by Dawn Tomasko
Her fingers ran through his hair, ran along the back of his neck. She wanted to touch him everywhere. “I spent a massive amount of energy protecting myself. Even with you, I tried to follow old patterns. But everything changed.”
Something loosened inside her, an easing of the heart and mind. Finally, she could let the past go. The flood of love for him brought on a wave of dizziness that had nothing to do with the concussion. Light flowed through her, she never felt more alive.
"Gabriel,” she said in a clear voice. "When I was asleep, and that's the way I'll always think of the coma, I heard your voice. I knew you were with me. You've heard of near-death experiences?"
Eyes full of concern, he swallowed hard. "Yes."
Her heart wrenched sharply. Gabriel seemed hesitant, and she hated seeing him that way. "My experience wasn't quite like those I've read of. But I did have the sense that someone waited for me to move ahead, and the feeling that someone waited for me to come back."
With her fingertips, she stroked the warm skin of his cheek. "You. Of course Bree, but it's much more than that. The accident may have been the best thing that could have happened to me."
His eyes closed briefly. "God, don't say that."
Sara looked at the face she loved, wanted nothing more than give him joy. To erase the circles under his eyes, and wipe away the unhappiness she caused by withholding her heart. Sara needed to have her Gabriel back.
"I'm sorry I couldn't figure it out sooner. You deserved so much more from me. To know how I feel about you. First, I had to work it out for myself.” There, a flicker of hope in the dark blue of his eyes. She smiled, filled with pure happiness for the years they would spend together on the island. The place dearest to her with the man who held her heart in his hands.
"You see me. You understand what's deep inside, where I've let no one else go. I felt if I explored what lurked that far, there wouldn't be anything left of me. Only emptiness. A dry well, with nothing to draw on."
After a bubble of laughter escaped her, she smiled. "But it's not like that. Loving you fills me. With a richness, a sweetness I never imagined possible. Peace I never knew existed."
The hand he stroked her cheek with wasn't quite steady. In fact, his whole body seemed poised, waiting to act.
"What seemed so hard before is plain now. You are my safe place. My true North. Your love, your voice pulled me back from the dark.” With a laugh of pure joy, she kissed him. Sara did her best to convey all the tender feelings she held for him into that one, soft kiss.
"Gabriel. I love you."
“Oh, God,” he rasped, and dragged her body over his, careful of her cast. Head sunk into the pillows, his smile radiated undiluted joy. Worry, sadness, and frustration melted away and his expression shone with pure happiness. “God, Sara, I love you.”
"I'm sorry I hurt you."
He shook his head. "No, baby, things happen the way they're meant to. It’s gone now, forever. Tell me again."
"I love you."
"Again, I need to hear it again. I’ll never get tired of hearing it.” Kisses rained on her eyes, cheeks, neck. Over and over, she obliged him, laughing and crying as his big hands skimmed down her hair, back and over her bottom for a firm squeeze. With a slow roll, he laid her down and leaned up on his elbow. "Are you up for a little fun?"
"What do you have in mind?” she teased and cupped his face in her hand.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Sara told Gabriel she wanted them to be married during the Christmas Stroll. While he didn't want to wait another day to make claim her as his wife, certainly not the entire summer and fall. Gabriel couldn't deny her this wish. So they planned their nuptials for the first weekend in December.
The Stroll is a very special time on Nantucket. More than one hundred Christmas trees line both sides of Main Street, artfully decorated by store owners. They saw one sporting starfish and raffia, another silver sailboats with blue lights, yet another with scallop shells with tiny red lobsters inside. Brightly lit shops stay open late into the evening while shoppers wound in and out in search of gifts to share with loved ones.
Gabriel's family and Brianna traveled to the island for the wedding. They would all stay at an inn in Town. Michael happily accepted Gabriel's request to be his best man, although Nicole's curious absence went unmentioned by the family. The group walked through Town to take in the many activities Nantucket offered for folks during the weekend of the Stroll. They shopped, sipped hot cider, listened to Christmas music and went on tours of historic homes fully decked out for the season. They even went down to the wharf to watch Santa and Mrs. Claus as they rode a boat into the harbor, courtesy of the Coast Guard.
Dressed in their wedding clothes and bundled against the cold, Gabriel and Sara hung back as their family and friends wandered through Town. The soon-to-be married couple stole kisses under a store awning, in between store fronts and behind a tree.
Church bells chimed familiar carols. Salt air carried scents of wood smoke and a hint of snow. Those with young children could visit with Santa at Jared Coffin House and share their secret wishes.
At midnight, in the quiet of St. Mary's Church, Gabriel and Sara exchanged their vows. Sara knew this night, this place, and their union was nothing short of magic. After the ceremony, they all shared an intimate wedding supper in the private room of a restaurant in Town. Then Gabriel and Sara headed to a bed-and-breakfast to exchange gifts and celebrate their wedding night.
Out on the widow’s walk, they stood bundled up, admiring the millions of stars in the sky. Sara handed him a beautifully wrapped box, and he smiled as he tore the delicate paper. Her gift to Gabriel was a one-eighth scale model of the house they’d rebuilt together. Torn between studying the fine details of the house and hugging her to him, he told her how much he loved her.
Gabriel gave Sara the Nantucket Lightship Basket she'd always wanted. Hydrangeas artfully carved in blue, graced the lid, and the clasp was a scallop shell. Delighted, she threw her arms around him to thank him. For long, sweet moments he enthusiastically accepted the passionate kisses she bestowed on him, then told her to look inside the basket.
Inside lay the deed to the house they worked so hard to restore, the thing that brought them together in the first place. Sara's joy overflowed as she launched into her husband’s arms and he spun her in circles. Her laughter rose, caught on the breeze, to be carried up into the night sky.
A full, rich life lay ahead of them, on an island thirty miles off the mainland, in a cottage at the end of the lane by the sea.
The End
Thank you for purchasing this novel. I hope you enjoyed it. If you have a time, please consider leaving a review on Amazon.com or Goodreads.com.
Coming soon, Breaking Tides, Book Two in the Nantucket Island Romance Series
Michael Donovan, Gabriel's regimented, staid younger brother and newly appointed CEO of the family company, meets an exuberant, free-spirited yoga instructor. Allegra's live-in-the-moment personality, sweet face and wild red hair fascinate him. Allegra is definitely interested, the only problem is Michael as no idea how to handle her.
Read an excerpt from Breaking Tides, Book 2 of the Nantucket Island Romance Series
Excerpt
New York City
Life relished a penchant for throwing curve balls, and by now he considered himself an expert at fielding them. The direction his life hinged on the meticulously planned events of the next hour. Since he engineered the details himself, he held little doubt as to the outcome.
Still, in the end, he will have lost. He didn’t like to lose.
Michael Donovan, CEO of Donovan Enterprises, sat at the head of the table in the executive conference room of his family's investment firm. As the room's only occupant, he could let his guard down. With an idleness he didn't feel, his fingers drummed on the table's glossy surface. Before long, his father Nathaniel and mother Toni would be in attendance, as well as his brother Gabriel, and new sister-in-law Sara.
While their support made him grateful, ultimately he needed to deal with this problem his way.
His fiancée would arrive thirty minutes after the family, as planned. His Nicole, the woman he'd known since childhood, always wanted, pursued. Pledged to love. The woman he'd triumphantly gained for his own at last.
Why she’d held out for so long, he didn’t know. Years back, her family had fallen on hard times, and didn’t bounce back well. Least of all Nicole, who intended to hang onto her silver spoon. Did she want to be sure their union would last, unlike that of her parents? Or did she find teasing and putting him off amusing, some sort of game? He didn’t know, but then again, never thought to ask her.
He only knew he’d won his prize. An arduous process, one which nearly cost him his relationship with his brother.
Gabriel's efforts brought them to this point. Michael appreciated the fact his brother spared him God knew how many years of turmoil, expense and ultimate disappointment. Part of him still hated the how and why of getting to this moment and the big helping of crow now dished up before him.
For a long time, he'd fought his brother on this. Their history held brotherly affection but also held plenty of sibling rivalry. What should he do with that now? Gabriel insisted she was after the family name and money, and Michael had defended her, tooth and nail. In the end, the truth of the matter surfaced like green scum on a brackish pond. Nicole Dupree would get her comeuppance, delivered by his hand. Possessed of a reputation as hard-assed and stubborn yet fair and honest, Michael didn't take well to deceit. Especially when lies drove a wedge between him and his family. When he kicked Nicole to the curb today, he'd take no joy in it.
"Mr. Donovan?" his assistant Sergio called from the conference room door, arms full of the prospectuses he and Michael composed.
"Come in," he stiffened his spine and tented his fingers. The fine material of his suit tightened across his back.
Sergio laid a prospectus at each place, emotion carefully banked in an expression Michael knew well. "Coffee and water on the side table, as you requested. Can I get you anything?"
"No. Thanks," Michael murmured. The idea of coffee in his gut made his stomach burn.
"Mr. Donovan," Sergio began. "I'm terribly sorry things turned out this way."
Yes, he was sorry, too. He valued Sergio's impeccable skills, and the history of their favorable and lengthy business relationship. But this matter hit too close to home to discuss, especially with an employee. With a crisp slice of his hand, Michael asked for silence.
After a brief hesitation, Sergio fussed with the table and chairs. Why stop him? Sergio cared. Satisfied all was in order, he retreated to the door. "I'll let the family in as they come, sir."
Michael's ice-green eyes snapped to Sergio's. "Except for Ms. Dupree. Under no circumstances is she is allowed admittance until a full thirty minutes after the family arrives," he spoke in a quiet, authoritative tone. The repetition of this edict was unnecessary, as he'd planned this morning's events down to the detail.
"As you wish."
Impeccably dressed, he epitomized exactly who and what he was. After Gabriel had left the company, he told his brother the 'suit didn't fit' him the way it did Michael. For years, he'd worked hard to be in this professional and social position. But in light of recent developments, in spite of reaching the goal he busted his ass for, how did it fit him at the moment?
To offset a stab of pain in his eyes, he rubbed his long fingers into the sockets. Put on your best poker face. It would make his mission easier, and he dearly needed to stonewall Nicole. The only hint of his inner turmoil came from a glance at his red-rimmed, gritty eyes in the mirror early this morning.
Unless you counted the current glacial formation around his heart. This betrayal took something from him he couldn't define. Probably because he made it his business to set goals and achieve them. How had he not seen this coming? His lack of intuition appalled him.
"Son." Michael's head came up at the sound of his father's voice. Nathaniel and his mother Antoinette entered the room. He walked over to greet them. The elder Donovan, reserved by nature, hung back to study his son, hands jingling coins in the pockets of his dark suit. He exuded quiet confidence, a quality Michael admired and did his best to emulate. In his sixties, his dad's face sported few lines, but his body remained lean. The only reminder of the heart attack he suffered last summer showed in the silver wings at his temples.
In her customary way, his mother rushed forward to offer a hug. Her black hair efficiently cut and styled, remained free of gray. If she dyed it, no one knew. The olive tone of her skin, interrupted by laugh lines, spoke of her Italian heritage. In stark contrast to Nathaniel's seriousness, his mother's quick humor, and openness tempered their family dynamic. Feminine, confident and capable, Toni Donovan made a perfect foil for Nathaniel's often staid demeanor.
Their presence a balm to his aching heart, he felt fortified. He needed that. This day would go down as one of the worst in his personal history.
Nantucket Island
Michael and Gabe drank beer at a pub near the town harbor to discuss business opportunities on the island. They sat on stools in Murphy's Irish Pub, leaning their elbows on the bar, its top scarred from many years of use. Music played quietly, interrupted now and then by the clang of pots and pans from the kitchen. An attractive blonde waitress served a second round, and 'accidentally' brushed a generous breast against his arm. Deliberately, he avoided eye contact.
Gabe shook his head. "Women swarm you like flies on—"
"I'm not in the market for a woman. Let's get back to business."
"Fair enough. We were all over the island today. You don't waste time," Gabriel commented.
"I need to know if this will fly. With the family relocated, and DE finished, it doesn't make sense to stay in the City." Michael picked up his half-empty glass, tipped it back and drained it. "I could stay in New York, but with the family here it doesn't feel right. Nicole's after me to the point where a restraining order wouldn't be out of the question."
Gabe shook his head. "She just can't give it up." His cell rang. "Hang on." After a second, he asked Michael, "Do you want to have lunch with Sara and Charlotte?"
Michael gave a shrug. He’d rather sit with his brother and drink until he felt numb, but it wasn’t healthy. "Sure. It’s quitting time."
"Come on down, honey." Once again, Michael marveled at the contentment on his brother's face whenever he talked to or about his wife. After Gabe had hung up, he motioned for another round. "They'll be here in a few minutes. I'm glad because we missed lunch and I'm hungry."
"You're always hungry." Michael's long fingers rested on the frosted glass, and spun it in precise quarter turns on a dark green bar napkin. "Thanks for showing me around. I have solid ideas, and I've met a lot of locals. Once I put a plan together, I'll let you in on it."
"That's cool, but remember, there's nothing wrong with taking a vacation from work. I know when I left DE, I'd been so busy all the time, the momentum made me feel like at loose ends when I stopped. For a while, I didn't know what the hell to do with myself. But it's okay, Michael. Life's good and full of surprises. I'm living proof." A huge grin split his face and Michael turned to see the women come in to join them.
The men slid from their barstools. "Charlotte," Michael greeted her, then Sara. Then he noticed they'd brought a friend.
Sara introduced them. "Gabriel, Michael, this is Allegra Deering. I told you about her; she's our yoga instructor and new friend."
After Gabriel had shaken her hand, she turned her attention to Michael. The oxygen got sucked right out of the air. Wild red curls tumbled around her head in complete disarray. Her trim body, lean but compact, looked strong as if she exercised religiously. A perfectly formed oval, her ivory complexion was splattered with freckles. His hands would easily span her slim waist. High, firm breasts strained beneath the tight-fitting denim jacket. Then there were her eyes. A bright, sparkling green
he’d never seen before, except for a brief business trip to Ireland. Contact lenses or the real deal?
What stunned him the most? The palpable joy radiating from her. Where did it come from? Maybe he’d gotten jaded, but did this woman know something the rest of society hadn’t clued in on? After a few heartbeats, he cleared his throat.
"Ms. Deering," he offered his hand, and spoke in his most businessd-like tone. “A pleasure.”
"Call me Allegra," she said in a voice both bright and cheerful. Satiny soft, her hand slid into his, but her solid shake surprised him. Men had given him weaker handshakes than the one he received from the diminutive Allegra Deering. None of them, however, stared at him the way she did, boldly holding his gaze. Nor did they smell of citrus and fresh sea breezes.
"Let's take a table by the window," Charlotte recommended, and the waitress followed with menus. They gave their drink orders, and the conversation continued.
Michael took a chair directly across from Allegra. Momentarily forgetting his vow to swear off women, he watched her with acute fascination. Not at all his type, but for some reason, his gaze stayed on her, cataloguing all the small details.
"I understand your parents settled on a house," Allegra commented to Gabriel, but those vivid eyes flicked back to him.
"They have," he said, leaning back to rest his arm on the back of his wife's chair. "A damn fine one, too. We should get them moved in soon. Most of the details are wrapped up. Michael is helping them." He dragged a chip through guacamole, and nodded toward Allegra. “Sara and Charlotte can't stop talking about your class.”