Isabella pressed her hands to her chest as she watched Luke and his father embrace. The hug was so awkward, she almost wanted to laugh, but she knew if she opened her mouth, she’d start bawling.
She wrapped her fingers around her mother’s pendant. “I love you, Mama,” she whispered.
She and her mother had been stripped of their chance for a life together because an awful man had broken them apart. They hadn’t had the chance to recover, to come back together, but Luke and his father had. They would have a lifetime of the love she’d lost.
But she had Marcus now, too. A father who would always be there for her, just because of who she was. There would always be a hole in her heart from the loss of her mother, but now, it was a little less empty.
The men stopped embracing, and Marcus stepped back. His face was flushed, but there was a light in his eyes she’d never seen before. “Well, I’ve got to run. If I’m not going to hand the business over to Isabella, I need to make arrangements to sell off everything.” He grinned at Isabella. “I love you, sweet thing.”
She smiled. “I love you, too, Marcus.”
He gave a giddy little wave so incongruous with his staid suit, and then he turned and nearly skipped out the door. The door shut behind him, leaving Isabella alone with Luke. “How do you feel?” she asked.
He turned his head to look at her, and her heart nearly melted at the tender look on his face. “Come here.”
She rose from the window and walked across the room, stopping just beside the bed. “I’m so glad you’re letting your dad back into your life.”
He took her hand and tugged her onto the bed. She eased beside him, aware that his injury was on that side. “I owe you for bringing my dad and me together again.”
“Don’t say that.” She pressed her fingers to his lips. “I worked so hard to force Marcus to need me so much he would love me, but I don’t want to do that anymore. I don’t want anyone to owe anyone for anything. Let’s just let the past go. Live in the present, because we want to.”
“Fine.” He rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand. His touch was gentle, but seductive at the same time. Her stomach tightened, and anticipation pulsed through her. “I don’t owe you anything then. I just want to—” He swore suddenly. “I can’t do this lying down. Move.”
Isabella quickly stood as Luke struggled to his feet. She caught his arm and helped him up, and he didn’t argue. The moment he was up, he pulled away. “Sit.”
She raised her brows. “You’re awfully bossy when you’re hurt.”
He winced with pain, and she quickly sat, not wanting him to push himself. “Okay, I’m sitting. What—”
He lowered himself to one knee, grunting with pain.
“Luke, don’t hurt yourself—”
“Shh.” He took her hand and pressed his lips to the back of it. His dark eyes were fastened on hers. “When you showed up on my doorstep, you brought hell back into my life.”
She nodded. “I know.”
“You drove me nuts, with all your talk about how great my dad was.” A small smile played at his lips. “You have to admit I wasn’t wrong. The man’s a bastard.”
She inclined her head. “He did murder seven men,” she admitted. “But you have to admit, he’s also a good man.”
“Weak.” He thumbed her palm. “But he did the best he could. I see that now.” He searched her face. “I thought my life was great in Alaska. I thought I had everything I needed. Then you showed up babbling about love and loyalty. You broke apart all I’d so carefully set up.”
She smiled at his aggravated tone. “Do you want an apology?”
“Hell, no.” He moved closer so he could wrap his hands around her hips. His body was warm and strong between her legs, even with his injury. “My soul died on that beach when I was eight, when my mom was killed. I worked so hard not to feel anything. Even with Anna, I never really let her in. I felt guilty as hell when she was killed, and I was pissed, but I wasn’t broken.” He tightened his grip on her waist.
Isabella stiffened. Anna, the pure and innocent daughter of a minister. There was no way Isabella could ever compare.
“But when Leon put that gun to your head, I knew the kind of rage that had made my dad murder seven men. Leon had to die, Isabella. So did Nate. They had to.” He searched her face. “I didn’t kill them just to save us. I killed them because they had to die for hurting you, and as much as I wish I felt bad about it, I don’t. I’m not a good man, Isa. I’m more like my father than I want to be. Do you understand that? I tried to be Luke Webber, and I failed at it. I’m Adam Fie, down to my core. I—”
She placed her fingers over his lips. “I know there is some Adam Fie in you. But there is also Luke Webber. I love them both, just like I loved my mother and her flaws, as well as Marcus and his. I’m okay with all of you, Luke.” She bent down and kissed him lightly. “I accept you as you are,” she whispered. “Because I can see into your heart, and there is a good man in there. A man who is worthy of my love.”
Luke caught her face and kissed her hard. Not a light kiss like she’d given him. An aggressive, possessive kiss that thundered through her soul. He pulled back, his hands still framing her face. “I love you, Isabella Kopas,” he said fiercely. “Do you have any idea how much I love you?”
She nodded. “You became Adam Fie for me,” she said. “You became the man you didn’t want to be to save me.” She knew what it had cost him, and she understood what it said. What it meant. She felt the strength of his love in every cell of her body.
“And I’d do it again.”
She laughed. “God, no. I think nine dead bodies between the two of you are plenty.”
He managed a small laugh. “I can’t believe you can laugh about it.”
“We have to laugh,” she said. “It’s the only way to survive.”
“And that, my dear,” Luke said, “is why I’ve decided I can’t live without you.”
Her heart caught. “Really?”
Luke pulled back so he was on one knee again, and he took her hand. “Isabella Kopas, I’m flawed, I have a crazy family and a strong affinity for living in a godforsaken state with crappy coffee, but I swear on my mother’s spirit that if you’ll have me, I will love you every day of my life. I want to make a home with you. I want to wake up every morning with you in my arms, and watch the sunset from our porch every night.” He wrapped his other hand around hers. “I want to give you the home and the love you’ve always wanted. I’m not the fairy tale you dreamed up, but I swear I will love you every second of every day.”
Isabella stroked his jaw, her heart feeling so full it seemed as if it would explode right out of her chest. The intensity of his voice, of his face, of his words…“The way you love me is exactly what I’ve always dreamed of,” she said. “You are my dream. Every last bit of you.”
Luke’s mouth tightened, and his hand began to tremble where he held hers. “So, you’ll marry me?”
She smiled. “You haven’t asked me to marry you.”
He stopped and took a breath. “Isabella Kopas, will you marry me?”
She beamed at him. “Yes, I will.”
He finally grinned, his whiskered face stretching into a huge smile that lit up his eyes. He looked a thousand years younger than he had the day she’d met him. “Yeah?”
“Most definitely.” She held out her arms and he came into them. She buried her face in his neck, in the strength of his arms as he held her tight, and she knew she had finally found the home she’d been searching for her entire life.
Her mother’s turquoise pendant burned against her skin, and Isabella smiled. Thank for teaching me to believe, Mama. I love you.
She’d found her place, and her new, wonderful journey was finally beginning. She lifted her face and smiled at the man who had finally brought love into her life, the kind of unconditional, pure love she’d always wanted. “I love you, Luke.”
He smiled. “And I love you, Isa. Always and forever
.”
And then he kissed her, and it was the most perfect kiss ever.
And there were many, many more to come.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Thank you to my fantastic editor, Leah Hultenschmidt, for all her support, and to my family and friends, who make my life richer every day simply by being a part of it.
Praise for Four-time Rita Award Finalist Stephanie Rowe!
“Rowe is a paranormal star!”
—J. R. Ward, #1 New York Times bestselling
author of Lover Enshrined
ICE
“Ice, by Stephanie Rowe, is a thrill ride!”
—Lisa Jackson, #1 New York Times
bestselling author of Malice
“Passion explodes even in the face of spiraling danger as Rowe offers a chilling thrill ride through a vivid—and unforgiving—Alaskan wilderness.”
—Cheyenne McCray, New York Times
bestselling author of The First Sin
“Ice delivers pulse-pounding chills and hot romance as it races toward its exciting climax!”
—JoAnn Ross, New York Times bestselling author
“Stephanie Rowe explodes onto the romantic suspense scene with this edgy, sexy and gripping thriller. From the very first page, the suspense is chilling, and there’s enough sizzling passion between the two main characters to melt the thickest arctic ice. Get ready for a tense and dangerous adventure.”
—Tanzey Cutter, Fresh Fiction
More Praise for Stephanie Rowe!
IF THE SHOE FITS
“[A] delightful take on life [and] love.”
—RT Book Reviews
“If the Shoe Fits is a well-written character study. The main and secondary characters are well developed and provide fullness to the overall story. This is a well done addition to the chick lit genre. Try If the Shoe Fits on for size, you won’t be disappointed.”
—Romance Reviews Today
UNBECOMING BEHAVIOR
“Unbecoming Behavior is true chick lit.”
—Affaire de Coeur
“Stephanie Rowe’s Unbecoming Behavior is a fantastic new novel! Once you start this book, you won’t be able to stop.”
—Romance Junkies
“Stephanie Rowe’s writing is casual and conversational.”
—A Romance Review
Other Books by Stephanie Rowe:
ICE
IF THE SHOE FITS
UNBECOMING BEHAVIOR
SHOP ’TIL YULE DROP (Anthology)
Copyright
LOVE SPELL™
December 2009
Published by
Dorchester Publishing Co., Inc.
200 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10016
Copyright © 2009 by Stephanie Rowe
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E-ISBN: 978-1-4285-0784-5
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