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Allie
My hands are full as I walk in from the garage and into our kitchen. I place the mail on the quartz counter and our take-out on the center island. It’s been a long week and I’m ready for a nice quiet evening and plenty of alone time with my love.
Still, I take a moment to admire the kitchen. I’m thrilled with the cabinetry. Seamus did a magnificent job with the details, adding his own personal touch, like always.
I hit the button to the intercom. “Hey, honey. Where are you?”
“In the shop,” his voice calls.
Of course he is.
“You coming?” he asks, sounding rushed.
Quick shuffling ensues. “I’ll be right there,” I assure him, wondering why he sounds nervous.
I push open the French doors, the stained glass that decorates them another piece of artwork Seamus can take credit for. The construction is almost complete. But thanks to Seamus and my own decorating touches, this house became our home long before we moved in.
My heels dig into the soil of our large back yard. I shouldn’t have worn them out here, but I miss Seamus and am anxious to see him.
My mother gave me an earful about Valentina on my drive home. As much as Valentina’s career received that reboot she sought, it hasn’t spared her from the tabloids or the mud flung her way. There are stories swirling around the gossip magazines about her affair with a director and the uncompromising position she was found in with a married duke.
“I’m so embarrassed,” my mother told me.
Unfortunately, Valentina isn’t embarrassed enough. Her marriage to Andres was annulled less than month after they exchanged vows. She was linked to the producer of her wedding show for a while, but then came the director and the duke after that.
I slide open the stable doors that lead to Seamus’s shop. He usually leaves them open so the sawdust doesn’t overwhelm him, especially on beautiful spring days like today.
Seamus looks up when he sees me, frowning.
“How come you’re not naked?” he asks. “I haven’t seen you since last night. The least you could do is walk in here naked.”
I laugh. “The last time I did that, you yelled at me.”
“That’s because I was slicing through lumber at the time.” He stretches, his gray T-shirt riding up and giving me a glimpse of those abs I should see more of tonight. “You hear any machines on?”
“No.”
He strolls to me, his hands immediately seizing my backside and giving my cheeks a squeeze. “Then you should be naked.”
We start to kiss, but he abruptly pulls away. I’m not certain why. I’m usually the one running out the door to escape that sexy body and those wandering hands.
I pout. “That’s all I get?”
He grins, appearing shy. “I want to show you something.”
Seamus’s fingers thread through mine. He leads me to a small object covered with a towel beside a larger object covered with a sheet. He pulls the towel off the smaller subject first.
“Here it is,” he says.
“Oh, my goodness,” I say. “You finished it.”
The statue is about three feet tall, depicting a mother and father cuddling their child. “You think Killian and Sofia will like it? I feel bad I didn’t finish it in time for Logan’s Christening, but I wanted to get it right. Between Angus and Molly finally tying the knot and all the other things with the family we had going on, I ran out of time.”
“They’re going to love it,” I say, gushing. I step forward, analyzing the detail. “This is from what’s left of Grammie and Pop-Pop’s tree?” I ask.
Seamus crosses his arms, again his face reddening. “That’s right.”
I look at the large item with the sheet covering it. “Then what’s that?” I ask.
Seamus turns around. “That thing? Something else I’ve been working on, but it’s not quite done. Want to see it?”
I adjust the collar of my navy dress. Seamus is very particular about the artwork he creates, never wanting anyone to see or judge until they’re perfect. “Only if you want me to. I know how you feel about the things you most care about.”
“I know you do.” His gaze softens. “Which is why I’d like you to see it.”
Seamus walks forward and lifts the edges of the sheet, pausing and taking a deep breath before the big reveal. I can’t quite see his latest project until he takes a step back and permits me forward.
Like the rendition of the family he created for Killian and Sofia, this statue is an abstract, the base secured to a granite slab where the male is kneeling. The male’s hand stretches out, holding the hand of the woman he clearly loves.
Tears fill my eyes when I hear Seamus shuffle behind me. As I turn, I find him on his knee, holding out a blue velvet box, those tears spill and I’m not sure how I’ll get them to stop.
Seamus opens the box, revealing a princess cut diamond ring. “The only way to finish this masterpiece is for you to say yes.” He swallows hard, his eyes shimmering. “I love you, Allie. You are my life. Will you marry me?
Of course, I say yes, signaling the final O’Brien receiving his happily ever after.
To Shirley, for always treating me like one of your own. Your “little one” will miss you.
I met Killian, my first O’Brien, in Once Perfect. When he made an appearance in Once Loved, I knew I wouldn’t be able to let him go. But when I met his family in Once Pure, I knew I was onto something. I just never imagined where this wonderful, loud, completely inappropriate, and loving family would take me.
Finn, Wren, Killian, Curran, Seamus, Declan, Angus, and Ma, thank you. You gave me plenty of laughs, helped me shed my share of tears, and made me fall in love over and over again. I’m sad that we’re saying goodbye. I’m honored to have given you the happy endings you all deserve. Mostly, I’m grateful you found your way into so many hearts.
To my fans, who have suffered, cheered, laughed, and swooned right along with me, you’ll never know the extent of my gratitude. This family is as real to me as they are to you.
To the usual suspects, Jamie, Nic, Kim, Kristin, Gaele, and now Val, thank you for experiencing the O’Briens with me. From the first draft to the last, you were there.
To my beloved children, this is what family is really about. I’m blessed to call you mine.
Photo by Kate Gledhill of Kate Gledhill Photography
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CECY ROBSON is an author of contemporary and new adult romance, young adult adventure, and award-winning urban fantasy. A double-nominated RITA® Finalist, Winner of the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence, and a published author of more than twenty titles, you can typically find Cecy on her laptop or stumbling blindly in search of caffeine.
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THE SHATTERED PAST Series
Once Perfect
Once Loved
Once Pure
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THE O’BRIEN FAMILY Novels
Once Kissed
Let Me
Crave Me
Feel Me
Save Me
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THE CAROLINA BEACH Novels
Inseverable
Eternal
Infinite (coming soon)
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THE WEIRD GIRLS
A Curse Awakened (novella)
The Weird Girls (novella)
Sealed with a Curse
A Cursed Embrace
Of Flame and Promise
A Cursed Moon (novella)
Cursed by Destiny
A Cursed Bloodline
A Curse Unbroken
Of Flame and Light
This book contains excerpts from Let Me, Crave Me, and Feel Me from the O’Brien Family novels as well as Inseverable, from the Carolina Beach Series by Cecy Robson. The excerpts have been set for this edition only and may not reflect the final content of the final novels.
