Embrace Me (37 page)

“
Come on, Shan,” Charlie whispered. “I’ll carry you.”

“
I love it here,” I muttered, half asleep.

“
I’m glad to hear that.”

“
Have you seen how clear the sky is? I’m sure you can see every star from here.” I could tell I was half asleep just by my rambling.

“
Maybe we should see if that’s true one night. I wouldn’t mind watching the stars with you.”

“
Mmm…” I was already slipping into dreams. I felt Charlie help me into my night wear before pulling the duvet over me.

“
Sweet dreams, Shan.” His voice was the last thing I heard before I fell into dreamland.

I woke up so rested it felt like I could take on the world. I stretched and felt the bed beside me was empty. As the smell of bacon crept into the room, I got an idea of where I would find him, though.

Charlie was in the kitchen cooking a breakfast fit for royalty.

“
What’s all this?” I asked, sneaking up behind him.

“
I wanted your first morning here to be perfect.”

“
It already is,” I breathed, entwining our fingers as I pulled him into me. “You’re here.” He smiled, pressing his lips against mine. I became a little lost in the kiss until Charlie laughed, pulling away.

“
Are you trying to make me burn the bacon?”

“
No,” I pouted. “Do you need a hand?”

“
I’m just about done.” He was already beginning to dish everything up.

“
Shall I pour the drinks?”

“
Okay, there should be some orange juice in the fridge.”

I wandered over to the fridge. “How did all this food get here? Did you speak to the owners beforehand and ask them to fill it up?”

“
Um…kind of,” Charlie answered. He sounded a little flustered. “I need to tell you about that. I was going to tell you last night, but you were really tired.”

“
I think it was all the traveling.”

“
You’ve had a lot to deal with, Shan.”

“
So have you,” I replied, placing the drinks on the table before taking my seat. “I’m so happy you and Mac are speaking.”

“
So am I,” he beamed, placing the breakfast tray down. “Even if it does feel strange that I have a big brother.”

“
Maybe you can change his womanizing ways?” Charlie looked at me with a smirk. “Okay, maybe not…but you could try.”

“
Can we go back to what we were talking about? It’s quite important.”

“
Do you mind if I talk to you about something first?” I had been dying to tell Charlie about my mother’s decision with Downing International—that the company would be shared out to sponsors and partners in order to keep us safe. More importantly, though, I was free to be with Charlie. All my work would be done from home, except for the odd conference meeting. We were free to live exactly how and where we wanted.

“
What’s on your mind, Sweetheart?” he asked, watching me closely.

“
I don’t even know where to start.” He immediately dropped his knife and fork. “It’s good news, Charlie, relax.”

“
It’s habit, sorry,” he winced.

“
Not anymore. I think all of that is behind us.”

“
It wouldn’t matter if it was, Shan. I will never leave your side again. These years with you have made me into the man I always wanted to be. I loved you when you were Shannon Davis, but now that you are Shannon Downing, I love you even more. It’s not because of your wealth, either. I love you more because you’ve found yourself, and I hope I’ve had a hand in that. The moment I first saw you, deep down I think I knew you were it for me. No matter the obstacles, I had to love you.”

“
And here we are,” I smiled, stretching my hand over the table to touch his.

“
Yes,” he beamed, stroking my hand. “I thought we could go for a walk after breakfast.”

“
That sounds good,” I grinned, beginning to eat what Charlie had made for me.

“
What did you want to say, Shan?”

“
I can wait. It’s kind of detailed about the company. I’ll talk to you about it while we go for a walk.” He nodded, smiling softly at me. He seemed lost for a few moments watching me before finishing his breakfast.

I had a shower and got ready while Charlie washed up. He was still ready before me, though.

“
You look beautiful,” he sighed, taking my hand in his as we wandered onto the beach. The house was only a stone’s throw away.

“
Thanks,” I sighed. Why did this place feel so much like home?

“
So, are you going to start or should I?” he asked.

“
I’ll start,” I beamed. I couldn’t wait to tell him; he had no idea this was coming. I wanted him to see just what he meant to me—he was everything. “Okay…” Where did I start? “You know how I was in meetings all last week?” Charlie nodded. “Downing international is being shared. I’m not the main heir anymore.”

“
Shan, why would…”

“
Let me finish,” I smiled, stroking his lips with my fingertips. “I suggested it. I’m not a target anymore, Charlie. I don’t have an office in New York. To be honest, we can live just about anywhere we want.”

“
You gave up all that…for me?” he breathed, his eyes wet with emotion.

“
For us.” I smiled as he stopped, pulling me into his loving arms. “And I didn’t give anything up. I just don’t own it outright anymore. I am sort of free.”

“
I don’t know what to say,” he breathed, running his hands through my hair.

“
You don’t have to say anything. You are my world, Charlie. You saved me in every possible way.”

“
I’d do it all again,” he whispered. I whimpered in his embrace as his lips crashed urgently against mine. The taste of him was intense, and I could feel his love seep into my bones, taking me over.

Hand-in-hand, we walked a little further along the beach. It was beautiful watching the sun slowly rise up from the ocean. England always had a slight chill to the morning air, but it was home to me. I could smell the wild heather, and the waves were fierce as they crashed onto the beach, making the tide foam as it hit the shore. As I gazed out at the rock formations, I suddenly got the feeling that I had seen this place before?

I stopped in my tracks when I saw a blanket on the beach, surrounded by at least twenty candles pushed into the sand. Charlie was clearly up to something.

“
What’s that?” I asked him.

“
Just come and sit with me. We can watch the sunrise together,” he whispered, pulling me towards the blanket. He had made a flask of tea and poured us both a cup while we settled onto the blanket.

“
Did you get this ready this morning?”

“
Yes. I popped out while you were having a shower,” he said before he swallowed hard. Why did he seem so nervous?

“
This is a beautiful idea, Charlie. Thank you.” I sighed, leaning back against his chest while we watched the sunrise.

“
Oh, may your silhouette never dissolve on the beach, may your eyelids never flutter into the empty distance. Don’t leave me for a second, my dearest.” While he recited the Neruda poem against my ear, it suddenly dawned on me where we were. The photo he had sent me while he was clearing his head—I was here finally here.

“
Charlie!” I gasped, turning to look at him. “This is where you took the picture of the sunset you sent me?”

“
I wasn’t sure you’d see it,” he beamed.

“
This is where you came when you needed to clear your head?”

“
Yes,” he sighed, running his hand through my hair. “But that’s not why I brought you here this morning.” I looked at him in confusion. “I want today to be a new beginning for us, Shan.”

“
Charlie, I…”

“
This was the place I took my first picture with my grandfather,” he whispered, stroking my face. “You are the only other person I’ve ever bought here.”

“
It’s beautiful,” I beamed.

“
Not as beautiful as you,” he murmured, kissing me softly as the sun began to rise. “I just need to do one more thing.” I frowned, not sure what he had left to do. “I was trying to think of the best way to do this,” he mumbled as the sun slowly crept higher and the colour of the sky became a  beautiful shade of orange. “And then I realized that nowhere is more perfect than here.” My face must have looked a little confused. “It just feels right being here with you, Shan,” he mused, taking my hand in his.

“
Shannon Elizabeth Downing, you are all I will desire for the rest of my life. I tried the big grand gesture and failed miserably, so that’s why I’ve brought you here instead.” I was trembling with each word he spoke, hoping he was about to say what I was thought he was. When he pulled a small black box from his pocket, my heart went into spasms. Charlie opened the box to reveal a delicate, white-gold ring encrusted with five small diamonds. “Will you complete me and marry me, Shannon Downing?” Tears were streaming down my face. This was a proposal that dreams were made of. Everything was perfect as the waves crashed furiously into the shore in front of us. “Is that a yes?” he asked, wiping my tears away with his thumb.

“
Yes,” I giggled, throwing myself at him. “Yes, Charlie, I’ll marry you.” He sighed, crashing his lips against mine as he picked me up and swung me around.

“
I love you, Shannon, so much,” he breathed as our lips parted.

“
I love you, too,” I grinned, before he leaned down to capture my lips once again.

Charlie and I walked along the beach once the sun was high in the sky. The morning had been so perfect that I never wanted it to end. For the first time since I found out who I really was, I finally felt complete.

“
I have one other small confession,” he muttered as the house came back into view.

“
More confessions?” I teased, nudging him.

“
This house is mine.” I looked at him. Did I just hear him right?

“
This house is yours?” I gasped.

“
It was my grandfather’s. He left it to me in his will years ago.”

“
I love this house, Charlie.”

“
You do?”

I nodded. “We could be happy here—live as a normal couple.”

“
Normal,” he smirked. “Nothing about us has
ever
been normal.”

“
How do you feel about moving back to England?”

“
I’d follow you anywhere.”

“
I think it’s time to embrace our life, Charlie, and I think this might be the house to do it.”

“
I couldn’t agree more,” he smoldered, pressing his lips to mine. “How about we start right now.” I smiled against his lips.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

“
Well, I can’t imagine why you’ve called me here, Shannon,” Mrs. Gray smiled, embracing me tightly. Charlie and I had arrived back in New York a few days ago, and after we had told everyone our announcement, I called Mrs. Gray.

“
I think you know,” I grinned, holding my engagement ring up for her to see.

“
Finally!” Mrs. Gray gasped, taking my hand to look at my ring. “Oh, Shannon, it’s stunning. Mr. Collins has very good taste.”

“
He does,” I giggled as Charlie came into view.

“
Mrs. Gray,” he beamed, welcoming her. “It’s so wonderful to see you.”

“
It seems you might be in need of my services!” She turned to wink at me.

“
I believe we are,” he replied proudly, pulling me close to his side.

“
Well…” Mrs. Gray searched her bag for her notepad. “Let’s get this wedding organised.” It felt like I’d waited a lifetime for this moment.

“
Mrs. Gray really is a wonderful woman, Shan,” Charlie mused as we both slipped into bed later that night.

“
She is, indeed.”

“
Are you sure about the wedding in England?”

“
I don’t want a huge fuss. I just want you, me, and our family and friends near our dream house.”

“
You’re really set on moving to England, aren’t you?”

I turned, leaning on my elbow to look at him. “I wasn’t joking about your house, Charlie. It has everything I have ever wanted.”