The Billionaire's Matchmaker(56)

“What’s wrong?”

She smiled, touched by the concern she saw in his eyes. This was Gid, always putting her first. It was time to return the favor. That’s what love was about. Give and take. Unless one counted her invitation for him to move in, he’d done all of the giving so far. And, if she were being honest with herself, the only reason Gid had sold his home was because he’d planned to move after she’d turned down his proposal and broken off their relationship.

“Nothing is wrong. Actually, you might say something is right.”

“Okaaaay,” he said slowly and settled one hip on the edge of the desk. “And what might that be?”

“Well, you know I love you.”

“I do, but I’ll never get tired of hearing you say it.” He grinned and leaned down to kiss her.

She felt a little dizzy afterward, but more determined than ever. “And you know I’m happy we’re going to be living together.”

“I’m happy about that, too. I like seeing you last thing at night and the first thing in the morning.”

“Me, too.” She inhaled. “But we’re going to be doing that in California.”

He blinked. The grin of a moment ago was gone. “What? What are you talking about?”

She motioned to the laptop. “I wasn’t prying, honest, but it was open, and I read it. This is an opportunity of a lifetime, Gid. I can’t let you pass it up. I won’t.”

She’d expected him to burst into a smile, maybe whoop with joy. He studied her in silence instead.

“Would you say something?” she pleaded when she couldn’t stand it any longer.

“I don’t know what to say.”

“How about, yes? And maybe that you’re happy?”

“I am happy, Mia.” He rose, pulled her to her feet. “I’m happy right here in Chandler’s Cove, with you.”

“But, the job—”

He bracketed her face in his hands. “Is incredible. But this is home.”

Her heart tripped. “You were going to take it before,” she pointed out.

“Only because I couldn’t stand living in Chandler’s Cove without you.”

“Gid, it’s the opportunity of a lifetime.”

But he shook his head. “That’s where you’re wrong. You are the opportunity of a lifetime, Mia. You’re what I want, and this is where I want to live, close to both of our families.”

She loved him all the more for understanding that Gabby, Jenny and Marney were her kin, not made so by blood but by choice. Still she needed to make it clear that sacrifices went both ways.

“If you ever change your mind, I’ll support you. I’ll go wherever you go. You’re my home.”

“Mia.”

His kiss was gentle, even as the arms encircling her tightened.

“You’re my home, too,” he said when it ended.





Epilogue



They got married in Mia’s back yard on a warm fall day. As expected, Mia’s friends acted as her bridesmaids. Charlie, meanwhile, got tapped as ring bearer. Right on cue, carrying a little satin pillow in his mouth, he dashed up the white runner to the arbor that Loretta had helped Mia decorate with bittersweet vine, globe thistles, and rust-colored nasturtium.

The guests laughed when the dog dropped the pillow at Gid’s feet and then barked.

A moment later, Mia was handing her bouquet of autumn orchids to Jenny so that Gid could slip the gold band on her finger.

“With power vested in me by the State of Illinois, I now pronounce you husband and wife,” the minister said. “You may kiss your—”


Before he got to bride, Gid had hauled her into his arms and kissed her with a flourish that had their guests clapping.

Afterward, he whispered, “This is for keeps, Mia. I’ll never leave you. I’ll never stop loving you.”

He didn’t need to say it. She already knew.





About the Author



Jackie Braun is a three-time RITA finalist, a four-time National Readers’ Choice Award finalist, and a past winner of the Rising Star Award in traditional romantic fiction. She has written more than thirty books that have been translated into more than two dozen languages and sold in countries around the globe. She lives in Michigan with her husband, two sons, and the little dog they adopted from a shelter while she was writing this story.





Love in the Shadows





Barbara Wallace





To Peter – my real-life hero who never stops encouraging me.



And to Shirley, Susan and Jackie. Working with these three talented women forced me to bring my A-game to the table. Being included in this anthology was an honor.



This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

Copyright ? 2013 by Barbara Wallace. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce, distribute, or transmit in any form or by any means. For information regarding subsidiary rights, please contact the Publisher.

Entangled Publishing, LLC