Holden
The sight of Gigi sitting on that metal bench, curled up like a frightened kitten, was like a punch to Holden’s gut. His stomach lurched as he watched her swallow hard, taking him in, like she wasn’t sure if she should reach for him or cower even more. Gone was the vibrant woman he’d come to know over the past few weeks. In her place was the reserved, apprehensive one who had moved into his carriage house. He hated himself for having a part in her transformation back to this state. This was not who she was, and seeing her like this hurt more than any lie ever could.
“Holden,” Gigi said, her voice just above a whisper. The sound of it stole all the air from his lungs. She looked at him nervously, as if she still had no idea why he was here and what he was about to say. She doubted him—and after his reaction this morning, how could he blame her? His actions didn’t reflect how he felt about her, and now they were both left facing the consequences.
“Gigi,” he said, his own voice coming out rougher than he intended. Clearing his throat, he started again, wanting to make sure he got this right. “Gigi, I’m sorry.”
“I didn’t kill him,” she sobbed, tears springing to her eyes.
“I know, I know,” he said, rushing over to her. Kneeling down in front of her, he placed his hands on her hips and slid her toward him, until her feet were at the edge of the bench. The bench was low enough to the ground that with their difference in height they were almost face to face. He wanted nothing more than to wrap himself around her right now, but he had no idea how she’d react, so he settled for keeping his hands firmly on her hips, giving them a light squeeze to let her know he was there. “And not just because I talked to Detective Ball on my way in. I know deep down you didn’t kill him. That you didn’t do any of this. That there isn’t a single part of you that could ever even think of doing this.”
“I was going to tell you about Bradley, I promise. I didn’t mean to lie, at least not for as long as I did. I…I just needed to get away. And it seemed easier to tell people he was dead. I thought that people wouldn’t ask questions that way. But then I met you…” she trailed off, her emotions overtaking her. Her body shook as she continued to cry, those gray eyes holding him captive.
He felt his heart squeeze as another wave of guilt washed over him. Caulfield’s words rang through his mind again. Would your reaction be the same? Holden knew exactly what he should have done this morning, and now was the time to prove to Gigi that he was the man she deserved.
“Sweetheart, it’s okay. I get it. You were trying to protect yourself. You didn’t do anything wrong. I was wrong. I shouldn’t have reacted the way that I did this morning. I should have defended you, made sure you knew you were safe with me.”
“But you were right! I should have told you! It’s not that I don’t trust you, because I do. I trust you more than anyone else in the world.”
“I know you do, sweetheart,” he said, pulling her closer so their foreheads touched. As much as he loved hearing her tell him that she trusted him, he needed to find the words to tell her he felt the same and to apologize for not being that man when the moment came. “But I failed you. When the time came to be the man you need, the man you deserve, I wasn’t there. At least not in the way I should have been. You’ve spent so long being told you’re not important and that you’re not a priority. But none of that is true. You are important, and smart…and you are a priority. You’re my priority. All of you. Your safety, your happiness, and that wonderful mind of yours that keeps coming up with all these new ideas. I am so sorry that I didn’t do what I should have.”
“Holden,” she choked out.
“I can’t tell you how many times I thought to myself that it was a good thing that Bradley was dead, because if he’d been alive, I’d tear him limb from limb for what he did to you. For all those lies he told you. So maybe it was a good thing you didn’t tell me, because then I’d be the one in this jail and not the least bit sorry about it.”
Gigi let out a small giggle through her tears, and just that little bit made his insides come alive again. Taking that as his cue, he moved up onto the bench and hauled her into his lap. Pulling her as close as he could get her, he drew in a deep breath when she wrapped both her arms and legs around him, holding on tight. He squeezed her hard, not caring who might walk in and see them. Right now he only cared about making sure Gigi felt safe, secure, and most of all, loved.
“Gigi, you pulled me out of a darkness so consuming that I had resigned myself to never ever escaping. You helped inspire me and guide me back to my love of writing. You light up my life in ways I never could have imagined and that a few months ago I would have told you were impossible. You might have been running for your life, but you saved mine in the process.”
Kissing her softly, Holden’s insides lit up as she wiggled in his lap, returning his kiss. Their lips moved together in sync, tenderly expressing everything they were feeling. She felt so good in his arms, like this is where she belonged. It felt like it had been days since they touched, instead of just hours ago.
"Sweetheart, you waltzed right into my life, turned it upside down in all the best ways, and I don’t know what I would do without you.”
“Well, you wouldn’t have had to renovate your carriage house, for one,” she said, trying to make a joke.
“As far as I’m concerned, you setting the place on fire was one of the best things that could have ever happened to me. It was the catalyst I needed. It brought us together and set this whole beautiful story in motion,” he told her, wanting to make sure she believed it. “You asked if you could borrow my muse, and I made a joke about not sharing, but that’s not the real reason. Gigi, you are my muse.”
“I am?” she asked, pulling back, a look of surprise covering her face.
“Yes, sweetheart, you are. You are the one who got the wheels turning in my head again. It started that day with the fire, but it continued every day after that with your smiles and your laughter. Your determination to learn new things and find your own way. Watching you be so hell-bent on figuring out your way around the kitchen was inspiring. Once you got going, you weren’t going to give up, and I knew that in order to be worthy of you, I couldn’t either.”
“I love you, Holden.”
“I love you, Gigi.”
Gigi
Gigi tightened her arms around Holden’s neck, nuzzling her face into his shoulder. She couldn’t believe just how amazing his touch felt. Moments ago she’d been so sure that this was something she’d never feel again—that the only words she’d ever hear come from his mouth were words of anger. Now, hearing him tell her he loved her, still after all this, was music to her ears.
“I was going to tell you today. I didn’t want it to be a secret any longer,” she said, fighting back a new round of tears. “I want us to have a future together. I want to read by the fire together and listen to you laugh because I haven’t seen some movie. I want to be the first person to read your books, and to travel with you as you tour the country so I can brag about what an amazing author you are. I want to force you to try all my new cupcake recipes and for you to have to lie to me to tell me they’re wonderful even when they aren’t. I want snow days and trips to the beach. We can skip Thanksgiving, but Christmases with your family are nonnegotiable.”
“Pretty sure they feel the same way,” he said with a laugh. “And we can figure out Thanksgiving. I think Hannah would want us to. Besides, we can’t have our kids being those weirdos who don’t celebrate Thanksgiving.”
“You’re still open to that?” she said, her heart racing at the thought. When she’d woken up this morning, she’d wanted nothing more than to start a family with him. But that was before everything had fallen down around them. To hear him even bring up the idea made her want to melt into him even more.
“Only if you are, sweetheart,” he said, placing a soft kiss on her forehead. “Gigi, you are my world. I don’t want you to ever doubt for a single second where I stand. I know that finding yourself and standing on your own two feet is important to you, especially after everything you’ve been through. But I need you to know that I will be by your side, no matter what. Marriage, kids, your own bakery, whatever crazy idea pops into your head, I’m here for it. We’re in this together.”
Gigi let out a long breath, trying not to start crying again. Only Holden would have the perfect words ready and waiting for her. He was everything she had always hoped for and so much more.
“As long as I’m with you, then I’ll have everything I ever need, Holden.”
“I like the sound of that, sweetheart.”
They were silent for a moment, letting everything they’d just said soak in. Bradley was dead and gone from her life, and she was free to do whatever she wanted. And what she wanted was a life with Holden, here in Vermont. Colebury had become home these last few months, and she hated the idea of leaving. She loved the idea of opening her own bakery, a space of her own where she could experiment with all sorts of different flavors and ideas. She loved that idea almost as much as she loved the idea of a family with Holden.
“I kinda need to get out of jail first though…” she said, hating to bring back the weight of the situation. “They know I didn’t kill him, but I guess whether I faked my death is still questionable.”
“I already have the officers working on your bail. It should be posted here shortly.”
“Holden, I can’t let you do that! I’ll pay you back. I have the money from my trust fund.”
“Nope. It’s not up for discussion. It’s the least I could do after I failed you this morning. You’re also not touching that money until we prove that you had nothing to do with the insurance fraud.”
“We?”
“Yes, we. I told you, we’re in this together. I am going to help you fight this and prove your innocence every step of the way. I called Rita Kaplan on my way over and—”
“Who?”
“Rita. The intense brunette who won’t let anyone else sit on the peach couch at the Busy Bean. She’s a lawyer and business partner with May Shipley, who is Audrey’s and Zara’s sister-in-law. She agreed to help us with whatever you need. She said she has a huge network, so we can ask her to help find a lawyer who specializes in fraud. I don’t want to step on your toes, so if you want to do this on your own, just let me know. It’s your battle and I’ll respect that. But you don’t have to do anything all by yourself ever again, Gigi, if you don’t want.”
Gigi’s insides went to mush all over again, hearing him tell her this. He called her a lawyer. He was prepared to fight this with her, without a second thought. She had no idea what she had done to deserve him, but she wasn’t going to argue or take it for granted for another second. He was her future, and she was going to enjoy every last little bit of it.
“I love you so much, Holden.”
“I love you too, sweetheart. You have no idea.”
He captured her lips in his, his kiss just as tender as before. She moaned softly, letting him know just how much she loved this too. She wasn’t sure she would ever get enough of him or his touch.
“Ah-hem,” Officer Nelligan cleared his throat. Gigi and Holden parted just enough to turn to look at him, standing back in the door frame. “Sorry to, uh, interrupt. But you’re free to go now, Miss Gigi.”
“Thank you, Officer Nelligan,” she said sweetly, watching as he swiftly dipped away from them. Turning back to Holden, she let a large smile take over as she looked at his piercing blue eyes. I could gladly get lost in these for the rest of my life…
“Sweetheart, I think it’s time we got you home. Because as sexy as you look in my sweats—”
“Even in jail?”
“Even in jail,” he continued. “You look even sexier out of them. And after the day you’ve had, I think you deserve to be shown exactly how much I love you.”