To Breathe Again (Learning To Live Again Book 3)
Page 8
“I agree. Just one more box and then we’re done. But I officially hate moving.”
Shaun raised an eyebrow. “Should I be offended?”
“I wasn’t done talking, my dear husband. What I meant to say was, I hate moving, but for you, I’d do it every day.”
Kelsey was exactly where she was supposed to be. Her family and friends had been sad to see her leave Ireland for good, but they supported her decision to move to the U.S. She had left behind her restaurant, but Dave had proven to be highly capable of co-managing it with her. Her home was with her husband.
Last year, Melisa had approached Kelsey again with the offer of opening up a restaurant together. Kelsey accepted. Right now, while they were moving, Melisa was busy looking for the perfect location.
“Don’t worry.” Shaun laid a hand on her stomach. “We won’t be moving again anytime soon. And this house took a long time to build. We have to make the most of it.”
Kelsey placed her hand on top of his. “I totally agree.” She beamed.
They had initially planned to have a bigger wedding in Ireland, but in the end, they decided they were happy with their romantic impulse wedding on Dustin’s jet. It had been special to them. They didn’t want to water it down.
It had taken Kelsey longer than expected to move to Serendipity. She had wanted to make sure her restaurant was in perfect hands first. And since Shaun was busy in Hollywood anyway, he told her to spend more time with her family and friends before leaving for good. They did get to see each other at least twice a month, taking care their marriage didn’t suffer from the distance.
When Kelsey finally came back to the States, they stayed with Rachel while their dream home was being built from the ground up: a spacious five-bedroom French-style villa with a sunbathing terrace, a heated pool, and lush gardens. It was all a wedding gift from Kelsey’s father.
Five months after Kelsey moved to the U.S., they discovered she was pregnant. At first, they were both frightened of the possible risks since she was a transplant patient, but Shaun took Kelsey to the best doctor in town, who had alleviated their fears while promising to monitor the pregnancy closely.
Kelsey took a sip from her mug and sighed with contentment. “You make me so happy, Shaun. With you, I just feel at home.”
“You are my home,” he said. “I’ll never run again.”
Some of the townspeople still hadn’t forgiven Shaun, but they kept their anger to themselves since the shooting. No more refusals to serve Kelsey in grocery stores, and no more violence. Things took a turn for the better when, last Christmas, Nick showed up at Rachel’s house asking to talk to Shaun.
Kelsey had watched from the next room as the old man told Shaun he had forgiven him, and they hugged. They cried as one for Carmen, the woman they had both loved and lost.
Before Nick left, Shaun gave him Carmen’s belongings, and Nick congratulated them on their life together. Kelsey and Shaun never saw him again.
Out of nowhere, Kelsey started laughing and had to put the mug on the table before hot liquid sloshed onto her hands. “I still can’t believe everything we went through together. It almost feels as if those things happened to other people. Can you believe we’re finally here?”
Shaun placed his mug next to Kelsey’s and pulled her close. “What matters is that we made it through it all. Our love can withstand anything.”
“I just hope we’ve made it through the worst. I think we deserve some time to exhale.”
“I’ll never let anything come between us again. And I’ll sure as hell never let anything or anyone harm you or our baby. You, Kelsey Brannon, have given me my life back. And speaking of exhaling—being with you is like a breath of fresh air. I can breathe again.”
“I’ll make sure you keep breathing. I love you, Shaun Brannon.” Kelsey blinked away the tears and leaned her head onto Shaun’s shoulder. She drew a deep breath herself and exhaled slowly. “I’ll never love another.”
Epilogue
“The doctor was right,” Kelsey said, a tear trickling down her flushed cheek. “Our baby is perfect.” She kissed the sleeping baby’s button nose.
Shaun leaned down and kissed the tears off her cheeks. “That’s not surprising. You made him.”
She gazed up into her husband’s eyes, which were wet and tired, thanks to her twenty hours of labor and the fear that something might still go wrong.
“Wrong,” she said. “We made him. Our miracle.”
Shaun brushed the damp hair from her forehead and smiled. “Ready to give him a name now?”
He had wanted to pick a name for months, but Kelsey had been hesitant. A name made the baby that much more real, and harder to let go of should anything go wrong. Thank God everything had gone well.
“I am. Do you have an idea?” she asked him. “If not, I do.”
“You choose. You went through the pain to bring him into this world.”
“Promise to keep an open mind?” Nervous butterflies flitted in the pit of her stomach.
He narrowed his eyes. “You don’t want to name our kid Cabbage or something ridiculous like that, do you?” He laughed, his eyes crinkling and sparkling under his thick lashes.
Kelsey smoothed her son’s soft blond hair. “Never. I was thinking… How about Carmine? It’s a variant of—”
“Of Carmen,” he whispered. “Why?”
Kelsey met his gaze. “She taught you how to love. I want her to be remembered.”
Shaun said nothing for a long time, and when he did, his voice was thick. “Even if there had been no Carmen, I’d have loved you anyway. You and I were meant to be, from the start.”
She smiled, glowing from the inside. “I think so too.” She paused. “I still want to keep the name. I think it’s beautiful.”
Shaun kissed her softly on the lips and lifted the baby from her arms. “Carmine Brannon,” he said. “It does have a nice ring to it.” He kissed his son’s cheek. “Let’s go for a walk, little man. Mommy needs to rest.” He kissed Kelsey again. “We love you.”
“I love you more.” Kelsey smiled and her eyes began to droop.
“That’s impossible and you know it.”
Kelsey closed her eyes with a sigh. She was safe and content, wrapped in the cloak of Shaun’s love.
THE END
Thank you for reading. If you enjoyed this book please consider writing a review, and recommend it to friends and family.
To read Heat and Melisa’s tragic, but sexy love story, purchase a copy of Bittersweet Moments (Moments in Time 3) and Defining Moments (Moments in Time 4).
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Read on to find out about the first book in Dori Lavelle’s upcoming serial (His Agenda), which can now be preordered HERE.
COMING SOON
VEILED OBSESSION (HIS AGENDA 1)
**WARNING: Due to sexual situations and dark content, this twisted romantic thriller is not intended for readers under the age of 18.**
I cry for the man I used to know, the man I used to love…until his love killed mine.
My name is Haley Macknight, and I’m dying inside. From the outside my life is every woman’s dream. I’m married to Jude Macknight, a handsome billionaire who loves me…too much.
Once upon a time, I loved him. But that love is dead. Unwilling to let me go, I’ve become his obsession. He will stop at nothing to make sure I remain in a marriage I no longer want, inside my gilded cage.
Each day I pull away from Jude, I watch him transform into a monster. Before my eyes, he becomes a man I don’t recognize, a dangerous man. He makes it clear that I belong to him, that my life is no longer my own. If I leave, he’ll kill me. But if I stay, I’ll die a slow death.
PREORDER YOUR COPY HERE.
Other Books by Dori Lavelle
Entangled Moments (Moments in Time #1)
Rekindled Moments (Moments in Time #2)
Bitterswee
t Moments (Moments in Time #3)
Defining Moments (Moments In Time 4)
To Live Again (Learning to Live Again 1)
To Love Again (Learning to Live Again 2)
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Email: dorilavelle@gmail.com