Page 95 of Halstead House

He took a step toward me until he was close enough that I had to tilt back my head to look at him. He reached for me, hesitantly, watching carefully to see if I was open to the contact. He had nothing to worry about. I was as open as humanly possible.

He pulled me close, and I could feel the tenderness, concern, and heartache all pour out of him in the way he touched me, running a hand over my hair and up my back. He tucked my head against his chest and laid his own on top of it. The familiar smell and feel of him nearly undid me. Almost without conscious thought, my own arms wound around his waist and held on. I prayed this wasn’t going to end up being a goodbye.

“I don’t know what happened. None of it was supposed to go this way,” he stuttered out. He stopped and I could feel him shaking his head as if trying to clear it. “The first thing you need to know is the answer to your ‘can’t or won’t’ question. I said the answer was both, and it is. You see, Ican’task you to stay because Iwon’tassume you want to give up your life for me. Do you understand?”

I snuggled my face in closer and nodded my head as I felt the first tiny flickers of hope begin to light. Still, I clamped down on it, unwilling to be hurt so deeply again.

“That conversation was a disaster, Grace. Can we try again?”

“Yes, please,” I whispered against his shirt.

“Here’s the truth. I’ve never felt this way about anyone else, and it’s embarrassing to admit, but I wasn’t sure how to put myself out there and open up the conversation. I didn’t want to put pressure on you by asking you to stay when I know how much you’ve been through these past months. I’m so sorry that my hesitation and terrible wording earlier made you believe I didn’t want you. I’ve waited a long, long time for you to come into my life, and I’d really like to keep you in it.”

Before I could say anything else he dipped his head and kissed me like a man starving. His arms nearly lifted me off my feet, and I laughed with the joy of it all, which worked out all right because he moved his attentions to the side of my neck, below my ear, across my forehead, and back to my lips.

When I could feel the now familiar heat shifting to something more, I gently disengaged from his arms and took a step back, holding him away from me with a palm pressed to his chest.

“That’s probably the best apology I’ve ever gotten.” I smiled my megawatt smile at him, and he returned it with one of his own. I reached up to brush a piece of hair away from his eyes. “In case you were wondering, I made a mess of that conversation too. I assumed where you were going, but that was based on fear, and fear makes it hard to keep an open mind. I’m going to be brave now and tell you that I love you, Lucas. I’m not letting you go either.”

Oh, yeah, I was a wolf. A wolf with a shiny coat who not only stepped out of the lambskin, but tore it up with her teeth. Roar.

His expression softened into one of utter affection and devotion as he leaned forward to place a very respectable kiss on my lips. “Thank goodness. I love you too. I think I knew something was happening to me that night you walked into the carriage house when you’d first arrived.”

“Really?” My smile grew to fill my face as joy filled my heart. “I felt the first tingles then too.”

He laughed and his face grew serious once more. “Are we okay? Truly?”

“Yes.”

He took my hand in his and said, “Here are the things I know without a doubt. One, my life is so much better with you in it. Two, I can’t let you go. Three, I’m willing to beg.”

I squeezed his hand and smiled. “Here are the things I know. One, you’re definitely worth giving up Providence for. Two, I’ll probably try to make you feel guilty about it. Three, I can’t let you go either.”

He looked at me with more love than I could have hoped for. “I know you just said you’d give up Providence, but if you need to go back there to be happy, we’ll find a way to make that work. If you need to be close to your mother, we’ll find a way.”

“What about the things you need?” I asked. “You said you needed to be on the island.”

“Well, we’ve both agreed I royally butchered that conversation earlier. What I should have said is this. All I need is for you to be in my life, and the rest will take care of itself.”

I couldn’t resist leaning up to kiss him softly. “I’m kind of bummed that it took me twenty-five years to find you,” I said when we broke apart.

“Imagine how I feel. I’ve got seven years on you.”

“You think Mary is happy?”

“I think Mary is beyond happy.”

He pulled me into a hug and I melted against him. “From now on if either of us have any doubts, or questions, or worries, we stop assuming and we talk about it. Deal?”

“Deal.”

We sealed it with a kiss.

EPILOGUE

One week later I was strolling along the beach as the sun set. Lucas had gone out of town, and I’d had nothing to do but think, plan, and work out what I wanted my future to look like. It had been an unexpected gift—these hours alone. In my past life those hours would have felt lonely. Now they’d felt full of possibility.

Of course, most of those hours involved thinking about Lucas. He had become central to my happiness. After many discussions with Lucas when his meetings had ended each day, and even more time working out whatItruly wanted, I’d called my employer in Providence and given my resignation. My boss had requested that I return and work until they could find a suitable replacement. I hadn’t wanted that kind of open-ended commitment. We’d found middle ground, and I’d agreed to work for six weeks.

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