Fish Perfume (Cozy Harbor Marina Series) (23 page)

Ian and Sam came out to greet me when I pulled in the driveway. Ian gave me a quick hug and peck on the cheek and then he grabbed the bag of groceries. I gave Sam a good scratch behind his ears and we all went into the house.

Ian smiled at me and said, “So, now you’re an offshore fisherwoman.”

“Yes, I am and I loved it.”

I proceeded to tell him about my day and all about Big H and Mo.

Ian said, “It’s about time those two got together.”

I asked him, “How did you make out with the boat parts?”

“Great. I got what I needed and was back here by noon, did the repairs, and the boat’s all set.”

He came toward me and put his arms around me and gave me a tender kiss.

He said, “It feels like I haven’t seen you in a long time. I’ve missed you.”

I took a deep, calming breath and said, “I’ve made my decision about staying and running the marina.”

He said, “Hold that thought. I’ll be right back.”

He went upstairs and came down a minute later. “It’s a great night. Let’s take a walk on the beach before we cook dinner.”

“Sure.”

You would think he’d be anxious to know what I was going to do.

We walked a little way down the beach. The sun was starting to set, the beach was deserted, and the evening couldn’t be more beautiful. I thought I would wait for him to ask me what I’d decided.

We were holding hands and he stopped.

He said, “Meggie, I need to talk to you about something.”

My heart caught in my throat. Hesitantly, I said, “Okay.”

He said, “I never told you about wanting to buy the marina because I didn’t want you to think that was why I was dating you. Of course, that was a mistake and you found out from someone else when you should have learned that from me. I’m sorry about that. Believe me, the marina didn’t even cross my mind when I asked you out. I wanted to ask you out the first time I saw you again, but I waited because I didn’t want to hurt you. I wanted to make sure what I felt for you was the real thing.”

My heart was beating so hard in my chest. I couldn’t wait to hear what he said next.

He said, “Before you tell me what you’ve decided to do, I want to tell you how I feel. I love you. I haven’t said it before because I’ve never said those three words to anyone and I wanted to be absolutely sure. I know this has happened to you many times before, but I hope this will be the last time.”

He got down on one knee and reached in his pocket. He lifted his hand up, and in it shone a beautiful diamond ring.

“Meggie, I love you. I have from the moment I saw you standing on the dock that first day we saw each other again. I don’t care if you stay and run the marina, or you teach, or if you just want to stay home and have kids. I just want you to stay. Will you marry me?”

I started to cry and knelt down in front of him. I said, “Yes. Ian, I love you so much. Are you sure?”

“Meggie, I’ve never been so sure of anything in my life.”

He slipped the ring on my finger, kissed me, and held me close to him for a long time.

He said, “Just out of curiosity. What had you decided to do?”

I said, “I decided to follow my heart and stay.”

He said, “Let’s go back to the house. I want you to see the ring in the light.”

I was bursting with happiness. Back at his house, I got a good look at the ring. It was an antique, with a diamond that looked to be over a carat and set in white gold with a sapphire on each side of the diamond.

I said, “Oh, Ian. It’s the most beautiful ring I’ve ever seen.”

“That ring was my grandmother’s. She left it to me and wanted me to give it to my wife. My grandparents had such a happy marriage, she thought it would be good luck. If you would like something more modern, I’ll get you whatever you want.”

“Ian, it’s perfect and it has so much love associated with it. I wouldn’t want anything else.”

He smiled and said, “That’s what I think, too.” He pulled me to him and said, “Meggie, you’ve made me so happy.”

“Ian, I promise, I’ll always make you happy.”

He said, “How about we make each other happy? I love you, Meggie the mess.”

EPILOGUE

THE FOLLOWING JUNE

I walked out the back door of the store and looked around at all the boats. It’s a beautiful day, and it just dawned on me a few minutes ago that it’s exactly a year ago today that I showed up here to take over running the marina for Gram.

So much has changed, and yet some things have remained the same. Ian and I got married on Valentine’s Day. We had a big wedding down in Philly. My mom arranged the whole thing, and it was beautiful. We got married in the church I grew up in, and then had a great reception at a hotel. Since Ian and I both have small families, we decided to invite everyone from the marina. Because it was out of town, we weren’t expecting a lot of people to make it, but we hoped a few would. To our surprise, half of them replied that they were coming. Big H decided to charter a bus so they could all come down together. We booked rooms for them at the hotel. Ian and I were thrilled.

Of course, my maid of honor was Helen, and my bridesmaids were Laura, Ian’s cousin Christine, and my other friends, Frannie and Sue. Ian’s friend, Jake, was his best man and his groomsmen were my two brothers, Tony, and Ian’s friend, Steve.

I was so proud of myself. I didn’t shed a single tear during the ceremony. The reception was a blast. Mom picked a great band and everyone danced up a storm.

Ian took me to St. Barts for our honeymoon. We decided to go somewhere neither one of us had been before. The island was just as romantic as I’d hoped it would be. We had the best time. When we got back, I moved into Ian’s house. My brothers and I decided that, instead of renting the cottage, we would just keep it available for whenever they or my parents want to visit. Ian and I have been so happy. We decided to wait a year and then start trying to have a family. I can’t wait.

Mo is still running the Snack Shack and cooking up gossip. Except now, she is Mrs. Big H. Big H asked her to marry him in March. He said he wasn’t the big-wedding type and asked her if she wouldn’t mind if they just went to Vegas. She said that was fine with her as long as they didn’t get married by an Elvis Impersonator. They were married at the chapel in the Venetian Hotel. He took her for a romantic gondola ride after the ceremony.

Mo told me the other day that the latest rumor is that Don Murphy is dating Lolly. The pole-dancing classes were so popular at the Dancing Queen Dance Studio that Dancing Kathy added three more classes. Lolly was able to give up her side job.

Helen and Tony became engaged in April. Their wedding will be down in Philly at the end of September. Hel is just finishing up a project. She will be up here permanently in two weeks. She’s going to take the summer off and start looking for a job in Rhode Island after their honeymoon. The Maroni women have been making gravy and meatballs since the engagement was announced and are throwing a traditional Italian engagement party for them in a couple of weeks. Oh, and guess what? Tony renamed his boat. His boat is now called the
Hell-n-Back.

Don’t you just love happy endings?

THE END

About the Author

Sammie Grace lives in Rhode Island with her husband and her diva dog Lucy.  She is hard at work on her next book and her website www.sammiegrace.com, which should be up and running in the near future.  If you would like to contact Sammie Grace, you can do so at [email protected].