by Bella Andre
Was she already missing him as much as he was missing her?
His phone buzzed as he walked down the Jetway and onto the plane. Shelley’s smiling face filled the screen with the caption, I got the gristmill!
He typed in a response on his phone as he took his seat. Congratulations, sweetheart! We’ll have to celebrate.
But before sending, Quinn hesitated with his finger over the screen. Celebrate? When would they get a chance to do that? Six or eight weeks from now?
He deleted the second half of his message, wishing she’d received the call hours earlier so he could have held her in his arms and felt her enthusiasm with his whole body.
I’ll call you tonight and we’ll make plans for the renovations.
Before sending this second text, he also worked it over in his mind. She’d need time to get her licensing figured out, and plans needed to be drawn up. Drawing up plans was tricky, even if Derek agreed to help her. And the contracts with subs would need overseeing. He knew his family would help her with all of those things. His brothers would never leave her hanging, but damn it, he should be the one helping her.
“Sir, you’ll need to put your cell phone away,” the flight attendant said as she walked past.
He hesitated again, his fingers hovering over the screen as he tried to figure out what to say to Shelley that wouldn’t only highlight the distance between them.
“I’m sorry. Now, sir,” she said with a polite but firm tone.
He powered down his phone without sending a text back, then shoved it in his pocket. But even as he flung open the document on his lap, he knew his enormous workload wouldn’t do a damn thing to help mask the dull ache of loneliness gnawing at his gut.
SHELLEY CLOSED HER fingers around the broom handle and took a few quiet moments to look at the interior of the gristmill, which was soon to be hers. With Abby’s help, a little finesse, and the charm of doing business on an island, the verbal agreement to purchase the gristmill was as solid as the ground Shelley stood on and she was granted access to the property to begin cleaning even though they still had to go through the formal closing.
It was the perfect way to work off the ache of missing Quinn.
Sierra and Abby had come by her cottage shortly after he had left to give her the good news about the gristmill and to bring her a housewarming gift for her newly rented cottage. Now they were here with her, scrubbing and mopping, helping to clean up the amazing building that she couldn’t wait to make her own.
“I think it’ll take you a week just to get the dust out of this place,” Sierra said as she wrung out the mop.
“I don’t care if it takes a month. Look at how incredible it looks after just two hours! I swear this place was put here just for me.”
Abby stopped scrubbing the counter she was cleaning and wiped her hands on a towel. “I think you’re right, Shelley. And,” she said with a soft smile, “I think Quinn has been waiting his whole life to meet you, too.”
Shelley had been working hard to keep from pining over him, but at the mention of his name, loneliness crept back in. “Is it silly that I miss him already?”
“Not at all,” Abby said as she began scrubbing again. “If I know Quinn, he’s missing you just as much.”
Sierra set the mop on the floor again. “I miss him, too. It’s funny, when Quinn, Trent, and Derek are gone for months at a time, I’m pretty much okay. I miss them, but I get used to it and I get busy. But when I’ve spent a bunch of time with them, I miss them more after they leave.”
With every scratch of the broom on the aged hardwood, Shelley wished Quinn were there with her. But short of that impossibility, she couldn’t have asked for a more enjoyable evening than spending time with, and being supported by, Abby and Sierra as they helped prepare the gristmill for her café.
QUINN BECAME MORE agitated by the second as he walked behind what had to be the slowest family in the world while trying to get off the plane.
He’d tried to bury himself in work on the flight, but his mind was drenched in thoughts of Shelley’s smile, her laugh, the way she touched him, inside and out. She was everywhere. Every thought, every scent sparked memories of something they’d done together or something she’d said.
He’d gone into the bathroom and splashed cold water on his face in an effort to center his focus on the work that he needed to be completely on top of, but when he’d looked at himself in the mirror, it was as if he was finally seeing himself—and what he really wanted—for the very first time in his life.
Yes, he’d worked his ass off to build his corporate empire, but what good was it if he couldn’t be with Shelley? He already knew he didn’t want to be like Chandler, a resentful old man whose true love turned him away because he was a workaholic. And he’d vowed to never put disappointment in Shelley’s eyes again, either.
Damn it, there was no way in hell that she was going to play second fiddle to his job. She deserved to come first, and she was going to come first.
Starting now.
When he finally broke free from behind the other passengers, the first thing he did was make a quick call to his fleet manager to arrange for a private plane back to the island—one that he found out was closing its doors in a matter of minutes. Quinn ran through the airport, weaving through the crowd. He reached the gate with less than a minute to spare, the door closing behind him as soon as he took his seat.
All it had taken was one short trip off the island for him to realize that he was done putting work ahead of starting his life with Shelley. He knew how much he loved her. And he knew he was capable of changing whatever he needed to in order to keep from hurting her and to give her the fulfilled and happy future she deserved. He didn’t need to be stuck in Annapolis, missing her every single second, to prove to himself that she was what really mattered. He already knew that.
Stuck in Annapolis. A week ago he’d felt stuck on the island. Shelley had not only opened his eyes to the beauty of the island he had once found too confining, but she’d also made him realize he needed something more than a shipping empire to fill his soul. Shelley had also reminded him of the importance of family.
Trent’s parting words came back to Quinn as the staff did their final preparation for takeoff: I was young and stupid. What’s your excuse?
Even though Trent’s marriage had failed, his brother clearly seemed to recognize that it wasn’t because love was fundamentally flawed, but because Trent and Reese had been barely more than kids when they’d gotten married. Which also meant that Trent had seen Quinn’s leaving the island, and Shelley, as a mistake before Quinn had. Everyone had probably seen it, but they respected him enough not to rush or push him.
Maybe now it’s time to let your heart have a turn at living, was what his mother had said before dinner. Abby Rockwell had always been wise. But never more than when she was gently counseling him on finding—and keeping—true love.
Before the flight staff made everyone turn off their devices, Quinn dialed Rich’s number and drew in a deep breath, mentally preparing for his business partner’s anger.
“Where are you?” Rich barked. “The driver said he can’t find you.”
“He’s not going to find me. I’m on a flight back to the island.”
“Quinn, you can’t be serious.”
“Dead serious.”
“What about Joseph? We’ll lose him.”
Quinn still loved the company he’d started from little more than an idea and the gumption to succeed. He’d given years of his life to building the shipping empire that he and Rich now treasured. But Quinn had only so many hours in the day to give—and now he wanted to give lots of those hours to Shelley. What’s more, he also now knew that he needed to be on the island as much as he wanted to be there.
How could he have thought it was fair to leave when his family was doing exactly what they’d committed to doing? And who knew he’d learn the most important life lessons of all from the naked beauty he’d seen flitting about in
the cove the night he’d arrived on the island?
Quinn hadn’t known if he believed in fate before he met Shelley, but now he believed that things did happen for a reason. In this case—his leaving the company was actually the perfect way to get Joseph to stay.
“Let’s promote Joseph and give him most of my current responsibilities, including negotiating the fair trade issues I was coming back to deal with. He’s been a loyal employee for years, and right now, with the way my life has changed course, he’s exactly what our company needs—a gung-ho employee who wants to take it to the next level.” While I focus on creating a life with Shelley. A life she deserves with a man who is there for her. A life both of us deserve.
The flight attendant motioned for him to turn his phone off as they taxied out on the runway.
“I’ll have a remote office set up next week. From here on out, all of my conferences will be virtual. I’ve got to hang up because we’re taxiing out on the runway, but I have faith that Joseph is the right man for the job. Oh, and I’m taking the weekend off, but we’ll talk Monday about the merger.”
Quinn ended the call feeling like the luckiest guy on earth—and also the biggest fool. He gazed out into the dark sky as they flew toward Rockwell Island and wondered how he could have been so blind, so stupid, to have left the woman he loved?
Anyone with half a brain would have grabbed at this type of true love with both hands and done everything within their power to nurture it and keep it strong. Which was exactly what he was going back to do.
To nurture Shelley’s love and keep it strong. Forever.
AFTER GRABBING A bite to eat with Abby and Sierra, Shelley hadn’t wanted to go back to her empty cottage. Sierra’d had to go back to the restaurant, and Abby had gone home to Griffin, though, so she’d come back to the gristmill and worked until her arms felt like wet noodles. At least the windows on the first level were clean and she no longer kicked up dust with every step.
It was already after ten o’clock and she hoped Quinn was okay. But she was worried that the reason he hadn’t called yet was because he was so horribly overloaded with all the work and pressure waiting for him in Annapolis. She only wished she could be there with him at the end of his stressful day to hold him in her arms and help him relax.
She’d never been in love before, and she’d questioned the validity of people saying their hearts ached or they felt empty when they weren’t with the one they loved. She’d never imagined feeling any of those things because she’d been so sure that true love would never hurt. But now she realized that this complexity of emotions—feeling hollow and full at the same time, strong and weak, like she could make the world spin on its axis or just as easily fall into a well of tears—was the beauty of love.
How could she treasure the incredible highs if she didn’t accept the depths of missing Quinn when he was gone?
Shelley had begun mopping again with renewed vengeance, when she heard the sound of the bushes at the edge of the property rustling. Through the window she could see a figure illuminated by the faint moonlight emerging from between the two tallest bushes.
She was wondering who the heck could be out there at this time of night when Quinn’s face suddenly came into focus amid the dim light.
“Quinn!” Her breath caught in her throat as she dropped the mop and ran outside to leap into his arms. She kissed his lips, his forehead, his cheeks. Everywhere she could. “You’re here.” She could hardly believe it. “You’re really here.”
“Yes, I’m really here.” His smile shot straight to the center of her chest. “And I’ve never been happier to see anyone in my life.”
Their hearts hammered in time with the other’s, and they were both grinning like the lovesick fools that they were, when it finally occurred to her to ask, “Why are you here?”
“Because you’re here, Shell. While you were falling in love with the island, I was falling in love with you. I realized on the way back to Maryland that it wasn’t signing the takeover papers that had the power to change my life, Shell. It was you. The whole flight back, I was planning to stop to buy you a ring and get champagne, and then I was going to take you out on one of my boats filled with roses to profess my love for you and show you how much you mean to me. But, Shell...” He stroked her cheek and held her emotional gaze. “Once I touched down on the island, I couldn’t wait another second to be with you. And then I realized what you’ve known all along. Things can’t prove my love for you. There’s only one way to do that, by being with you. I’m here, Shell. And I have faith in us, too. Because when I’m with you, I’m home. It doesn’t matter where we are or what we’re doing as long as we’re together. This is where I belong. With you. Every day. And every single night.”
Shelley wanted to tell him how much she loved him and that he was right—the only thing she cared about was that they were together—but when she opened her mouth, emotions swallowed her voice. Which was just as well, because he had more he needed to say.
“I knew you’d be here working late to try to drown out the voices in your head that said we shouldn’t be apart, just like I was. But I don’t want you to ever have to work to drive away pain again. I want to give you more joy, more happiness than you’ve ever known before. More than you ever thought was possible.”
“You already have.” Each word was drenched with love. So much love she was bursting with it. “You already do.”
“No, sweetheart. This is only the beginning. You told me that I held your heart in my hands. What kind of a man would I be if I didn’t cherish your heart with everything I had? From the first night we met in the cove, you made everything brighter, everything better. You’re the light of my life, Shelley.”
Give me a guiding light, had been her wish. Lead me to my forever home.
Her wish—all of her wishes—had come true. But who would have ever thought that she would be his guiding light, too?
Shelley couldn’t stop smiling as she told the man she loved, “I’ve wished for true love my whole life. And now here you are. Giving me Cape Cod kisses in the moonlight.”
“I want to make all your wishes come true, Shell. Let me teach you how to skip rocks, and you can teach me how to keep making the most out of every precious moment, especially the ones when we sneak out to our cove and go skinny-dipping together.” She had to kiss him, had to let him know how happy he made her, even as he continued to say, “I want us to have rebellious children with minds of their own. We’ll teach them to enjoy all the little things in life, and they’ll grow up with more love than any children have ever known. I want to drink in every single gasp of pleasure as I make love to you each night...and then be the luckiest guy in the world when I get to love every inch of you again each morning.” He gazed deeply into her eyes. “Say you’ll marry me, Shell, and be mine forever.”
“Forever,” she echoed breathlessly, before laughing out loud in amazement at the realization that her solo honeymoon was going to end with her saying, “Once upon a time I thought dating was a bore and husbands were overrated”—both of them were laughing now—“but now there’s nothing I want more than to be yours. Forever.”
Epilogue
Six weeks later…
TRENT ROCKWELL HAMMERED in the last few nails on the shelves he and his brothers were building inside the old gristmill that Shelley had purchased for her new coffee shop.
The renovations were really coming together. Quinn, Shelley, and Derek had come up with impressive plans to maintain the integrity and character of the old building while using materials that would enhance the rustic charm of the historical structure.
Trent set the hammer down on the old millstone and took stock of what was left to do. A little sanding, some painting, staining. In a few weeks, the coffee shop would be up and running. He’d forgotten how much he enjoyed working with his hands and how great it was to come together with his family on a project that was separate from running the resort—which was also shaping up, though not quite as qu
ickly or as simply as Shelley’s café.
It was after ten p.m. and his siblings had already called it a night. He pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it aside, trying for the hundredth time since he’d gone outside an hour ago to retrieve tools from his truck to distract himself from thinking about the light he’d seen on at Reese’s gallery. He knew Reese was still away, helping her sister with her new baby, which meant her assistant, Jocelyn, was probably working late.
Working late had become the bane of Trent’s existence. He thought of how much Quinn had changed since meeting Shelley. His brother had finally begun to take some time off work and enjoy life. Trent had learned the hard way what being a workaholic earned a person—and other than the income and prestige, which in his view were highly overrated, he didn’t have much to gain by continuing on that path.
Which only sent his mind drifting back to Reese.
Was she ever far from his mind?
A little more than ten years ago, they’d shared both a wild passion for each other and big hopes and dreams of building a life together in New York. They had thought he’d establish his career as an attorney and she’d grow to love city life and would eventually open her own gallery. But she was an island girl at heart, and he…
Well, he’d taken after his grandfather—perhaps a little too much—and those seventy-hour work weeks had destroyed their relationship. He could hardly believe Reese had only been nineteen when they’d wed. He smiled, thinking about how young they’d both been, even though it hurt sometimes to remember how beautiful she’d looked standing on the beach beneath the moonlight in her wedding gown. So beautiful, and so sexy, that they hadn't slept one single moment of their wedding night.
Had it really been a decade since he’d found the Dear Trent note that had ended their marriage?
He rubbed the knot at the back of his neck, reminding himself that it was better to leave the past in the past.
