Becca was lounging in a bubble bath while enjoying a private video chat with Deke. He’d insisted the time difference didn’t matter because he was too hyped up after the night’s concert for sleep. They were counting down the last week until he’d be back home again.
Jase and Tiffany hadinvited Griff’s parents to her home for coffee and dessert. It had momentarily thrown her poor friend when she mentioned the coconut cake she’d made, and Lyndsey and Sylvia burst out laughing. After they explained the full story, Tiffany had happily challenged Mrs Oakes to reserve judgment until she’d tried her version, made from her grandmother’s recipe with fresh coconut, and supposedly moist and light as a feather.
An owl hooted in the trees as the last slivers of daylight faded away.
‘Do you reckon Deke’s studio needs another visit?’ Griff’s hands slid around her waist and he trailed kisses down her neck. ‘We might want to check everything’s okay out there before he comes back next week.’
‘That would absolutely be the responsible thing to do.’
‘It sure would. We could discuss our wedding plans, too, before my mom and your sister take over. If we’re not careful, they’ll be on the phone to your mother behind our backs and we won’t get a say in anything.’ He swung her around to face him.
‘That discussion won’t happen if we . . . you know . . . it didn’t last time.’
‘I swear I’ll behave and not do this.’ A firm hand caressed her back, inching lower and lower. ‘Or this.’ The other hand shifted to her breasts, stroking and teasing until she arched into his touch. ‘At least until we’ve agreed on a quiet wedding in St Lanow, followed by an amazing honeymoon somewhere tropical, where all you need to pack is a few sexy bikinis. And afterwards, a big party back here, to celebrate with our friends and family who couldn’t make it across the pond.’
‘You’ve clearly thought about this.’
‘Haven’t you?’
She flushed. ‘Well, yes, but not in as much detail as you, by the sound of it.’
‘Am I on the right lines?’ Now he looked worried. ‘If you want anything different, that’s fine by me. I’m not tryin’ to—’
‘Shush. Kiss me.’
‘Yes, ma’am.’ Griff never needed telling twice, one of the many things she loved about him. ‘It was a damn good thing your folks sent you here,’ he whispered. ‘See what you’ve done for me.’
‘Ah, but see what you’ve done for me in return.’
‘I’d call it a draw. We’re both in the right place now.’
Lyndsey wasn’t arguing with that.
Epilogue
The following spring in Tennessee
‘I’ve got something for you,’ Griff whispered in Lyndsey’s ear. ‘Let’s sneak away.’
‘Mr Oakes, you’re incorrigible.’ She jabbed his ribs. ‘In case you’ve forgotten, we’re married now, so we don’t need to run off to have illicit sex in Deke’s studio.’ A flare of heat lit up her face. ‘I can’t even step foot in there now without remembering . . .’
‘Give me some credit.’ He chuckled. ‘I’ve got a gift for you that I’d prefer to give you on our own. I couldn’t really take it to Cornwall for the big day.’ Sometimes it amused him how spot on he’d been when he guessed how they might want to celebrate their wedding.
He could picture Lyndsey now walking arm in arm with her father down the aisle of the small, ancient St Lanow church; its granite stones must’ve seen thousands of such ceremonies over the seven-hundred-plus years of its existence. She’d worn a sleek, scoop-necked dress made of heavy cream satin, the rich color flattering her Caribbean skin. No veil. Cream rosebuds woven through the shiny mass of natural curls brushing her bare shoulders.
‘Or haul it all the way to Hawaii and back here afterwards.’ They hadn’t exactly clashed, but they definitely had a back-and-forth discussion before settling on their honeymoon destination. They’d batted a few ideas around.
‘Absolutely no way.’ That was her immediate reaction to his suggestion that they should go to Dominica and track down her birth father’s family. She hadn’t wavered, insisting she had no intention of contacting people who’d never shown the slightest interest in her. Rather than argue and make her unhappy, he’d shut up at that point. Griff still thought it would settle the last hints of her lingering insecurity if she could at least meet Luis Reyes’ family, but he could bide his time. As he’d told her at the start of their relationship, he was a patient man.
‘Isn’t it nearly time to cut the cake?’ A broad smile lit her up. ‘Our second wedding cake, that is. The high-octane American version. Ten layers of chocolate overload, made toyourspecifications this time. I did appreciate you manfully eating the fruit cake I know you hated in Cornwall.’
‘Hey, babe, I’d do anythin’ for you; don’t you know that by now?’ Although he’d conceded afterwards that their traditional English wedding cake was marginally better than the American fruit cakes he detested, it didn’t mean he wanted to eat another slice anytime soon.
She touched his mouth, tracing the outline of his lips with her finger. ‘Oh yes. You’ve proved that. I still can’t believe you managed to turn a derelict hardware shop into the new branch of The Right Place in a matter of months.’ They’d been lucky to snatch up the building, which was within walking distance of the center of Franklin, at a bargain price. The previous business had closed several years earlier, and it’d started to fall into disrepair because no one wanted to take it on.
‘You worked damn hard, too.’
‘It was a team effort.’
