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She thrust her fingers into his hair, brought his lips to hers and gave him his answer in a kiss bursting with love, heat, hope and commitment—and pure, unadulterated joy.
EPILOGUE
‘FOR goodness’ sake, let me look, you meanie. I’ve waited weeks already,’ Daisy ordered, her fingers grappling with the immovable hands covering her eyes.
‘Hold your horses now.’ Connor’s deep chuckle next to her ear sounded both amused and a bit too smug for her liking. ‘I’ll let you loose when I’m good and ready and not a moment before. Juno, get the lights,’ he shouted past her as his chest pressed into her back. ‘There now. What do you make of it?’
His hands lifted and Daisy blinked, the dazzle of fluorescent light blinding her. As the sleek, beautiful lines of glass and wood came into focus through the smell of fresh paint and sawdust she gasped. She slapped her hands over her mouth as tears welled in her eyes and emotion clogged her throat. ‘Oh,’ was the only word she could utter.
‘That bad, eh?’ Connor said beside her, sounding a lot less smug.
She turned, bounced up on her toes and flung her hands round his shoulders, nearly knocking him over with her belly in the process. ‘Oh, my God, Connor. It’s exactly the way I envisioned it. Exactly what I wanted. How did you do it? And how did you do it so fast?’
He’d given her another of her dreams, she thought, her heart bursting with love and excitement. And this was one she hadn’t even realised she’d wanted. In fact she’d needed quite a lot of persuading to start with.
Six months ago when he’d walked into the bathroom after she’d just finished puking and informed her he’d bought her a shop at auction that morning, she’d had the distinct urge to throttle him, if she recalled correctly.
Was he insane? Why hadn’t he discussed it with her first? He might enjoy being impulsive, reckless even, but she didn’t. How was she going to organise refurbishing a shop? Then manage it and supply it while she was suffering from the worst case of morning sickness known to woman? And how would she handle all the extra responsibility when the baby was born?
But over the months her doubts had faded along with the morning sickness, and the excitement of having her own proper space to display her designs, her own workshop in the back to manufacture them, had built to impossible proportions.
And through it all Connor had been there, by her side. Encouraging her ideas, offering suggestions about the refurbishment, organising the construction, insisting she hire a manager so she could devote her time to designing, overseeing his crew with calm efficiency through all the inevitable hiccups—and on one memorable evening strapping on his tool belt to put up the shelving in the workshop and then letting her seduce him in the newly installed bathroom afterwards.
The experience had brought them even closer together. They weren’t just a couple any more, they were a unit, with a shared dream.
In the last month though, with her approaching the end of her pregnancy he’d insisted she stay at home as he and the crew installed the cabinets and counters, finished the fitting rooms and did all the painting and decorating. And she had to admit she’d been a little miffed by his high-handedness. But she still couldn’t believe how he had transformed that empty shell from four short weeks ago into the dream come true she saw before her now.
‘I didn’t do it on my own,’ he said, smiling down at her.
‘Oh, I know, you must thank all the crew. Are we going to have a proper opening, with champagne? We’ll have to invite them all. I was thinking we could have it in a month if we get our skates on and—’
‘We’ll be doing no such thing,’ he said firmly, interrupting her excited babble. He slung his arm round her shoulder and drew her close. ‘The grand opening will have to wait a while.’ He stroked his palm across her huge belly and she felt the heat right down to her toes. ‘You’re going to be busy for the next little while, looking after yourself and my child. This place is to be off limits until Junior’s out and you’re up and about. We’ll schedule the opening for July, but only if you behave.’
‘But that’s ridiculous, that’s months away,’ she sputtered, starting to feel a little miffed again.
‘And Juno here is under strict instructions to make sure you do as you’re told.’ He winked at Juno. ‘Is that right, Juno?’
‘Aye aye, Connor.’ Juno gave a mock salute, grinning at Connor. The sight warmed Daisy’s heart, despite her frustration with the two of them. How could it not?
Connor had gone out of his way to win Juno over since Daisy and he had started living together. It hadn’t been easy at first, Juno’s hostility towards him making her prickly and tense. But he’d worn her down over time, first getting her to accept him, then getting her to let go of her suspicion of good-looking men, at least as far as he was concerned, and finally engineering an easy friendship between them that had sprung from their mutual love for Daisy.
He treated Juno like a little sister, advising her and looking out for her and teasing her, while she treated him like an older brother, only taking the advice she felt she needed, and teasing him mercilessly right back.
But right now, as Daisy watched the silent communication between them, she was beginning to wonder if they weren’t like brother and sister after all. But more like evil twins.
She could feel herself pouting. She hated being ganged up on. ‘The baby’s not due for two whole weeks.’ She scowled at them both. ‘Surely I can get a bit done in here before then.’ She waddled over to the beautifully carved walnut counter tops, ran her palm lovingly across the smooth, vanished wood. ‘We can’t just leave it sitting here empty all that time.’
Connor stepped up behind her, wrapped his arms round her enormous waist and hugged her close. ‘We can and we will,’ he murmured, his breath feathering her ear. ‘And from the size of you I’d say two weeks is optimistic, angel.’
She stuck an elbow in his ribs. ‘Thanks a bunch. I know I look like a barrage balloon but you don’t have to keep reminding me.’
‘Stop fishing for compliments.’ He chuckled. ‘You know right well you’re gorgeous.’
Daisy felt herself softening at the compliment. The man’s charm was deadly.
He placed his hand over hers on the wood, brought her fingers to his lips. ‘There’s no rush, Daisy. We’ve all the time in the world, you know.’
Daisy gave a resigned sigh, the huge rush of love making her chest ache, and knew he’d got her, again. Then she heard a loud choking sound from behind them.
