Page 20 of A Future in Blossom

“Definitely a memorable event.” She flipped off the lights to the greenhouse and locked the door. For a moment it was pitch black, and then she realized that Liam had come to stand right in front of her, his features visible in the moonlight. Gosh, he smelled good, she thought. Even after a challenging event and a long night, he smelled good.

“’Tis beautiful here.”

Did he mean here? Or her? She assumed here, though he was looking at her. Her head rolled back to look at the stars. “There’s very little light pollution in the mountains.”

“Aye. The bright stars remind me of a Kentucky night sky.” He looked up at the stars for a moment, then dropped his head. “I told Dawson and Tessa that they should consider keeping the greenhouse as an event venue. I think there’ll be more weddings and parties coming this way.”

“Seriously? You think Sunrise could be a go-to place?”

“I do. Highlands is a destination spot for weddings, but ’tis crowded. Sunrise is closer to Asheville, has more of a small-town vibe. It might take some time, but I think there’s real possibilities here for Sunrise to become a destination in itself. The lakes, the mountains. It’s got everything except enough venues. Rose saw the potential, I think. She brought you all back to see what could happen when y’ worked together.”

Jaime thought back to the conversation Rose had with them yesterday morning. It felt like days had passed. “Rose said it’s like someone has choreographed us.”

“Even with seven years’ separation?”

“Maybe even more so. It’s like we grew in ways that made us better versions of ourselves. The ways we’ve changed have only benefited us. We’re better together.”

“So then ... no regrets about leavin’ New York City?”

“This is where I belong.”

“I can see that.” He reached out to lean a hand on the greenhouse, the other hand in his pants pocket. “Jaime, I’m...”

Here it comes, she thought.The goodbye talk.Well, she was prepared for it. She tightened her jaw and tilted her head to the side. “Please don’t say you’re sorry that you need to stay in New York. I realize that’s the place you need to be.”

“Hold on, lass. I was tryin’ to say that I’d like to relocate and move down here. I’ve been scoutin’ out locations and have my eye on office space in Highlands. The plan I’ve been working on these last few months—when I should’ve been keeping in touch with you—is to open an Epic Events branch down here. Let Sloane run the New York office and I’ll handle the Southern one. There’s opportunity here ... and it’s where my roots are.” He dropped his arm and reached for her hand. “I’d like to give us a chance to be together, Jaime. If yer willing to take me on.”

Was she willing? She’d been in love with this man for years, more so after she worked for him. And these last few weeks, even the last few days, only churned up more feelings. She couldn’t believe he was asking her for a commitment. This was her dream! Everything he was telling her was what she’d longed to hear from him ... but she still had one sizable hitch in her gut. “Liam, will you ever drop your Scottish facade?”

He stiffened. “Why does it matter?”

“I just ... sometimes I wonder who you really are. A boy from Kentucky or a man from Scotland.”

He gazed at her for a long while. “Last we spoke, I took you at yer word when y’ said you weren’t asking me to change my name or my accent. You just got finished telling me that the time away from Sunrise made you a better version of yourself. ’Tis the same for me, Jaime. My time away from Kentucky allowed me to become the person I wanted to be. ’Tis hard to understand, but lately, when I talk with my granny, speaking in Kentucky dialect feels foreign.”

Jaime had to smile. “And what did she say the first time you used your brogue?”

His grin lit up the night. “She loved it. She even cried a bit. It reminded her of her parents who came o’er from Scotland. And then I was in Scotland for a couple months not long ago to do my old college roommate’s weddin’ and took some time to reflect. I was a wee lad when my great-grandparents came o’er from Scotland the last years of their lives, and I’d forgotten how good it felt to hear stories in their thick brogue, to realize how deep those family roots went.” He swept his arms down his body. “This is who I am. This is the man you’ve known. I’d do anything for you, Jaime, but I can’t change who I’ve become. I don’t want to.”

As if a lightning bolt struck her, she suddenly understood exactly what he meant. She had changed dramatically from the girl who had left Sunrise on that hot August night. She wouldn’t want to be that same girl. He didn’t want to be the same boy. She stepped closer to him and placed her hands on his cheeks. “So, basically, you’re a Kentucky boy whose rough edges have been sanded down by Scotland.”

“Aye.” He put his arms around her to draw her close. “And is now a man who’s hopelessly in love with a girl from Sunrise.”

Closing her eyes, Jaime sank into Liam’s embrace. Was this really happening? No sooner had she thought it than the strangest feeling came over her, that deeply loved sense she got whenever she’d been hugged by Rose.

sixteen

All the flowers of all the tomorrows are in the seeds of today.

—Native American proverb

CLAIRE

Claire had nodded off in the hospital waiting room. She felt someone tap her on the arm and woke with a jolt.

Chris was crouched down in front of her, tears streaming down his face. “Claire, she’s gone.”

She sat up, completely confused. “The baby?” She blinked a few times. “Or the bride?”

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