My heart drops at his words. “What kind of confession? Something dark and awful, like you’ve got a red room back at your pad in Valcourt? Or you shagged a hundred women while we were apart and now play host to a slew of STIs?”
“Christ, no. Why would your mind go there?” he asks, looking horrified. “I was going to say I’m wildly, helplessly, hopelessly in love with you.”
“Oh, so not bad at all, really,” I say with a sideways grin.
“I hope not.” He glances at my lips.
I kiss him quickly before he can take it back, my heart bursting with fear and joy, then say, “I also have a confession to make. I don’t want this to be some casual thing. I never really did because I’m also pretty much horribly and completely in love with you. Like so much so that I was willing to wear the very recently used wig of a strange man.”
“Oh, so that sounds serious,” he says.
Swallowing hard, I say, “I’m afraid so.”
“Well, in that case, we’re going to have to figure out what to do about this.” His smile fades. “But first, I have to admit you were right about me. Back in Valcourt, when you said I didn’t understand love, you were bang on. I didn’t. I think I’m starting to get it, but before…I really had no clue.
“From what I gather, love means putting the other person first, not trying to force them to fit into your life for your own convenience…even if I did try to dress it up as giving you everything you ever dreamed of.” He gives me a small smile and shakes his head. “You, Emma Banks, are the only person to see through my bullshit. You’re also the only person who has ever made me believe that love might not be a total fucking sham. And that’s why I have to find a way to spend my life with you. So that you can hold my feet to the fire when needed and make me believe that there’s good in the world. I hate myself for the cliché that’s about to come out of my mouth, but I’m afraid I can’t help it. You make me a better man.”
Tears fill my eyes and…uh oh, I have that ugly cry face happening. I try to straighten it out but I think I’m only making it worse. Although, the look on his face doesn’t say he’s exactly put off by it.
Lifting one hand to my cheek, he continues. “I want to spend the rest of my life giving you absolutely everything you’ve ever wanted, just so I can see you smile. I want to make you laugh and drive you nuts and taste every dish you create—even the ones with sundried tomatoes, should they come back in fashion. I want to rub your feet when they’re sore after a long shift and serve you a glass of wine or a whole bloody bottle when you’ve had a bad day. I want to go to all your family dinners with Rosy hitting on me and Starsky and Hutch humping me and Harrison glaring at me in a way that says I’ll never be quite good enough for his little sister—he’s right, by the way. But I promise you I’ll spend every day of the rest of my life trying to be the man you deserve.”
“You already are,” I say, smiling through my happy tears. “And even better, you’re the one I need. And I know together, we can figure out how to make this work.”
“Agreed. We definitely can sort it out,” he says pressing his forehead to mine. “What if—and I’m just spit-balling here so if you have a better idea, just say so—what if I move to Santa Valentina? We could get some fabulously private place on the beach—close enough to the resort for you to bicycle there every day but far enough away for us to have our own little retreat. I could write books while you’re off being an incredible chef. Then when you come home, we can shag until the early morning hours.”
I laugh through my tears, nodding quickly. “That’s perfect for me, but not if you don’t want to live there. I don’t feel right asking you to give up everything you’ve got in Avonia.”
“What exactly have I got? A very expensive, very lonely flat? A family I can’t count on? I’m relatively certain I can give that up without much heartache, especially if I know you’re coming home to me every day. As someone pointed out to me once, of the two of us, you’re the one with the rich life. I’ve just got money.” He gives me a lingering kiss. “What do you say? Do we have a deal, Ms. Banks?”
Giving him a skeptical look, I say, “I don’t know. Will you sing Neil Diamond to me every once in a while?”
“Only after a few drinks.”
“I can live with that.”
Pierce grins widely. “Thank God because I’ve always dreamed of having a happily ever after.”
“Liar.”
“Okay, maybe not always, but since I first laid eyes on you.”
“Oh, you’re good,” I say, snuggling closer to him. “If this whole fantasy writing gig doesn’t turn out, you could write romance.”
“I just might,” he says, letting his lips hover over mine. “Or I might give it all up and live off a certain amazingly talented chef I know.”
Epilogue
There’s Always Room for One More…
Pierce - One Year Later
“Two minutes ‘til showtime!” Emma's voice cuts through the considerable noise in our normally quiet beach house. Her entire family, and I'm pretty sure everyone they know, have amassed here this evening to watch the season opener of the final season ofClash of Crowns. Excitement buzzes around me as I finish filling a tray of champagne flutes to serve our guests—well, the adult ones, anyway.
Harrison is in the kitchen heating up a bottle for their adorable little ginger baby, Clara (named for Libby’s grandmum), who I must say, seems to favour her Uncle Pierce above most people. Clara is currently being bounced on Darnell’s lap whilst Rosy plays peek-a-boo from behind the sectional.
Emma pulls an enormous tray of appetizers out of the oven warmer and sets it on the island, along with the trays of fruit, veggies, and bowls of crisps. “Appies are ready!” she calls, eliciting an enthusiastic murmur along with a mass exodus from the living room furniture in the general direction of the island.
Oh, in case you’re wondering, we bought a massive open-concept bungalow that sits on the southeast side of Paradise Bay. It’s beachfront (obviously) and is set on a private estate nestled in the jungle (but not so close to the jungle that, say, any hungry iguanas will challenge me for breakfast). From here, Emma really can cycle to the resort every day. Most days I go with her and drop her off at the restaurant, then go back to pick her up in the late evening after she’s done working for the night.
