“On you? But why?”
“I was the guy who proposed to a woman I didn’t love. A person I didn’t even know, Hope. Someone I couldn’t tell from her twin, for crying out loud. So, what kind of man does that make me? I’ll tell you what kind. Somebody pretty imperfect.”
She stared up into his heady dark eyes. “You seem pretty perfect to me.”
“I know that’s what you believe, but it’s important for you to understand that I played a role in this, too.” He took her in his arms. “In a strange way, you did me a favor and kept me from marrying the wrong sister. I mean, there are things that are great about Jackie, but she’s not the woman for me.”
Hope’s heart beat even harder as she absorbed his words. “There’s something I need you to know,” she whispered. “I wasn’t pretending. Not about how I feel.”
“That’s what I figured.” He smiled. “And I’m glad. Because, Hope?” He held her closer, smashing the flowers between them. “I wasn’t pretending, either.”
Her heart melted as she met his swoony gaze.
“You know what I think?” he asked, his eyes sparkling. “I think we should try again.”
“In Blue Hill?”
“No, in Durham.” He considered her carefully. “Or in Boston. I’ve got a new day job in consulting now, so I’m my own boss.”
“How great. But what about your grandpa? Albright Enterprises?”
“William’s taking over all that.”
“Is that what he wants?”
“It’s what he and Sofia want.” His smile grew. “They’re having a little girl and naming her Julia.”
Hope’s whole soul welled with happiness. “That’s wonderful!”
“So, what do you say?” he asked, jiggling her in his arms. “Will you date me?”
“Are you kidding?” She let out a joyful laugh. “Yeah.”
“No pretending this time,” he said seriously. “No more lies.”
“I promise.”
His lips brushed over hers, and her skin tingled. “I think we might have a future, Hope Webb.”
“I do. I mean, I do, too,” she replied with a blush.
He chuckled at her reaction. “You might want to save those words for later.”
“How much later?”
“Let’s take this slow.” His mouth met hers in the world’s deepest and most soulful kiss until hoots and hollers broke out from her teacher friends, as well as other patrons in the restaurant.
“I’ll take it any speed you want,” she answered shyly. “Just promise me one thing.”
“Yeah? What’s that?”
“Take me on another picnic?”
“Oh, sweetheart,” he said with a laugh. “Don’t you know? I’ll take you anywhere in the world you want to go.”
“But probably not to Bermuda,” she joked.
“No,” he said, chuckling. “Probably not there.”
“That’s okay,” she said, angling for another kiss. “I hear it’s overrated, anyway.”
Epilogue
Hope snuggled down in the double-size sleeping bag beside her new husband. She couldn’t believe he’d booked them this suite in an ice hotel! The walls were carved into exquisite ice sculptures, and the bed was remarkably cozy, considering it was essentially a block of ice covered with a wood board and a comfy mattress. Flames flickered in the glass-encased gas fireplace on the far side of the room, giving the space an ethereal appeal.
“This honeymoon’s been like a dream.”
“You’re telling me.”
Brent tugged her nearer, and her cheek brushed against his morning stubble, filling her mind with memories of all the exciting skin-to-skin contact they’d enjoyed last night. While the temperature in here was below freezing, she wasn’t chilly in the least. Brent’s body heat warmed her through and through.
She wore fuzzy flannel pajamas, and he had on his sweatpants with a long-sleeved tee. Both of them wore hats, like they were on an adventurous outdoor camping trip, yet they were sheltered inside this amazing structure. Hope couldn’t believe this was real and not a fantasy. She never could have imagined such an unusual and unique honeymoon locale.
“What made you pick this place?” she asked, gazing up at him.
He smiled, and lines crinkled at the corners of his swoony dark eyes. “It was about as far from Bermuda as we could get.”
“Yeah, that’s true.” She giggled, because he’d surprised her so thoroughly with this winter-wonderland getaway. They’d been ice-skating and snow rafting and had had all sorts of fun playing in the beautiful Canadian snow. “There’s definitely no need for bikinis here.”
“Except for in the hot tub,” he said with a sexy growl.
She laughed, loving him so much. “Yep. Except for in there.”
Despite their best intentions in taking things slow, once they’d started dating, their relationship had evolved quickly. Because they hadn’t been lying about their backgrounds, wishes, or likes in Maine, they already knew tons about each other. Hope couldn’t quell that little flutter in her belly every time they got together, and the dreamy look in his eyes said Brent experienced the same deep attraction to her.
By Christmas, they were already talking about marriage, but then they became conflicted about how to move forward. Considering they’d already had one pseudo-wedding, it felt weird to plan another. They weren’t so sure about asking their families to sit through a second one, either. So, in early January, Brent arrived at the inspiration that they should elope to a justice of the peace. They’d done that in Durham three days ago exactly. Iris and Hope’s teacher friend, Jessica, had served as their witnesses.
Hope intended to keep teaching at her school, and Brent had decided to relocate his consulting business to the Research Triangle area so they could officially move in together as husband and wife. They’d already done a little browsing online and had picked out a few cute homes to visit when they returned to North Carolina.
Hope couldn’t wait to buy a little house with Brent and begin making it their own. Of course, she’d miss Iris, but—wherever they settled—Iris wouldn’t be that far away and could always come visit. Or Hope could visit her. Jackie also had been really supportive of Hope and Brent’s elopement and future plans. She’d started doing yoga and meditation, both of which seemed to help mitigate her high-anxiety nature.