A ridiculously handsome, well-spoken, successful guy surprised that she liked being with him?
“All we ever did was trim plants and play soccer.” She could hardly believe he’d cherished those moments.
He shrugged a single shoulder. “I grew up pruning plants and playing football. I like it. I enjoy it. And I like and enjoy you.”
That was something Dirk had never once said to her. Not ever. She’d always felt like she had to prove to him that she was worth his time.
“You brought me a fuchsia.”
He nodded uncertainly. “I kept thinking of Barney’s stories and how Francis would always forgive him if he gave her a fuchsia. I hoped it would work the same magic for me.”
“You want to be my Barney, is that it?” She couldn’t say exactly why the question thickened her voice with tears. She wasn’t generally a crier.
“I want to try,” Matt said. “I would very much like to have that chance.”
“And I would very much like a Barney of my own.” She wanted a Matt of her own. Her Matt.
He brushed his thumb along her cheek just as he had that evening in his apartment. She smiled up at him, a smile that for the first time in a long time came straight from her heart.
The strains of distant music could be heard through the closed door. “Dance with me?” she asked.
He didn’t hesitate, didn’t debate for the length of single breath. Matt took her hand in his and settled his arm around her waist. He pulled her up and close to him. She could feel the warmth of his breath rustling her hair.
Abby closed her eyes and leaned in to him. Being with Dirk had always meant constant attention to her posture, to her appearance, to how other people might judge her. But that moment, in Matt’s arms, she didn’t worry about any of those things.
He swayed with her to the music. “Does this mean I get a second chance?”
“Honestly, you never really lost your first chance. I was working on convincing myself to call you.”
He pulled back the smallest bit. Abby looked up at him.
“You were going to call me?” he asked, an eager hopefulness in his tone and eyes.
Abby nodded. “I missed you too. I was embarrassed and a little hurt, but I guess I never completely believed you were a jerk.”
His grin grew on the instant. “That’s not exactly a gushing compliment but, honestly, one of the best I’ve ever received.”
She pulled her hand from his and wrapped her arms around his neck, holding tightly to him. His arms tucked around her as well. He pressed a kiss to her temple then whispered in her ear.
“Can we start again?”
“No.” She almost laughed at the look of surprised worry on his face. “I don’t want to start over,” she quickly explained. “I want to go back to being happy together and figuring each other out. Back to where we were before things fell apart.”
He raised an eyebrow. “You realize ‘where we were’ was making out on my couch.”
She felt a blush creeping up her neck. “Would you settle for being my date for the rest of the wedding?”
“For now,” he said.
He kissed her forehead, then the tip of her nose. They’d stopped dancing and simply stood in each other’s arms. Matt pressed a sweet kiss to her lips. She loved that he was so often tender and gentle, but in that moment, she wanted him to kiss her like he really meant it.
She shifted her hands to the back of his neck and returned his kiss with fervor. Matt didn’t need any more encouragement than that. He kissed her deeply and passionately there in his office against a background of wedding music and the now-cherished aroma of fuchsia.
Caroline had been right all along.
In the end, her wedding day turned out absolutely perfect.
Sarah M. Eden is the author of multiple historical romances, including Whitney Award finalists Seeking Persephone and Courting Miss Lancaster. Combining her obsession with history and affinity for tender love stories, Sarah loves crafting witty characters and heartfelt romances. She holds a bachelor’s degree in research and happily spends hours perusing the reference shelves of her local library. Sarah has twice served as the Master of Ceremonies for the LDStorymakers Writers Conference, acted as the Writer in Residence at the Northwest Writers Retreat, and is one-third of the team at the AppendixPodcast.com. Sarah is represented by Pam van Hylckama Vlieg at Foreword Literary Agency.
Other Works by Sarah M. Eden
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Six Romantic Suspense Novellas by:
Heather Horrocks
Stephanie Black
Heather B. Moore
Sarah M. Eden
Rachelle J. Christensen
Annette Lyon
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Epilogue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
A Timeless Romance Anthology: Summer Wedding Collection Page 30