“That’s really nice of you. We won’t be long.”
Mabel waved away her words. “Don’t worry about that. If we can raise four daughters, a handsome young man like Oscar will be a breeze.”
Oscar grinned and rushed over to Mabel. “Do you want to see Liam’s airplane?”
Chloe stood and held out her hand to Liam. “We’d better move fast before the music changes.”
The lights on the dance floor dimmed as Liam pulled Chloe into his arms.
“I missed you,” she said softly, resting her head against his shoulder.
“I missed you too,” he admitted, feeling the truth of it settle in his chest. “More than I realized I would.”
They swayed in comfortable silence for a moment before Chloe spoke again. “Did you have any more thoughts about the job offer?”
He took a deep breath, choosing his words carefully. “Actually, that’s something I wanted to talk to you about.”
Chloe frowned. “Is everything okay?”
“Better than okay,” he assured her. “I realized something important while I was away.”
“What did you realize?” she asked gently.
“That opportunities come and go, but what’s truly important is right here,” he said, his eyes holding hers. “With you and Oscar.”
She blinked, emotion welling up in her eyes. “Liam...”
“I turned down the job,” he continued. “When they talked about sending me to Vietnam and Singapore for other books in the series, I told them I couldn’t commit to being away for so long.”
She looked surprised. “But that was your dream job.”
“My priorities have changed. I want to build a life here, with you. It’ll make it easier for Oscar to see his dad, and it’ll make life less stressful for you.”
A smile spread across her face, tears glistening. “Are you sure?”
“Absolutely. As long as you’re happy to see more of me.”
She hugged him tightly. “Of course I am.”
“That’s good, because I have some ideas about how we can make things work. After I’ve finished Eleanor’s book, I was thinking about starting a travel blog. I can write and share stories from Sapphire Bay, maybe even focus on local adventures. It gives me the flexibility to stay in Montana or travel around the country. I’ll also contact the news agencies where I’ve worked. They might want a freelance journalist.”
Chloe kissed him. “That sounds wonderful.”
The song ended, but they remained in each other’s arms, the world around them fading into the background.
“Mind if we join you?” Steve said from beside them. Eden, his fiancée, was standing in his arms, looking more radiant than Liam had ever seen her.
“You look really happy,” Liam said as he shook Steve’s hand and gave Eden a warm hug.
Eden glanced at Steve. “After seeing Owen and Harper get married, we decided to bring our wedding forward.”
Steve smiled. “We’re getting married on the last Saturday in January. Pastor John can officiate and my family are happy to decorate my studio.”
Eden held Chloe’s hand. “You, Oscar, and Liam have to come. It’ll be really casual with lots of yummy food and great music.”
Chloe looked at Liam before replying to Eden. “We’d love to come. January will be here before you know it.”
Steve grinned. “Tell me about it. We’ve got a lot to organize, but we’re excited.”
