“Even us?”
“Especially us.”
She sucked in a breath. “I’m scared, Chance. Every one I’ve ever loved has let me down.”
He clamped his eyes shut. “Including me.”
“Yes,” she barely whispered.
Looking at her once again, he saw the indecision warring within her. “I can’t guarantee I’ll be an angel or won’t mess up from time to time. But, I can tell you I’ll do everything that’s in my power to make it work between us. I owe that to myself. I owe us that much, too.” His voice rang with conviction.
Sitting back, she just stared at him. “I don’t know what to say.”
“My granddad knew something that neither one of us counted on.”
“What’s that?”
“That love will see you through.” He paused. “I didn’t realize that before, but I do now. Hell, my granddad’s love never faltered even when I was at my worst. Even your granny relied on that, she knew that out of love you would stay with her. She also knew, that a mother’s love would override all else, that’s one of the reasons why she gave our son away so she wouldn’t lose you to him.”
He gripped her hands tighter. “That’s what I lived for all these years, being able to live up to the love you had for me.”
“What are you saying, Chance?”
Slowly, he released her hands and reached back to withdraw the object from his back pocket. With a shaky hand, he gave her back her diary he’d stolen from her freshman year.
With shock written all over her face, she sucked in a sharp breath. Glancing from the flowered yellow book, and then to him she said, “My diary? You’ve had it all this time.”
“Everywhere I went.”
“But I thought granny found it and threw it out.” A flush crept along her cheeks.
He snorted. “You gave her credit for that?”
She smiled, and then began to chuckle at that. “Devil!”
“Yep, that’s right, sunshine.”
She smoothed her hand over the surface of the book, dislodging a faded picture from its folds. She sucked in a breath when she stared at her own teenaged image. “All this time you’ve had this, too.” Awe colored her words.
She traced the worn spots of the picture much as he’d done thousands of times over the years. “I thought no one could ever love someone like me.” Shaking her head, she said, “Especially back then. I had too many freckles, braces that filled my mouth, too long legs, and knobby knees…” Gazing up at him, he saw the myriad of emotions chase across her face. Then her eyes held such joy and such wonder that warmth spread clear through his soul. “But, you did.”
“Yes,” he whispered softly. For long moments, he stared into her intense green gaze shining with love. He swore his heart turned over in his chest.
“So you knew all along?”
“That you loved me? Yes.” He cleared his suddenly clogged throat. “And it kept me going, even when all I could do was survive. You saw me as no one else did.”
“With promise?”
He grinned at that. “And so much more.”
She gazed into his eyes and his heart leapt. “I love you with all my heart, Chance Deveraux.”
“Yes, I know.”
She jabbed him in the ribs again.
He grabbed her hand, holding tight. “And, I also know that I loved you for years, Tessa, it just took me a whole lot longer to admit it. Besides that, honey, I can’t live without you. Never could. I was just existing.”
She went into his arms and he held her tight, burying his face in her wild, fragrant hair. “So, what do you say, sunshine, are you willing to give this reformed bad boy a shot?”
Pulling back slightly, she gazed long and hard into his eyes making his heart jump. “Ah…do we have to put aside the bad boy altogether? I sorta liked him in certain areas.”
He laughed at that. “I’ll have to see what I can do about that. But early reviews say you’re looking good.” He claimed her lips in a gentle, seductive caress.
“Teaser,” she murmured, her eyes filled with love.
“Yep, and there’s more where that came from. Lots more.”
“Years and years more?” Her voice lilted with hope.
He was the one to pull back this time. Growing serious, he said, “A lifetime wouldn’t be long enough to love you the way you deserve to be loved, sunshine.”
Epilogue
One year later
Tessa crossed the church threshold and smiled widely. The last time she’d been here was on her wedding day. The baby she held close yawned and stretched. Looking down, she pressed a soft kiss on the top of the soft red curls. “Well, hello, little one. You certainly know when to wake up, don’t you?”
Beside her, Chance wrapped his arm around her shoulders. Warmth spread through her. “She’s like her mom and knows when it’s time to shine as the star. Aren’t you, Grace?” The baby cooed when she heard her father say her name. When he leaned down and kissed Tessa on her forehead, her heart melted.
“You, Mr. Deveraux, are wonderful,” she whispered softly, and then stood on tip-toe to kiss his jaw.
Tenderly, he took the baby from her arms. “No, sunshine, you are, for arranging all this.” Cradling the pink bundle close to his chest, he nodded to her business partners, their husbands, and their newborn babies standing around the altar as they looked through the wide open double doors, and then proceeded to join the group. It had been Tessa’s idea to combine all three babies’ baptisms and it had turned out perfectly.
Awe swelled in her middle as they walked up the aisle. Looking at Chance with such pride, she marveled at the man he’d become. He’d started with the troubled teens Father Tom had asked him to assist with and had turned them and many others around.
Now, his time was divided between the old school he, Devon, and Nick were renovating for a youth center, the flourishing pub, teaching mechanics part-time, mentoring teens, and helping Leo get his life together. Also, he’d gotten both their grandmothers to spearhead a foster grandparent program for the soon-to-be opened youth center. While doing all that he still had time to come to her many dance recitals and spend time with the baby and her.
Sighing, she thought how the last year had been full of discovery and wonder and lots of love.
Turning toward the front of the church, she cupped her hand over her mouth to hold back a giggle.
“Hey, what’s so funny?” Bree asked, turning to them as they drew near.
“Us. Three best friends, having married a few months apart, and then having three beautiful little girls. And I was just remembering all of us waddling around the shop together.”
The others must have heard her; they chuckled along with her.
Jewel piped up, “Can you believe people coming from miles around thinking something special was in our water after they found out about us delivering a month apart from each other?”
“That’s nothing,” Nick said, patting his little baby on the bottom to soothe her sudden cry as he held her close. He jerked his head to the pew behind them. “What I can’t believe is Granny Warfield and Granny Deveraux. Now that’s incredible.”
Tessa agreed as she turned to see the two older woman, heads bent together in conspiracy over the latest picture of their great-granddaughter.
Memories flooded back as she recalled the long days without her granny in her life. It had been Chance who brought them together last Christmas. He insisted on inviting everyone for the holiday. That small, unselfish act had broken the ice. But it had taken much longer to heal Tessa’s heart. Now, taking a deep, shaky breath, she knew that with the birth of little Grace, she had truly learned to forgive her granny.
“Yeah, last time we were in a church with them they had a brawl,” Devon said as he handed over their little girl to his wife.
“And how,” Granny Warfield said as she joined them. Turning to her partner-in-crime, she said, “But wasn’t that fun, Della?”
Chance’s grand
mother laughed heartily, and then swiped the tears from the corners of her eyes. “That was good, if I do say so myself.”
“Grandmothers,” Chance said, shaking his head, chuckling softly.
“Mine’s pretty good.” Sean, Jewel and Devon’s son, helped his grandmother walk to the circle of friends.
Sydney, Bree’s little girl, rushed to the other side to assist the older, frail woman. “Yep, Granny Marshall bakes the best sugar cookies.”
“Yum, yum.” Father Tom entered through the side door with Reverend Duffy and Gil Lambert on his heels. “Well, is everyone here? Are we all just about ready?”
“What’s the rush, Father Tom, you and Gil have another bet going on we don’t know about?” Nick asked with a smile in his voice. The two men’s bets were legendary in town.
Gil grinned sheepishly. “Not on the Red Sox and Yankees this time, folks.” He hesitated for a moment. “Ah, the bet was on all of you.”
Tessa raised her eyebrows at that. “Us? How so?”
“Father, you explain,” Gil offered.
But before Father Tom could get a word out Walter stood up with Max on one side and Leo on the other, and then said, “Heck, the whole town’s been betting on the bunch of you staying together or not.” He tugged on his red suspenders, smiling smugly.
Tessa turned to a surprised Chance, and then looked at her equally taken aback friends and their husbands. She opened her mouth to speak, and then closed it again. Finally, she choked out, “Well, who won?”
Gil and Walter coughed and looked away. She had a feeling why they didn’t want to answer. They’d bet against them, at least she knew Walter had against her and Chance.
But Father Tom smiled brightly as he looked at each and every one of them for long moments. His kind, craggy face beamed with joy. “Why, child, love won after all, now didn’t it?”
The End
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About The Author
Laurie LeClair writes contemporary romance and women’s fiction. Laurie’s habit of daydreaming has gotten her into a few scrapes and launched her to take up her dream of writing. Finally, she can put all those stories in her head to rest as she brings them to life on the page. Laurie considers herself a New Texan (New England born and raised and now living in Texas). She lives in Central Texas with her husband, Jim.
Laurie would love to hear from you. Please contact her at:
https://twitter.com/LeClairbooks
https://facebook.com.laurieleclair.75
Other books by Laurie LeClair
The Heart Series:
Secrets Of The Heart – Book 1
Crimes Of The Heart – Book 2
Lies Of The Heart – Book 3
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Once Upon A Romance Series:
If The Shoes Fits – Book 1
Waking Sleeping Beauty – Book 2
Taming McGruff – Book 3
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Coming Soon:
The Long Journey Home
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Coming Soon:
The Bounty Hunter Series:
Murphy’s Law – Book 1
Contents
Title page
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Epilogue
About The Author
Other books by Laurie LeClair
Lies of the Heart (Heart Romance #3) Page 23
