The moon was high in the sky by the time Owen and Mari finally left the pub and walked back into the bookshop. Over the course of the evening, Owen’s family had, one at a time, snuck back to the shop to clean it up so that Mari wouldn’t have yet one more thing to add to her plate. Even Owen, on the pretense of having to wait in a long line at the bar for another round, had gone back to the shop to take care of some speed-hoovering.
They all wanted her memories of her opening day to be good, rather than of slogging through cleanup when she was exhausted and should be soaking in a bath, then getting into bed for a well-earned rest.
Mari was clearly shocked to see the shop so tidy. “When did this happen?”
He tried to feign surprise. “Must have been the cleaning fairies.”
She laughed. “Would these fairies happen to be related to you, by any chance?”
He grinned. “You’ve done so much already, and with your family arriving today, we didn’t want you to feel overloaded.” Though they’d been with each other practically the entire day, they hadn’t yet had a chance to talk privately. “Speaking of your family, how are you feeling?”
He’d been so worried about Mari when her mother had bolted from the shop just moments after arriving. And when Mari had run after Donna, Owen had been tempted to run after her too. He couldn’t stand the thought of anyone hurting Mari, especially her mother. But he’d known that their conversation about Charlie, and Mari’s wanting to remain in England, was long overdue. As it turned out, both her brother, Carson, and her stepfather, Gary, agreed with Owen. The three of them had huddled together, getting better acquainted while they waited for the women to reappear.
By the time Mari and her mother finally did walk back up the street, Owen was extremely glad to see that they had their arms around each other. Donna hadn’t come back into the shop, choosing instead to go to her hotel off the island for a few hours’ rest before meeting with everyone at the pub later that evening. From what he’d been able to gather over the past few hours, her mother, while obviously shell-shocked by Mari’s decision to remain in England, looked as though she was trying to be supportive.
“Let’s talk upstairs over tea,” Mari said as she locked the door behind them, then took his hand and led them up to the flat.
Together, they made tea, but once they sat on the couch, their steaming cups were forgotten as Mari began to speak.
“First, I’m really, really happy with how well the shop’s reopening went today. I know most of the day’s success is down to you and your family and my new friends all pulling together. I hope I can sustain even a fraction of the sales in the coming days, weeks, and years. But whatever challenges come, I’m ready to face them.”
“Everyone was happy to help,” he said, “but you’re the one who pulled everyone together. Today, your shop was the hub of the island, a place I know people are going to want to return to again and again—and that they’re going to tell their friends about, as well. You deserve every ounce of the success coming your way, Mari.” He laid a hand on her cheek. “Just as you deserve to be supported by your family. Your brother and stepfather both seem well on board with your choices, which is great.” Owen had overheard Mari offering to consult with her stepfather’s accounting company until he could find her replacement, but Gary had told her that while he’d miss her working for him, now that she’d found her true passion, he’d rather have her focus her full attention on the bookshop. “How are you feeling about where things stand with your mother?”
“It’s hard knowing she isn’t completely happy about my choices,” Mari admitted. “The truth is that I don’t know if she ever will be, no matter how hard she tries to wrap her head around them. And she is trying. Just coming to London and meeting everyone at the pub is proof of that.” Mari let out a breath, as if she was trying let all her worries go too. “I have to be comfortable with knowing that it’s finally time for both of us to spread our wings. It likely won’t be easy, not for either of us, but I know it will be worth it.”
She reached for his hands.
“I would have given up the bookshop. But I would never have given you up. From the beginning, I felt as though you could see beyond the walls I always had up where Charlie was concerned. I tried to tell myself it must be my imagination, because how can someone fall in love that quickly? Plus, I told myself that I needed to figure out what I was going to do with the shop first, before I gave in to my feelings for you. But I’ve never met anyone like you, Owen. Never met a man with such a big heart, a man who also happens to make my own heart race like crazy whenever we touch. No matter what I do for a career, or where I live, I know I’ll always be happy with you.”
He pressed a kiss to her lips, lingering over her sweetness. “The first moment I saw you standing here in the flat, I knew my life had changed forever. A voice inside my head told me, ‘This is the woman you’ve been waiting for. She’s the one.’ Just like you, I tried to tell myself that I couldn’t possibly feel the way I did—not when I had my grandmother to take care of, and her business, and such a guilty conscience that I didn’t think I deserved to be happy. But then you smiled, and I felt the truth of it here.” He pressed their hands over his heart. A heart that had never felt fuller or more full of joy. “Cupid’s arrow had struck, and every moment I spend with you only confirms what my heart already knew. You’re not only the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met, you’re also as beautiful on the inside. And it’s because of you that I can finally see all the beauty around me again.”
“I love you.” Her three softly spoken words touched the deepest parts of his soul. “Your beautiful British accent. Your remarkable brain. And most of all—” She lifted their hands to kiss his chest. “—your enormous heart.”
A beat later, she was laughing as he swung her up into his arms and headed for the bedroom. “No one has ever looked prettier in jeans and a T-shirt. Or made me want to tear them off so quickly.” He stole a kiss before adding, “How could I not fall head over heels for the woman who wrote the most impressive business plan I’ve ever seen, who bakes like a champion…and who faces challenges head on with determination and joy?”
Their earlier fatigue forgotten, they tore at each other’s clothes. Soon, they were skin to skin, hand to hand, lips to lips, heart to heart.
Every sigh of pleasure was a symphony. Every sinfully sweet caress a gift. And every passionate kiss another chance to express their love.
He stroked her soft skin and luscious curves, drinking in her cries of pleasure. She arched into him, her breath becoming shallow as she tumbled into climax, taking him over the edge with her for every moment of ecstasy.
And a little while later, when they fell asleep in each other’s arms, Owen knew he would always be the happiest man alive.
As long as he had Mari.