wafted in the atmosphere. A feeling of joy swept over her. Her most cherished dream was about to come true. She had always wanted to be a June bride. And ever since she could remember, she had wanted to be Mrs. Cameron Prescott. She had dreamed of settling down with her husband and Emma right here in Love, Alaska. From this moment forward it would be her forever home.
She watched as Honor walked down the aisle as her maid of honor, holding tightly to Aidan’s hand. After a sudden bout of shyness about his role in the wedding as ring bearer, he had insisted on walking beside Auntie Honor.
“Ready to get hitched?” Jasper asked with a wide grin. He held out his arm for her and she looped her own through his. She leaned over and placed a kiss on his grizzled cheek, filled with gratitude to him for standing in for her father.
“I’ve been waiting for this moment for a long time, Jasper,” she said. “Wild horses couldn’t stop me.”
“Then let’s get this train moving,” Jasper said with a chuckle as they began to walk toward a waiting Cameron.
Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion as they walked down the aisle strewn with poppy petals. Her emotions were riding right on the surface as beloved friends and family members came into view. Dwight gave her a thumbs-up. Myrtle, looking fabulous in pelican pink, blew her a kiss. Sophie dabbed at her eyes with a tissue. Fiona was beaming with pride. The sight of Cameron standing at the altar with Emma in his arms caused a groundswell of emotion to rise up in her. He looked so distinguished in his wedding attire. Boone, Liam and Declan stood beside him as his groomsmen. And her sweet Emma looked so comfortable in her father’s arms. By the grace of God, every
thing had turned out wonderfully. She couldn’t have imagined a more perfect beginning to their life as husband and wife.
Once they reached the altar, Jasper handed her off with a gentlemanly flourish. She met Cameron’s eyes, instantly seeing the promise of a lifetime in their depths. She loved this man to the core of her being. By allowing her to become Cameron’s wife, God had bestowed on her the ultimate blessing. By giving her the courage to return to Love, He had shown her the power of forgiveness.
Hazel swept in and took Emma out of her father’s arms. She went back to her seat and began bouncing the little girl on her lap. Emma made joyful little squeals.
“What took you so long?” Cameron asked in a low voice.
“I wanted to glide down the aisle with elegance, not trot like a horse,” she teased.
“You were well worth the wait,” Cameron said, leaning down and placing a tender kiss on her lips.
“You’re not supposed to kiss her yet,” Pastor Jack scolded with a shake of his head.
The wedding guests erupted into laughter.
“I was just practicing for later,” Cameron said, his lips twitching with mirth.
As Pastor Jack conducted the wedding ceremony, Cameron and Paige exchanged vows and promised to honor each other with truth, love and fidelity for the rest of their days. There wasn’t a dry eye among the guests.
“I now pronounce you husband and wife,” Jack said with a wide grin.
“Can I kiss her now?” Cameron asked.
“If you didn’t, I think Mrs. Prescott might have something to say about it,” Jack teased, his face lit up with a brilliant smile.
“Mrs. Prescott,” Paige said with a sigh. “That sounds wonderful.”
Cameron leaned down and placed a triumphant kiss on his new bride’s lips. With his hand on her lower back, he dipped her backward. Paige wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back, hanging on for dear life.
Cheers and shouts filled the air. Suddenly they were being bombarded with rose petals.
“You sure that you don’t want to hop on a plane and disappear for a few days to a tropical island? Fiona said she’ll be more than happy to watch Emma for us.”
“No way! I’m finally home where I belong. This is the only place I want to be,” she gushed.
“What a coincidence. Because I feel the exact same way, Mrs. Prescott.”
Cameron leaned down and scooped Paige up into his arms and carried her back down the aisle to the hoots and cheers of all their family and friends. Emma began to trail after them, her chubby little face shining with the happiest of smiles.
Paige had never been more content in her life. She had found her bliss by returning to Alaska. Her most fervent wish had come true. She now had a real family with Cameron and Emma and the whole Prescott family. Redemption. Happily-ever-after.
And above all, the promise of a lifetime lived in Love.
* * * * *
Keep reading for an exclusive excerpt of
THE RAIN SPARROW by
New York Times bestselling author Linda Goodnight.
Available now from HQN Books!
Get rewarded every time you buy a Harlequin ebook!
Click here to Join Harlequin My Rewards
http://www.harlequin.com/myrewards.html?mt=loyalty&cmpid=EBOOBPBPA201602010003
Dear Reader,
Thank you for joining me on this voyage to Love, Alaska. I love reunion romances. There is something very reassuring to me about a love that never fades away despite the passage of time or circumstances. Paige and Cameron are two people who never stopped loving one another, despite a past littered with betrayal, pain and mistrust. Although they have obstacles to hurdle, the presence of their daughter, Emma, serves as motivation for them to shed the pain of the past and forge a new, shiny future.
Family is at the core of this story. Both Cameron and Paige want to give their daughter a family, yet both are afraid to get their hopes up. As a writer, there is something very poignant to me about Paige’s enduring love for her father. Despite his criminal acts, he was a good father to Paige. Rather than give in to bitterness and rage, she chooses to care for her dying father and to honor his last wishes. In that his actions cost her so much, it speaks volumes about her character and her wide-open heart.
More times than not, I discover that my books have a common thread of forgiveness running through them. I’m always surprised by it, since I never set out to go down that path. Perhaps forgiveness lies at the root of so many of the challenges we face, whether it is forgiveness of oneself or forgiveness of another person.
I thoroughly enjoy hearing from readers. There are many ways to reach me. You can email me at [email protected] or visit me at my website, bellecalhoune.com. You can also connect with me at my Author Belle Calhoune Facebook page or find me on Twitter @BelleCalhoune.
Blessings,
Belle Calhoune
Get rewarded every time you buy a Harlequin ebook!
Do you want to earn Free Books and More?
Join Harlequin My Rewards points program and earn points every time you shop.
You can redeem your points to get more of what you love:
Free books
Exclusive gifts and contests
Book recommendations tailored to your reading preferences
Earn 2000 points instantly when you join—getting you closer to redeeming your first free book.
Don’t miss out. Reward the book lover in you!
Click here to sign up
Or visit us online to sign up at
http://www.harlequin.com/myrewards.html?mt=loyalty&cmpid=EBOOBPBPA201602010001
We hope you enjoyed this Harlequin Love Inspired story.
You believe hearts can heal. Love Inspired stories show that faith, forgiveness and hope have the power to lift spirits and change lives—always.
Enjoy six new stories from Love Inspired every month!
Connect with us on Harlequin.com for info on our new releases, access to exclusive offers, free online reads and much more!
Harlequin.com/newsletters
Facebook.com/HarlequinBooks
Twitter.com/HarlequinBooks
HarlequinBlog.com
The Rain Sparrow
by Linda Goodnight
A mystery writer and a shy librarian find love on a dark, stormy night in Honey Ridge, Tennessee...
BARE FEET SOUNDLESS on the cool tile flooring, Carrie moved to a pantry and removed one of Julia’s sterling silver French press urns. “We’ll have to grind the beans. Julia’s a bit of a coffee snob.”
“Won’t the noise disturb the others?”
Thunder rattled the house. Carrie tilted her head toward the dark, rain-drenched window. “Will it matter?”
“Point taken. You’re a lifesaver. What’s your name?”
“Carrie Riley.” She kept her hands busy and her eyes on the work. The fact that she was ever-so-slightly aware of the stranger with the poet’s face in a womanly kind of way gave her a funny tingle. She seldom tingled, and she didn’t flirt. She was no good at that kind of thing. Just ask her sisters. “Yours?”
“Hayden Winters.”
“Nice to meet you, Hayden.” She held up a canister of coffee beans. “Bold?”
“I can be.”
She laughed, shocked to think this handsome man might actually be flirting a little. Even if she wasn’t. “Bold, it is.”
As she’d predicted, the storm noise covered the grinding sound and in fewer than ten minutes, the silver pot’s lever was pressed and the coffee was poured. The dark, bold aroma filled the kitchen, a pleasing warmth against the rain-induced chill.
Hayden Winters offered her the first cup, a courteous gesture that made her like him, and then sipped his. “You know y
our way around a bold roast.”
“Former Starbucks barista who loves coffee.”
“A kindred spirit. I live on the stuff, especially when I’m working, which I should be doing.”
She didn’t want him to leave. Not because he was hot—which he was—but because she didn’t want to be alone in the storm, and no one else was up. “You work at night?”
“Stormy nights are my favorite.”
Which, in her book, meant he was a little off-center. “What do you do?”
He studied her for a moment and, with his expression a peculiar mix of amusement and malevolence, said quietly, matter-of-factly, “I kill people.”
Copyright © 2016 by Linda Goodnight
ISBN-13: 9781488007132
Alaskan Reunion
Copyright © 2016 by Sandra Calhoune
All rights reserved. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
® and ™ are trademarks of the publisher. Trademarks indicated with ® are registered are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Intellectual Property Office and in other countries.
Alaskan Reunion Page 17