Those Sweet Words (Misfit Inn 2)

“You sound awfully serious.” Pru didn’t know what to make of that and resisted the urge to draw back. He wouldn’t wait until she was naked and aroused to drop bad news.

“We got into this because we didn’t feel we had a choice.”

She went stiff, but he held her tight when she would’ve pulled away.

“We’ve spent all this time worrying about the lies and the consequences. But the truth is, other than the when and how we met, I haven’t lied about anything. I haven’t regretted a single moment I’ve spent with you.” He grabbed her left hand and lifted it from the water, bringing it to his lips to kiss the ring he’d put there. “When I gave you this ring, I asked if you’d wear it and take what comes, with me by your side, partners ’til the end. We had some hazy notion of an end date, sometime after the threat to the adoption was past. But things have changed.”

Pru’s chest went tight with some strange mix of anxiety and anticipation. “They have?”

He nodded, more serious than she’d ever seen him. “They have. I’m in love with you.”

The admission stole her breath, had her hands digging into his shoulders.

“I think I was more than half there when I bought this ring. I want to stay, not just for cover, but for real. I want to make a family with you and Ari. And I want to ask you again, if you’ll keep wearing my ring and take what comes, with me by your side, partners ’til death do we part? Will you marry me, Pru?”

Her heart was going to beat straight out of her chest. Emotion lodged a hard fist in her throat. She wanted what he offered. Wanted it with a bone-deep desperation she’d never known. And yet…“What about your travels? Your music? The whole vagabond lifestyle? I can’t do that. I’m tied here.”

“My music’s a part of me, and I’ll play no matter where I am. As to the rest, I left home as a boy, and I’ve had my adventures, seen much of the world. I’m a man grown now, and I want home. For me, that’s you. And you’re here, so I want to stay. Will you have me?”

I want to stay. The four most beautiful words she’d ever heard. The words no one else had ever given her.

Eyes brimming, she framed his face. “I could never ask you to stay. You had to choose it on your own.”

He pressed his brow to hers. “I did. I do. I choose you.”

You’re here, so I want to stay. I choose you.

Finally. After all these years, all this time and effort taking care of everyone else, he was the one taking care of her. And she could let him because he’d chosen her. He loved her enough to stay. “I love you. God, how I love you.”

“Is that a yes?”

Pru laughed through the sheen of tears. “Yes. Yes, I’ll marry you.”

“Then I’d say now we can celebrate.”

~*~

After nearly fifteen years of avoiding anything resembling routine, Flynn found himself settling into one with an ease he wouldn’t have imagined. Guests came and went, and he didn’t feel a flicker of the envy that had plagued him as a child. He enjoyed meeting and chatting with each one, and finding a way to personalize their visit. Most swore they’d come back, and that gave him a sense of pride he hadn’t felt working his parents’ B and B. Here he was contributing to what Pru and her sisters were building, making it grow and thrive. And he was putting down roots for the first time in his adult life, twined around the woman he loved and the girl who’d already become a daughter in his heart. Life was good, and he could almost forget the threat hanging over their heads.

Almost.

Then Lydia Coogan called, requesting a meeting with him and Pru, and all his newly engaged bliss was eradicated in a twist of anxiety. This woman could destroy everything.

“What do you suppose she wants?” Flynn asked.

“She said she needed some clarification on a few things in your application.” Pru laid a hand on his arm. “I’m sure it’s fine. We went back and forth with Mae a few times, getting all the details right, and she’d known us most of our lives. It’s not surprising she needs some more information.”

“What if we’re asked to produce documentation of our relationship? Emails or whatever?”

“I don’t think they can do that. They aren’t immigration.” But now she looked as worried as he felt.

Immigration. There was another bridge they’d have to cross. But one thing at a time.

Flynn slipped his arms around her. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to add to your stress. I’m just nervy is all.”

She burrowed in. “I’m ready for all of this to be settled, so it’s not hanging over our heads.”

“Your mouth to God’s ear. Where’s Ari?”