That made him feel like shit. He’d give just about anything if he could bring Pete back for Sarah. Sadly, all the things he could plan and build and put back together, he could never fix that for his sister.
“If you don’t fight for her this time, then you’re a selfish asshole. Do it for me, if that makes you feel better. Just don’t let her go. Do what you didn’t do the first time. Tell her you support her. That you’ll wait for her. That you were an idiot. Tell her that her passion and dedication are a huge part of why you fell in love with her. But, honey, if it isn’t a hundred percent true, don’t say any of it. You hurt her once. Don’t do it again.”
His heart was beating so slowly. His whole body felt heavy. He’d fucked up again. In the end, it didn’t matter who was right, he just wished he could fix it. “It’s too late. She’s already gone.”
“No, she isn’t, you jerk. She’s still living with Marisol.”
* * *
Candace pulled the chart from the rack on the door. Another new patient. A chinchilla wellness check. There was no name on the file for the owner. She was going to have to talk to Lisa again about making sure all the information was completed at registration.
Back to the file. The animal’s name was Gertie. Ha! Cute. No specific concerns. Recently adopted from a breeder.
She was still looking at the chart—age, weight, coloring—when she entered the examination room. She pasted on her best competent-doctor smile, then looked up.
She froze.
Lee.
He stood there looking like the sexiest thing on two legs. Black hair artfully tousled. Vivid green eyes smiling at her. He was wearing a tuxedo, and the hands she loved so much held a silvery-gray chinchilla.
She didn’t know what to say to him. No, she knew what to say. She didn’t know where to start.
“Hi,” he said.
She nodded, waiting to see where he was going with this before showing her hand. Besides, she didn’t know if she could actually speak or not. It had been a very tough week. She’d offered to move out since it seemed classless to keep living with her ex-fiancé’s friend, but Marisol told her she was estúpida, so she’d gratefully stayed.
His smile didn’t waiver. “This is Gertie.” He offered up the chinchilla. The animal looked at her with huge eyes. “She is a peace offering.”
She didn’t need a chinchilla. On the other hand, she was pretty sure Romeo Darling would very much enjoy the arrival of Gertie.
“Sidney is so angry at me for screwing up his chance to be in a wedding, he’s not talking to me. She’s really more of a bribe.” He lifted the fuzzy beastie to his cheek and the two of them gave her a plaintive look. “Also, she needs to see a vet.”
She nodded again, like an idiot.
“I needed to see the vet, too.” He held Gertie out to her and Candace reflexively took her.
“I’m so sorry. I freaked out. I didn’t fight for us last time but I’m fighting for us now. I was wrong then. I should have called you in Scotland. I should have gotten on a damn plane and come after you. You made the right decision back then. I never, ever stopped loving you, but I also never let that anger go when you left. I might not ever be good enough for you, but I trust you, and I love you, and I’ll love you with everything I have for the rest of your life if you’ll let me.”
Her voice came out like a squeak so she cleared her throat and started again. “Oh God. I was never going to go to Thailand. We are a team. I didn’t talk to you about it because I didn’t want it.”
“Really? Not even a little?” he asked.
“Not if you weren’t going to be there with me. You’re the only man I’ve ever loved. This is home. You’re home. You’re all I ever wanted. I want to fill up that crazy house with kids with you.”
His happy smile turned serious. Taking the distance between them in one giant stride, he took her in his arms and kissed her. She tucked Gertie safely next to her body and wrapped her free arm around his neck, holding on for all she was worth.
Chinchilla whiskers tickling their cheeks reminded them where they were.
“I love you so much,” he told her with his forehead pressed to hers.
“Me, too. I’m so sorry.”
He kissed her again.
“Hey,” she said, pulling back. “Why are you wearing a tux?”
He laughed. “I was trying to make an impression.”
She kissed his lips, his nose, his lips again. “Well done.”
“Candace Claesson, will you marry me?”
She grinned. “We should finish what we started. But this time, I want a huge wedding.”
* * * * *
To purchase and read more books by Amylynn Bright please visit Amylynn’s website: http://www.amylynnbright.com/
About the Author
Amylynn read her first romance novel in 2008 after being a lifelong literary snob. By the time she was done, she was hooked. She is an Arizona native and lives in the same house her husband owned before they were married. Amylynn fears she will never call another state home unless someone tells her husband there are forty-nine others to choose from. In reality, she’d settle for a walk-in closet. Her family consists of the aforementioned husband, two beautiful children, two dogs, two cats, some fish and a hankering for a panda. She’d like it mentioned she’s never been in prison but we’ll see how that panda thing works out.
Another sexy romance from Amylynn Bright is just a click away. Cooking Up Love is available now!
Cooking Up Love
Is there anything more pathetic than a food critic who can’t cook? That’s Holly Darcy—secret socialite, wannabe author, lousy chef and “The Covert Connoisseur.” Feeling like a fraud for critiquing restaurants when she can’t boil a pot of water, Holly joins a cooking class for beginners…and quickly cooks up serious chemistry with the sexy instructor.
Mark Bennett was born to be a chef, but his foray into restaurant ownership fell far short of his dreams thanks to a scathing review from The Covert Connoisseur. Now teaching is the closest he will venture into a kitchen. Luckily the job comes with an unexpected perk: the attraction simmering between him and a curvy, clever writer with pinup-girl looks.
Flirting over pasta soon leads to passionate kisses and a sizzling relationship. But how can Holly be honest about her job when Mark blames his restaurant’s failure on her review? And when Holly’s secret is exposed, how will Mark be able to forgive her for ruining his life?
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ISBN-13: 9781426899331
Finish What We Started
Copyright © 2014 by Amylynn Bright
Edited by Alissa Davis
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.
All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.
This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
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