“What? Why? It was ridiculous and manipulative,” Stella said, sputtering. “I don’t appreciate Coco Chanel being used as a pawn. And you weren’t the one out there in the blazing sun crying her eyes out.” She forced herself to look away from him. It was dangerous to look into his stunning brown eyes. A person could get lost in them.
He quickly swallowed up the distance between them. “Because I’ve been trying to figure out how to talk to you. This past week has been agonizing.”
Stella bristled. “Why are you saying this? You broke up with me. Remember?”
“I’m in love with you, Stella. When you said those words to me last week, I was such an idiot. I let fear do the talking for me. I should have just told you that I was afraid of messing things up. I was wounded by the things Kenny’s mother said to me. It played on all of my fears and made me doubt that I could honor you the way I want to. The way you deserve.
“And I see you. I really truly see who you are, right down to your stubborn, sassy center. You’re kind and funny and you listen when I talk to you. You’re the most genuine person I’ve ever known. For those reasons and so many more, I’ve fallen in love with you, Stella.”
She shook her head. “You walked away from me…from us.”
“I know I did. But I knew within one day that I’d made the biggest mistake of my life. And I won’t ever be able to say I’m sorry enough for putting you through that. But that wasn’t about you. It was about my not feeling worthy enough for a woman like you, Stella. I’m a work in progress. I’m not finished. Not by a long shot.” For the first time in forever, Luke reached for her, gently taking her by the wrists and pulling her close.
“I love how you cry at sad movies and the way you treat Coco Chanel like she’s a princess. Your smile knocks me off my feet and the way you laugh with such abandon makes me happy. What we have is something I never dared to dream about because I didn’t think I’d ever get so lucky.” He reached out and brushed her hair away from her face. “It took a speech from Nick and some wisdom from Winona to remind me that at the end of the day, love is the only choice that makes sense.”
Tears pooled in her eyes. “I love you, Luke, but I just don’t know if I can be hurt again if you change your mind.” Oh, how she wanted this. She loved Luke in a forever type of way and she ached to be with him, but her heart could only withstand so much. How could she trust that things wouldn’t fall apart?
“It’s impossible for me to promise you that we’ll never go through challenges. That’s a part of life. But I vow that I’ll always be by your side, supporting you and loving you. I won’t ever walk away from us again.”
Luke reached out and linked their hands. Although being touched by Luke gave her butterflies, she tugged her hand away. He’d caused her so much pain. How could she believe he was truly committed to her? The stakes were so high. Her heart was in peril now that he owned it.
Luke winced as soon as she pulled away. “Stella, if it takes me the rest of my life, I’ll show you that I’m all in. I had one bad moment where I tried to tear it all down, but in my heart I couldn’t stop loving you. And I never will.”
In that moment her heart rebounded. Love was always a risk. Luke had never broken promises to her; he’d told her all about his struggles from the beginning. Despite everything he’d been through, he was laying it all on the line for her. He was trying to make things right. He’d brought so much joy to her world. Because of Luke she believed in love again. Because of his tenderness and dedication her heart had come back to life.
“Say it again. Tell me you love me, Luke Keegan,” she said in a raspy voice.
He held her face between his hands. “I love, love, love you, Stella Marshall. And I want to be a better man for you. I want to make your life better simply by being a part of it.” She saw the raw emotion on his face. “I want you, Stella. That’s never going to change.”
“Luke,” she cried out as she launched herself into his arms. “I love you too. And I always will.”
Epilogue
Six months later
Luke parked his car in the pebbled driveway of the cottage by Blackberry Beach that he now shared with Stella. When he stepped out of the car and slung his duffle bag over his shoulder, he took a moment to soak it all in. It never got old looking around at the cozy house and grounds he now called home.
The past few months had been a whirlwind, from the moment he arrived home in Mistletoe till the moment he’d popped the question to the love of his life. It had all culminated in him and Stella exchanging vows in front of half the town. A honeymoon in Cape Cod had followed. Thankfully, Lucy and Dante hadn’t minded at all that Stella and Luke’s wedding came so soon after their own. Their joy had been effusive.
He hadn’t seen Stella in three days. Luke was now a member of the search and rescue team working out of southern Maine. He’d completed his training a few weeks ago and was actively engaged in the field. This particular search had finished with a happy ending when the two hikers were found safe and sound. Although they were extremely dehydrated with scrapes and bruises, they were going to be fine. Working side by side with Nick had made the rescue even more meaningful. He hadn’t spent time like this with his younger brother since they were kids. And he lived with the knowledge that he was learning the ropes from the best.
The front door flew open, and Stella was standing on the threshold with her arms stretched wide open. “Luke!” she called out, so eager to greet him that she met him halfway up the walkway. Luke dropped his bag to the ground, then lifted Stella up by the waist and placed a tender kiss on her sweet lips.
“Luke,” she murmured against his mouth as the kiss ended. “I’m so glad you’re home.”
Home.Having a place to belong to meant the world to him. He would never regret his Navy SEAL days, but they hadn’t given him everything he needed to be whole. Even though it had taken him years to realize it, Stella was exactly what he’d been searching for. Above all else, she was his soft place to land when the world around him became too intense.
After they headed inside, Stella led him toward the sitting room, where Luke sank down onto the couch. Stella cuddled up beside him and he placed his arm around her. She felt so good resting against his chest. Gratitude rose up inside of him.
“How are you feeling about tomorrow?” Stella asked, stroking his cheek with her palm. “Are you nervous?”
“I feel good, Stella. No matter what happens, I’m not going backwards. I’m way too invested in our life to allow that to happen.”
In the past few months Luke had taken steps to deal with his trauma and the deaths of his SEAL team members. Once a week Luke attended a group meeting for survivors of trauma. He wasn’t bottling his emotions up anymore, and his panic attacks had decreased in frequency. Although he was a work in progress, Luke knew he would make it through the storms of life with Stella by his side. Tomorrow they were driving to New Hampshire to meet up with the Smiths, as well as Winona and the twins. Dorothea had reached out to him and invited him to come for a visit. She’d turned a corner on her grief and wanted to honor her son’s memory. It was clear from their conversation that she was eager to know more about Kenny’s days as a SEAL. Luke was happy to oblige. He had so many wonderful stories to share with them.
Stella leaned over and placed her lips on his. Every time they kissed, Luke’s brain short-circuited to the point where he couldn’t think of anything but his amazing wife. He was the luckiest man on planet Earth, without exception. If Stella hadn’t given him unconditional love, he might not have made such tremendous progress on his journey. Being Stella’s husband made him believe all things were possible.
“This is the life, Mr. Keegan. I can’t believe I ever wanted anything other than this,” Stella said, linking her fingers with Luke’s.
