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“I don’t know what to believe,” she cried.

She felt Noah’s hands prying her hands away from her face. Sophie looked into his blue eyes and saw love shining in them. “Sophie. All I cared about before I came to Love was getting the money to stabilize my company. Before John showed up in Love I was prepared to tell you the whole truth, because when it came right down to it, you trump everything else in my world.”

Sophie blinked at him. “You were?”

Noah nodded. “Yes. When I began to fall in love with you I knew that huge lie might destroy everything for us. Even though I was afraid, I was prepared to tell you the truth. Sophie, you’re the most important thing in my world. Nothing else even comes close.”

“Noah!” Sophie said, her voice full of emotion. She buried her face against his chest. He rocked her back and forth, all the while crooning words of reassurance and love. She pulled away from him, meeting his gaze head-on. “You do love me. I can see it in your eyes. And I can hear it in your voice.”

“Yes, Sophie, I do love you. Very much.” He reached out and wiped away her tears with his finger. “I came to this town as a cynic.” Noah scoffed. “I took the assignment because I saw a little bit of myself in Sussex. A man who got jerked around by his ex. And I seriously needed a big paycheck.”

“You’re nothing like him!” Sophie said.

“No, I’m not. But at the time I believed he was wronged in the same way I was deceived by Kara. Sophie, from the very first moment I met you I should have seen the truth shining right back at me from your beautiful eyes. I got in over my head. And the moment we began a relationship I should have told you the truth. All of it.”

Sophie nodded. “Yes. You should have.”

“I was too afraid of losing you. So I hesitated. I’m so sorry that you didn’t hear the truth from my lips. But there’s one truth only I can tell you.”

“And what’s that?” she asked. She knew in her heart Noah was her match, the one she’d been searching for all this time. Her heart hadn’t betrayed her. And neither had Noah.

“That I love you. I am hopelessly and hopefully in love with you. I’m hoping that you’ll forgive me, because you’re the best person I’ve ever known. And I want to show you how much I adore you, Sophie. Not just in one grand gesture, but in a hundred different ways over weeks and months and years. I want to be yours forever if you’ll let me.”

“I do forgive you, Noah. You’re human. You made a mistake. I know you well enough to know you’re not hateful or vengeful. You wanted to make things right by telling me the truth. I know how much that might have cost you with your company.”

“Strangely enough, Sussex paid me in full. The money showed up in my account yesterday. I think he was afraid I might take him to court.” Noah chuckled.

“That’s wonderful,” Sophie said.

“I don’t care if you’re the cobbler’s daughter or whether your father is the president of the United States. None of that matters to me in the slightest. I love you for you. Because you greet each day with a sunny attitude and a smile. Because you try to lift everyone up when they’ve fallen down. And you have the cutest freckles I’ve ever seen. I love you, Sophie, despite your odd taste in grilled cheese sandwiches and the fact that you have a lead foot.”

“I do not!” Sophie objected. “I’m a very reasonable driver.”

Noah reached out and took her hands in his. His moves were tentative, as if he wasn?

?t quite certain whether or not she would reject him. “Please know that I’ll always tell you the truth. From this moment forward.”

“I believe you, Noah. I know your heart. And I love you very much.” She wiped tears away from her cheeks. “The people of Love have forgiven me for not telling them about being the Java Giant heiress, so I guess we’re both forgiven,” she said with a grin. “We both have a clean slate here in Love.”

“Chalk up another success story for Operation Love,” Noah drawled.

“I thought you weren’t in the Operation Love program,” Sophie teased.

“I am now! You made a believer out of me, Sophie Miller.” He laughed. “I mean, Sophie Mattson.”

Noah dipped his head and placed a triumphant kiss on Sophie’s lips. The future was stretched out before them—a glorious beacon of love and light and endless possibilities. And it would all unfold in Love, Alaska—right where God had planted them.

Epilogue

“Mmm. I think that I like this one the best,” Noah said as he took another sip of the frothy mochaccino. He was sitting at a table at the Moose Café with Sophie, tasting various coffee drinks she’d whipped up for him. She’d turned him into a coffee lover ever since the Taste of Love event. Now that Marta had come back to Love, Noah was putting in only a few hours here and there until she got back into the groove in the kitchen. He was working remotely for Catalano Security and spending as much time as he could with Sophie between her shifts.

Hazel walked over to the table and placed a mug in front of Sophie. “Here’s a little concoction I’ve been working on. I’d be mighty pleased if you gave it a try.” She winked at Noah, who pretended not to see her none-too-subtle gesture.

“That’s so sweet of you, Hazel,” Sophie said, gently lifting the mug and taking a sip. She began to sputter, and quickly put the drink back down. “It’s a little bitter,” she said, wiping her mouth with a napkin.

“Why don’t you give it a swirl with the spoon and maybe it will taste better,” Hazel suggested, pushing the cup back toward Sophie. Noah let out a quiet groan. Things weren’t exactly proceeding according to plan. Hazel was overplaying her hand.

Suddenly Jasper appeared at Hazel’s side and began tugging her by the arm. “Come on, woman. Give the lovebirds a little privacy.”

Source: www.allfreenovel.com
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