Winters was dead, and he finally realized that no one who loved him would ever mock him for pursuing his passions. Perhaps even Anne would have understood. He should have taken that chance instead of hurting her with his omission.
“That’s an understatement,” Fiona said, giving him a fond look. “The children have never been around such beauty. And to have it in their very own rooms, a piece of art created just for them? Words can’t express how much it has meant to them... and to me.”
He held her gaze, pleasure flooding through him. Her words filled some of the cracks that had been created in him long ago, and he felt truly seen for perhaps the first time in his life. “That means the world to me,” he said softly.
Serenity cleared her throat. “Well... I don’t think I’m needed here at all.”
As she wandered away, they shared a smile. He felt suddenly part of something, and he wanted very much to know if she felt the same. “Fiona... I don’t know exactly what I said the other night that caused you to send me away, but whatever it was... I’m sorry. Please, can you give me another chance to be your friend? To be more than your friend?”
She shifted uneasily. “You didn’t do anything wrong. I just let my own doubts rear their ugly heads. When you started asking me about Prometheus again, I allowed myself to think that perhaps that was the only reason why you’d come, the only reason you were saying such sweet things.”
Relief flooded through him. “I no longer care about Prometheus’s identity. If you don’t want to tell me, then you don’t have to. I am merely grateful that he brought us together.”
“Truly?” Her eyes flooded with what seemed to be happy tears.
“Truly.” He reached out and tentatively took her hand. “It can’t have escaped your attention that I am wild about you, Fiona. I don’t know where this thing between us is going, but I definitely want it to go somewhere. May I court you?”
“Court me?” Her eyes widened with surprise and perhaps fear. “You can’t be serious.”
Frustration filled him, ruining what he’d hoped would be a beautiful moment. “I just told you that I was,” he chided. “Please, Fiona, just give me a chance.”
She bit her lip, still looking troubled. Her gaze shifted to take in the rest of the group, all of whom had stopped talking and were staring at them without any shame whatsoever. “What does your family think?”
“They are all perfectly thrilled with the notion,” he told her quietly. “Not that it matters to me in the least.”
“It matters to you,” she said with a small shake of her head. “You need your brothers, and they need you.”
He sighed, scrubbing his hand over his face. “I need you, too. That’s what I’ve been trying to say.”
At last, she gave him a small smile. “I need you, too, Morgan. Let’s give it a try.”
Morgan turned toward the room. “She said I could court her,” he announced triumphantly, since his family wasn’t even pretending that they weren’t listening. “We’re going to give it a try.”
A collective cheer went up in the room, and Morgan realized that the bubble of emotion that had risen in his chest was happiness.
Chapter Twelve
