Page 119 of Twisted Beauty

“I’m in love with you.” His voice was gruff and tender at the same time. “I want you to start over with me. Can we do that?”

Her breath caught and tears threatened yet again. “You love me?”

Her stomach did a little flip, apparently having as much trouble as her brain had believing any of this was real.

He smiled, that devastating, irresistible smile of his. Dimples and all. “Yes, I love you. I think I’ve been in love with you since the first time you visited me at Tito’s. Otherwise, why the hell would I have gone so ballistic when I thought you were making fun of him?”

“Because you’re a caveman?”

Matt reached down and swatted her on the ass, and she yelped. “Liv,” he said in her ear. He tightened his arm around her waist to pull her up against him, and his voice was low. Serious. “Tell me how you feel. Tell me if you want the same things I do.”

There was no way he didn’t already know. She wasn’t that good of a liar. Obviously. But she smiled at the thought of this big, strong man needing to hear those words. Was there anything more adorable than that?

“I love you too,” she said softly in his ear. “And I want to be wherever you are. But tear up that plane ticket, please. Open your restaurant here in PV. I’d really hate to have to go back to LA.”

“Done. But there’s one more thing.” Matt reached into his pocket again and pulled out Lita’s pendant, letting the chain dangle down over his hand. “This is yours. I should have never taken it from you. I was angry, and I acted like an ass.”

Liv stared at it for a moment, remembering the fit Matt threw when he first realized Tito had given it to her. The last thing she wanted was to cause drama in his family. It wasn’t the necklace that meant so much anyway, it was the sentiment. And that was enough. She put her hand over his and closed his fist over the pendant. “I can’t keep that. It belongs in your family.”

“Have you not noticed how Tito dotes on you? He gave you this because he loves you. You’re part of the family now, no matter what happens with us.” Matt ran a finger down her cheek and swiped a thumb lightly over her lips. “I know Lita would want you to have it too.”

“What about you?”

“You already know what I want.”

Matt slipped the necklace over her head, and cupped a hand behind her neck to pull her in for a kiss. His tongue tangled with hers and he tasted like heaven. Like all was right with the world. Liv melted into him, completely lost in the kiss until she heard a door slam behind her, making her jump.

“Oh, for Pete’s sake, would you two get a room already?”

Liv smiled against Matt’s lips, and then turned her head just enough to see Katie beaming. “You’re a brat for not telling me he was here.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Katie said, flipping a hand so nonchalantly it looked like a put-on. Which, of course, it was.

“So Matt, could you make yourself useful? I can’t get Livvy’s suitcase out of the trunk. It weighs a ton. What the heck did you pack in there, girlie?”

Before Liv could answer, Matt hooked a finger under her chin and turned her face gently back toward his. He leaned down to whisper in her ear. “Tell me it’s enough changes of clothes to last the rest of your life. Because that’s how long I’m planning to keep you.”

Epilogue

Liv

Six months later

“Wow, Matt. This looks amazing. It’s really coming along.”

Liv wandered through the wide-open room, her footsteps echoing on the raw cement floor and kicking up little plumes of white dust. The last time she was here she’d had to step over piles of broken slabs of wood, twisted nails and shards of plaster, all victims of the remodeling. That had all been swept away. Still, heeled sandals probably weren’t her best choice for tonight, but this was a special occasion so it was a big fat no to sensible shoes.

Matt chuckled and draped an arm over her shoulders, tucking her into his side and holding her close. “Yeah, we’re just about ready to open. I’m thinking tomorrow. Friday at the latest.”

“Smart ass.”

No doubt it would take a few more months before this empty shell would be transformed into the gourmet restaurant Matt had in mind, but the bones were there. The whole place was stripped down to the studs, but Liv had always loved poking around construction sites, picturing what was to come. And she could absolutely see this place finished—where the tables would go, what the decor would be like, even the color of the walls.

She slipped away to walk through an arched doorway, framed in a wall that didn’t even exist a few days ago, when she was last here. She stepped into the brand-new room on the other side, feeling the excitement bubble up in her gut. “Is this it?”

“It is.” Matt came up behind her and wrapped both arms around her waist, pressing the hard planes of his chest up against her back. “The tequila tasting bar will be over there.” He pointed to an empty wall on his right. “And we’ll place some swanky high-top tables and stools around the room. Behind the bar, I’m planning a floor-to-ceiling display of tequila that’ll make every other bartender in town weep, but the rest of the walls are yours. If you want, I’ll make sure our patrons get so drunk they can’t help but buy.”

Her own little art gallery. Well, a posh tequila bar, art gallery combo. And smack in the middle of downtown too. It was a dream come true. The idea that Matt had redesigned the space specifically with her in mind made it even better.