by Lucy Kevin
“You don’t mind me going with her, do you?” Michael asked.
Forcefully shoving down all her forbidden longings, Emily made herself shrug and say, “Mind? Why would I mind?” Even though her throat ached so much that she almost couldn’t get the words out.
Had that been the start of all these years of stuffing down her true feelings? Was that when she’d first decided that she couldn’t say anything about how she felt about him? Is that when she’d decided that it would hurt her sisters and her family—and herself—too much to make Michael more than just a friend?
She’d met him so long ago, but she could remember with perfect clarity the first time her mom introduced her to Michael.
“Come on, Emily, you’ll enjoy yourself.” Her mother was holding her hand, leading her down the front steps of the house.
“I don’t want to go.” She pulled out of her mother’s grip just as they got to the streetlight, but Ellen Walker didn’t miss a beat as she scooped up Emily and carried her the rest of the way.
“Why don’t you want to go play at the Bennets?” her mother asked. “They’ve got a little boy, Michael, who’s exactly your age.”
“Boys are silly. Can’t I stay home and play with Grams?”
“Your grandmother’s busy,” her mom said. “Besides, you’ll like Michael.”
“You promise?”
“I promise. Now, why don’t you walk the rest of the way?”
Emily stood with her hand in her mother’s in front of the Bennets’ door, waiting for someone to answer. Mrs. Bennet opened the door, smiling down at Emily.
“Hi, you must be Emily.”
“She’s a little shy,” her mom said when Emily didn’t say anything.
“No, I’m not,” Emily insisted. “Boys are just silly.”
Mrs. Bennet laughed at that. “Michael’s in the living room. Come on in, you two.”
“Michael, this is Emily,” Mrs. Bennet said. “Her mother and I thought you might like to play together. I’m sure the two of you are going to be very good friends.”
Michael smiled at Emily as if she was the most beautiful, wonderful thing he’d ever seen...and in that moment, she knew that there was no one else in the world that she would rather be friends with than him.
“Do you want to play?” Michael asked.
Emily reached out to take his hand, and together they ran off into the backyard, already laughing.
And all these years later, Emily could finally see that they’d already been in love with each other, right from that very first moment.
CHAPTER TWENTY
“I want to build a house with Michael,” Emily said aloud, something that she now realized had always been true. “Our house.”
Whether she’d been ready to admit it to herself, the truth was that she’d always envisioned him there with her. Something told her that her mother had known it, too.
“I want to spend the rest of my life with Michael. I want to marry him.”
Now that she’d broken the dam she’d put in place so many years ago to hold back her feelings, everything she truly wanted—not what she thought she should want, or what she thought someone else wanted—was spilling right out. And it was so wonderfully freeing to finally be able to admit that, while she wanted her sisters around her, what she wanted most of all was Michael. She wanted something that was all theirs, something they created together, a family and a home. One she wanted them to build together.
And, most of all, she wanted to finally put the ghost of her mother to rest.
“I owe my father an apology,” Emily said to Gus when he pushed up against her hand so that she would rub his head. “All these years, I’ve been angry with him because he hasn’t been able to let go of Mom’s memory, but...” She took a deep breath before admitting, “I’m just the same. I’ve been so worried about what might go wrong that I haven’t let myself imagine all the wonderful things that might go right.”
Of course, that could be said of all her sisters, in their own ways. After their mother’s sudden death, Rachel had become rebellious and then ultra-careful, until Nicholas had shown her that it was possible to take risks safely. Paige had hidden away from the world at the dance studio, until Christian had helped her realize that she had talent and that she should follow her dreams. Morgan had run away to pursue her dream, until Brian had shown her that there were things on the island worth staying for. And Hanna hadn't known how to follow her life’s path, until Joel had shared it with her.
As for her...Emily could now see that she and Michael had been heading toward this point from the moment they’d first met as children. Even though she hadn’t had the words then for what she felt, she’d known he was special. They’d made an immediate connection, followed by a lifetime of being close to each other, caring about each other, and being there for each other.
At least until today.
Emily cringed as she thought of how she’d run away from him, in front of the whole family.
“I have to go back and tell him I’m sorry,” she said, already turning toward the house. “I have to tell him that I love him. I have to tell him that I want to spend the rest of my life with him.”
“Do you mean all of that?”
Michael was standing just a few feet away, at their special spot. And in that moment, he was a thousand memories combined into one. He was the boy she’d first met on a playdate. He was the boy who had done so much to comfort her after her mother’s passing, and the one who’d been lost in the middle of the street when his own parents died. He was the man who had helped raise her sisters, who had taken them out dancing, and then who had finally taken her out dancing, where he’d made her laugh like no one else could. And he was the handsome, muscular, gorgeous man of her dreams in the moonlit darkness of her bedroom.
“Did you mean everything you just said?” Michael repeated, moving closer.
To anyone else, he would have sounded so strong, so confident, but Emily knew Michael better than anyone. She could hear the hint of fear in his voice and knew now that the only thing that could ever really scare Michael was the possibility that she might run away again.
“Yes,” she told him. “I mean it.”
To prove it, she put her arms around him and kissed him.
It didn’t matter that they were in the middle of the street, or that the neighbors would probably talk about seeing Emily Walker kissing the man who had lived with her family as a boy. All that mattered was how good it felt to be in his arms—and kissing him passionately.
She wanted desperately to fit in all those years of missed kisses, but first she needed to say the words she should have said so long ago. “I love you. And I’m sorry I ran away. I was scared. Scared about how much it might hurt if I ever lost you. But I love you, Michael. Love you so much that I’m willing to take the biggest risk of my life.”
“I love you, too,” Michael said. And then, “Grams set me straight. She told me running after you would only make you feel more pressure. The last thing I want is for you to feel you have to run from me.”
“And I’m sorry I did. I do want to marry you. More than anything.” She turned with him to look at the empty lot. “I want us to build a house together, too, and I want to have a big family with you.”
Gus’ bark had her turning back toward them...only to find Michael down on one knee again.
He took her hands in his. “Emily Walker, will you marry me?”
Even though she’d already told him that she wanted to marry him, hearing him actually say the words made her heart flutter in her chest. “Yes.”
Gus barked again, as if he wanted to get his yes in, too.
Emily and Michael kissed and laughed and then kissed some more. When they finally drew back, he said, “Are you ready to go back and give your family the good news?”
“Soon,” she said as she brought her lips back to his. “After we’ve made up for some lost time.”
All that mattered was the two of them.
Now and forever.
EPILOGUE
Emily and Michael stood together in the backyard of the house they had built over the last year, all their friends around them. They’d stayed true to the original design and had been continually amazed that they hadn’t wanted to change a thing.
The officiant smiled at the large crowd of family and friends. “We are here today to celebrate the wedding of Emily Walker and Michael Bennet...”
Before he could say anything more, Gus bounded up the aisle, a small satin pouch tied to his collar. Everyone, including the bride and groom, broke into laughter.
“Well, it certainly looks like our surprise ring bearer is taking his role seriously.”
Emily was still laughing as she looked over at her sisters, who were all standing together as her bridesmaids. They’d decided that giving Emily the wedding of her dreams was the best gift they could give their big sister, who had always organized everything for them. Any one of them could have set Gus up as the ring bearer, and she loved them all for thinking of such a great surprise.
Standing beside Michael in her long, white wedding gown, she felt her eyes tear up at the thought of what an amazing job her sisters had done. Morgan had arranged Emily’s couture dress and makeup, which was extra impressive given that she had a beautiful new baby to look after. Rachel had found the most amazing caterer and florist. Hanna had auditioned a dozen different bands before she’d found the perfect one, and she was also taking care of the wedding photography, of course. Paige had turned her brilliant choreography skills loose on the complex task of getting everyone where they needed to be when they needed to be there.
“Michael, Emily”—the officiant drew her attention back to him—“would you like to say your vows?”
Michael took her hands in his, and even before he spoke, she could see every ounce of love he felt for her on his handsome face. “Emily, the first moment I saw you, I fell in love with you. I might have only been five years old,” he said with a grin that made everyone laugh, “but I was old enough to know that you were, and always will be, my forever.”
He broke the standard wedding rules by reaching out to brush his fingers gently over the tears on her cheeks, and then kiss her, before slipping her mother’s wedding band on her ring finger. There hadn’t been one single day for the past year that Emily hadn’t marveled at how lucky she was to have found true love.
“I should have known from the moment that I met you that I loved you,” she said, emotion threading through every word. “But sometimes we don’t see the miracle that’s right there in front of us. Especially when we’re scared. Only, you never gave up on me, not for one single second. You showed me that if there’s a chance we might lose someone tomorrow, the best thing we can do is love them today with everything we are. I promise to love you today, Michael Bennet, and I promise to love you every day forward that I’m lucky enough to get to spend with you.”
She didn’t know who kissed who first, but then, that’s how it had always been with them. Meeting in the middle...and being there for each other through absolutely everything, all the ups and all the downs.
“Is our wedding everything you hoped it would be?” Michael asked a little later as the party got into full swing around them.
She nodded, telling him, “I’m happier than I’ve ever been.”
Of course, she wished her mother had been there, the same way that she guessed Michael wished his parents could have been there, too. But how could either of them be sad today when all around them joy and love abounded?
Morgan and Brian had their sweet little baby daughter with them. Emily knew they’d had a few too many late nights, but thanks to the magic of makeup, Morgan looked as perfect as ever.
“How’s little Ellie doing?” Emily asked them. They’d named their baby girl after their mother, Ellen, but everyone had called her Ellie from day one.
“She’s as boisterous as Hanna,” Morgan said as she beamed down at her daughter, “as energetic as Paige, as rebellious as Rachel, and as inclined to think that she knows best as you.”
“So, the perfect Walker?”
“That’s right,” Morgan agreed with a laugh. “I’m so happy for you two.”
“I’m happy for all of us,” Emily said as she gave her sister and new niece a big hug.
They headed over to Paige next. “Is the apartment in town working out for you and Christian?” Michael asked.
“It’s perfect. I know Grams said we could stay at the house when we’re back on the island, but…”
“But then it would just feel like you were visiting,” Emily said.
“And I’m not visiting. Walker Island is home.” She glanced over to where Christian was talking with Nicholas. “For both of us, even if we sometimes have to leave for work.”
“Nicholas, Charlotte, and I feel the same way,” Rachel said as she and Charlotte walked up at the end of Paige’s sentence. Both Rachel and Charlotte put their arms around Emily and Michael.
“Nicholas says traveling is only fun when you know you have a home to come back to,” Charlotte told them.
“And that home will always be here on the island,” Rachel assured them, “even if we don’t come back for a few months at a time.” She smiled as she said, “Speaking of heading out again, I should find Hanna. Nicholas wants to talk to her about doing a documentary on how surfing has changed over the past three hundred years.”
Hanna was currently editing footage from the sailing trip she’d taken with Joel, and Emily figured her youngest sister was probably just about ready for another project to focus on. And they all knew how much Hanna loved to work on projects that involved her family.
When Michael was pulled away for a toast with the guys from his construction crew, Emily went to sit beside Grams. “The house is going to feel a little empty now, isn't it?”
“Sometimes,” her grandmother said as she reached for Emily’s hand, “it seems fuller than ever, what with everyone coming back for all these lovely weddings and Morgan already asking if I can babysit little Ellie.” They both looked at the precious little girl, the next generation along with Charlotte. “You know better than anyone, darling, that there are some kinds of emptiness that feel like endings, and there are others that feel like something new and exciting is beginning.”
Emily squeezed her grandmother’s hand. “I wanted to say—I wanted you to know—we couldn’t have done this without you. Any of us.”
Grams gave her a kiss on the cheek. “You and your sisters have given me joy every single day.”
“Even when we were bickering and crying about boys at school and fighting over clothes?”
Her grandmother smiled. “Even then.” She looked over to where Emily’s father was standing. “And I’m not the only one who has loved you through thick and thin.”
There would have been a time when Emily would have resisted going to her father, but now it felt so natural to walk into his open arms after giving her grandmother a kiss on her cheek.
For once, her father wasn’t crying or upset at a wedding. Instead, he couldn’t stop smiling as he hugged Emily tight. “I am so very proud of you, honey. I’m just thrilled that you and Michael finally worked out how happy you are together. I only wish I could have helped you two make it happen sooner.”
“You took Michael in when he needed it,” Emily said. “Without that, he wouldn’t have stayed on the island.”
There were a million other things she could have said to her father just then. But just as she’d needed to ask her father at Morgan’s wedding last year if losing her mother still hurt him, today she needed to know, “If you could go back, would you still do things the same way? Even knowing how much it hurt when Mom died, would you still have married her?”
“I had the love of the most wonderful woman in the world. I have five beautiful daughters, all of whom are happy. I have two wonderful grandchildren and enough memories to last a lifetime. Of course it was worth it. Love is al
ways worth it.”
Emily looked into the crowd and saw that Michael was beckoning her out onto the dance floor. “Yes,” she agreed as she kissed her father on the cheek, then went to dance with the man she loved. “Yes, it is.”
~ THE END ~
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Watch for Lucy Kevin’s brand new series, MARRIED IN MALIBU, a spin-off from her New York Times bestselling Four Weddings and a Fiasco series—coming soon! Please sign up for Lucy Kevin’s New Release Newsletter to receive information on the new books as soon as they are released.
And don’t miss, BE MY LOVE, NO OTHER LOVE, WHEN IT'S LOVE and ALL FOR LOVE, the earlier books in the Walker Island series!
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Enjoy an excerpt from Lucy Kevin’s New York Times bestselling Four Weddings and a Fiasco series!
THE WEDDING GIFT
Book #1 in the Four Weddings and a Fiasco series
After Julie Delgado’s restaurant closes, she temporarily takes over the catering position at the Rose Chalet, a full-service San Francisco wedding venue. She plans to dazzle the bride and groom so the Chalet’s owner will keep her around, but fate has other plans for her when the bride’s brother shows up for the first food tasting.
Andrew Kyle is not only the Cuisine Channel’s Edgy Eats host and chef, but his recent review of Julie’s restaurant was the final nail in its coffin. Once he meets Julie at the Rose Chalet, he’s certain she’s playing it safe. And he wants nothing more than to be the one to break her guarded passions loose.
But despite the undeniable sparks between Julie and Andrew–and the fact that he seems to believe in her when no one else does–can she afford to be taking risks with her cooking, with her career…or with her heart?