“You’re not upset?”
“Of course not. I love you, Abs, and I want you to do all the things that make you happy and that feel right to you. I was trying to be supportive, not push it on you.”
He reached for the package, but she held it tight. “I have another idea I’d like to use this for tonight, if that’s okay.”
“Anything’s okay. What do you have in mind?”
“How about instead of using the lantern to say goodbye to our pasts, we use it to welcome our lives coming together and our bright new future?”
“Aw, Abs. I love that idea.”
“Yay!”
He pressed his smiling lips to hers, and they got the lantern ready. Aiden held the lantern up as Abby lit it, and she said, “You’ve become my best friend, the sun that lights up my days, and the fire that heats up my nights. You’re my sounding board, my shoulder to lean on, my dance partner, and my favorite finger foodie. I love you with all of my heart, and I can’t wait to spend forever chasing our dreams together.” And a lifetime of hearing your whispers of love to me when you think I’m sleeping. I treasure each and every one of those heartfelt confessions.
He was gazing so deeply into her eyes, she was sure he could see every beat of her heart. He swallowed hard, as if he were trying to rein in his emotions.
“Don’t you want to say something?” she asked, butterflies fluttering inside her.
“I can’t believe you’re mine. Ditto, Runner Girl, to loving you, chasing dreams, and everything in between.” He released the lantern, took her in his arms, and kissed her breathless.
He held her as they watched the lantern float into the clear night sky. When it was nothing more than a twinkle in the distance, Aiden turned desirous eyes on her and said, “Ready to get naked, beautiful?”
She shivered with trepidation and excitement.
“We don’t have to do this.”
“Actually, we do,” she said cheekily. “Remi promised to make us another list once we finished this one.”
He ran his hands over her butt, giving it a squeeze, and said, “I think we can come up with a much better list of our own, starting with making love in Lover’s Cove on a very special night.”
Her body flamed. “You win!”
She whipped off her sweatshirt, and they kissed as they stripped naked, shivering against the brisk night air.
“Ready, sweetheart?” Aiden asked as he took her hand.
“With you by my side, I’m ready for anything!”
Just as they’d jumped into their relationship and the Bistro with both feet and eyes wide open, they leapt out of the boat and plunged into the cold, dark water. Aiden found her underwater, his strong arms circling her as they broke the surface, legs kicking, mouths kissing, and hearts beating as one.
A NOTE FROM MELISSA
I met Aiden and Remi while writing The Real Thing, the first book in the Sugar Lake series, and I have waited years for him to be ready for his happily ever after. Once Remi found hers (in This Is Love), I knew it was Aiden’s turn. I also knew he’d need a very special woman to accept his quirks and overindulgences. I met Abby and Deirdra through a mention of their mother when I was writing Jock and Daphne’s story, Tempted by Love, the first book in The Steeles at Silver Island series, and I knew after all Abby had endured, she needed Aiden as much as he needed her. I hope you enjoyed their story as much as I enjoyed writing it. If you’d like to get to know the Steeles, the Silvers, and the Remingtons, pick up Tempted by Love. If you enjoyed the Silver Island setting, pick up Searching for Love, a Braden & Montgomery novel featuring treasure hunter Zev Braden and chocolatier Carly Dylan. In Searching for Love you can get to know the Bradens and the Silver Island Remingtons.
Ben Dalton’s book, along with the books of each of Ben’s siblings, is available for your binge-reading pleasure in the Sugar Lake and Harmony Pointe series. I hope you’ll also check out the rest of my Love in Bloom big-family romance collection, starting with Sisters in Love, the first book in my beloved Snow Sisters series. Each of my books may be enjoyed as a stand-alone novel. Characters from each series make appearances in future books, so you never miss an engagement, wedding, or birth. A complete list of all series titles is included at the start of this book, and downloadable checklists, free series starters, and family trees are available on the Reader Goodies page of my website (www.MelissaFoster.com/RG).
Be sure to sign up for my newsletter to keep up to date with my new releases and to receive an exclusive short story (www.MelissaFoster.com/News).
Happy reading!
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Writing a book is never a solo adventure. I am grateful for the inspiration I receive from fans and friends and to all the kind people who patiently answer my never-ending research questions. Heaps of gratitude go out to Kristen Roberts of Truro Vineyards for her help with vineyard-related questions. As always, I take fictional liberties with my stories and any errors are not a reflection of misinformation provided by others.
It’s not often that my stories serve as inspiration for other artists, but I am honored that Aiden and Abby’s story was the inspiration behind the song “Billionaire” by Blue Foster. Blue is my youngest son Jake’s professional name. Jake writes his own music and lyrics, and it was thrilling to watch “Billionaire” come to life.
If you’d like sneak peeks into my writing process and to chat with me daily, please join my fan club on Facebook. We talk about our lovable heroes and sassy heroines, and I always try to keep fans abreast of what’s going on in our fictional boyfriends’ worlds. You never know when you’ll end up in one of my books, as several members of my fan club have already discovered (www.Facebook.com/groups/MelissaFosterFans).
Follow my Facebook fan page to keep up with sales and events (www.Facebook.com/MelissaFosterAuthor).
I’m forever grateful for my assistants and friends Sharon Martin, Lisa Filipe, Lisa Bardonski, Missy Dehaven, and Shelby Dehaven. Thank you for always having my back.
A special thank-you to my incredible editor Maria Gomez and the fantastic Montlake team. As always, my books would not shine without the editorial expertise of Kristen Weber and Penina Lopez and my capable team of proofreaders. Last, but never least, I am grateful to my family for their ongoing support and encouragement.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Photo © 2013 Melanie Anderson
Melissa Foster is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling and award-winning author of nearly one hundred books, including the Sugar Lake series, The Steeles at Silver Island series, and the Harmony Pointe series. Her novels have been recommended by USA Today’s book blog, Hagerstown magazine, the Patriot, and others. She has also painted and donated several murals to the Hospital for Sick Children in Washington, DC.
She enjoys discussing her books with book clubs and reader groups, and she welcomes an invitation to your event. Visit Melissa on her website, www.MelissaFoster.com, or chat with her on Instagram @MelissaFoster_Author, Twitter @Melissa_Foster, and on Facebook at