It was now or never. He cleared his throat and looked into her hazel eyes. This was the time for truth. Time to trust that he was on the right path. “No. To make us all happy. To make me happy.”
“Why?”
Her voice was so soft he wasn’t sure he heard her. He brushed a strand of hair from her cheek. “I thought if you stayed, we could raise the kids together.”
She tugged her hands from his grasp, catching him off guard. “How would that work, Zach? We become co-guardians? Run every decision past the other and decide what’s best?”
He was handling this all wrong. “No. I wasn’t thinking guardianship, exactly.”
“What exactly?”
All he ever wanted was standing right in front of him but he was afraid he didn’t have the courage to reach out and take it. He was standing at the edge of the cliff and there was no turning back. He had to say the words now or lose everything.
He took her in his arms, looking into her eyes praying for courage. “I love you. I have since you knocked on our door that first day. I was just too blind and closed off to see it. You belong with us. With me. I know I’m not the best husband material or father either but I can learn. I want to be that for you and the kids. I know I’ve done little to earn your love in return. I’ve lied, I’ve hidden things from you, I’ve shut you out, but I don’t want to do that anymore. I want to be a real family but I only want to do that if you’re there beside me.”
A warm smile lit her face. She rested one hand on his cheek. “What took you so long? I’ve been in love with you from the moment I saw you with the children. You are the kindest, most gentle and devoted man I’ve ever met. And you’re wrong. You’re a great father. You’re loving, supportive and firm, and I know you’ll make a great husband, too.”
“So you’ll stay?”
“That depends on the terms.”
“Terms?” Did she want a contract or some kind of agreement?
“What would my position be?”
The sparkle in her eyes fueled his hope. She was teasing. He slipped his arms around her waist. “I was thinking of a partnership.”
The light in her eyes faded a bit. “A partnership?”
“A legally binding one. Lifelong in duration.”
“Are you asking me to marry you?”
“I am.” He inhaled the sweet scent that had captivated him from the first moment.
“Are you sure you can deal with a life without adventure?”
“Being a parent to three kids is all the adventure I need, but only if you’re a part of it. Loving you will be a challenge, too, I think.”
She laughed and slipped her arms around his neck. “That goes for you, too, Zach.”
“Is that a yes?”
“Oh yes, yes.”
Zach tilted his head and finally claimed the kiss he had been longing for. Holding Sophie in his arms filled the emptiness inside him that kept him from a full life. She was his other half. The missing piece to his heart.
Epilogue
Sophie held tight to Zach’s hand in the family room a short time later. Zach had called a family meeting to explain about his surgery and reassure the children he would be okay. He’d also told them about taking over their dad’s business.
DJ was particularly enthused about that. The girls were happy he’d be home more. But it was the announcement about their relationship that was most important. Zach and Sophie wanted to get their approval before making any more decisions.
Her heart swelled with love for Zach and spilled over to the children. She’d prayed for a solution that would be best for the children. She’d never expected it to turn out like this.
Zach glanced at her, squeezed her hand and took a deep breath. “There’s one more thing.” The children all looked at him with curious expressions. “Your Aunt Sophie and I wanted to talk to you about our family and the future.” He squeezed her hand again.
He was as nervous as she was. She prayed the children would be happy with their decision.
DJ leaned forward, taking note of their clasped hands. “Are you two a thing?”
Sophie exchanged glances with Zach. Were their affections so obvious?
“If you mean are we together, then yes. We want to become your parents.”
Katie tilted he head. “You mean like a new mom and dad?”
Sophie shook her head. “No one could replace your mommy and daddy. But we’d be your new family and we’d raise you just like your parents would have wanted.”
Linney climbed up beside Sophie. “It’ll be like having them back, kinda.” She rested her head on Sophie’s shoulder. “But I’ll still miss my real mom and dad.”
“Of course you will. We all will.”
“So, does this mean you’re getting married?” DJ asked, sounding puzzled.
Zach met her gaze and the love in his dark eyes sent a thrill through her veins.
Zach squeezed her hand. “Yes. We are. If it’s okay with you?”
The children exchanged glances, then quickly nodded.
DJ grinned. “That’s cool.”
Katie joined them on the sofa. “Can we come to the wedding?”
Sophie smiled. “Of course. You can be my maid of honor.”
“What can I be?”
Sophie kissed Linney. “The flower girl.”
“What about DJ?” Linney asked.
Zach patted his nephew’s knee. “I’ll be needing a best man.”
Linney grew serious. “Will we be a family forever?”
“Yes. We’ll be here with you always.”
“Promise?”
“Promise.”
* * *
If you loved this tale of sweet romance,
pick up other books
from author Lorraine Beatty.
Her Fresh-Start Family
Their Family Legacy
Their Family Blessing
Available now from Love Inspired!
Find more great reads at www.LoveInspired.com
Keep reading for an excerpt from Falling for the Innkeeper by Meghann Whistler.
Dear Reader,
Welcome to Blessing, Mississippi, the setting of my next series. I hope you enjoyed your first visit as much as I’ve enjoyed writing Zach and Sophie’s story.
Zach and Sophie both want families of their own. Sophie longs for the family she can’t have, and Zach struggles to adjust from being a single guy to guardian of three children, and his fear that he will fail as a parent.
Sophie has had more broken promises in her life than most and as a result, she placed an unhealthy importance on keeping them. Her unrealistic expectations kept her from forming lasting relationships and being able to forgive others, especially her sister.
Forgiveness is one of the hardest instructions we’re given as Christians. When we’ve been hurt or betrayed, it’s painful to think of forgiving that person. We feel if we forgive those who have wronged us, we’re saying it’s okay. However, forgiveness isn’t truly for them, it’s for us. It frees us from the toxic burden of anger and resentment so we can move forward with our lives.
Zach and Sophie both must learn to see beyond past actions and events to find their way. Working together to create Sophie’s sister’s dream charity, and caring for their nieces and nephew, helps them come to terms with their emotions and their fears.
I love to hear from readers, so feel free to contact me at my website, lorrainebeatty.com, or like my author page on Facebook, Lorraine Beatty Author, or follow me @Lorraine_Beatty on Twitter.
Lorraine
WE HOPE YOU ENJOYED THIS BOOK FROM
Uplifting stories of faith, forgiveness and hope.
Fall in love with stories where faith helps guide you through life’s challenges, and discover the promise of a new beginning.
6 NEW BOOKS AVAILABLE EVERY MONTH!
Falling for the Innkeeper
by Meghann Whistler
Chapter One
Jonathan Masters pulled up in front of The Sea Glass Inn, turned off his GPS and sighed. How had he gotten himself into this? He really didn’t want to intrude on a single mother and her young daughter right at dinnertime.
A sixth-year associate at Meyers, Suben & Roe, the top corporate law firm in Boston, Jonathan had left work early to drive to the sleepy Cape Cod town of Wychmere Bay to take care of some new business. This little inn wasn’t the new business, of course, but if he could ensure that Carberry Hotels acquired this prime piece of beachfront property, there was a good shot that the luxury hotel chain would hire Jonathan’s firm for all its legal needs.
And if Jonathan wanted to make partner, as his mentor, Mike Roe, had told him just a few nights ago, he needed to prove he was a closer.
“You’re smart, Masters,” Mike had said, “and a hard worker, but frankly, if that’s all you’ve got, you’re a dime a dozen.”
Although Jonathan generally took criticism well, that had hurt. In his experience, hard work always paid off. It was what had earned him a scholarship to college at SUNY Albany and what had gotten him into Harvard Law. The idea that it might not be enough to get him a partnership was simply...unacceptable.
So, if Mike wanted him to bring in new business, Jonathan would bring in new business. Maybe he wasn’t particularly slick or practiced at glad-handing, but if that was what it would take to earn a partnership, he’d learn. He had to.
He stepped out of the car and looked at the little inn. It was two stories high with gray cedar shingles, black window shutters and a hand-painted sign with its name—The Sea Glass Inn—hanging from a wooden post out front. In other words, quintessential Cape Cod.
The inn’s location couldn’t be better. It sat at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac, nestled behind the dunes of a sweeping, white-sand beach on Nantucket Sound. Rosebushes grew haphazardly around the split rail cedar fence that surrounded the property. In the distance, a flash of green light shone from the lighthouse at the mouth of the nearby harbor. The sound of the surf crashing against the sand was soothing. Aside from a few walks around Boston Harbor in his rare free time, Jonathan had never spent much time by the sea.
He adjusted his tie and cuff links, the expensive ones he wore when he wanted to impress. Not that he expected a single mother to even notice his wardrobe. But it was like his battle armor. Look the part, play the part. Get. It. Done.
There were lights on inside the inn, which was a good sign. He left his suitcase in the car, took a deep breath, walked up the brick-lined path to the front door and knocked.
Almost immediately, the door swung open onto a deserted sitting room with a unique sea glass chandelier, and Jonathan was baffled for a split second until he glanced down and saw a dark-haired slip of a girl with a mischievous smile and gigantic green eyes. She was wearing white tights with purple stars, a pink tutu and—of all things—an itty-bitty Red Sox jersey. Plus, she was holding a couple of crumpled twenty-dollar bills in her hand.
Her big eyes went bigger as she focused on his face. “You’re not the pizza man,” she said, her words betraying just a tiny hint of a lisp.
“Nope.” He grinned and crouched down so he was at eye level with her. “Not the pizza man.” He peered into the room behind her. “Is your mom around?”
“Emma, honey!” a woman called out, pushing her way through a set of swinging doors into the room. “I told you not to—” She stopped abruptly when she caught sight of Jonathan.
Although he was certain they’d never met—he’d have remembered a face like hers—the sense of familiarity he felt upon looking into her soft green eyes was jarring. Her clear, heart-shaped face was framed by thick dark hair that tumbled over her shoulders and down her back in waves. She was slender and dressed casually in jeans and a Red Sox sweatshirt. Although she had hardly a lick of makeup on her face, he was still almost dazzled by how beautiful she was.
He gave his head a small shake—don’t be an idiot!—straightened up and offered his hand. “Hi, I’m Jonathan Masters with Meyers, Suben & Roe. I spoke with your mother, Eleanor, earlier about staying here for a few days while we work out the terms of the deal.”
“You spoke with my mother...about a deal...?” The green-eyed beauty made no move to come closer and shake his hand.
Oh, man, Jonathan thought ruefully. He’d gotten the sense during his meeting with Eleanor Lessoway, this woman’s mother, that Eleanor might be a little flaky—rich, but flaky—but this was taking flakiness to new heights. He wasn’t just intruding on this woman and her daughter; he was ambushing them. And he didn’t like it one bit.
“Mommy, he’s wearing clothes like Daddy’s!” The little girl’s voice was filled with excitement.
“Emma, shh.” The woman stepped forward and put a hand on her daughter’s shoulder. “Why don’t you go in the dining room with Aunt Chloe?”
“But he looks just like Daddy!” The girl peered up at Jonathan. “Do you know my dad?”
He shook his head. “I’m sorry. I don’t think so, kiddo.”
She pushed her lower lip out in a clear pout. It was adorable, and he had to fight to keep a straight face.
“Go in the dining room with Aunt Chloe,” her mom ordered, giving her a gentle push in the right direction. After one last piteous look at Jonathan, the girl scampered off.
The woman shot Jonathan an apologetic look. “I’m sorry. Her father wears suits. She only sees him a couple of times a year on video chat.”
“Don’t worry about it.” He smiled at her, hoping to put her at ease. “I didn’t catch your name.”
“Laura.”
“Laura,” he repeated. “It’s nice to meet you, Laura.” This time, when he held out his hand, she shook it, her soft hand warm and delicate in his. He was struck again by how beautiful she was.
“So, you spoke with my mother? About some kind of deal?”
“Just a small legal matter,” he said, once again trying to ease her mind.
“A legal matter?” Laura repeated. “Is this about the will?”
Jonathan knew that Eleanor and her daughter had just inherited The Sea Glass Inn from Eleanor’s recently deceased mother, but he hadn’t actually seen a copy of the will. He and Eleanor had simply talked about what kind of offer Carberry Hotels might be prepared to make on the property. “Nothing like that. I have a client—a potential client—who’s interested in buying this place.”
“You’re a real estate agent?” She sounded skeptical.
He gave her a lopsided grin. “Worse. A lawyer.”
Her gaze frosted over. “This inn’s not for sale.”
“Your mother led me to believe otherwise. She invited me to stay for a few days while we work out the terms of the deal.”
Laura threw her hands in the air. “She’s not even here! She’s still in Boston!”
A second woman, a short, sloe-eyed blonde in ripped jeans and a polka-dot blouse, poked her head into the room. “What’s going on out here?”
“Nothing,” Laura said. “Mr. Masters was just leaving.”
“What? No, I—”
But Laura’s hands were on his shoulders, and she literally pushed him out the door. “Sorry we can’t help you,” she said, not sounding sorry at all. “Goodbye.”
* * *
Laura paced on the inn’s back patio, oblivious to the sun as it sank low over the sea behind her, her cell phone held tightly to her ear. “I don’t understand why you sent a lawyer here, Mom. It’s not like we can sell before we fulfill the stipulation set out in Gram’s will.”
“Oh, darling,” her mother said dismissively. “Those are just pesky details.”
Laura bit back a sigh. “It’s not just details, M
om. Besides, I thought you didn’t even want to stay for the whole summer. I thought you wanted to go straight back to Hong Kong.”
Laura’s parents had lived in Hong Kong for eleven years, ever since Laura was fourteen and was “just the right age for boarding school,” and her mother had the whole expatriate thing down pat. Her parents lived in a sprawling, four-bedroom apartment with a sweeping view of Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbor, and they ate out every single night. They had a live-in housekeeper who cooked them a full English breakfast every morning and threw together gourmet salads for her mother’s lunch. When Laura’s two sisters were younger, they’d also employed live-in nannies for each girl.
Although her father had originally accepted a two-year job contract, her parents loved their lifestyle over there so much that Laura wasn’t sure they were ever coming back.
Which was all the more reason for her to convince her mother to stay at The Sea Glass Inn until Labor Day so they could meet Gram’s crazy stipulation that the two of them run the inn together for a full summer. If they met that condition, the inn would be theirs, and Laura would have a shot at keeping Gram’s legacy alive. If they didn’t, it would go to Wychmere Community Church, which her grandmother had attended faithfully for the last forty-odd years.
The Sea Glass Inn was the only home Emma had ever known. It was practically the only real home Laura had known, also. It was where she’d spent her holidays and summers during boarding school and her first two years of college, before she’d dropped out after marrying Conrad Walker.
It was also where she’d lived ever since her divorce.
The thought of losing The Sea Glass Inn made her sick to her stomach—even if it had become a bit of a money pit since the big nor’easter that had hit Cape Cod last year.
“I did, darling,” her mother responded airily to Laura’s question about returning to Hong Kong. “I do want to get back to your father as soon as humanly possible. But this is Carberry Hotels we’re talking about. If anything could change my mind about fulfilling your grandmother’s ludicrous stipulation, it would be Carberry Hotels.”
The Orphans' Blessing Page 18
