Chapter 19
CHAPTER NINETEEN
For the first time in her life, Holly trusted fate, luck, and leaving things to chance. While Luke was correct about fate, he was wrong about their long odds. Because how else could she have ended up so gloriously happy, if not for those three crazy sisters?
The reception had been going on for hours, and the sunlight had given way to a beautiful night filled with a cool breeze and bright stars. The fireworks burst overhead in a shower of pink and white, crackling through the night sky like applause.
They’d even heard some good news about Damian. He was awake and his leg was healing well. But that was another issue for another day.
She leaned into Luke, her cheek resting against his shoulder as they swayed in time with the music.
They weren’t even really dancing anymore. They were just standing close in the soft grass behind the reception tent while the rest of the guests slow danced under the string lights. The music was something low and bluesy now, the kind that made her hold onto Luke a little tighter.
“You still smell like lilacs.” His arms wrapped around her waist, firm and steady. He hadn’t let her out of his sight since the kiss behind the catering van earlier, and she hadn’t exactly tried to escape. “I love lilacs.”
“It’s just soap.”
He laughed and kissed her neck again.
“I can’t believe everything that’s happened since Friday,” she murmured, watching Eve laugh as she twirled with Kane under the lights. “A wedding, a gunfight, swimming in the river, and now fireworks.”
“Small-town charm,” Luke said. “With a dash of drama.”
She laughed, then went quiet for a moment, soaking in the night. Her bare toes brushed the hem of her dress because she’d kicked off her heels hours ago. Her heart felt full in a way she hadn’t known she’d been missing.
“Start at the hospital Wednesday?” Luke asked, his voice low and warm.
“Bright and early,” she said. “They’re easing me in. A few shifts a week to start.”
“You nervous?”
“Excited,” she said honestly. “It’s been a long time since I felt like I belonged somewhere.”
He shifted slightly, brushing a kiss to her temple. “You do belong. To the hospital. To Kingsmill. To me.”
She tilted her head to look up at him. “And you?”
“I’m changing my plans. Instead of leaving on Wednesday, I’ll fly back Friday. I don’t know how long it will take to sell the surf shop, but I know a few prospective buyers I can call. Once it’s sold, though, I’m yours forever. Even if I don’t have a new job yet.”
He’d told her all about the idea of starting an outfitting business with Abe, once he retired, and she loved the idea.
A flutter of nerves and joy danced in her chest. “You’re really doing it. And we’re really doing this.”
“Yeah,” he said. “I think I’ve always wanted this—open skies, real work, my own terms. Abe and I already have a name for the outfitter business.”
“Oh yeah?” She arched her brow.
He grinned. “Mosby & Mosby.”
She flinched. “That’s terrible.”
“Right? We both love it.”
They both laughed, and she leaned back in again, breathing in his scent of pine needles and smoke, so masculine and so entirely Luke.
The fireworks reached a crescendo, lighting the entire meadow in silver and blue. He kissed her again, this time soft and slow, because now that they’d found each other they had all the time in the world. They had forever.
The End… for now.