A Lot Like Love

by Jennifer Snow

He hugged her tighter. “Just well enough.” This new job opportunity with Melendez Cottages might be the one he needed to get his company…his life back on track, and he wouldn’t have it if it weren’t for his genius daughter and the woman he was in love with.

  He cleared his throat. “Hey, you wouldn’t happen to have an app that could help me go back in time and stop myself from doing something stupid, would you?”

  Marissa raised an eyebrow as she looked up at him. “Nope. Unfortunately, you’re going to have to make it up to Sarah the old-fashioned way—by groveling.”

  Groveling. Right.

  …

  The ceremony of life on the beach was the perfect send-off for Mr. Harrison. All the local business vendors along the boardwalk had closed early that evening to say a final farewell to a man who’d meant a lot to all of them. One by one, they’d helped spread his ashes into the ocean and shared a memory of the man they’d gotten to know over the years.

  Sarah had only recently gotten the chance to know him, but he’d always hold a special place in her heart. She hoped he’d finally found peace.

  As the sun set on the ocean, everyone slowly dispersed, leaving Sarah alone on the beach. She stared out into the waves and fought to calm her conflicted emotions. Her grandmother and Mr. Harrison had never gotten their second chance, despite the love they had for each other.

  Maybe some things just weren’t meant to be.

  Years ago, Dove’s Nest had helped her grandmother cope with heartache and loss, and now this new event venue would help her heal from her disappointment as well.

  She wiped a tear from her cheek as she silently said her own goodbye to the man who’d meant so much to her grandmother; then she turned to head back.

  Her cell phone chimed with a new email from Whitney, and Sarah smiled to see the new reopening brochure her friend had redesigned for the inn. Sarah gulped. This was it. She was doing it. She was staying in her hometown and taking a chance at her own dream, while preserving her grandmother’s.

  Climbing into her car, she took her time driving along the coast toward the inn. For so many years, she’d been desperate to leave. She’d always felt out of place in the small town and hadn’t thought she could accomplish the things she wanted living there. She’d been wrong. She’d just needed to carve out a place for herself and let the community embrace her.

  Just like they were embracing the new Dove’s Nest.

  She pulled into the driveway, and seeing Wes’s truck parked in front, she swallowed hard. He must be there to fix the cellar door. She hadn’t really seen him since their argument, and the idea of seeing him now had her chest tightening even more. Staying in Blue Moon Bay and not being with him was going to be torture. But she’d made her decision.

  Checking her reflection in the rearview mirror, she climbed out of her car and slowly made her way to the front door. A deep breath and she entered.

  The ominous sound of the buzz saw had her eyes widening as she entered the foyer. She frowned as she moved in farther and glanced up the stairway to the guest bedrooms.

  Wes stood on the top step, dressed in his jeans and paint-splattered T-shirt, his utility belt on his waist as he used the saw to cut into the landing where she’d fallen through. What the hell was he doing? Destroying the place? Her heart raced as she hurried up the stairs toward him. “Wes!”

  He continued to work, cutting a huge piece of wood out of the landing.

  “Wes, what the hell are you doing?” She’d just decided to keep the inn and now she’d have to pay him to repair the landing again?

  He finished cutting and turned off the saw. Removing his safety goggles, he turned to face her. “Hi,” he said, looking nervous.

  He should be nervous. “Hi?” How about an explanation for destroying her newly renovated staircase?

  “So, I heard a rumor that you’ve decided to keep the place,” he said, his thoughts on the subject undecipherable.

  “So, naturally you decide to destroy it?” Her pulse raced. He looked so freaking good and despite the situation, she had to hold herself back from rushing toward him.

  “I’m not destroying it. I needed to show you something,” he said, bending to lift the piece of wood from the landing. He turned it around and handed it to her.

  With a slightly shaky hand, she took it. Then frowned as she flipped it over. He’d written something on the plank of wood.

  “A lot of builders like to leave their mark somewhere in their builds and renovations. A little signature on the drywall…a family photo…”

  Sarah squinted to read what he’d written.

  The incomparable Sarah Lewis was here.

  Her laugh was more of a half sob as she stared at it, feeling new tears well in her eyes.

  Wes put the saw down and moved toward her. “So it’s true. You’re staying?”

  She nodded. “Yes. I’ve decided this…place, Dove’s Nest, is too important to let go of,” she said, fighting to keep her emotions from overwhelming her.

  The last few days had taken their toll, and as ready as she was to move forward with her plans, she was still as conflicted as ever.

  “So this decision to stay had nothing to do with me? With us?”

  Her heart pounded. Was he saying there was still a chance for them?

  Just days before, he was willing to let her go. She refused to let her guard down so quickly this time, but she couldn’t lie to him. “It wasn’t not because of you…of us,” she said quietly, glancing at the piece of wood in her hands.

  He took several strides toward her, and his chest rose and fell as he took several deep breaths. “I was wrong, Sarah. About everything. You were right about Marissa needing freedom and space to be who she is…and about me needing to let go of the past and tradition and embrace the new.”

  She shook her head. “I understood you being angry about the app. I should have been more careful—”

  “Parents learn as we go. We all make mistakes along the way, but what you did for Marissa this summer…” He paused, emotion written all over his handsome face. “What you did for me with the website—I can’t thank you enough.”

  “That was all Marissa,” she said. “She’s so incredible. The before and after pictures, the quotes from locals, and creating the website design…all her.” Man, she missed the little girl as much as she’d been missing Wes.

  “She is incredible,” he said. “And so are you. I’ve always thought so, and these last few weeks, my feelings for you, my attraction—has only grown.”

  He paused, and she held her breath. She felt the same way, but doubt and fear held her back from saying anything. She’d put herself out there too many times already. Maybe he still wasn’t ready…

  “Sarah, I’m sorry.” He stepped closer. “And I’m hoping you’ll give me one last chance to prove to you how I feel about you. This is what I want. Sarah, I want you here with us.” He took her hands in his and pulled her toward him, his gaze locked on hers.

  She stepped into his arms, desperate to believe that this was the right decision for all of them. That everything was going to work out. She was in love with him, and she loved Marissa, and she wanted this new start. Blue Moon Bay was her home and she wanted to be here. With them.

  He touched her cheek, then cupped her face in his hands as she stared up at him. “I love you, Sarah. I’m in love with you,” he said.

  The words were everything she’d been wanting to hear. “It’s only ever been you for me, Wes.”

  His gaze burned into hers with a look she’d never seen before—desire, affection, attraction. No sign of hesitation or uncertainty.

  She swallowed hard.

  “Sarah, kiss me. I promise you I won’t hurt you this time. Or ever,” he said, tracing his thumb along her bottom lip, his eyes darting back and forth between her eyes and her mouth.

  She r
eleased a deep breath as she raised her arms to encircle his neck, drawing his head lower. “Say my name again,” she whispered.

  “Sarah,” he said against her lips as their mouths connected and she let everything go—her fears, her reservations, her doubt. She clung to him as they stood on the broken staircase, feeling as though all the pieces were finally put together.

  She could feel her heart opening a little more with each second and the stress of the last few months evaporated in the hot California sun.

  Starting over wasn’t looking so bad after all.

  Her breath caught in her chest, and all the happiness and hope in there made her feel like she might explode as she pulled back to look at him. “I’m in love with you, too,” she whispered. “But you know you need to fix my staircase again, right?”

  Wes grinned at her as he held her close. “I was counting on it. At the very least, it gave me an excuse to come back here.”

  Sarah kissed the man she loved again, knowing everything was going to be okay.

  Thank you, Grandma.

  Epilogue

  A month later…

  Wes could barely see the top of Marissa’s head over the stack of boxes she carried from the truck toward the office space on Main Street. They were finally moving back out of his kitchen and into a real office.

  And he owed that to Sarah.

  The woman he was in love with more and more every day.

  The past month together, growing closer, growing stronger as a couple, as a family had been better than he’d ever imagined. They were good together. They worked so well as a team. He couldn’t imagine his life without her. Couldn’t imagine their life without her.

  He was a lucky man.

  He unlocked the door and held it as Marissa entered. She set the boxes down on the floor and looked around. “Wow, it’s even bigger than I remembered.”

  She’d been little the last time he’d been in the space. Being in there again now felt good. It felt right, like he was moving in the right direction.

  “We’re going to be busy.” He’d hired two assistants to help run the office as Aunt Carmen had officially retired, and thanks to his new website, he had work booked into the summer of the following year. Life had changed in what felt like the blink of an eye. But in the best possible way.

  Sarah’s car pulled up outside and she climbed out, carrying a box of her own.

  Damn, the sight of her always had his heart pounding out of his chest. She was so beautiful and so amazing. He didn’t deserve her, but he was ready to spend the rest of his life trying.

  “What’s this?” he asked, taking it from her and kissing her as chastely as possible with Marissa watching.

  “A new system for the boardroom for virtual meetings with clients,” she said.

  He laughed as he shook his head. “You’re really going to bring me into this century, huh?”

  “That’s the plan. After all, I did it with the B&B. We did it with the B&B, so anything’s possible,” she said.

  He set the box down and wrapped one arm around her, leaving a gap for Marissa to join in the group hug. “So, we’ll do all of this…together?”

  “Together,” Marissa and Sarah agreed.

  Marissa nudged him, and he glanced down at her wide-eyed, eager expression. Ask her, she mouthed.

  Wes’s heart beat out of his chest, and his palms were immediately sweaty as he took a deep breath. Marissa was right. Now was the perfect time.

  He reached into his pocket and took out a tiny box, the local jewelry store logo visible on top. He’d been carrying it around for a week, waiting for the right time. A month seemed fast, but they’d known each other their entire lives. And why put off what they both wanted? He loved her, and he could feel her love for him and Marissa every day.

  Sarah’s mouth dropped as he slowly got down on one knee.

  Beside him, Marissa could barely contain her excitement, ready to burst out of her skin any moment. If he didn’t ask quickly, his daughter would take over the proposal herself.

  “Sarah, I’m in love with you. I can’t imagine my life—our life”—he smiled at Marissa—“without you in it. Will you make us the luckiest family ever and be my wife and Marissa’s stepmom?” he asked, swallowing back his own emotions.

  Tears welled in Sarah’s eyes as she glanced back and forth between them. She nodded quickly. “Yes! Yes. A million times yes,” she said over a strangled-sounding laugh.

  Wes stood and took her hand in his shaking one. He gently slid the engagement ring on her finger and kissed her softly.

  Marissa clapped and hollered as she watched on.

  “Really?” Sarah asked, the look of surprise still on her beautiful face. “We’re really going to do this?”

  Wes nodded. “The three of us forever.” He kissed her again. “So make sure you leave a date open at that busy B&B of yours for the wedding.”

  Sarah smiled. “Any date you want.”

  He’d marry her that minute if he could. “I love you, Sarah.”

  “I love you,” she said. “And I love you,” she said to Marissa.

  Opening his arms once more, Wes held the two most important people in his life tight as he released a deep, satisfied sigh. The best things in life really did happen when you least expected them.

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  Acknowledgments

  Thank you to my agent, Jill Marsal and my editors, Lydia Sharp, Liz Pelletier, and Stacy Abrams for all the insightful feedback and edits. Thank you to the entire Entangled team for the breathtakingly beautiful cover and all the marketing and promotion efforts. A big thank you to my husband and son for surviving this deadline as we also planned a move across the world while I was writing lol! And a big hug to all my readers who continue to support me and my stories! Thank you for allowing me to do what I love and call it “work”. XOXO

  About the Author

  Jennifer Snow is an award-winning, USA Today bestselling author of more than thirty-five romance and thriller novels. Publishing with Entangled, Grand Central, Harlequin, Berkley, and Thomas & Mercer, she has more than ten years of experience crafting stories that connect with readers worldwide. Her books have been translated into five different languages and have been optioned for film and television. Jennifer is the writer of the Mistletoe series of screenplays and is known for her romantic comedies and female-driven dramas for TV and film. She lives in Torrevieja, Spain, with her husband and son.

  jennifersnowauthor.com

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