Liam’s apartment was beginning to feel like home. Home. That was something she had never felt before. And the thought made her eyes flood with tears every time she thought about it. Liam gave her permission to decorate however she wanted. “Make this place feel like the home you’ve always wanted,” and now that was exactly what she was doing.
She decided to keep the oversized sofa. It was incredibly comfortable, and the color was a perfect neutral dark grey, so she could add touches of color in other areas of the room. Plus, it had some great memories attached to it now. She smiled and felt her cheeks flush at the thought of them on the sofa, kissing until breathless and the memory of the first time Liam made love to her there. Yeah, they were definitely keeping that sofa.
Liam had been surprised and relieved when Emily told him she wanted to keep it. He confessed that he really didn’t want to move the enormous sectional back down the narrow stairs and was sure his friends would wring his neck if he asked them to help move it again. Liam had burst into a fit of laughter when the memory crossed his mind, and he had to explain to Emily that it had truly been like the scene from Friends when Ross buys a couch and he and Chandler are trying to move it up a flight of stairs.
Emily was sitting on the large sofa, lounging against one of the arms, propped up with pillows when Liam walked in. She hadn’t heard him come through the door, which was a testament to how comfortable she had become. Before Liam, she was used to constantly scanning her surroundings and picking up the slightest noises. But now, she was carefree. Enjoying life, the way she always should have been able to enjoy it.
***
Liam stopped and stared at Emily. Her legs were bent, supporting her laptop while she worked with earbuds in. Her head swayed gently to the music she was listening to. A hint of a smile crossed her lips. He’d just gotten back from a long day of meetings and running errands. One of those errands involved a trip to an antique shop with his two best friends, and the sizable purchase was nestled in its protective case inside the small bag he held. He’d also stopped at the store for a bottle of wine and a bouquet of flowers.
Liam set everything on the kitchen counter and made his way through the living room. Emily still hadn’t noticed him since she was engrossed in her work. When he stepped into her view, she looked up with a huge smile. “When did you get home?” she asked as she pulled her earbuds out.
“Just now,” Liam leaned down and placed a kiss on her lips. Then he positioned himself behind her, so her back was to his front, and nuzzled her neck. “Something smells good.”
“I made Eggplant Parmesan.”
“Seriously?” His mouth watered as the delicious smell filled the flat.
“Yes,” Emily said in a half giggle. “I asked your mom for her recipe. It was surprisingly easy to prepare. How was your day?”
“Fucking awesome. I’ll tell you all about it at dinner.”
Liam stood and held his hand out to help Emily off the couch. He opened the bottle of wine in the kitchen while Emily plated up the Eggplant Parmesan and garlic bread. While they ate, Liam told her about the plans that he and Luke’s cousin, a building engineer, had come up with.
“Really? We can do all of that?” she asked.
“It’s expensive, but it can be done. We’ll move the stairwell and reinforce everything. Then, we can push this hole wall back and widen the living room. That will give us space for one extra bedroom here in the front. And with everything being pushed out, we can also split the back bedroom into two. This will be a three-bedroom flat.”
“That sounds amazing.”
“Yes, it does. Are you excited?”
“Yes! I can’t wait. Lexi says she’ll be moving up to Napa next week. So, we can stay downstairs if we need to while work is being done up here.”
“That works out perfectly.” Liam took her hand in his as he sipped his wine. “I wanted to get the upstairs done first before we start downstairs. How is Lex? Is she excited?”
“Yes, she is. She gets to work at a wine resort and live on property. It’s her dream come true. What’s in the bag?” Emily asked, noticing the bag on the counter.
Liam grinned at her. “It’s a surprise.”
Emily’s eyes lit up with excitement. Liam stood, grabbing her by the hand, and pulled her to him. He kissed the hell out of her right there in the kitchen, leaving Emily squirming. When he pulled away and looked down at her, she was breathless. “What was that?”
“That was a kiss. Let’s go to bed.” Liam pulled her toward the hallway. He made sure he grabbed the bag and carried it into the bedroom.
Giggling, Emily said, “It’s only 7:30 at night.”
“Good. More time for me to explore your body.”
Heat flashed in Emily’s eyes, and Liam continued guiding her to their bedroom, where Liam ripped his shirt off and hauled Emily’s over her head. She worked on the buckle on his jeans, and Liam had her yoga pants down over her hips in point two seconds before they both hit the bed. He took his time stripping off Emily’s bra and panties, kissing his way down her body until his head settled between her legs. Every time she was close, he pulled away and slowed his actions. Keeping her on the brink for what felt like hours. “Liam! You’re killing me.”
He smiled against her. At Emily’s soft whimper, he gave her what she needed and relished in her moans of pleasure. A sound he couldn’t seem to get enough of. In seconds, Liam removed the rest of his clothes before climbing over her again, settling on top of her. Emily arched her back, and Liam grabbed her hand. Her eyes were closed as he slipped the ring onto the tip of her finger.
When she looked at her hand resting in his, she caught the glimmer of the gold ring as he finished pushing it up past her knuckle. Her eyes locked with his, a flood of tears already streaming out of them. “Tell me those are happy tears, baby.”
“Liam? How did you?” she breathed out. Her lower lip quivered as she stared at him.
“You know that antique shop around the corner?” Emily nodded as she sucked in a breath. “I was walking past it a few days ago and walked in to have a look around. It was sitting there, in the glass case, right in front. I put money down on it then so the owner would hold it for me. I went back this afternoon and paid the balance.”
Liam had instantly recognized the ring. It was the same one he had slipped on Abigail’s finger moments before Banks barged in and removed it from her. The gold band still shining with its engraved details. The center cut amethyst stone was surrounded by six smaller diamonds that sparkled brilliantly. “The shop owner said it’s been in the store for years. No one has ever been interested in it.”
Emily squeezed her eyes shut as more tears escaped from beneath her eyelids. “It’s beautiful. It’s just how I remember it.”
“Baby, the first time I saw you, those eyes, those beautiful brown eyes captivated me. My whole life, I’ve been searching not only for evidence of life after death but for a meaning to the life I’m living right now. In my line of work, I see fear, anxiety and deal with the subject of death every day. Sometimes Evil. I spent my days in a semi-state of fogginess, just going through the motions of life—a never-ending loop of too many questions but not enough answers. I spent my days desperately searching for the truth to all the unanswered questions, not knowing if I’ll ever be able to find them.
“Then you walked into this building, and everything clicked. You’re the answer to some of those questions. When I look at you, all I see is beauty. You remind me of all the beauty and good there is in the world. You remind me that no matter how fucked up life can be, there is always a brighter side. There’s always a chance to start over. To start again. We shouldn’t spend our life only questioning our existence on this Earth. We should also enjoy this life and all its little moments. You’re my Windflower that I captured. You floated in here on a soft, heavenly breeze. You stood up to a ghost who lived a life filled with evil deeds and did unthinkable things. You gave me the courage to stand up and fight him too.
“Never in a million years did I ever think words that sweet and heartfelt would be spoken to me—about me,” Emily whispered as tears streamed down her face. “You’re it for me too, Liam. I’m yours, and you’re mine. There’s no doubt in my mind or my heart about that.”
“Marry me, baby. Spend the rest of your life with me. I promise I’ll spend the rest of my life cherishing you and relishing in all the beauty and fighting all the demons that this life throws at us.”
Emily nodded. Liam kissed her damp cheeks. “Yes,” she finally managed to whisper.
“Yes?”
“Yes,” she repeated. “Yes, I’ll marry you, Liam.”
“Soon?” Liam asked while pushing inside of her. Emily arched her back and wrapped her legs around his waist, locking her ankles at his back.
“Soon,” she assured. “Now, please, make love to me.”
“Always,” Liam whispered.
Thirty-Two
“M
an, you should have seen your face! It was epic.”
“Dude, shut up!” Liam shouted playfully.
“Serious, Emily. Lexi, it’s hilarious now, but we were seriously scared shitless. Literally,” Luke told the group, still in a fit of laughter.
“I was not,” Trey iterated.
“Well, I was!” Luke admitted.
Everyone at the table was in tears of laughter. They had laughed all through dinner while listening to some of the stories of encounters the guys had come into contact with over the years. Mostly stories from their days when they first began investigating and how unprepared they were for what they came in contact with.
“Seriously, guys. I shit my pants that night. Liam, did you shit your pants?”
Liam could only nod his head as he tried to catch his breath. “I did a little. Yeah,” he managed.
“I knew it. See, Trey. Liam admitted it. He shit his pants too. You still gonna sit there and say you didn’t shit your pants after a goddamn shadow figure peaked its head around the corner then slammed that prison cell door on our second investigation?”
“Come on, Trey, you can tell us the truth. We won’t judge,” Lexi said while taking a sip of her drink.
“I did not shit my pants.” Grumbles followed before he went on to say, “However! However, I did piss myself a little.”
“I knew it!” Luke said while slamming his hand down on the table.
“You pissed yourself a lot, didn’t you?” Liam asked.
“Yep,” Trey admitted, still laughing and nodding his head. “Yeah, I pissed my pants.”
After a couple of minutes, when everyone had composed themselves, Liam put his arm around Emily and pulled her close to him. “Listen, other than the fact that Emily and I love you guys and your all family to us and we missed you and wanted to share a meal with you, we asked you guys to meet us here because we have something we want to tell you.”
Silence ensued amongst everyone. Liam took in the look on his friends’ faces, then turned and said, “I asked Emily to marry me.”
“Oh my god!” Lexi shouted, slamming both palms to her face.
After a beat, Emily ended the suspense. “I said…yes!”
An eruption of cheers and congratulations followed. Everyone hugged each other. There were tears of happiness and squealing from both women. Even the other patrons dining around them cheered along with them as they heard the good news. Their waitress had even brought over another round of drinks for them. “On the house, you guys. Congratulations!” She smiled at everyone as she set the drinks down.
“When’s the big day?” Was the next round of questions.
“We don’t know yet. We don’t want to wait too long.” Emily wiped happy tears from her eyes.
“Yeah,” Liam continued, “I think we’ve waited long enough. As soon as we find a venue, we’re booking the first date they have available.”
“How about the winery?”
Emily turned to her friend. “The winery does weddings?”
“Yes. Of course, they do. And guess who is in charge of all the bookings? And the vendors?” Lexi said in a sing-song voice.
Emily threw her hands to her face in excitement. “Are you serious?”
“Yes! Tell me a date, and if there aren’t any other events that day, I’ll put it on the books for you and get the contract drawn up.”
Emily looked at Liam, she smiled ear to ear. “We haven’t seen that particular winery yet.” The two of them had made their way around wine country, stopping and staying a night at different resorts, but had mostly stuck to the larger wineries. They hadn’t yet ventured into the hills where they knew some hidden gems were secretly nestled away.
“I’m sure it will be perfect. I trust Lexi’s judgment. If she thinks it will be a perfect place for our wedding and you want to do it. Then let’s book it.”
“You guys,” Lexi cut in, “it’s beautiful. It’s in the hills and surrounded by trees. The grapevines are a few miles down the road at another location. The actual resort is so romantic. There’s a brook that runs around the property. It will make for the most beautiful photos. We have a list of preferred vendors I can give you, so you don’t have to shop around for florists or caterers unless you want to. But I’ve been reading up on the vendors we work with and have met a few of them, and they are really great. Plus, there are a ton of suites on the property, so you guys can stay the night of the wedding before you head off on your honeymoon.”
“October?” Emily asked abruptly.
“October is perfect,” Lexi said. “And oh my god. Emily, the trees will be changing colors. It’s perfect!”
“October it is,” Liam agreed.
“We’re getting married!” Emily squealed.
Liam looked around the table where they all sat in the corner of the restaurant. In a few short months, Emily had gone from being essentially alone to moving to a new city, facing demons, and learning about who she was in a past life. He admired her courage and strength and couldn’t be more proud of her. And he made sure he told her that every day.
Liam still had days where he couldn’t believe he had found the woman who had haunted his dreams for years. And he fell in love with her. Again. Now, instead of the two of them dreaming about the other, they were together. And there was going to be a wedding. He was going to marry his true love. The thought made his chest burst even more. Every time he looked at Emily, she took his breath away. And now, she was going to be his wife.
His team’s business was busier than ever. He made a mental note to block off time at the end of August and most of September so he could be around more to help with the wedding planning if needed. Lexi was a godsend, and he pretty much considered her his sister-in-law now.
They would also be remodeling their new headquarters and home. They had talked about moving to an actual house outside of the city and had decided that they would get through the remodeling first before they started looking. That way, the flat would be all ready for a renter whenever they wanted to move.
He hadn’t told Emily yet, but he really couldn’t wait to start filling that flat with babies. They had talked about a family and agreed that after the wedding they would start trying. But he had to admit, he would be ecstatic if Emily happened to end up pregnant sooner rather than later.
Liam’s parents were overjoyed when they called to tell them the news of their engagement. Liam’s mom cried and couldn’t stop telling them how happy she was. She was also already in constant contact with Emily every day. The two of them sent pictures from Pinterest back and forth to each other, all related to wedding planning.
His dad was ecstatic about having another daughter join the family. He even commented that the beach house in Carmel might be getting too small for the growing family. With most of his siblings married and new grandchildren being born, his dad mentioned he may need to inve
st in a wine country resort to accommodate everyone.
Liam laughed at his dad’s comment, but deep down, he knew Clayton Wesley was probably already looking into new properties. Most likely, old wine resorts or a vineyard in the hills that he could take over.
Liam would miss going down to the beach, but he had to admit, he loved wine country just as much.
Epilogue
Trey Donovan drove home after dinner with his friends that night. His mind continually drifted back to the way Lexi looked. God, she was gorgeous. She was shorter than Emily by a few inches, but her personality overshot her height by a few feet. She was edgy, with her dark pixie cut and bold makeup that set her eyes ablaze. She was confident and witty. But he could sense she had a bit of a delicate side there too. A side that she tried desperately to hide.
He’d seen her quite a few times over the past month since she stayed in Emily’s old flat, and the team got together quite often to talk business. And since she and Emily were pretty much inseparable, he managed to run into Lexi a few times a week. And every time he saw her, she burrowed her way into him a little more.
The reminder that she was moving up to Napa to the resort that she took a job at shot through him and his heart ached at the idea. He was sure he’d run into her plenty since she was best friends with Emily, but he was going to miss not seeing her as much as he already was. He had toyed with the idea lately about asking her on a date, but something told him to hold off.
One evening while at Liam and Emily’s, he overheard Lexi telling her friend how she just couldn’t bring herself to date anyone because she didn’t want to get hurt. It was easier to just “stay single and not worry about the possible heartache that comes with dating.” Those were her words. His heart just about stopped when he heard her utter them. So, he held off simply because he was trying to figure out a way to ask her without scaring her away.
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