“They’re here! Oh, they’re here!” his mother said before she came running toward them and Jamie wrapped his arm around Fallon’s waist and felt more at peace than he ever had in his life.
Spending the day and sharing a meal with the entire Donovan family was nothing new to Fallon.
Spending it and feeling like she was part of the family was.
And it was awesome.
The entire day had been like one big party and everyone was so damn happy for them that she couldn’t stop smiling. There was so much joy and laughter that it felt like it should be a holiday or someone’s birthday rather than just an ordinary Sunday. Everyone was there—Will and Arianna, Liam and Tessa, Ryleigh and Ryker, her parents, and Patrick. She kind of felt bad for him because he was the odd man out, but it didn’t seem to bother him.
Although…he seemed more than a little distracted.
“So what happens from here?” Fallon’s mother asked. “What can we do to help?”
“In what way, Mom?”
“Well, you’re still job hunting, Jamie’s working full-time, Patrick’s looking for a building for you but neither of you seem to be impressed with anything you’ve found…I’m just wondering if you could use an extra hand or two with Asher?”
Fallon looked over at Jamie who seemed just as surprised by the offer.
“You’d want to babysit?” Fallon asked.
“Are you kidding me? I would love it!” Caroline said.
“Now wait a minute,” Kate interrupted. “If Caroline gets to babysit, I should too. I can cut back my hours at the pub to help out!”
Ryleigh snickered loudly.
“And what’s so funny about that, young lady?” Kate asked.
She shrugged. “I’m thinking that would be awesome for Asher.” Then she grinned. “And I’m sure the serving staff wouldn’t mind you hovering less…”
Kate waved her off. “I’ll be hovering a lot less now. I’ve got a grandson who needs me!” She smiled at Fallon and Jamie. “You just let me know when you need me, and I’ll be there!”
“Me too!” Caroline added.
Then the two of them started trying to coordinate their schedules between them.
“If you play your cards right, you might never have to pay for daycare,” Fallon said quietly.
“I’m not sure that’s a good thing,” he teased. “Can you imagine how spoiled Asher’s going to get?”
She nodded.
“And think of how much worse it will be when the next one is ours?” he whispered for her ears only.
Turning her head, she kissed him lightly on the lips. “You keep saying that.”
“Because I mean it. You tell me when you’re ready and there will be a ring on your finger and we can start making plans.”
When he said things like that, she couldn’t help but let out a very girly sigh. “I kind of love this side of you,” she told him. “I can see why the masses of women in Laurel Bay were falling at your feet for so long.”
“Sweetheart, the only woman I want for now and for always is you. I’m all yours.”
“I love the sound of that.” And she kissed him again.
Heck, right now, she’d love to keep kissing him, but there was a roomful of Donovans talking around them.
Later.
They could do all the kissing they wanted when they got home.
And then every day after that—hopefully for the rest of their lives.
When she settled back in her chair with Jamie’s arm around her, she tried to pick which conversation she was going to join. But as it turned out, Patrick leaned over and asked if he could talk to her in private.
Jamie frowned, but they promised they’d be right back.
They stepped out onto the back deck, and she looked at him quizzically. “What’s going on?”
“I hope you’re not offended, but Marissa reached out to the place in Magnolia that you interviewed with,” he said.
“What? Why? And about what?”
“After you shared your experience there with her, she got to thinking and reached out to the owners.”
“O-kay…”
“Let me just be clear—I didn’t ask her to do this, but Marissa is freaking amazing at what she does. She sees a potential problem and fixes it. It’s almost scary.”
“What did she say to them?”
“She mentioned how the facility seems to be falling into disrepair and is aware of some of the potential violations and asked what they were going to do about it.”
“Oh God…”
“The thing is, they’re looking to sell—either just the building or the business along with the building,” he explained. “It’s a little out of your price range, but if you’re interested, I’d like to invest in it with you.”
Her eyes went wide. “What? Really?”
Nodding, he replied, “We’ve known each other since forever, Fallon. I know you and I trust you. I’ve gone over your business plan with you and I think this is a fantastic opportunity and I’d hate for you to miss out on it.”
“So…we’d be partners in it?”
“Only if you want to. I’m sure you could reach out to any number of people to partner with—your parents, your siblings, hell, even my parents or siblings—but I wanted to talk to you about this alone and let you know what your options are.”
“Holy crap, Patrick. This is…completely unexpected!”
“I was going to call you tomorrow, but with the way the conversation was going, I figured I could mention it now.”
“Can I talk to Jamie about it?”
“Of course! There’s no pressure. I swear.”
“Would you and Marissa consider coming for dinner one night this week so we can talk about it?”
“Um…me and Marissa?” he asked hesitantly.
“Well, yeah. She talked to them, so I just figured it would be easier if she was part of the overall discussion.”
“I…I can’t speak for her, but I’ll certainly ask.”
She smiled before leaning in and hugging him. “Thanks, Patrick! This is very exciting news!”
He hugged her back before they went back inside.
“What was that all about?” Jamie asked as she sat back down.
“I think your brother may have found a business opportunity for me.”
His smile was dazzling. “Really? That’s awesome! What is it?”
“Let’s talk about it when we get home. Right now, I’m enjoying basking in all the Donovan love we’re getting here.”
Moving in close, he murmured, “And tonight, you’ll be basking in this particular Donovan’s love. Repeatedly.”
And suddenly, she couldn’t wait to get home.
Epilogue
Three months later…
“It’s a lot messier than I thought it would be.”
“Yeah, but it will be worth it.”
“And louder.”
“Mmm…but we’re in the home stretch. Another week and the cleaning crew will be here to get it all neat and tidy and ready for inspections.”