Grace was crying now, the tears silent and shimmering in the shop’s soft light. Her friends were no longer looking at him with suspicion. Willow was smiling, and Charity was wiping her own eyes.
“You’re staying?” Grace asked, her voice trembling along with the photo in her hands.
“Yes. I’m home,” he whispered. “With you, if you’ll have me.”
The air snapped with anticipation and time seemed to stop as he waited for her response.
“Yes,” she whispered.
When Grace pressed the photo album to her chest and stepped into his arms, Cal knew that he’d finally found the only demographic that truly mattered. Population: Two.
CHAPTER 12
There were cheers as Grace kissed Cal, reminding her they weren’t alone. She let out a breath she felt she’d been holding for ten years. She cupped his jaw, feeling the slight prickle of his stubble against her palm. “I was so scared, Cal. Scared that if I let you back in, I’d eventually have to watch you leave again. I couldn’t survive another goodbye.”
“Then we’ll cut it from our vocabulary,” he promised.
Behind them, Scarlett let out a theatrical sniffle. “Alright, that’s it. Galentine’s is officially adjourned for a celebration. I’m getting the champagne.” She turned for the back room.
“I’ll help,” Willow added.
They both knew she kept champagne and prosecco chilled just in case a customer needed a little extra touch.
“Then we’ll give you two some long-overdue privacy,” Hazel promised.
Grace was riding such a high, she nearly forgot about her special project. “Willow, wait!” But she could tell from the silence that it was too late.
“Oh. My. Word,” Holly gasped from her spot in the doorway. “Grace Teague, you’ve been holding out on us.”
She glanced up at Cal, feeling more than a little shy. “I’ve been playing around with something for Willow’s wedding.”
“Sounds like you won the game,” he said with that boyish grin she adored.
When they joined the others, her best friend was staring at the lace veil on the display and the skirt on the dress form where the motif was repeated at the hem. She slipped her hand in Cal’s for courage. “It’s still mostly an idea.”
“For me?” Willow queried, her eyes shimmering with tears.
Hopefully happy tears.
“Only if you want it. I can make changes to suit your plans. Or we can scrap it altogether.”
“No, you won’t,” Holly said. She moved to touch the veil, then snatched her hand away. “I was here when Grace was steaming the lace. Right after it arrived.” She whistled. “It’s practically ethereal now.”
“Yeah, you won the game,” Cal said. He was smiling at her like she was the only miracle he’d ever seen.
She pressed a kiss to his cheek, then rested her head on his shoulder. “I really did.”
She lived in an amazing town surrounded by the best friends in the world. And now, she would get to share it all with Cal, the man she loved with all her heart.
Her sacrifices and the speed bumps along the way had only made her more certain of herself and what she wanted. She wasn’t the girl who dropped out of college and nearly lost herself in the role of caregiver. She was the woman who had built a life that mattered. A life big enough for the man she loved.
After the champagne was done and they were alone, he pulled her into his arms. This time the kiss wasn’t a desperate collision. It was a declaration. A promise. Finally, she’d been reunited with her soulmate.
EPILOGUE
The Atlantic was a masterpiece of bruised purples and deep, shimmering indigos as the sun began its final descent, but standing on the ocean-view balcony of the Ellington resort, Grace barely noticed the horizon. Her world had narrowed to the solid, steady warmth of Cal’s chest against her back and the way his arms wrapped around her, pulling her close into the haven of his embrace.
The air was crisp, carrying the bite of February, but Grace felt nothing but a radiant, bone-deep heat. She leaned her head back against his shoulder, closing her eyes as she inhaled the scent that had haunted her dreams for a decade—sandalwood, cedar, and the clean, fresh scent of the man she loved.
