Gavin hid a grin as Andy’s voice echoed down the corridor.
…
Miranda lifted her face toward the sun and allowed the warm rays to pour over her in a lover’s caress. She sighed with pleasure and let her gaze sweep the jagged mountain peaks that lay in the distance. The scent of wood and damp earth rose to her nostrils, and she enjoyed the crunch under her feet as she walked up the twisting pathway toward the cabin.
A bird cried out. She smiled as the sound echoed through the trees and once again felt a deep sense of peace and healing. Funny, she’d never been able to settle here without bad memories of her lost parents. Her grandmother used to drag her away from the city during the summers in an effort to get her away from the riffraff. Fresh country air and home cooking, she used to admonish. As a child, she craved the excitement of others, and not a cabin where the nearest mall was miles away. After her grandmother passed, it hurt too much to stay here, with memories of the only parent she’d known drifting in the air.
But now, she only experienced a knowledge that she belonged here. Miranda ran her fingers down the bark of an old oak tree. Sadness tugged at her belly and brought a familiar wave of longing. Only a week. Seven days. In a way, it felt like an entire lifetime since she’d last seen him. Touched him. Laughed with him.
She tilted her head toward the sky and imagined him flying to China, off on a new adventure. When she’d first met him, she’d been an impulsive child-woman, hungry for passion and afraid of love. After he left, she’d ruthlessly cut out those qualities and believed they were a sign of weakness. But the walls she built locked out all emotion, until the iciness closed off any feelings left.
This time, she allowed herself to experience the pain without running away. This time, she allowed herself to see the entire relationship without blinders, without rage, without blame.
She remembered the book she picked up last night in an effort to ease the hurt. The author stated there were three lessons in life, the three things that matter the most. Loving well. Living fully. Learning to let go.
Miranda took a deep breath. She knew what she needed to learn from her relationship with Gavin. Though she loved him, she needed to let him go.
Karma.
She walked back to the cabin and thought about the review. The mail would be there by now, and she’d arranged for an issue to be delivered to the cabin today. She flipped open the box and took out the heavy brown envelope. She turned the glossy pages until she reached the HotSpot feature. The sunlight glinted and blinded her for a moment.
Miranda blinked.
Jade Aloha A Rare Find
She skimmed the review of the Chinese restaurant that was a favorite of Andy’s. He’d always begged her to review it, but the place was mostly take-out, so she refused. Miranda checked the date and wondered if Susan sent her the wrong issue.
She shook her head in disbelief. Something had gone wrong. Oddly, the whole review sounded a lot like Andy’s voice. What was going on?
The sound of a car dragging on gravel pulled her attention away. As if observing the scene in a dream, she watched the familiar black Mercedes stop at the end of the drive. Seconds passed that felt like hours, and then the door opened.
She and Gavin gazed at one another for a long while. Despair shook through her. With the grace of a tiger, he closed the distance between them and an animal moan slipped from her lips. Golden brown hair blew gently in the breeze and settled in disarray. Steel-blue eyes glinted with purpose, and he stared at her as if he saw right into her soul. Fierce masculine energy burned in waves around his figure, told by his locked jaw, the set of his shoulders, the proud tilt of his head. The air sizzled with tension.
She took a step back as she caught the hot desire in his gaze. He looked her over like a possessive Dom about to claim his woman, and her nipples immediately peaked with interest.
“Why are you doing this to me?” she tore out.
He considered her question. “Because I have no choice. I didn’t get what I wanted yet.”
“I can’t do this, Gavin. I gave you the review for Mia Casa. I walked away with my head held high and even understood. But don’t toy with me and my feelings. Why aren’t you in China?”
“I’m not going to China, Red. I never was. Brando screwed up and God help him, he’s gonna pay big-time for this mess. You don’t know the stress I’ve been through this past week.”
Her mouth fell open. “You? Your stress? Are you kidding me?”
“No. Next time, if you think I’m flying off to China, just ask me. It would save us both a lot of legwork.”
She shook her head and tried to grasp for sanity. “This is not happening. Gavin, you need to go home, now. It’s too late for us.”
He clenched his fists and cocked his head. “Don’t piss me off, Red. It’s my turn to talk now, and you’re going to listen.” An outraged squeak escaped her lips, but she was too angry to speak. He nodded with approval. “Better. I’ll keep this simple. I made a huge mistake the first time I walked away from you, and I’m not making another one. I also figured out I love Mia Casa. I’m staying. I’m going to run the restaurant with my brother and make it a success. I’m going to buy a big ass house in the city and get a dog. I’m going to play cook, waiter, and peacemaker to my crazy Italian family. I quit Mackenzie & Associates last week.”
She stood in the sunlight, staring at the man she loved, struck completely mute. She waited for the Disney music to cue up and a fairy Godmother to appear from the woods. Nothing happened, though. The wind whispered through the trees. A flock of birds flew overhead, their high-pitched screeches breaking the silence. Miranda stared into his eyes for endless moments as the realization sank in.
“What about the review?” she choked out. “What happened?”
He shrugged. “I stopped it. Had Andy re-write it. If Allison ever read it, she’d tear you apart. Your whole career would be shot. I needed you to believe in me. In us.”
He loved her. He chose her.
She was enough for him. More than enough.
“Why?”
“As Sinatra would say, ‘Who knows where the road will lead us, but if you let me love you, I’ll love you all the way.’”
She blinked. “What?”
He let out a disgusted groan. “Ridiculous Sinatra-isms. Okay, I’ll do this my way. Because I love you.” Shaking his head, he reached into his jean pocket and pulled out a black box. “I’m such an ass. I did this all wrong. Damn Brando. I had dinner, and champagne, and roses all set up. I was going to put the ring in that chocolate truffle dessert you love. Now I screwed the whole thing up. Ah, crap, here we go.”
He dropped to his knee in front of her. Snapped open the lid. And looked up at her, blinking in the rays of light. “I love you. I want to wake up with you every morning and make love to you every night. I want to grow old with you, and when we finally part this life, I want to spend my next one doing it all over again. Just with you.” He hesitated, then clenched his jaw in determination. “I want you to marry me, Miranda. I want you to be my wife.”
Her heart split wide open, filled with joy and love and deep-seated knowledge that Gavin Luciano was the man she’d spend the rest of her life with. A tear escaped her lashes and ran down her cheek. As if the tear had been her answer, he rose from the ground and closed the distance between them. Cupping her cheeks in his hands, he kissed her, sweetly, thoroughly. Her lips trembled beneath his, and when he pulled away, her voice broke on a whisper.