Chapter Nineteen

Michael glanced at his watch. “Five minutes to midnight,” he told the woman he loved. “Bring those glasses into the front room.”

“So this is how it’s going to be. Now that you’ve got me, you’re bossing me around,” she teased, gathering the two flute glasses.

Carrying the chilled bottle of champagne, he followed her, enjoying the straightness of her slender back, the sweet curve of her hips and butt. His. Yes, she was his. And he was hers. At some point soon, they’d stand up in her parents’ church with Cole beside them, and they’d make it official. Not that it got a whole lot more official than having a couple dozen residents of Blue Moon Harbor witness their bellowed declarations of love.

By now, likely the entire island knew. The notion made him smile. His new home would take some getting used to, after the impersonality of Toronto.

Another thought made him smile, too. “I’m glad Cole forgave me,” he said. When Michael had explained that he wanted to move to Blue Moon Harbor, set up his architecture firm here, and have the three of them become a family, his son had said, “Took you long enough to figure it out.” But then he’d thrown his arms around Michael and squeezed as hard as he could.

Much as Michael loved his son and looked forward to all the days and years ahead, right now he was very glad that Jillian’s parents had invited the boy to spend the night—and that the door between this apartment and their house was firmly locked.

Here, there was a fire in the fireplace, chilled champagne, and the woman he loved. It was only a couple of minutes to midnight. On the couch, his thigh touching hers, he eased the cork out of the bottle, poured carefully into two glasses, and handed her one. “When I came to Blue Moon Harbor, I didn’t know what I was looking for. How incredible it is that in this short time I’ve found a family and found love.”

“Do you realize,” she said wonderingly, “we’ve had our own version of the twelve days of Christmas?”

“You’re right. Each day there’s been a new gift, a new connection between us.” A revelation struck him. “Years ago, you said we had no foundation for building a family. I just realized, that’s what we’ve been doing since I came here. Building that foundation one moment, one day, one gift at a time.”

“It’s a strong foundation, and it’ll grow even stronger.”

He raised his glass. “Only ten seconds until midnight. Here’s to a new year, a new love, a new life together.”

She clicked her glass against his. “A new year, a new love, a new life together.”

They gazed into each other’s eyes and drank the toast. Then they put their glasses down and kissed deeply, intimately, a kiss full of promise.