His to Keep (Beauty and the Brit)

by Terri Austin

  “Are you planning on standing here all day, or are you going to go get her?” Trevor asked.

  What would he say to her? Perhaps he should start by being honest. Then get on his hands and knees and beg her to come home. Tipping his head to Trevor, Iain spun and nearly ran out of his office.

  “Go get her, tiger,” Amelia called after him.

  * * *

  Brynn dangled her feet in the cool water, and even over the splash of the waterfall, she could hear Monica and Allie arguing, their voices raised. Life as usual.

  “I can hear you fighting,” she called. “Don’t make me come over there.” Truth was, Brynn was tired of playing the peacemaker. It didn’t do any good. Al and Mon snapped and growled at each other and probably would for the next sixty-five years.

  “I do love those blue toes.”

  Iain.

  Brynn snatched her feet out of the pool and stood, but in her haste, she slipped against the slick tile. Iain reached out and grabbed her elbow to keep her from tipping into the water. She didn’t pull away immediately. And he didn’t release her arm right away. His touch sent shivers across her sun-warmed skin. She’d missed his voice. That accent.

  “What are you doing here?” She finally extracted herself from his loose grip, her gaze eating him up, searching for any changes. It had only been a week and a half, but she noticed a few. Dark half circles shadowed his eyes, and his chin bore a small cut. A shaving accident, most likely. His hair was a little too long. He got it trimmed every three weeks, whether he needed it or not, but he must have missed an appointment. As he squinted against the sun, the lines fanning his eyes seemed longer, a little deeper. He wore a suit, of course—ivory linen. Brynn stifled a sob. He looked like her Iain, the man she’d fallen in love with, but that man didn’t exist. Not really.

  “Trevor said you were here.” Iain wagged a thumb over his shoulder. “Your sisters were trying to keep me from you. Foolish, yeah?”

  Iain had been talking with Trevor. That could only mean one thing. Brynn thought her heart couldn’t hurt worse than it already did, but with a few words, Iain had broken it a little more.

  She tried to hide her disappointment by glancing over his shoulder. Monica and Allie huddled together near the delphiniums, confabbing. While Monica frowned, Allie’s scowl was downright scary. “Trevor, huh? I guess your downtown plans are going through after all. Congratulations.”

  “Brynn Campbell Chapman, I did not take money off your wanker of a brother-in-law. Nor would I. I was wrong not to tell you what I’d done, I’ll freely admit it, but Brynnie, if I hadn’t, we’d have never met. So while I’m not sorry about setting you up, I should have come clean a long time ago, and for that I apologize.”

  “I trusted you.” She barely uttered the words, but Iain heard her.

  “I know. I’ll do whatever it takes to earn it back. Anything, Brynn.”

  She shook her head. “I can’t.” Brynn started to walk toward the house, but Iain blocked her path.

  “No, I don’t accept that. I’m selling the downtown property. We’ll get a house near your sisters if you like. Whatever you want.”

  “I just wanted you. Only you. Nothing else mattered.” Brynn bit her lower lip. She wanted so badly to take him back. But she’d always second-guess everything he said. What about you, jellyfish? Your promises don’t hold much weight.

  “You had me, love. You still do. Please, Brynnie. I’m begging you.” He was hurting—she could see it in his eyes. They probably mirrored her own.

  Brynn wanted to step closer, erase the distance between them, but it was the emotional distance keeping them apart. “You had your chance to tell me so many times. Why should I believe you?”

  Iain grabbed her hand and lifted it, pressing his lips against her palm. A small cry escaped her then.

  “Brynn.” His voice was raspy as he placed her hand on his chest. “I’m standing here before you, baring me heart, love. What more can I do?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe not everything can be fixed.”

  “No, I don’t believe that.” Then he dropped her hand and started pulling the jacket from his shoulders. He yanked it off and threw it on the ground.

  “What? What are you doing?” There went his vest. He dropped it on the flagstone tiles. Then he ripped at his blue-and-tan striped tie.

  “I’m baring me heart, me soul, and the rest of me. Trevor’s going to come back, see me bare bum, and I’ll have completely humiliated meself in front of a man who will never let me live it down. I didn’t lie to you, but I didn’t tell you the whole truth either. Just you and me, Brynnie. Nothing between us. Not even me goddamn trousers.” He kicked off his shoes and whipped off his socks.

  “Iain, stop. Right now. I mean it. You’re insane.” She glanced back at her sisters. Allie appeared horrified, but Monica angled her head.

  “Nope. Not stopping.” He began unbuttoning his shirt.

  “What does this prove?”

  “That I’ll do anything for you. Go to any lengths. That I’ll make an ass out of meself for you. You want me to get on my knees and beg? Because I will. I have no pride left. It’s all gone to hell without you.” He lowered himself to his knee. “Take me back. Please.”

  All the money, all the trappings—they meant a lot to Iain, but they were just symbols. His pride was his Achilles’ heel, and he’d just laid it down for her. She jerked on his arm until he stood once more. “No, that’s not what I want.”

  “Then tell me, Brynn. I’m so sorry, pet. I shouldn’t have given you an ultimatum that night or said our marriage was through. I’ll regret it till the day I die. It was the first time since I was ten that I said something I didn’t mean.”

  He’d finished unbuttoning his shirt and as he slipped it from his shoulders, Brynn sped forward. “Stop. Don’t take off anything else.” Her hands latched on to his warm biceps. She’d missed seeing him like this.

  She peeked around him to glance at her sisters. “That’s enough, you two. Go inside. Show’s over.”

  “We’ll stay for moral support,” Monica said. But Allie grabbed her arm and dragged her to the house.

  Once they left, Brynn glanced back at Iain and dropped her hands. With a deep breath, she forced her gaze away. “Do you think that after one glance at your magnificent body I’ll forget everything—all the times you asked about my family, my mom? And you already knew the answers?”

  To Brynn’s relief, he shrugged the shirt back on. “I looked at your credit card history and saw that you buy all those gadgets at that fancy crockery store. But I didn’t know how great of a cook you are. I was aware you had two sisters, but I didn’t know that you were the peacemaker, or that Allie protected you and Monica has a mouth like a lorry driver. I read the facts, Brynn, but they didn’t prepare me for you.

  “Trevor came to the office today. Offered to partner up on the downtown project, said that he’d make all my dreams come true if I agreed to never see you again. But I could never agree to that. I don’t have any dreams without you.

  “I could have pressed you for an introduction to Trevor. I didn’t. I could have insisted you tell your family about our marriage and pushed my advantage. I didn’t do that either. I love you, goddamn it.”

  Brynn flinched at his words and walked a few feet away, rubbing her forehead. She turned back to face him. “Trevor sent you here. Why?”

  “After I turned down that offer, he told me you were here, in the garden. You can send me away today, but I’ll be back tomorrow. And the day after that. I’ll keep coming back, Brynnie. I made vows and I intend to keep them. What about you, love?”

  She believed him. God help her. “What happened when you were ten?” At his confused expression, she took a step toward him. “The last time you said something you didn’t mean, you were ten years old.”

  Iain glanced away. “I never told anyone this. Not even Marc. But one night, me dad came home, drunk as usual. I tried to stop him, promised my mum I’d protect her. B
ut I was too scrawny and the old man was too mean. I made a promise I couldn’t keep. He beat the shit out of both of us that night.”

  This was the Iain she’d come to know. He wasn’t lying about this. From that frightened little boy, he’d worked hard and remade himself into this complicated, smart, proud man. Now he’d shared this painful memory with her because he trusted her. Because he loved her.

  Brynn ran toward him then and jumped. Iain caught her and held on tight. She loved him. With her entire being, she loved him. She couldn’t help it. He’d always had her heart.

  “You won’t regret giving me a second chance, I swear it.” His voice was tight, emotional. As he kissed her, Brynn wrapped her legs around his waist. “Tell me,” he whispered against her lips. “Tell me you still love me.”

  “I do. And I’m going to keep my promise this time. I’ll never run again. From now on, I’ll stay and fight it out with you.”

  Iain angled his head away and he wore a grim expression. “Don’t say it unless you mean it.”

  “I mean it.” Brynn unhooked her legs. “Put me down, just for a second.” As soon as Iain lowered her to her feet, Brynn dug the wedding ring from her pocket. “Let’s have a do over.”

  “Wha’?”

  “Let’s make new vows.” She handed him her ring.

  Iain tugged the band from his finger and placed it in her palm. “You go first, yeah?”

  Brynn felt the gravity of the moment. The wedding had been outrageous and fun, but this time, it felt different. The smell of the garden mixed with Iain’s bergamot cologne. The sky was bright and cloudless. His shirt was still open, and she could hear the splash of the waterfall behind her. She gazed into his eyes and saw only vulnerability. “I, Brynn Chapman, swear that I won’t run away, that when I’m feeling cornered, I’ll talk to you. I’ll confront you when I’m angry. I’ll always be honest with you. And I’ll never take my ring off again.” Fine tremors caused her hand to shake as she slid the heavy gold band on his finger.

  Iain’s mouth thinned and he cleared his throat. His bare chest expanded as he took a deep breath. Brynn had never seen him this emotional and it touched her heart. “I, Iain Chapman, swear that I’ll never do anything behind your back. I’ll never lie to you, even by omission. And I’ll try my utmost not to be a dickhead.”

  Brynn couldn’t help it—she laughed.

  “Stop that.” He lightly squeezed her hand. “This is a serious moment.” He waited until she sobered. “I promise to spend my life making you happy. I pledge my love to you, Brynnie Chapman, until the day my heart stops beating.”

  Tears filled her eyes as he leaned down and kissed her. “I missed you, my beautiful, sweet Brynn. Let’s go home, eh? To your house.”

  Brynn blinked up at him. “Are you sure? You don’t like my pink kitchen.”

  “Who gives a toss about a kitchen? I only want to be with you.”

  Brynn reached up and caressed his cheek. “Okay. But before we go home, you should know this garden has a lot of private spots.”

  “Is that right?”

  Brynn shrugged. “Seems a waste not to find one, since you’re half-naked.”

  “That would be a terrible shame. Very resourceful, you are. It’s one of your many skills.” Iain shoved one hand into her brown waves. “Do you really think my body’s magnificent?”

  “Mmm hmm.” She nodded. “It’s spectacular.”

  Then Iain swooped her up in his arms and carried her past the rose bushes. After a few steps, he glanced down at her. “Thank you, love, for taking me back. You utterly changed my life, you know.”

  “You changed mine, too. I believe this is a win-win scenario, where each party can reach a satisfactory outcome.”

  “There’s one thing you can bet on, love—I plan on spending the rest of my life giving you multiple satisfactory outcomes.”

  Epilogue

  The flowers’ sweet perfume rode the air. Brynn breathed it in as she slowly made her way through the garden, past the rose bushes. A soft breeze lifted her curls and she brushed them back with one hand.

  She rounded the corner, and there was Iain, wearing a black morning suit and a charcoal vest. She’d never get tired of staring at him. Just a glimpse of that face made Brynn’s heart race. But seeing him in the traditional British suit left her knees a little wobbly. She might just make him wear it around the house for kicks, because, boy, he was something else.

  A string quartet played softly in the background. That was Allie’s doing. She claimed you couldn’t have a wedding without music.

  When Iain’s gaze lit on Brynn, his jaw tightened and he nodded. He wore his emotions openly. Desire shone from his intense, glimmering eyes. His torso leaned toward her, as if he were about to rush up the aisle, drag her off to have his big, bad way with her. Brynn suppressed a delighted shiver at the thought.

  She grinned as she slowly advanced toward him. This was it. Their big moment. Well, their second big moment. This time, there was no Cher. No Hummer. Just a simple ceremony with their families. Iain always claimed he didn’t have one, but Marc, Ames, Tyler—they were his.

  It was a perfect Vegas afternoon, the sun bright and hot overhead. When Iain had first seen Brynn in this garden all those months ago, she’d been hiding in a dark corner. Those days were long gone. Brynn wanted to remarry Iain in the sunshine, so she didn’t miss a thing.

  She carried a bouquet of peach roses, just like in her first wedding. In lieu of a veil, she wore a wreath of freesias in her hair. And she’d picked out a real wedding dress—a vintage gown from the twenties with aged lace. It went beautifully with the necklace Iain had given her on their original wedding day.

  Every eye was focused on Brynn. She found she didn’t really mind. These were their people—hers and Iain’s. They were here to wish her well. Being the center of attention once in a while wasn’t such a bad thing.

  Paige and Tasha sat in the last row. Paige even had a date—Peanut Allergy Brandon. Go figure. And Tasha had dragged Zeke along. He sported a tuxedo shirt. Tasha pointed at him and rolled her eyes.

  Ames sat on Iain’s side and was beautifully dressed in a classic navy suit. Her red hair was bright in the sun. Next to her, Tyler kept tugging on his tie.

  Marc and Mel sat stiffly, side by side. They hadn’t worked out all of their problems, obviously. Brynn didn’t know the particulars, and she didn’t ask. She just hoped they would find their happily ever after, as she and Iain had.

  Monica and Cal sat huddled together. Those two couldn’t keep their hands to themselves. They were in a constant state of foreplay, even when they stood across the room from each other.

  Allie and Trevor flanked the twins. Trevor stretched his arm across the backs of the chairs so he could stroke Allie’s shoulder. The glances he sometimes gave her were intense enough to sear Brynn’s eyeballs. It was nice to know they were still hot for each other after all these years.

  The twins squirmed in their seats, unable to sit still for much longer. Allie had threatened to hold their game consoles hostage if they didn’t shape up, but Monica had been sneaking them chocolate for the last hour. Consequently, their little bodies were twitchy from all the sugar.

  Cal’s mom, Pixie, sat next to her husband, Paolo. For some reason, Pix thought a red leather bustier and a gigantic poppy fascinator made for appropriate wedding attire. Brynn didn’t care. She loved it. It added a touch of the whimsy to the proceedings. Pix waved madly as she passed. “You look stunning, darling,” she whispered loudly.

  Trevor’s parents, Mags and Nigel, were there as well, both looking chic. Mags sobbed into an embroidered handkerchief, but Brynn had yet to see any actual tears coming from her eyes. But Mags did love a good wedding. She’d had five of her own to prove it.

  In the front row, Brynn’s dad, Brian, and his wife, Karen, looked perfectly normal. Her dad was tan from spending so much time outdoors. He was happy in his new life. Karen looked content, too.

  Brynn missed her mom. St
ill. Always. But as she reached the end of the aisle and stood next to Iain, she realized she had a new family—a fresh start, in more ways than one. Brynn belonged here, with this group of people. And she was grateful for all of them. Most of all, she was thankful for Iain. Together, they strengthened one another. That was the way it was supposed to be.

  Iain bent down, his lips touching her ear. “Don’t even have words for how beautiful you are.”

  She handed off her bouquet to Karen, who sat closest to her, and squeezed Iain’s hand. It felt warm against hers, so big and strong.

  An officiant presided over the ceremony this time. Their vows were traditional. She and Iain had made their own vows in this garden the day they’d reunited, and those promises mattered the most.

  Iain glanced down at her as if she were precious. “I love you, Brynnie Chapman.” He placed a plain, thin band on her finger this time. She refused to take off the diamond band. She didn’t want to be without it, even for a few hours.

  “I love you too.” Then she repeated the vows.

  When they were pronounced man and wife—again—Iain kissed her with a fierce possessiveness that made her blush. And she kissed him back, curling her arms around his neck and holding on tight.

  When they came up for air, everyone stood and clapped. The quartet began playing a medley of Cher’s greatest hits, a nod to their first wedding. It had been Iain’s idea, and a damned good one.

  The twins jumped out of their seats and rushed toward them. “Happy wedding, Aunt Brynn.” They pelted her and Iain with handfuls of birdseed.

  Iain calmly brushed a pile of sunflower seeds from his shoulder before clinging to Brynn’s hand and tucking her into his side. “Feel any different, Mrs. Chapman?”

  Brynn smiled up at him as tears pricked her eyes. “Everything’s different,” she said. And that was as much a vow as anything that had come before.

  Keep reading for a sneak peek at the first book in Terri Austin’s Irish Brawlers series