‘Helicopters,’ he told her. ‘And manpower and money. Wasn’t it lucky there weren’t any bush fires this week?’
‘Matt, this must have cost you...’
‘I don’t care what it cost.’ He set her down carefully, tenderly on her feet. ‘As long as it gets me what I want.’ And then he hesitated. ‘No. That’s wrong. As long as it lets me be...who I am.’
‘Oh, Matt.’ All she wanted was for him to hold her and never let her go but somehow she had to ask. The sensible part of her was still making its unwanted presence felt. ‘So, Matt, who are you?’
‘I’ll tell you who I am,’ he said softly, lovingly, and he took her into his arms again and tugged her against his chest. ‘Right this minute? I’m a man who’s totally, completely, awesomely, undeniably in love with Meg O’Hara. I feel like I’m part of her and that’s my biggest thing. It’s what I want to be. Meg, I’ve asked you to marry me before, but it was different. I’m asking you again now. Meg O’Hara, the thing I want to be more than anything in the world is to be married to you. To be allowed to love you, for now and for ever. I want to be loved by Meg and I want to be allowed to love her back. So, Meg O’Hara... For the third and best time... Will you marry me?’
And how was a woman to reply to that?
There was no choice because Matt was holding her. Matt was loving her.
Her Matt.
‘I guess the answer has to be yes,’ she whispered.
He set her back a little. ‘That sounds like you’re being forced.’
‘Not forced,’ she whispered. ‘Never forced, my love.’ And then she thought, I need to get this right. I need to say it like it is.
‘Matt, I will indeed marry you but I am being forced,’ she admitted. ‘Not by you, though. By me. I believe I fell in love with you the moment we met. We saved each other and we did so much more. We figured out who we are. So me... I’m the woman who loves Matt McLellan. I’m the woman who’ll help you adopt Henry, who’ll help care for Peggy. I’m the woman who’ll egg you on to save turtles and whatever else we can save along the way. But more than that. I’m the woman who’ll stay with you for ever, even if it means staying here for longer than Charlie’s charter, trying out this ridiculous bed, even if we have to burn our boat again to do it. Forced? I can’t deny what I am, Matt McLellan. I’m the woman who’s head over heels in love with you for ever.’
And that was that. The doubts fell away. He was her man, she thought, and she was his woman. For ever and ever and ever.
And the gleam in Matt’s lovely eyes said he knew it, too. Their world was starting anew.
‘I have news for you,’ Matt said as he gathered her into his arms again and carried her over to the preposterous bed. ‘I warned Charlie that we may be quite some time. I’m not stupid. I’ve set up radio checks every night. I’ve also asked Maureen to take care of your chooks. We’re stocked with human food and dog food. Apart from that...is there anything at all to stop us staying here?’
‘For ever?’ she breathed. ‘I guess the world will break in soon enough.’
‘But it’ll be our world,’ Matt said, and then he kissed her, tenderly, joyfully, wonderfully. ‘It’ll be our world for ever, my beautiful Meg. Starting now.’
* * *
If you enjoyed this story, check out these other great reads from Marion Lennox!
English Lord on Her Doorstep
The Billionaire’s Christmas Baby
Stranded with the Secret Billionaire
Stepping into the Prince’s World
All available now!
Keep reading for an excerpt from Swept Away by the Venetian Millionaire by Nina Singh.
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Swept Away by the Venetian Millionaire
by Nina Singh
CHAPTER ONE
IF ONLY SHE hadn’t left her packing until the last minute.
Though the chore did give her something to do, didn’t it? A task to take her mind off the catastrophic events of the past forty-eight hours. The time period in which she’d gone from being a happily engaged fiancée with a set, determined future to a woman betrayed.
Maya Talbot tossed the sandal she was about to pack across the room in utter disgust. It hit the wall with an unsatisfactory thud and left a dark smudge on matte beige paint. Ha! As if packing was her most pressing concern at the moment. No, there was a much more tragic issue she was dealing with right now: the fact that she’d suddenly found herself single, heartbroken and sorely disappointed. All as she was about to embark on the trip of a lifetime. A trip her hardworking grandmother had been generous and kind enough to gift her. A journey that had originally been meant for two. And now she’d be making that journey solo.
It was all too much. Maya plopped down on the bed and sobbed into her hands. How could you, Matt? How could you do this to me?
But perhaps the better question was, how long had he been deceiving her? Exactly how many women had he betrayed her with?
A nagging voice in her head teased that, deep down inside, she had known. She had always suspected that things between herself and her fiancé were not quite right. She had to admit the trepidation she’d felt whenever the two of them began discussing wedding preparations. The utter lack of focus from Matt when she’d asked him to go over all the details. She’d put it all down to pre-wedding nervousness on her part and obtuse male disinterest on his. Clearly, she should have listened to her instincts.
This trip was one she’d often dreamed of being able to take. The fantastical trip she’d always referred to as her “bucket list” getaway.
All she’d ever wanted since taking that art history class as a university freshman was to be able to tour through Europe to witness the grand art in world-famous museums and to marvel at the majestic architecture within the most romantic cities in the world. It was all to begin with a stop in Venice. Followed by a trip by rail to Florence and Rome. Then on to Paris, with a final stop in the glorious metropolis of London.
Maya had talked about it so often with her grandmother. Through some miracle, Grandmama Fran had come across a charity auction being held in Martha’s Vineyard where she lived. Bless her soul, the woman had dipped into her modest savings to bid on it for Maya as an early wedding gift. For a wedding that now would never take place.
Maya sucked in a deep breath. She couldn’t do this. She couldn’t go through with this trip; she had to have been kidding herself to even consider it. And there was not one other person she could think of to ask to accompany her. Working for her uncle’s plumbing company as a contractor had left her with a severe shortage of female colleagues. And all her closest friends had gradually moved out of the Boston area over the y
ears. Her cousins were quite busy with their own lives, as well—Lexie blessed recently with a newborn and Zelda immersed in a major project at work.
Unlike Maya, everyone around her seemed to be enjoying full, adventurous lives.
It was settled. Her mind was made up. She couldn’t handle seeing all those glorious, romantic spots as a single woman. Not when the original plan had been so different. The only reason Maya hadn’t canceled the trip immediately was because she couldn’t bear to turn down the gift of a lifetime and have Grandmama’s money go to such waste. It would have been bad enough for Matt’s half of the trip to be a loss. Granted they would have shared hotel rooms. But all his meals, travel, and museum tickets had been paid for in advance.
But the more she thought about it, the less feasible the whole idea became. She just didn’t have it in her. To traipse around Europe by herself, suddenly single and with a broken heart? No, she would stay here and try to pull her life back together. Beginning with somehow delivering the bad news of the broken engagement to Uncle Rex, Aunt Talley and her cousins.
Uncle Rex would be the toughest. He adored Matt and was going to be devastated. Not to mention the whole complication of Matt being the son of her uncle’s business partner. The notion that she was letting her whole family down was hard to squelch.
The whole situation was one big mess.
She had to start with breaking the news to Grandmama. Maya owed it to her grandmother to explain exactly why she was essentially throwing away such a loving and generous gift.
Grandmama Fran would understand. She would have to. With shaky fingers, Maya reached for her cell phone on the bedroom night stand. This would be one call she’d never forget.
Her grandmother picked up right away. “Maya, dear. I was hoping to hear from you before you left. How nice of you to take time to call.”
That was her grandmother. She was exactly the type of person to thank a grandchild for a simple phone call regarding a trip she herself had paid for. Maya swallowed yet another sob before trying to speak. “Hi there. I hope I didn’t wake you.”
“Nonsense. I’m much too excited to sleep.” Her grandmother chuckled into her ear through the tiny speaker. “I know it’s silly, but I’m as excited as if I were going myself. If only I was that mobile.”
Maya found herself wishing more than anything that could be so. Having her grandmother accompany her to Europe would be the ultimate solution to this big, painful mess. But Grandmama’s various health limitations made any kind of travel impossible.
“I shall just have to live vicariously through my favorite granddaughter,” Grandmama added, sending a spear of hurt through Maya’s chest.
Dammit. She had no reason to feel guilty. It wasn’t as if she’d been the one to cause her breakup. What choice had she had? How could she continue with a man who’d so utterly betrayed her trust?
None of that would make this announcement to her grandmother any easier, however. “Gran, I have something I need to tell you,” she began with a shaky, soft voice.
“Oh, my. You sound quite serious. I hope you aren’t about to thank me again, dear. You’ve already done so more than enough.”
Every word Grandmama spoke was just making this endeavor more and more difficult. She should have prepared herself better, Maya thought.
Her grandmother continued without giving Maya a chance to respond. “I was so happy to do it for you, you know. You may think I’m joking, but you really are my favorite.”
Maya couldn’t help the smile that spread over her lips. Ever since she’d lost her parents, Gran had been one of the people to step into the sudden massive hole in her life where her family used to be. Sure, her uncle, aunt and cousins had all provided her with a substitute family, and she’d be forever grateful to them for that. But the bond she felt with Grandmama went far deeper than any other relationship in Maya’s life. Gran had been as broken as Maya was over the tragic loss. The older woman’s loving comfort had been the sole factor in pulling Maya out of the overwhelming grief and pain after the accident.
Maya wanted to crumble at the thought that she was about to deliver yet another, albeit much smaller, bolt of pain to the older woman.
“Thanks, Gran. I just...”
Grandmama jumped into the silence. “Are you sure you packed that red dress with the thin shoulder straps? You look so nice in that dress, dear.”
This conversation was even more difficult than she’d thought it would be. Gran had actually been thinking of the wardrobe Maya would be taking. She really was living the trip vicariously through Maya.
“Oh, and it would go so well with those strappy sandals you wore the last time you came to visit. This is all so exciting, dear!”
Maya bit her lip as she faced reality: she didn’t have it in her to disappoint her grandmother. Not after the woman had already endured so much in her life. She just couldn’t bring herself to say the words. Grandmama was so happy on her behalf.
Somehow, some way, she would make herself go on this trip. For her grandmother’s sake if not for her own. Besides, who knew? Wasn’t one of Matt’s complaints about her that she always played life too safe? That she always took the path of least resistance? Not that she had much concern any longer about what Matt thought. But maybe he’d been right about this one thing. Maybe she would take this as an opportunity to try to be different, more adventurous. Going on a solo trip through Europe would certainly be an adventure. Maya decided she would do it.
Though misery was certain to follow her at every stop.
* * *
In all his thirty-two years as a resident son of Venice, Vittorio Rameri had never actually seen anyone topple out of a gondola before. He supposed it happened, though it was quite rare. He’d just never witnessed it firsthand.
That appeared to be about to change. For the woman he was watching as he sat at an outdoor table at his favorite waterside café was clearly about to lose her balance completely. Vito had no doubt she was American. Everything, from the tiny clutch purse she carried to the sensible capri pants she wore, tagged her as a young professional from a large US city. Maybe New York. Or Los Angeles.
He thought about going over to help but at this distance there was no way he would make it in time. He was right; it took mere seconds. The gondolier reached for her but the poor man wasn’t quick enough. With an inelegant gasp, she toppled over the side and landed with a sharp splash in the water.
Vittorio blinked his eyes against the bright sunshine. She had to be drunk, despite the relatively early hour of the afternoon. He’d seen his fair share of tipsy tourists, and certainly wasn’t one to judge. He’d just never seen one actually drunk enough to fall out of a gondola before. She’d attracted a crowd of onlookers as she splashed and spluttered in the water. None of them seemed to be of much help, however. The gondolier wasn’t having much luck pulling her out, either.
So much for a nice relaxing afternoon.
He didn’t know what compelled him to leave his much-needed espresso and the unread newspaper in order to go over and assist the lady. Perhaps it was the look of utter despair on her face just before she tipped over. Her expression clearly stated that she’d been through quite enough already. And that this fall into the murky Venetian water might ultimately be the last straw.
When Vito reached the gondola, it took extreme effort from both himself and the gondolier to manage to hoist her out of the water and onto the wooden walkway where the gondola was docked. She came out cursing in English. He’d been right about the American guess. Being fluent, Vito understood every one of the curse words she muttered. Or slurred, to be more accurate. Yep, she was definitely drunk. She was also soaked to the skin.
“Are you hurt, miss?” he asked when she stopped swearing long enough to take a breath.
He got a good look at her then and a strange sensation shot through his chest. Her eyes were the color of t
he Venetian sky at sunset. Thick, dark hair now clung to her face and scalp. Her makeup had clearly not been the waterproof kind.
Yet it struck him that she still looked quite lovely despite her accident of seconds ago.
The gondolier stood next to them, pale and silent. Vito couldn’t decide which one of them looked more shocked, the boatman or the American. For an insane moment, he had to bite back the urge to laugh. He barely managed to withhold a chuckle. How rude of him. Her state was no laughing matter, after all. For all he knew, she could be sporting some nasty injury. She still hadn’t answered his question.
She shook the water off her face. “Thank you for your help, whoever you are.” Turning back to the boatman, she said in a surprisingly steady and deadly serious tone, “I’ve changed my mind about the gondola ride, sir.”
That did it. Vito couldn’t hold it in any longer. A small chuckle escaped him before he could stop it. She whirled on him with such force, he thought she might topple over again.
“You think this is funny, do you?”
Her golden hazel eyes blazed bright with fury. Fury directed at him.
“I’m sorry, miss. I certainly did not mean to laugh at you.”
She continued to glare at him, despite his apology. The gondolier had apparently heard enough. Without another word, he jumped back onto his vessel and began to pole away. All too hurriedly, Vito thought.
The man had essentially just left him alone with this wet, tipsy American woman.
A woman who looked very good in wet clothes that clung to her skin. Vito gave himself a mental shake. Where had that wayward thought come from?
“You didn’t answer my question,” he reminded her.
“What question?”
“Are you all right? You didn’t hurt yourself or anything, did you?”
She rubbed a hand down her face. Vito watched as the anger suddenly seemed to just melt away from her. Replaced by something akin to total resignation. With a jolt of surprise, he realized that made him sad for some reason. He preferred her angry to defeated. As if it meant anything to him. He’d never laid eyes on the woman before.
Cinderella and the Billionaire Page 18
