Much Ado About You(95)

I opened my mouth to reply, but his next actions stopped me.

He tugged on the neckline of his T-shirt and pulled out a chain. At the end of the chain was my engagement ring.

My vision got watery as emotion thickened my throat.

He’d kept it with him.

Seeing my expression, Roane gave me a chiding smile. “Don’t you realize yet how much I love you?”

“I do,” I promised on a choked whisper. “And I love you. You’re my home.”

“I know it.” He unclasped the chain behind his neck and gently guided the ring down until it landed in his palm. “It devastated me to watch you leave, but I had to believe you’d come back. I had to. There was no other choice for me.” Roane took hold of my hand and placed the ring back on my finger, where it belonged. “There’s no escaping me now, angel.”

“Only you could make stalker talk sexy, Robson,” I cracked to ease the tension.

He chuckled, pulling me back into his arms and burying his head in my neck. We held each other, breathing each other in.

“Meter’s still running, pet,” the cabdriver’s voice called to us.

Roane lifted his head while I buried my face deeper into his chest. “Bobby, can you help the man with Evie’s luggage?”

“I need to pay him,” I mumbled.

“Bobby will get him. We’ll pay him back later.”

I didn’t know how much time passed as we stood in the middle of the yard just holding on.

It wasn’t until a happy bark sounded seconds before a weight slammed into our sides that we stumbled apart to find Shadow jumping up on his hindquarters to get to me.

Laughing as he found purchase on my shoulders and his tongue found my cheek, I hugged the Dane in return. “Missed you, boy,” I whispered, refusing to cry even though it was really hard not to.

“Down,” Roane said gently, pulling on Shadow’s collar after a while. “You’ve had your turn with the bonny lass.” He rubbed Shadow’s head affectionately before grinning at me. “Now it’s my turn again.”

I looked down at the hand he held out to me and took it with my left, the engagement ring glittering even on a cloudy day like today.

“Bobby,” Roane called over his shoulder.

“Aye?” I heard him shout from one of the hoop houses.

“I’m taking the rest of the day off.”

I could hear laughter in Bobby’s voice as he called back, “Aye, tell me something I didn’t already know!”

Giggling a little hysterically with the biggest relief I’d ever felt in my life, I followed Roane into the house and upstairs. As he reached for me, I complained I smelled like I’d traveled all day and didn’t want him enduring that.

In answer he changed direction and guided me to the bathroom. Minutes later I found myself naked in the shower with my fiancé as he moved inside me, not caring that our reunion was hampered by a slippery bathtub or that our kisses were interrupted with muffled curses as we tried to steady ourselves.

All I cared about was that I was home.

And it was real.





Epilogue


Four months later . . .

Christmas songs played softly in the background, barely heard over the noise of our chatter as we sat in groups around The Anchor. Milly and Dex were hosting a Christmas pub quiz for the locals, and the atmosphere was relaxed and spirited as we competed in tabled groups to win the huge hamper of Christmas goodies they were giving away.

I sat with my chair pressed to Roane’s, huddled into his side, his arm around me, fingers caressing the skin below the short sleeve of my blouse as we considered the latest quiz question.

Joining us at our table were Caro, Viola, and Lucas. As they discussed with Roane whether or not the Oasis single that hit number one in 1996 was “Some Might Say” or “Don’t Look Back in Anger,” I considered my youthful friends and how far we’d come in such a short period of time.

I’d love to say Roane and I fell back into our relationship with ease, but we’d both burned each other’s trust, and there had been moments over the past few months when we’d been a little unsure of each other.

In those first few months I’d questioned him about where he’d been, what he was doing, not realizing that over time those questions began to feel like an interrogation. Finally Roane demanded I stop, and I discovered Roane didn’t “do” loud arguing. He just walked out, thus putting an end to my raised voice.

I did apologize, and more self-aware than before, I promised him and myself that I’d let it go, that I’d do better.

And I did.

However, our wedding was last month, and when his parents made it clear they were unhappy about how quickly things were moving, Roane became tense around me, tiptoeing on eggshells. It finally occurred to me that he was afraid the conflict might send me running again. That hurt, but I understood his concern, and there was nothing I could do but prove him wrong.

Which I did. I smiled at the white gold band nestled beside my engagement ring, my gaze flickering to the wider white gold band on Roane’s left hand.

He couldn’t wear it at work, but he never forgot to put it on when we socialized.

Despite Roane’s parents’ concerns, they attended the wedding, they made nice, and they were coming back for Christmas, so I saw that as my chance to show them that Roane and I hadn’t made a mistake marrying so quickly.