Page 83 of A Cornish Love Story
‘They’re sweaty,’ I warned him. ‘I was on the cliff path before I got home and found your letter.’
‘I don’t care.’ He slid his fingers into my hair.
‘Ethan!’ I leant away from him, but he moved his hand to the back of my head and held it there, so I had no option but to look into his eyes.
‘You’re writing your book,’ he said. ‘What else?’
‘I’m not writing Spence’s. I’ve said I’ll help with research and my usual admin, but nothing else. And she’s promised me that when I’ve finished mine, she’ll give me some contacts and help with what comes next, if I want to get it published.’
‘Good,’ Ethan murmured. ‘That’s the least she can do. What else?’
‘Mum’s house is mine for as long as I want it. And I do want my own place, but it’s good to know the pressure’s off, and I can think of it as home for now.’
His expression softened, his little finger rubbing circles at my nape. ‘What else?’
I chewed my lip. ‘You know what else,’ I said softly.
He frowned, and I realized he was teasing me. ‘Oh, you mean your piece on Sterenlenn? Where youimaginedbeing trapped inside?’
‘Did you mind?’
His eyes kindled: Ethan Sparks firing back to life. ‘Did I mind reading it on the verge of a heart attack, wondering how much detail you’d go into about what your characters got up to in the writing room?’ He raised an eyebrow and I laughed, my cheeks heating at the memory. ‘Did I mind that your article led to Sterenlenn’s eventual new owners getting in touch with Sarah, asking for a tour?’
‘They didnot.’
He nodded. ‘I didn’t mindentirelywhen I was contacted by three escape room companies who wanted to know if entertainment spaces were part of my portfolio.’
‘Ethan!’ I laughed.
‘I’m serious. About all of it. I loved every word, but I’ve been living on the edge of sanity ever since, jumping whenever my phone made a noise, wondering if it would be you.’
‘I’m sorry.’ I looked at my knees. ‘I just had to do those things, for me.’
‘I understand,’ he said, though he was sounding less certain. ‘And now?’
I looked up. ‘Now, I’m ready.’
‘Ready?’ He toyed with the hair falling down my back, his gaze fixed on me. The space between us wasa bubble holding our past, all the things we’d left unsaid.
‘I’ve missed you, Ethan,’ I whispered, and the bubble broke.
He leaned in, cupping my face, his thumb brushing my cheek. ‘I regret every single thing I have done and said that has stopped me from being with you.’ Every touch was a tiny tremor, as if my pores and nerve endings were rejoicing at having his skin against mine.
‘You can’t,’ I said. ‘Look at the house – look what you’ve achieved.’
He stared at me with a sort of wonder, as if he couldn’t quite believe I was there. ‘I would have done this regardless,’ he said. ‘I would have loved more of it, let myself enjoy it more if I’d had you with me.’
I nodded, unable to speak, because that was how I felt about every day of my life since he’d walked out of it. ‘The writing room wouldn’t have been a surprise if I’d been on site with you.’
He gave a brief shake of his head, but he was smiling now. ‘You wouldn’t have been on site with me every day. You’ve seenGrand Designs– the way those couples argue. Sterenlenn wasn’t ever mine, but I was still completely invested in it, and I know you would have been too. The pressure’s intense.’
‘I can only imagine,’ I said, as he brushed his lips across my forehead. ‘I have so many feelings about this place, and it belongs to someone else.’
‘We had a memorable twelve hours in it, though.’
‘Christened it, in a way, for the new Rosevar family.’
‘Made sure the disco shower really delivers.’
