‘Well, I have to confess that I never expected this to happen, although I’m glad that it has. I was convinced that you’d sworn off marriage for life, Luke.’
‘I had.’ He smiled at her, his eyes full of tender adoration. ‘I was afraid of getting hurt again, but the more I got to know you, Maggie, the more I realised that I could trust you. You kept telling me that I was making a mistake by allowing the past to influence my life, and you were right.’
‘You’ll never know how good it is to hear that. I was so afraid that I would never make you understand what you were denying yourself. Although I didn’t realise at first why it was so important that I convinced you love and marriage shouldn’t be ruled out.’
‘Because you were falling in love with me?’ he suggested in a tone that made her shiver when she heard the passion it held. He kissed her slowly then sighed. ‘Thank heaven I came to my senses at last.’
‘Amen to that!’ Maggie smiled up at him. ‘What happened to make you realise how you felt?’
‘It was watching Alan and Beverley today, exchanging their vows. It hit me how much I wanted it to be you and me making those promises. I wanted to tell you straight away how I felt but I wasn’t sure how you would react. I mean, why would you take a chance on a guy who’s a self-confessed workaholic?’
‘Because I love you. Because I can’t imagine how my life would be without you. Because I want to be with you no matter what it takes. Because no job—yours or mine—can get in the way of two people who really and truly want to be together.’
‘Oh, Maggie, I love you! I want to be with you. I don’t care if I have to give up everything just so long as we can be together.’
Luke kissed her again, letting his mouth prove that he was telling her the truth. Maggie smiled when they drew apart, loving him all the more for the admission.
‘I don’t want you to give up your job. It’s the last thing I want because it’s part of who you are. I love you, warts and all, Luke Fabrizzi!’
‘Thank you… I think!’ He kissed her again then frowned. ‘But we are going to have to make a decision about where we’ll live after we’re married. Maybe Morgan would consider offering me a permanent post here in Dalverston now that there’s going to be an opening on the surgical team. Norman Jefferson has announced he’s retiring. I think even he decided that he was no longer up to doing the job after that mix-up over the bed,’ he explained dryly when she looked at him in amazement. ‘It would mean that we could live here if that’s what you wanted.’
‘It doesn’t matter where we live. I don’t care so long as we are together.’ She held out her hand. ‘Have you got a coin and we’ll toss for it?’
Luke chuckled as he dropped one into her palm. ‘It’s as good a way as any, I guess. Heads we stay…’
‘And tails we go to America,’ she finished for him, tossing the coin into the air. It landed on the grass beside them, but they didn’t bother to check if it was heads or tails. As Maggie had said, it really didn’t matter where they lived so long as they were together…
ISBN: 978-1-4603-5654-8
THE ITALIAN DOCTOR
First North American Publication 2001
Copyright © 2001 by Jennifer Taylor
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