She flashed him a pained look. “What are you doing here?”
He slipped his hand around her waist. “You’re hurt.”
“Back was twinging tonight and it’s gotten progressively worse with each step.” She took another step, favoring her right side, so he tightened his hold on her.
“Slow down, Lacy. Let me help you.”
“I’m fine.”
“You are not fine.”
“Did you come all the way from, from … wherever you went just to berate me?”
He chuckled. “If that’s what it takes for you to slow down, then yes. I did.”
Lacy groaned. She trembled lightly.
“That’s it. Put your arm around my neck.” Finn gently scooped Lacy up, despite her protests. “Unless I’m hurting you, you are wasting your breath.”
“I can walk on my own.”
“You can limp on your own.” He trudged forward with Lacy in his arms, careful not to jostle her too much.
Lacy exhaled a groan. “You disappeared without saying goodbye.”
“That all you got?” Finn responded. “Because if I remember correctly, you said you didn’t want to see me anymore.” He didn’t add that she quit her job—wouldn’t want her to misconstrue his actions as business related. They were far from it.
She stiffened in his arms when they reached his back deck. “Put me down.”
“Only if you promise not to run.”
“Seriously, Finn, what has gotten into you? I’m not a dog.”
He lifted his brows, flirtatious. “I should say not.”
She smiled, in spite of herself, he thought, and looked away. He wasn’t fooled. Or at least, he hoped he wasn’t.
Lacy returned his gaze, her eyes glistening, her mouth shaped into a definite pout. Gently, he put her down and helped her to stand.
“Lean on me,” he said.
She shook her head. “I can’t.”
Finn swallowed the smile that had been burgeoning on his face since the moment he realized it was Lacy walking out there on the beach. He stepped back, considering her.
“Lacy.”
“Finn.”
They spoke each other’s name at the same time.
“You go,” he said.
Lacy wrapped her arms around herself, shivering. “I think we should talk.”
He nodded. “You’re cold. Let’s go inside.” When she didn’t respond right away, he opened the door for her and added, “I promise to keep my hands to myself.”
Wordlessly, she led the way inside his vacation rental. He followed her into the expansive living room and watched as she gingerly sat down, bracing an arm on the overstuffed end of the leather loveseat. Seeing her in pain made his stomach drop.
“Wine?” He asked this, hoping he had left some behind.
“No. Thank you.”
“Water?”
She glared at him. “Are you going to sit down or not?”
“Yes, ma’am.” He pulled up an ottoman and sat down in front of her, their knees brushing against each other.
“I have something I want ... I want to say to you.”
He reached for her hands, pleased that she did not resist. He cupped her hands in his. “I have something to tell you as well.”
Lacy sat up, winced, and let herself flop back against the loveseat. “Me first, okay?”
“Of course.”
“I’ve had a lot to think about the past few days, and I’m … embarrassed.” She sighed. “I’ve already apologized to my siblings and now I want to apologize to you.”
“You don’t owe me that.”
“Shush.”
He shut his mouth and nursed a smile directed at her.
“I remembered something that you said to me … when you saw that selfie I took years ago. You said it looked like a story ready to be told. Finn, that—that meant a lot to me. A lot. It was as if you”—she looked into his eyes—“really saw me. Or at least wanted to.”
Finn squeezed Lacy’s hands. “I want to know everything about you.”
She sucked in a breath, her brows knitting together. He wondered if she believed him so he leaned forward until their mouths were mere inches apart. “I guess I lied.”
“Oh.”
“About keeping my hands off of you.” Her lovely lips curved into a smile and he couldn’t help himself. Finn leaned in and kissed her, sparks igniting in his head. His eyes snapped back open and he whispered, “Ah, Lacy.”
A single tear dripped own her cheek. “I am sorry, Finn. Sorry for misjudging you. I believe you really do see me. I’ve been horrible. Angry at my parents for ignoring me, even though they didn’t. Not really. I’ve been dealing with my own hurts, my own grief.” She huffed out a big, fat sigh. “I know that now.”
Finn’s heart careened against the wall of his chest. Instinctively, he touched her face with one hand, and then the other. He wanted her to know—needed her to know—how much she meant to him. “I have been a stupid man, Lacy. Slow to act sometimes, even slower to see. I have watched you from afar for some time, but threw obstacles of my own making into our way.”
“I haven’t been much help, though, have I?”
His smile turned rueful. “On the contrary, I’m glad you gave me my comeuppance. I needed to know that I hurt you because, well, that’s not something I ever meant to do. Or ever want to do again.” He hung his head a moment before looking back to her. “I have my own trust issues, you know.”
“Paige?”
Finn sighed. “I hadn’t realized just how cynical that experience made me at times, not quick to trust. I knew I was falling for you, but when you resisted me last week, I froze. I began to question my judgment and found myself pulling away from you. I went to Las Vegas to check on Adrian, but in reality, I was nursing my own inability to trust in a relationship again. I realize now how tragic that kind of thinking is.”
Lacy gently pulled his hands away and leaned forward, no sign of the back pain that had pinned her down earlier. She brushed his cheek with a touch of her hand. “I’m sorry for the hurt you experienced. That must have been heartbreaking for you and I want you to know that I trust you, Finn. I”—she paused, tears filling her eyes. “I love you.”
He sucked in a breath, his gaze traveling over her beauty, her unabashed declaration of love careening through him, messing with his ability to see straight. “Missing out on you would have been the biggest tragedy of all. I love you wholly and completely, Lacy.”
She was crying now, full and heavy tears that flooded her face. “There’s more, Finn. I’ve been thinking about the last time I saw you. I was childish. That old house isn’t mine to give, and if it were going to be sold, I would want it to go to you.”
Finn began to wag his chin. He didn’t want to talk about anything other than the two of them right now.
But she continued, her eyes shiny and loving. Her caress rich. “If you believe that the ghost house is the perfect place for Hastings Resorts to make its mark on the coast, then I support you. I fully do.”
Lacy hardly slept all night, but this time it had nothing to do with heartbreak—and everything to do with anticipation. She and Finn had talked for hours, until she could hardly keep her eyes open and nearly curled up on his couch to fall asleep. But he’d rousted her. Said he was concerned about her back—rightly so—and carried her home.
She’d protested about that, the carrying home part, but what can a woman do when a handsome man wants to display all-out chivalry? Once inside, they laughed all the way through the house, admonishing each other to keep it down when they passed the whale-themed room where Bella slept. Carefully, Finn lowered her to the bed in the upstairs master bedroom, his expression turning sober.
“You’re killing me here, you know.” There was a growl to his voice that she hadn’t experienced before. He kissed her tenderly, the passion of it lingering on her lips.
“Shoo,” she whispered. “Before I—”
He centered a challenge
on her, a fierceness in his expression.
She swallowed back a reply, staggered by the desire displayed in his eyes. She steadied herself with one long breath and said, “Before we wake up my baby sister.”
Finn chuckled. He kissed her on the forehead, followed by one on her nose, then looked her squarely in the eyes. “Good night, beautiful.” She listened as he stepped softly down the stairs and out of the house.
Now as she waited for Finn to pick her up this morning, she relived the night before that had changed everything for them. There were questions still, such as how they would make a long-distance relationship work and what type of career she would pursue. After realizing how much Adrian wanted her out of the Vegas resort, she was adamant about never returning, but she wasn’t sure if she was meant for the hotel business anymore anyway.
“You’ve got a dumb look on your face.” Bella stood in the living room, Seabiscuit in one arm and a paper bag stuffed with clothes in the other. She tilted her head to one side, a touch of sarcasm in her smile.
“Unlike the bag lady moment you’re having right now.”
Bella glanced at the bag. “This? Just a few things to take with me on my quick getaway. I didn’t want to take my whole suitcase.”
Lacy rolled her eyes. She stood to her feet and marched down the hall to the bedroom. Seconds later she emerged with a small, black overnight bag. “Here.” She plunked it down on the floor beside Bella. “Use this so I’m not ashamed for you to represent the fam.”
Bella frowned, though it looked fake. “You were nicer last night. Did something happen to bring the old Lacy back?”
A knock on the door interrupted Lacy’s retort. She nearly flew toward it. When Finn entered, he immediately kissed her, a sizzling kiss that sent her nerve endings into a tizzy.
“So I guess I have my answer,” Bella quipped.
“Hey, Bella.” Finn tipped a nod to her.
“Hey yourself, Finn. Good to see you back.”
A smile lit his face. “Not as good as it is to be here.” He turned to Lacy and offered her his arm. “Ready to go?”
She took his arm and turned to Bella, who shook her head.
“I got it,” Bella said with a laugh. “Don’t wait up.”
Lacy scowled good-naturedly. “I was going to say have a nice trip.”
“Okay, you’re being nice again. You win.” Bella laughed. “I’ll lock up after I repack.”
When Lacy slid into Finn’s rental car, the aroma of roast chicken greeted her. She hadn’t asked him where they were going, but she didn’t care either. They were together again, and at the moment, that’s all that mattered to her. It didn’t hurt either that the sun was out and the day gorgeous. Had the sky always been this clear? This blue?
He drove north, and as he approached a familiar area of town, her heart squeezed. The ghost house. She had said last night that she would support the old place becoming a resort, but did she have to be reminded of that right now?
Lacy cast a glance at Finn who seemed unflustered by her sudden silence. Her heart fluttered at the sight of him. The swath of scruff on his skin, the telling dimple in his cheek, the lines at the corners of his eyes that grew longer with his smile.
He turned up the steep driveway and suddenly she didn’t care at all about the transformation that would take place. Things were different now. She had run to this place as a kid, still growing into who she would someday be. She still was, but she sensed a renewal in herself that couldn’t be achieved overnight.
They reached the top of the hill and she smiled at the old house. She saw the saggy porch anew, the outer walls that needed paint, and she realized that greater things lay ahead—for both her and that property.
He parked at the edge of the lot and opened her door. “Thought we would have a picnic up here.”
“Mm. The reason your car smelled so good.”
He kissed her on the cheek and grinned. “And here I thought you were appreciating my cologne.”
She raised a brow. “Poulet by Dior?”
“Oui.” Finn flashed her another grin. “I didn’t realize you spoke French.”
“I only know the French word for chicken.” She clucked twice.
“Learning more and more about you as the days go on, my dear.” He lifted his chin, laughing.
“Just you wait.”
He was still chuckling as they walked to the rim of the land together. He wore a backpack and held a basket and blanket. They stopped beneath the branches of her favorite tree and he handed her the picnic basket. She held onto it while he fanned the blanket out on a flat area of earth. As she curled up on the blanket, leaning on her arm and hip, he fished a fat pillow out of the backpack.
“Here,” he said, propping it behind her arm. “If you need to lean on something, it’s yours.”
“You really do think of everything.”
“That remains to be seen.” He rolled onto his behind and bent one knee toward the sky, leaning his arm across it.
She watched as his expression went from jovial to pensive the longer he looked out toward the west. Gently, she pushed forward and slipped her arms about his waist, clasping her hands in front of his middle. Lacy rested her temple on Finn’s shoulder, her body melting into his, the rhythm of their breaths syncing.
She could have stayed there, in that position, all day.
He threaded his fingers through one of her hands and turned to her, causing her other arm to slide around to his back.
“Lacy,” he whispered, his mouth against her hair.
She felt herself sinking, immersed in him, startled by it all and yet completely at ease with him. He kissed her and she allowed herself to feel every bit of it, the softness, the intensity—the adoration.
They parted and he held her face between his hands, tipping his forehead toward hers. His breathing was labored, and after a few seconds, he huffed out a grin. “I have so much to tell you, but you are distracting me.”
“I’m not doing anything.”
“Oh,” he said pointedly, “you’re doing something.”
She laughed, pulling away from him. “Start talking then, I won’t interrupt. I promise.”
He tightened his jaw and dipped a rather doubtful look at her. “But will I be able to resist you? That’s the question.” He bit down on his bottom lip for a moment. “Hear me out.”
“Of course.”
“I need your help.”
“Anything.”
“You haven’t heard what I’m about to ask.”
“As long as it doesn’t involve sushi I’m pretty sure you won’t have any pushback.”
“Fine. I want you to help me train Adrian’s replacement at the hotel.”
She waited. This was what he wanted to ask her?
“And I’d like you to help me scout more properties for Hastings Resorts.”
Heat rose in Lacy’s cheeks. She said she’d do anything for him. Well, anything but eat raw fish. But work? He was asking her to go back to work for him? After all they’d been through?
“I don’t know what to say, Finn.”
“Say yes.”
“I-I already said that I wasn’t interested in going back to the resort, and I love the idea of traveling with you”—she snapped a look out to the horizon, wondering how far to take this. She exhaled—“but I have to figure out where my life is headed, what my future looks like.”
Finn rolled onto his knees. “Perfect.”
“What do you mean? Why is that perfect? I thought we came up here to be together, not talk about—” She gasped.
Finn was still on his knees, smiling at her, but somewhere in the middle of her angsty reply to him, he had produced a diamond in the palm of his hand. He lifted the dazzling ring by his fingers and held it out to her.
“I’m not asking you to be my employee, Lacy Morelli, but my wife. I adore you—I think I knew that minutes after we first met more than a year ago, though I was too dense to realize. I don’t want to live one
more second of this life without you by my side. Will you marry me?”
For the first time that she could ever remember, Lacy was without words. Fresh emotion pressed through her, her mind taking in Finn Hastings kneeling on a blanket with a gorgeous rock in his hand, asking her to marry him.
She reached for his hand, her fingers drifting over the ring, and the tears began to fall.
He tipped her chin up and kissed her sweetly, then asked her again. “Marry me?”
“Yes. I will absolutely, truly, one hundred percent marry you!” She kissed him back.
“Okay, but only if you’re sure.”
She laughed now, overwhelmed by him. Finn slipped the engagement ring onto her finger and kissed her hand. Then he reached for a knife, leaned over to the tree, and found the spot where she had carved her initials so long ago.
She gasped as he carved his alongside hers.
“There,” he said. “Now it’s complete. Don’t you think?”
“It’s … perfect.”
“C’mon,” he said. “Let’s get a picture.”
Finn pulled her along toward the old house and together they climbed the rickety steps to the porch. She sucked in a breath. While she had been brazen enough to sneak onto the property often, it had been years since she had dared to actually step onto this porch. The view was nothing short of wondrous and for a split second she regretted their coming here. Not because she didn’t want to be with Finn, but she simply didn’t want to sully the joy of this day with any regret over the property being redeveloped.
Finn lifted his phone as far as his arms would reach. “Hold up your ring finger and I’ll take a shot of us smooching.”
Lacy laughed lightly. “Don’t you want to turn around so that the view is behind us?”
“No, this is perfect. One … two … three.” She held up her hand for the camera to see as he kissed her on the cheek, the goofiest look on his face.
They sat on the porch awhile, listening to the wind tangle in the trees, Finn’s strong arm curled around her. She loved everything about this moment: the sound, the sense of belonging—him. Where she and Finn would go next, she didn’t know. She didn’t care either. As long as they were together.
Lacy’s stomach growled and Finn laughed. He stood and offered her his hand, pulling her up until she stood in his embrace. “I need to feed you, apparently.”
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