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He paused as if he had lost his words. The room fell silent, with only the faint sounds of their breathing filling the air. The tension thickened, causing her heart to thrum as she anticipated his next words.
Luke took Emma’s hand, lacing his fingers with hers. “I’m still in love with you and haven’t stopped thinking about you since the first day we met. You’ve brought a joy to me I never thought I’d have again after losing Kate. You’ve helped me realize that second chances do exist.”
Emma’s eyes welled up with tears and her breath hitched in her throat. “I...I don’t want you to move there. Jeremiah told me about the job. It sounds great, but I don’t want you to go. I know that sounds selfish, but that’s how I feel. You said there was nothing left for you here, and that’s not true.”
A note of surprise crept into Luke’s voice. “It’s not?”
She shook her head. “No, it’s not. I shouldn’t have pushed you away, Luke. You’ve made me happier than anyone I’ve ever known. I’m in love with you. I never thought I’d find someone who could love me and Riley the way you do. I don’t want to lose you.”
“Emma, I never wanted it to end. And in some ways, it never did. I love you with everything that I am and always will. I think even Riley knows I belong with you and him, even right from the start when he showed up at my house.”
His words hung in the air between them, and seeped into her skin, where she could feel it in her bones. She beamed at him, a single tear tracing a path down her cheek. “Luke, I love you.”
“And I love you, Emma.”
Without hesitation, Luke leaned in, sealing his lips to hers in a passionate kiss, full of promise and a fervent love that would stand the test of time. Her fingers clenched his upper arms as her breath quickened. It was in this very moment that Emma knew, with every fiber of her being, that she had found her forever love in Luke.
Epilogue
Six Months Later
As Emma unlocked the door to the shop, she paused for a moment to take in her accomplishment. Who would have thought a year ago she’d make enough money to open a store in Hadley Cove? With the success of Riley’s Recipe dog treats, Emma had made enough profit to hire two part-time bakers. Riley even became a local celebrity as the smiling ‘face’ of Barking Orders.
She had left her job at Hadley Cove High, even though she still tutored from time to time whenever they needed extra help. And she no longer felt threatened by her domineering ex-husband, Chad. He had been caught and arrested by Emma’s father, with the help of her doorbell security footage. She’d even gotten a restraining order against him for good measure, making sure he’d never bothered her again. She hadn’t heard a single word from him since the incident, and sometimes she wondered if Ashley ever took him back. She sincerely hoped not, for Ashley’s sake.
And, of course, there was Luke. After turning down the job offer in New York, Luke completely left the financial world to pursue something he was passionate about—being with the woman he loved. He used his experience to help Emma expand her dog treat business and had even assisted with closing the deal on the shop. Luke and Emma made a wonderful team.
As Emma meandered through the aisles of her store, she surveyed the branded products she had worked so hard to create. She took a deep breath and looked around in awe. Everywhere she saw signs of her success: shelf after shelf of Riley’s Recipe ready to be sold. Emma’s heart swelled with pride as she realized her faith in herself had paid off in ways she never could have imagined. She did one final walkthrough before stepping outside for the ribbon cutting ceremony.
“Are you ready yet?” Luke asked, walking in from the back room. He wrapped his arms around Emma and kissed her on the cheek.
“I think so. Are there a lot of people out there?”
“Oh, not really,” Luke said with a smirk. “Just the whole town.”
“What?” Emma’s eyes widened.
“They’re here to support you,” Luke said, taking her hand. “So, let’s get out there and get you supported!”
As they walked out the front door of the shop, the sound of clapping and cheering filled the air. Luke squeezed her hand as Emma looked out into the crowd and grinned. Lisa and Liam were at the front, along with Kara and Charlotte next to them. And there, in the very center, was Riley, held on a leash by Jeremiah. She even spotted Phil and her father off to the side.
“Thank you all so much for being here today to celebrate the grand opening of my new shop, Barking Orders!” Emma cried out. “I just want to remind everyone that with every bag of Riley’s Recipe treats that is sold, a portion of the proceeds will go to Second Chance Rescue!”
The crowd erupted in cheers as Mayor Carlson picked up the giant scissors and handed them to Emma. As she cut the ribbon, Riley started barking. She looked down at him just as his leash slipped away from Jeremiah’s grip.
Emma felt a jolt of panic and yelled to the onlookers. “Can someone grab him? Riley!”
As Emma moved through the throngs of people, her heart pounding in her chest, she couldn’t help but feel a sense of desperation. She had to find him. Finally, her eyes locked onto his figure in the distance. He wasn’t too far ahead, sitting where a small opening had formed around him.
Emma made her way to him, her steps quickening with each passing moment. As she drew closer, she reached out to grab what she thought was Riley’s leash, but her fingers closed around something else entirely—a piece of red ribbon.
With shaking hands, Emma unraveled the ribbon, her heart racing as she felt the weight of something dangling from it. And then she saw it—a breathtaking diamond ring, glittering in the sunlight.
She looked up at the crowd, her eyes wide with wonder and amazement. It was then that she knew—this was it. This was the moment she had been waiting for, the moment that would change everything.
She could see the crowd goers pointing at something behind her. Confused, she turned around and found Luke down on one knee. Her mouth dropped as he took the ribbon from her hand and untied the ring. Luke held it up as it glimmered in the sun like a tiny star, casting its own light across everything nearby.
“You’ve made me the happiest man in the world. Emma, will you marry me?”
