by Trish Morey
And it was physically impossible for his feet not to take the quickest and most direct route through the guests until he was at her side, his arm snaked around her waist pulling her in tight, taking Sam’s free hand with the other.
‘How is my beautiful new family enjoying today?’
And Sam pulled both hands free and pointed, ‘Boat!’
‘Sam is beside himself,’ Eve said, as Hannah put him down and let him run to the other side of the gazebo to gaze out between the slats at the sailing boat lazily cruising past the bay.
‘Culshaw’s the same. Asking him to give you away has made his year, I’d say.’
‘I like him,’ she said, as they watched him animatedly tell Mrs Willis a story. ‘He feels like family to me.’
‘Canny old devil,’ he said as he folded his arms around her. ‘Did I tell you what he said when I tried to apologise and tell him that we hadn’t really been engaged that weekend in Melbourne? He actually said, “poppycock, everyone knew you were destined to be together”,’ and Eve laughed.
‘Maureen told me the same thing.’
‘And they were right,’ he said, drawing her back into the circle of his arms, kissing her lightly on the head. ‘You are my destiny, Eve, my beautiful wife.’
‘Oh,’ she said, turning in the circle of his arms. ‘Did you hear the Alvarezes’ news?’
He frowned, ‘I’m not sure I did.’
‘Felicity is pregnant. They’re both thrilled. I couldn’t be happier.’
He nodded. ‘That is good news, but at the risk of trying to make you happier, I have a small present for you.’
‘But you’ve already given me so much.’
‘This is special. Culshaw’s agreed to sell Mina Island. It’s yours now, Evelyn.’
‘What?’ Her eyes shone bright with incredulity. ‘It’s mine? Really?’
‘Yours and Sam’s. Everything of mine is now yours, but this is especially for you both. It’s a wedding gift and a thank you gift and an I love you gift all rolled into one. And it guarantees you can bring Sam back when he’s older any time you want and show him everything he missed out on now.’
‘Oh, Leo,’ she said, her eyes bright with tears, ‘I don’t know what to say. It’s too much. I have nothing for you.’
He shook his head. ‘It’s nowhere near enough. It was here that you gave me the greatest gift of all. You gave me back my heart. You taught me how to love. How can I ever repay you for that?’
She cupped his cheek against her palm, her cereulean eyes filled with love, and he took that hand and pressed his lips upon it. ‘I love you, Evelyn Zamos.’
‘Oh, Leo, I love you so very, very much.’
They were the words he needed to hear, the words that set his newly unlocked heart soaring. He kissed her then, in the white gazebo covered with sweetly scented flowers, kissed her in the perfumed air as the breeze set the palm tree fronds to rustling and the sail boat gracefully cruised by.
‘Boat!’ yelled Sam to the sound of wobbly footsteps, suddenly tugging at their legs, pointing out to sea. ‘Boat!’
And laughing, Leo scooped the boy up in his arms and they all gazed out over the sapphire blue water to watch the passing vessel. ‘How long, do you think,’ he whispered to the woman at his side, ‘is the perfect age gap between children?’
She looked up at him on a blink. ‘I don’t know. Some people say two to three years.’
‘In that case,’ he said, with a chaste kiss to her forehead and a very unchaste look in his eyes, ‘I have a plan.’
All the 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 the incidents are pure invention.
All Rights Reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Enterprises II BV/S.à.r.l. The text of this publication or any part thereof may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, storage in an information retrieval system, or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher.
This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out or otherwise circulated without the prior consent of the publisher in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.
® and TM are trademarks owned and used by the trademark owner and/or its licensee. Trademarks marked with ® are registered with the United Kingdom Patent Office and/or the Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market and in other countries.
First published in Great Britain 2011
by Mills & Boon, an imprint of Harlequin (UK) Limited,
Eton House, 18-24 Paradise Road, Richmond, Surrey TW9 1SR
© Trish Morey 2011
ISBN: 978-1-408-92594-2