Your Love Is Mine

by Bella Andre

  Cassie’s dad met them at the door, holding Ruby in his arms. The baby gave a happy cheer as she reached out her arms to Flynn and Cassie. They reached out to take her from Ethan. Together, the three of them did a sweet group hug.

  As soon as he could, Cassie’s father pulled her into a hug of their own. “Congratulations, honey. Your mother and I are both so proud of you.”

  “Thanks, Dad.” She gave him an extra big squeeze, loving him even more for the way he’d welcomed Ruby and Flynn into his life. “Winning was such a surprise.”

  “Only to you,” Flynn said as he settled Ruby on his hip. When the baby lifted Ellie the elephant to his lips, he gave her stuffed toy a kiss. “We all knew you were going to win.”

  Cassie had repeatedly asked Flynn to recognize how special his work was. Now she found herself wondering whether it was time for her to take a closer look at her own.

  “Come on in,” Ethan said. “We were just about to sit down to lunch. Your mom thought you might be back early, so she made enough for all of us.” He ran an affectionate hand over Ruby’s hair. “This little treasure is hard to leave for too long, isn’t she?”

  “We nearly turned back yesterday,” Cassie admitted as they headed into the kitchen.

  “Welcome back!” Beth was serving up a mouthwatering Guinness beef and onion potpie for the four of them, along with sweet potato puree for Ruby. “I hope you’re hungry.”

  “Starved,” Cassie said as she carried the plates over to the table. Between being too nervous to eat last night and making love repeatedly with Flynn, she felt as though she could eat all the potpie by herself.

  “Thank you for watching Ruby.” Flynn smiled at her parents. “And thanks for texting over so many pictures while we were gone. She obviously had the time of her life here.”

  “All of us did,” Beth said as they sat down to eat. “Now, tell us about last night. Was it absolutely wonderful?”

  Cassie could feel her cheeks grow pink as she flashed back to all the wonderfully sexy parts of her night with Flynn. Fortunately, he stepped in with a response before her parents could notice.

  “Cassie was the star of the evening.” Flynn pulled out his phone and showed them the video. “As soon as we walked in, everyone wanted to talk with her. And you’ve never heard such loud cheering as when she won. Your daughter is magnificent.”

  Though Flynn was answering her mother’s question, he was looking at Cassie as he spoke. She couldn’t look away from him either. Just as she couldn’t stop hoping that one day he’d realize how magnificent he was.

  For the rest of their meal, Cassie and Flynn answered questions about the awards ceremony. It wasn’t until their plates were empty that her father cleared his throat.

  “Have you seen the Sunday paper yet?” He brought it over to the table. “They covered the awards on the front page.”

  “Lola is going to be very pleased,” Beth said as she pointed to the large picture of Cassie wearing the dress her sister designed.

  But Cassie was far more concerned about Flynn’s reaction to the article, which mentioned him—along with the mystery surrounding his adoption of Ruby and his subsequent disappearance from Hollywood—several times. It also speculated on his relationship with Cassie and the Sullivan family as a whole.

  “Beth, Ethan, I’m sorry for bringing your family into my mess.”

  Beth put her hand on Flynn’s arm. “Families can be messy. We Sullivans know that better than anyone. You have nothing to apologize for. Not now or in the future.”

  “Unless you do anything to hurt Cassie,” Ethan put in.

  “Dad!” Cassie exclaimed at the same time Beth said, “Ethan!”

  But Flynn didn’t look at all put out by her father’s ongoing protectiveness. “You have my word that I never will, sir.”

  And when her father smiled, Cassie could see that Ethan Sullivan’s approval meant the world to Flynn.

  * * *

  They took Ruby to the park before heading home. Flynn put her in the baby swing, and as he gave her a push, she laughed and happily kicked her feet in the air. Cassie pretended to tickle her feet every time she came close, making Ruby giggle even harder.

  Cassie grinned at Flynn. “What a happy little girl you have.”

  “She really is, isn’t she?”

  Cassie knew Flynn would never take happiness for granted. Every moment of joy for Ruby, and for himself, would always be incredibly precious.

  Just then, a young mother came to the park with twins, a boy and girl who looked to be close to Ruby’s age. She settled them in the sandbox with bright plastic shovels and buckets to play with.

  When Ruby kept staring at them, Cassie said, “Looks like she wants to make new friends.”

  Flynn seemed momentarily uncertain, which Cassie guessed had to do with the perils of his own childhood. Yet again, she hoped that one day soon, when he felt ready, he’d share more of his past with her.

  When it was clear just how much Ruby wanted to play, he moved to unstrap her. Together, they took Ruby over to the sandbox.

  “This is Ruby,” he said to the twins’ mom. “Could she play in the sandbox with your children?”

  “Sure.” The woman smiled. “The more the merrier. Iris and Rob love other kids.”

  Cassie could see that Flynn was still a little nervous about how Ruby was going to do with the other babies. Fortunately, after a few seconds of eyeballing each other, the little boy handed Ruby his blue shovel and was already obviously half in love with her as the three kids made a joyful mess of themselves in the sand.

  Cassie loved seeing not only how happy Ruby looked, but also the joy on Flynn’s face as he finally relaxed into the knowledge that, despite his and his sister’s harrowing childhood, Ruby was going to be just fine.

  * * *

  In the cabin an hour and a half later, they had just put Ruby down for a nap when Flynn said, “I’d like you to read what I’ve been working on.”

  Cassie’s heart had never felt fuller than it did when she took the folder from him. “I’d love to.” But before she began, she needed to be certain about something. “Are you sure you’re ready to share this with me? I don’t want to get in the way of your creative process.”

  She’d never seen him look so serious, so intense, as he did when he told her, “You’re the reason I was able to write it. So yes, I’m sure.”

  On the couch, she began to read.

  Ellie the elephant is born in a factory in upstate New York…

  By the fifth sentence, she was holding her breath. By the tenth, her eyes were welling up. By the time she read the final words—Anything really is possible—tears were running down her cheeks.

  Slowly, Cassie put the pages back inside the folder. While she’d been reading, Flynn had stood perfectly still by the window, staring out at the metal heart on the tree trunk.

  She walked across the room and put her arms around him, resting her cheek on his back. “It’s beautiful, Flynn. Every single word. Thank you for sharing your story with me.”

  He turned, sliding one hand around her waist, wiping away her tears with the other.

  She wouldn’t lie and tell him they were all happy tears. How could they be, when he’d given her a clear window into his horrible childhood? But that wasn’t all he’d done with the story.

  He’d not only shown her his past, he’d also written the beautiful beginnings of their love story. One in which he finally learned how to laugh again.

  “It’s all true, isn’t it?” Cassie asked.

  Of course she understood where fact and fiction diverged: It was the underlying emotion in his story that she was referring to. Joe’s fear of his parents, his alienation from his peers, the warm welcome and support from Cassie’s family, and most of all his boundless love for his sister.

  And for her.

  “It is. All my adult life, I’ve deliberately looked at everything through my writing lens so I could stay at a distance, without having to acknowle
dge how I personally felt. But with you, though I said at first I wanted to learn about you for a character sketch, it was just another lie. I wanted to know everything I could about you because you captured my heart. Something I never thought would happen…” He stroked her cheek. “Even as I was writing this, I asked myself what the hell I knew about creating a love story. But then I realized that you taught me everything I needed to know about love simply by the way you immediately loved Ruby without reservation, without hesitation, without boundaries.”

  “That’s exactly how you loved Sarah. The way you’ll always love her.”

  Flynn tightened his hold around Cassie as he nodded. “Sarah and I were so close when we were kids. We looked out for each other. We took care of each other. And we made up stories together. Writing about her…” He swallowed hard. “It was like having her back for a little while. Before everything got so totally screwed up. Before I lost her completely.”

  “Sarah will never be gone completely. She’ll always live on in Ruby.”

  “Sometimes,” he said in a low voice, “when I look at Ruby, it feels like I’m looking at Sarah. It hurts…but it’s also good to know that she’ll never truly be gone. And when Ruby was playing so happily with the other kids in the park today, it finally hit me that the cycle of pain and sorrow and shame is broken. It’s what Sarah would have wanted for her daughter, I’m sure of it.”

  “I’m sure of it too,” Cassie said. “Just as I’m sure that if I had known your sister as a child, I would have liked her. A lot.”

  “She would have liked you too. How could she not, when even a grumpy Hollywood cynic fell for you the moment you gave him a big smile and said hello?”

  “You weren’t the only one who fell in love at first sight.” Cassie needed him to know this. “I tried to tell myself it was only Ruby who captured my heart that quickly, but the first time I heard you say I love you to Ruby, I had to admit how deep my feelings ran for you too. And loving you has also helped me accept the truth about what I do. That I’m not just playing around with candy, but that there is so much heart and soul—and worth—in my work.”

  “You spread joy in everything you do, Cassie. That’s worth everything.”

  Their lips met in a kiss that echoed their words of love.

  “I wish I could tell you it’s going to be smooth sailing from here,” Flynn said. “But I can’t predict how people will react when I tell my story—the real one, this time.” He cupped her face in his hands. “Maybe a better man wouldn’t ask you to take on everything that comes with me and my past and raising a precocious six-month-old.”

  “Ask me, Flynn.” It was what he’d said to her the night he’d finally told her the truth—and declared his love.

  “Will you take us on?” Deep emotion reverberated through his words. “Will you love us and let us love you back with everything we are?”

  “Yes! Yes! Yes! I’m yours, Flynn. Body, heart, and soul.” Cassie’s love for Flynn and Ruby ran so deep that she was confident they could withstand whatever the world—and the press—tried to throw at them. “And it doesn’t matter how people react to the truth of your past. All that matters is that you feel good about whatever you choose, or choose not to, share.”

  “That’s something I’ve been thinking about a lot. Not only how to come clean and show Ruby how special her mother was, but also how to help kids who are having a rough time. I know that guy we met at the awards ceremony said my thrillers helped him deal with his rotten childhood, but I keep thinking that a story about three kids who create fantastic adventures for themselves could reach children while they’re still young. Before they forget how to hope and dream and laugh. Because if they see a character that’s like them on the screen, maybe they’ll realize they aren’t alone.” She could see the determination—and the excitement—in his eyes. “I’d like to bring Sarah and Joe to life on-screen. And little Cassie too, if it’s okay with you.”

  “It’s more than okay. It will be amazing to see your stories about these kids on the screen. I love it.” She kissed him. “I love you.” She kissed him again. “And I can’t wait to be beside you every step of the way.”

  “Someone very wise once told me all I needed to do was take one small step forward at a time, until I was where I wanted to be.” He moved closer to her at the exact moment that she did the same. “And now here I am, with you.”

  EPILOGUE

  Six months later…

  Most woodworkers avoided hand-sanding whenever possible. For Rory Sullivan, however, sanding his furniture by hand was mandatory. He might never achieve perfection, but that didn’t stop him from trying.

  It was one of the main things Rory’s mother and father had taught him and his six siblings—to always give their all. Whether they won or lost, the most important thing was that they’d done their very best.

  Rory was glad to see Cassie’s hard work paying off. In the wake of her award, she’d been commissioned to create a large art piece for a museum exhibition in Japan, along with several lucrative private commissions. Rory couldn’t be happier for his sister. She deserved all the good fortune coming her way—as did her boyfriend, Flynn.

  Though Rory hadn’t been sure about the guy at first, by the time Cassie moved into her cabin to live with Flynn and Ruby, her new boyfriend had proved himself in spades. Not only by treating Cassie extremely well, but also by having the guts to tell his story to the world.

  During the past six months, Flynn had worked with Smith and Valentina at Sullivan Studios to put together a part live-action, part animated short film inspired by Flynn’s rough childhood and the people who helped him transcend it. The film was already shortlisted for several awards, but what impressed Rory most was how Flynn had bravely uncovered his secrets, both with the film and then with the interviews he’d done to support it. Cassie and Ruby had been by his side throughout, of course. Rory could hardly remember a time when the three of them weren’t a tight unit.

  Whistling sounded from outside the open barn doors to his woodshop, pulling Rory from his thoughts and making him grind his teeth. Whistling had never irritated him before.

  Not until Zara.

  She always looked at him the same way, like she knew all of his secrets. And though that was impossible, he couldn’t shake the feeling that one day, if he wasn’t fully on guard around her, she just might find a way to break through his barriers and see what he was hiding…

  * * *

  I hope you loved getting to know the Maine Sullivans! Please be sure to sign up for my newsletter (bellaandre.com/newsletter) so that I can let you know the release dates for all upcoming books.

  * * *

  Please also enjoy the following excerpt from the first San Francisco Sullivan book, THE LOOK OF LOVE

  Chloe Peterson is having a bad night. A really bad night. The large bruise on her cheek can attest to that. And when her car skids off the side of a wet country road straight into a ditch, she’s convinced even the gorgeous guy who rescues her in the middle of the rain storm must be too good to be true. Or is he?

  As a successful photographer who frequently travels around the world, Chase Sullivan has his pick of beautiful women, and whenever he’s home in San Francisco, one of his seven siblings is usually up for causing a little fun trouble. Chase thinks his life is great just as it is—until the night he finds Chloe and her totaled car on the side of the road in Napa Valley. Not only has Chase never met anyone so lovely, both inside and out, but he quickly realizes Chloe has much bigger problems than her damaged car. Soon, Chase is willing to move mountains to love—and protect—her, but will Chloe let him?

  Enjoy the following excerpt from THE LOOK OF LOVE…

  Chase almost missed the flickering light off on the right side of the two-lane country road. In the past thirty minutes, he hadn’t passed a single car, because on a night like this, most sane Californians—who didn’t know the first thing about driving safely in inclement weather—stayed home.

  Kno
wing better than to slam on the brakes—he wouldn’t be able to help whomever was stranded on the side of the road if he ended up stuck in the muddy ditch right next to them—Chase slowed down enough to see that there was definitely a vehicle stuck in the ditch.

  He turned his brights on to see better in the pouring rain and realized there was a person walking along the edge of the road about a hundred yards up ahead. Obviously hearing his car approach, she turned to face him, and he could see her long wet hair whipping around her shoulders in his headlights.

  Wondering why she wasn’t just sitting in her car, dry and warm, calling Triple A and waiting for them to come save her, he pulled over to the edge of his lane and got out to try to help her. She was shivering as she watched him approach.

  “Are you hurt?”

  She covered her cheek with one hand, but shook her head. “No.”

  He had to move closer to hear her over the sound of the water hitting the pavement in what were rapidly becoming hailstones. Even though he’d turned his headlights off, as his eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness, he was able to get a better look at her face.

  Something inside of Chase’s chest clenched tight.

  Despite the long, dark hair plastered to her head and chest, regardless of the fact that looking like a drowned rat wasn’t too far off the descriptive mark, her beauty stunned him.

  In an instant, his photographer’s eye cataloged her features. Her mouth was a little too big, her eyes a little too wide-set on her face. She wasn’t even close to model thin, but given the way her T-shirt and jeans stuck to her skin, he could see that she wore her lush curves well. In the dark he couldn’t judge the exact color of her hair, but it looked like silk, perfectly smooth and straight where it lay over her breasts.

  It wasn’t until Chase heard her say, “My car is definitely hurt, though,” that he realized he had completely lost the thread of what he’d come out here to do.