See You at Sunset (35 page)

“Thing is,” Morgan said, “you always loved your job, but you sure didn’t live for it. But after Drew died, you became a total workaholic. It was almost all you did, except for those few weeks every summer on the island.”

Holly shrugged. “It was the only way I could keep from going crazy.”

“That made perfect sense until it became the sole focus of your life in the long term too. But you
did
want more when you and Drew got married. You wanted a fulfilling career, which you sure as hell deserve. But you wanted a life with your husband too, and you wanted a family. Kids. You always wanted that life.” Morgan drew in a deep breath, as if for courage. “You told me more than once how important family was to you, especially since you’d lost your parents. Remember?”

Holly felt her throat start to tighten.

Morgan clearly wasn’t finished. “But after you lost Drew, all you wanted to do was date men who didn’t want to get involved. We kept telling each other that it was the way you needed to cope for a while. But then we started to wonder if that really
was
all you wanted out of life.”

“Why the heck didn’t you say something then?”

“Believe me, we came close lots of times, but we always pulled back. We wanted to support you, not give you a hard time about something we couldn’t truly understand.”

“I suppose I’d have done the same thing,” Holly said. “Besides, I’m not sure I would have been ready to hear it before now.” She shook her head with disgust. “What an idiot I’ve been.”

Morgan smiled. “You get a pass on this one. But unlike the rest of us cowards, Micah had the stones to actually tell you. Because he totally loves you, Holly. And you know you’ll never find a better man anywhere than our big ol’ sexy Deputy Dawg.”

That was true, on both counts. But unlike the rest of her friends, Micah did have the courage to lay it all out on the line, even though the odds were good that she would reject him. Once again, he’d put her first—over his love for her and even risking their friendship, one that had been part of the bedrock of her life. She was stunned that she’d been blind to that for so long.

“I know,” she said quietly. “Micah is… amazing.” It was the only word that seemed to cover it. Okay,
smart
,
kind
,
generous
,
brave
, and
smokin’ hot sexy
also applied, but
amazing
pretty much said it all.

And suddenly Holly realized how much she wanted
amazing
in her life once more. She thought she’d lost that forever when Drew died, but here it was again, right in front of her. That felt like a miracle of epic proportions.

“So, now that we’ve got that figured out,” Morgan said, “what are you going to do about it? It seems like you’ve got a few decisions to make, not just about Micah but about where you belong. Got any ideas?” She crossed her arms and lifted a challenging eyebrow.

As Holly stared at her friend, finally, blessedly, the answer came through loud and clear. The answer that had been percolating inside her for a very long time. There was only one place in the world where she truly felt at home. It was long past time to cut the cords that kept dragging her away from the life she wanted.

It was time to stop being afraid.

Micah blinked at her, looking a bit stunned. He also looked wickedly delicious, wearing nothing but a pair of black gym shorts. Holly had to repress the impulse to fan herself as she took in his awesome body, remembering how wonderful all those hard muscles had felt when the two of them were naked in bed.

She hoped to feel that way again very soon.

“Surprise,” she said in a cheery voice. “I know it’s late, but how about a nightcap?” Holly held up the bottle of merlot she’d grabbed from the store after kicking Morgan out, telling her she’d suddenly developed other plans. “I never properly thanked you for buying me that lovely dinner.”

Micah’s eyebrows crawled up his forehead, but he quickly stepped back and held open the door. “Come in. You know you’re always welcome here any time, day or night.” He took the wine and headed toward the small kitchen at the back.

Holly kicked off her sandals and stepped inside, her heart fluttering like Old Glory in a stiff wind. She had so many things she wanted to tell him that she hardly knew where to start.

Or maybe she’d just lost the ability to think rationally due to her surging hormones. After all, the back view of Micah was just as good as the front view. She could barely keep her hands off his brawny shoulders, fine ass, and long, muscled legs.

Mercy.
To think she’d almost let this man get away.

Micah was as fine a man as she could ever meet, and he clearly adored her. How had she gotten so lucky twice in her life? To have had her time with Drew, however short, and now the possibility of a future with Micah… it was truly humbling.

She leaned against a counter and let her gaze wander as he uncorked the wine and half filled a pair of large-bowl wineglasses. The simple all-white kitchen was like the man—clean, organized, practical, and utterly comfortable.

“Here’s to a hell of a day,” he said, holding up his glass. His smile held more than a hint of a question.

Holly gently tapped her glass against his. “Yes, but it’s still not quite over.” She took a hefty swallow, hoping for some liquid courage.

Micah’s gaze warmed as it roamed over her, despite the fact that she was barely presentable in jeans, plain white T-shirt, and mussed hair. Then he took a quick glance down at his own body. She couldn’t miss that it had started to respond to her presence.

“Hmmm. I guess I should either put on some more clothes or you should take some off,” he said in a thoughtful voice. “The latter would be my strong preference.”

Oh boy, mine too.

But not just yet. First, she had to own up, and it was turning out to be harder than she thought—her damn pride was getting in the way again.

“Micah, I need to tell you something. And I need to do it right now.”

His sexy smile evaporated. “You’re leaving sooner than you thought.”

She shook her head. “No, I came to say that I hated the way we left things at the restaurant. The way
I
left things. Because you were pretty much right about everything. I knew it too but just couldn’t admit it. I didn’t know
how
to admit it.”

He studied her for a few long moments before nodding. “Okay, maybe we should head to the living room and get comfortable. This doesn’t sound like a kitchen conversation.”

“No, please, Micah. Let me just get it out. I’ve kept all these feelings bottled up inside for so long…”

And dammit, there she was choking up again when she least wanted to. She was
not
some fragile creature they all had to tiptoe around. She was no longer afraid of taking risks, and she was determined to show him that.

Still, when he took her in his arms, she didn’t resist. He cradled her to his chest, his strong arms wrapped tightly around her back. It felt so comforting, so right, that Holly didn’t want to move—ever. But after a few moments, she found the strength to wedge her hands in between them and gently push him back.

“Okay, no more coddling me,” she said. “I’m not going to break.”

“Hell, I know that, especially after today. I’ve always known that, but I like coddling you anyway.” He reached for her again. “And cuddling too. Cuddling’s okay, right?”

She held up a restraining hand. “I’m trying to be serious here, Deputy Lancaster.”

He leaned against the kitchen counter and crossed his arms over his chest. When he smiled at her, he was pure temptation. “Okay, Ms. Tyler. I’m listening.”

She took in a deep breath. “Good. Well, you were right that I haven’t been happy. And no, I don’t believe New York is going to change that very much, even though I’ve tried superhard to convince myself otherwise. But being with you this summer, and with my aunts… seeing everything they’re going through and how much they need me, it’s made me finally face the truth. I know now that going to New York would just be another way to avoid feeling what I need to feel, what I
should
feel if I had the guts to face it.” She shook her head. “I’ve been running away from myself for too long. I’m done with all that.”

Micah gently grasped her shoulders. “Babe, don’t beat yourself up over it. You did what you had to do to survive. We all knew that.”

While what she’d done might have been right at the time, a necessary step on her path to healing, now she knew what she truly wanted. She wanted family and friends, people who counted for something and who loved her—people who would be there for her when she needed them. And, just as much, Holly wanted to be there for them when they needed her. It had taken four long years, but she finally realized that almost everything important to her was right here in Seashell Bay.

Starting with the man standing right in front of her.

“Micah, you told me you loved me tonight. You said you’d do whatever it took to be with me.” She shook her head, awed by what he was willing to give up for her. “Well, I love
you
that much, and I’m prepared to do whatever it takes to be with you. Not for visits, but for always. Hell, I’ll flip burgers in Portland if I have to,” she joked, even though her throat was getting tight again.

“But what about your new partnership?”

Holly did hate the idea of disappointing David and Cory after she’d made commitments. But she had no choice. “The guys won’t be happy, obviously, but they’ll just have to accept my decision. Besides, I’m not exactly their only alternative for a third partner.”

“Music to my ears,” Micah said, giving her a smile so loving that it lit her up like a thousand firecrackers on the Fourth of July. “But I hope you don’t think you have to give up the work you love.”

“I’ve been thinking about that. I’m pretty darn good at what I do, if I do say so myself. So I figure I shouldn’t have much trouble cobbling together work here in Maine. And it’ll be fantastic to be able to stick around to help Florence and Beatrice and move forward with the changes to the store. I still have a lot I want to accomplish on that front.”

Micah blew out a long sigh, as if he’d been holding his breath for a year. “Thank God. That is the best damn news I’ve ever heard.” He rested his forehead against hers. “I really would have followed you anywhere though, Holly. Anywhere,” he said softly.

She slipped her arms around his waist, imprinting the moment on her heart. It had been so long—a lifetime, it seemed—since she’d felt such happiness.

And a bone-deep certainty that the world was just as it should be.

But she knew if she tried to voice the depth of her emotions, she’d start crying. So instead she leaned back and smiled up at him. “Just shut up and kiss me, Deputy. And don’t stop until I tell you to.”

Micah laughed. “You know my motto—I live to serve.”

Epilogue

October, Seashell Bay

M
icah swung the cruiser onto the gravel road that led to the resort construction site.

“What are you doing?” Holly asked. They’d been heading to Lily and Aiden’s house for a barbecue on a warm and perfect autumn day, but it looked like he was taking the scenic route.

He flashed her a smile—the one that never failed to make her go all gooey inside. Even though she’d been living with Micah for several weeks, the thrill of being with him had yet to wear off. She had a wonderful feeling it never would.

“I want to show you what the resort looks like now that it’s almost finished. The view is pretty spectacular.” He stopped the car in front of the chain-link fence. “I’ll unlock the gate, and you drive through, okay?”

Holly came around to the driver’s side while Micah opened a big brass padlock and then swung the gate open. She inched through the gap and waited while he relocked the gate.

“I can’t remember the last time I was up on these bluffs,” she said after he got in the passenger seat. She wound the cruiser past several construction trailers, Dumpsters, and storage sites. “This was all Flynn land, and Aiden’s dad didn’t like kids poking around on his property.”

Micah nodded. “Lily and Aiden really wanted that to change. So when the place opens in the spring, everybody will be able to enjoy it, not just resort guests. People can come for a meal or a drink or just to walk along the bluffs and enjoy the view.”

After they parked in front of the hotel complex, they strolled down a graveled path that wound westward along the edge of a steep slope, lushly covered with bushes and sumac plants, already starting to blaze with autumn colors.

“Wow, what a view,” Holly said, looking east toward the Atlantic horizon. Since it was Sunday, there were no fishing boats out on the placid blue waters. In fact, there were no boats at all. The quiet was almost eerie. There was no breeze, and she could barely hear the faint lapping of the sea against the huge rocks that dotted the driftwood-strewn beach below. For a moment, it felt like she and Micah had both the island and the ocean to themselves, as if they’d been marooned on a remote shore.

Micah gently turned her chin until she gazed at him. “Beautiful sea, beautiful island, beautiful woman,” he said in a low voice. Then he took her in his arms and kissed her with a passion that made her knees go weak.

“For the strong and silent type, you are such a sweet-talker,” she said after he let her up for air. “You brought me here to make out? I thought we did that all morning.”

And most of the night.

They’d managed maybe three or four hours of sleep, then started up again when the sun finally woke them around seven. Holly had made pancakes while Micah cooked bacon, and then they’d headed straight back to the bedroom. Because she’d been so busy—first at the store and then at her new job with a Boston-based consulting firm that had just asked her to set up a Portland branch office—she and Micah hadn’t seen much of each other this last couple of weeks. So when they did have a chunk of free time, they took advantage of every moment they had together.