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“She came back!” Grace lifted her head to wipe her tears. She ran her hands over Viola’s back and peered anxiously at her face. “Are you all right, sweetie? Wait…how did you get back into the house?”
Viola licked her paw. Still holding her close, Grace stood and walked to the back porch.
The food and water dishes, both full, were in the kitchen. The porch door leading to the garden was closed and latched.
What in the…
Her breath caught. She turned. Lincoln was in the kitchen doorway, one shoulder against the jamb and his eyes creased with a smile.
“Oh, Lincoln.” She pressed a hand to her throat. “I don’t think I’ve ever cried as much as I have since I met you.”
“Well, considering I first made you cry because I took your rhubarb pie, I owed you some tears of happiness.” He pushed away from the doorjamb and came toward her. “Max already checked Viola out, and she’s in great shape.”
“How…where was she?”
“She wandered into an elderly woman’s yard down near Bakersfield. The woman wanted to keep her, but her grandson saw Viola’s photo on a lost pets website and called in about it.”
Viola squirmed. Grace kissed the cat between the ears and set her on the floor. Wiping her tears again, she slipped her arms around Lincoln’s waist and pressed her face to his chest.
“Thank you. How did you get into the house?”
“Borrowed the key from your father.” He wrapped his strong arms around her. “This is where Viola belongs. Like I do. I never want to leave you again. I never…” He paused and cleared his throat. “I never will, if you’ll have me.”
Grace’s stomach flipped. “I…Iwantyou so badly. But I’ve gone over this in my head a thousand times, and I still don’t know the answer. I can’t come to New York. I mean, aside from being slightly terrified at the thought of living in a city of that size, I’ve always known thatthisis where I’m meant to be. And a quiet, small town isn’t for you at all.”
“You’re right.” He slipped his hand under her chin, his expression filled with tenderness. “A quiet, small town isn’t for me. But Bliss Cove is, as long as you’re here.”
“You mean…”
“I can still have a position at Folio long-distance. I never wanted a full-time job there anyway, but I’ll stay on the board of directors and consult on publishing strategies. I’ll leave the operations to the editors and the rest of the staff, all of whom are committed to changing the company for the better.”
Grace’s heart began racing. She was almost afraid to hope that it could work.
Almost.Because it appeared that love banished fear.
“What about all your research and traveling?” she asked. “What about Afghanistan?”
“I’m not going.” He rested his hand on the side of her neck. “I don’t want to. I’ve been thinking about writing a sequel toTruth, so I’ve talked to Jake about consulting on the screenplay and rediscovering the story again. Writing a sequel would also mean I’d need to focus on a personal relationship between a man and a woman. No place in the world I can do that better than right here with you.”
“Oh my god, I’m going to cry again.”
With a smile, he lowered his head to kiss her. She lifted a hand to stop him. “Wait a minute. I can’t let you make all the sacrifices.”
He stared at her for a second before he laughed. “Grace, changing my life to be with you isn’t a sacrifice. It’s my salvation.”
Her heart overflowed with love and gratitude. She rose to her tiptoes. Their bodies fused together as their lips met. And in that moment, her world became bigger than the universe itself.
