Elation swelled, and it took everything Emily had to keep her composure. She faced him, her entire attention landing on him and locking in place. He had a day’s growth of stubble, making him look less refined than she’d seen him before. That, and his thin T-shirt that barely hid his physique, gave him a ruggedly casual appearance that she wanted to drink in for the rest of her life.
“Rental?”
He put his hands in his pockets as if her being there were nothing new, but by the glimmer in his eye and the tiny smirkplaying on his lips, he was just as excited as she was that they were standing opposite one another.
He walked toward her. “So when I bought the house, this was plumbed and outfitted as a mother-in-law suite. I haven’t started the inside yet, but Winston helped me paint the exterior. I’m going to renovate it and see if I can rent it to help Julia with the cost of her classes.”
“You have time for all that with work?”
“It’s a lot, but the rent would offset the cost of her classes, and she could finish her degree debt-free, so I’m willing to spend nights on it for a while.”
“I’m in the market for a rental,” she said. “But I’d have to get a job first.”
His eyes widened with surprise. He took a step toward her. “What about your teaching contract in Nashville?”
“They let me out of it.”
His gaze swallowed her, and he took a step into her personal space, putting every one of her nerves on high alert. “And you want to live here?”
“There’s this guy I’m kind of seeing,” she ventured, her pulse racing.
“Oh really…? You like this guy?”
“Yeah. A lot.”
He reached for her hand and intertwined his fingers with hers. His touch was intoxicating and validated every feeling she’d had about him since she left.
“I never guessed that you’d actually be my first tenant, but I have to admit that the hope of offering you somewhere to stay was enough to get me working on it.” He let go of her fingers and put his hands on her waist, pulling her in. “I’d need a few months, but Julia has a sofa while you wait. That might give you some job-hunting time.”
She looked up at him, his woodsy, spicy scent robbing her of any good sense. “I’ll sign the lease immediately—sight unseen.”
The corners of his mouth twitched upward. “Consider it signed.” He leaned in and pressed his lips to hers.
With no plans at all, she wrapped her arms around the next step in her forever.
EPILOGUE
THE FOLLOWING JUNE
“How does it look out there?” Patrick called from the back of the building.
“It’s getting busy outside,” Emily said. She smoothed her powder-blue gown and checked her dangly earrings in her reflection at the bar. Then she opened the door just a crack to get a good look at the crowd.
Guests were arriving and filling the front walk. They lined up between velvet ropes dotted by lantern-lit palms. The sound of soft waves offshore mingled with the hum of conversation and the gentle jazz playing inside.
The staff took their positions.
“Ready or not, here we go,” Patrick said into her ear, giving her goosebumps.
She turned to view him one final time in his tuxedo. The dark color brought out the blue in his eyes. “You look handsome.” She straightened his bow tie and kissed his cheek, then removed the smudge her lip gloss had left.
“I’m glad you’re here to do this with me,” he said.
“I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”
He leaned down and whispered, “Everyone’s watching or I’d kiss you right now. And you look incredible.”
“Later,” she said.
