Page 2 of Beloved Beauty

“If we stay here, it’s only us. Me, you, and a maybe-business I’m still trying to figure out. My whole world in Charleston is one chaotic best friend, a rented apartment, and a new business in an office I can barely afford. I don’t have a loving, nurturing family you’d be marrying into. No Sunday dinners. No built-in village. But in Australia—and Samoa—we’d be surrounded by people who already love you, and people who are ready to love me, too. We wouldn’t only be building a life together—we’d be stepping into one that’s already full. Messy. Loud. Alive. That’s what I want. I think that’s what I’ve always wanted, but I didn’t realize it until I met you.”

He reaches for my hand. “You think I belong in Australia, but––” He kisses my fingers one by one, eyes locked on mine. “Let me tell you where I belong… with you. Always with you. Home isn’t a place for me anymore. It’s you.”

He presses my hand to his chest. “I mean it. If you said stay here, I’d stay. No question.”

I shift closer until there’s not a breath between us, my leg sliding over his, anchoring myself to the heat of his skin.

“What about rugby? Do you want to play again?”

He hesitates, and I know his answer.

“Be honest,” I add. “I want the truth.”

His eyes search mine. “Yeah, I do. I want to go back and retire on my own terms. But I want you more than I want to play rugby. You come first. Always. Never doubt that.”

I shake my head. “You don’t have to choose between rugby and me.”

His brows lift.

“You love rugby. And I would never ever ask you to put that part of yourself away for me. You should play as long as your body lets you. As long as it makes you feel alive and happy.”

He stares at me as though I’ve handed him something sacred.

“That means going back to Australia. Is that what you want?” he asks.

“I’m going to be a Malietoa-Sebring now.” I reach up, trailing my fingers along his jaw. “And I want to learn everything that name carries. I want your mom to teach me how to cook the dishes she grew up on—and tell me what they mean. I want your siblings to become mine, not only in name but in bond. I want your dad to tell me stories about Sweden and show me where his quiet strength comes from. I want Malie and Alexander to be the mom and dad I never had. I want to belong to your world the way I already belong to you.”

He exhales. “You have no idea how happy that makes me.”

“Oh, I think I do.”

He shifts forward, pressing his forehead to mine. “I can’t wait to make it official.”

I smile, whispering against his lips. “Me either.”

He looks at me like I’ve handed him everything he’s ever wanted. He leans in and kisses me slowly, then pulls back enough for our eyes to meet. “Dad wants to offer you a position with Sebring Hotels.”

I blink. “Wait—what?”

“You got him brainstorming months ago—back when you first met. The way you talked about space, about how people feel when they walk into a room… it stuck with him. He said you made him see the business through a whole new lens. And when he joked about luring you away from Soul Sync, he wasn’t joking.”

A job at Sebring Hotels. My heart kicks as though I’ve been handed a golden key to something I didn’t realize could be mine.

“But listen to me, favorite. You don’t have to say yes. You can always start your own business in Sydney.” He lifts his hand and tucks a loose strand of hair behind my ear, his fingers lingering long enough to make my chest ache. “And I want you to understand—it’s not some gesture. It’s not a favor. He sees you. He knows your worth. We all do.”

A rush of something warm and thick swells in my chest. Not only happiness. Relief. Gratitude. An aching, breathless joy that comes from being recognized.

He sees me. They see me. And it wrecks me in the best possible way.

“Or you don’t have to work at all. It’s up to you.” His gaze searches mine, careful and open. “Whatever fulfills you is what you deserve. If it means running your own company, we’ll make it happen. If it means being a homemaker, a mum, or something in between—we’ll build that, too. I want you to be happy.”

His words bloom in my chest, something delicate and wild, too big to contain, too beautiful to name. “I’ve never felt more loved in my life. Not just tolerated. Truly loved. Every piece of me, even the ones I didn’t think anyone could like.”

His eyes soften, and he tugs me a little closer. “You’ve spent your whole life surviving. Let me show you what it’s like to be held. You don’t have to earn love with me and my family, Magnolia. You only have to let it in.”

“I know you can take care of me. And maybe for the first time in my life, the idea of someone doing that doesn’t make me feel weak. I feel wanted and safe.”

His thumb strokes the edge of my jaw in a slow, steady motion. “Of course you’re wanted and safe with me.”

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