Ready To Burn (Due South Book 3) (42 page)

“They wanted you to know how much you mean to them. How much they miss you. How much they want you to come home.”

“I have a job in New York now.”

Ahh.

If Del had spoken to Ethan, he’d know her current employment status. “Okay, I had a job in New York. It turns out the big city is not for me.”

“Turns out it’s not for me, either—though I’m planning to stay here for as long as it takes to win you over.”

“Oh?” Shaye folded her arms and cocked a hip. A girl needed some attitude to stop from melting into a gooey puddle. “You think you’re going to win me over?”

“You forgot the ‘you vain, lily-livered, half-witted pig’s bladder of a man.’ Alternatively, ‘you big jerk’ is also quite cutting.” The dimple popped in his cheek.

So not fair.

“Hmmph,” she managed.

Mellllllting…

“You were right.” He took the stack of cards off her, returned them to his backpack, and dropped it on the ground. With another flash of dimples, he grabbed her hands. “The bad-boy chef from LA was scared he was just an unlovable jerk with baggage. You made me believe I was more than that—better than that. I didn’t want to tell you about my past in the beginning because I was ashamed. Later I was fucking terrified, realizing I could lose you. Pride refused to let me say ‘hey, guy drowning here.’ Not anymore. I want to tell you about me and Rosalie.”

Wait—wha—?

The man flies across the world to win her over by telling her about another woman? And the bastard had the gall to look all smokin’ hot and edible while smiling at her. She gave an experimental yank of her right hand, but he tightened his grip, his grin spreading even wider. Blood surged up her face in a flash-pan of heat, a sharp contrast to the chill breeze oozing through the gaps in the glass walls.

Should’ve known this day could get worse.

“Screw you.”

His eyes flew open, and he snorted out a laugh. “You’re so cute when you’re riled.”

Shaye bared her teeth. Piper’s desire to sometimes strangle her man now seemed rational, and her mother’s scarf looked like a pretty damn convenient weapon.

“You really don’t think I’d…?” Del rolled his eyes. “Rosalie is a counselor in Invercargill who specializes in helping people with addictions. I’ve been to see her twice, and I’ll continue with monthly visits and weekly phone calls.”

Shaye blinked at him. “You. Going to see a counselor?”

“Yeah. And my family knows too, so I’m accountable to someone—quite a lot of someones. I should hand in my man-card, but I have to admit, talking to Rosalie helps.”

“Oh.” Del going to a counselor was a huge step—a step she never thought he’d make. “Well, it’s great you’ve found Rosalie—and I’m glad your family has your back.”

He released her hands and cupped her jaw, stroking his thumbs over her numb cheeks. “The one person I truly need watching my back is you, Shaye. I’m letting you in. I’m trusting you to see all of me—even the ugly bits—and still love me. I’m such a sorry, stupid fool that I didn’t trust you before. I didn’t like who I’d become in LA, but I like the guy who emerged after falling in love with you.”

If Shaye’s heart pounded any faster she’d go into cardiac arrest on one of New York’s landmarks. He loved her? He wouldn’t keep her at a distance anymore? “Are you serious?”

“As serious as Mrs. Taylor cutting the red ribbon across the community hall’s doors for the first Due South senior’s dinner.” He touched the tip of his cold nose to hers. “As serious as the hot-meal delivery system we’re starting in January. And as serious as I am about you coming home as Due South’s head chef, since it’s your dream.”

“Get out!” she blurted.

“I mean it.” He grinned down at her. “I love when you go into bossy-chef mode. I love you.”

She could hardly breathe.

“I’m not sure if head chef is my dream now,” she said. “Working beside you at Due South before Ethan came is the happiest I’ve ever been. That’s my dream now, to work with you.”

“I thought you hated working with me.” He waggled his eyebrows.

“I let you think that, because it kept your ego in check.”

“My ego is well and truly checked. You fucking cut me off at the knees when you left. I know I’ll never be your Mr. Perfect, but give me a chance and every day I’ll be the man who loves you more than anything.”

“You’re not the only one cut off at the knees. I’ve had a lot of time to think stuck in my tiny apartment.” Shaye placed her hands over his, stroking the faint raised scars on his fingers. “The whole time I was waiting for perfection, I had real and amazing under my nose. I love you, Del, the real, one-hundred-percent authentic you—even the ugly bits. I don’t care if you hate Pride and Prejudice. I don’t care if you belch, and scratch, and you’ll never remember birthdays unless I set a reminder on your phone. And even though some days I’ll want to bury your body in an unmarked grave—even then, I’ll never find another man more perfect for me than you are.”

He bent and kissed her, a kiss that made her blood sizzle and rocked her world’s axis.

“Remember the fight we had when I said the day I got on my knees to grovel for a woman’s affection would be the day Dr. Joe could cart me away in a straitjacket?”

“Will we have more of those kinds of fights?” she said, sounding a little dreamy. She so remembered getting naked and messy with Del soon after.

“Probably lots.” His voice was a low, sexy rumble. “And with that in mind…” Del dropped to one knee and fumbled in his coat pocket.

“Dammit! Where’s it gone?”

Shaye quit breathing.
Holy-freaking-guacamole with a side order of cinnamon sticks!
Was he…?

Del whipped out his hand with a red-plated
I♥
NY souvenir ring clasped between his thumb and first finger. Her heart did a crazy-happy-boogie in her chest. He was. He totally was.

“Del, get up.” She laughed as the first tiny flakes of snow landed on his hair. “You don’t need to do this!”

“Yeah, I do.” He remained on his knees. “Because I’ll only do this once, and if we one day have kids, I don’t want you telling them their old man didn’t know how to do it right. See? Lights, camera, action.” He gestured to the sparkling lights all around and a couple of tourists who had their phones aimed at them. “I love you, Shaye Harland, and I’ll love you with everything I’ve got for the rest of our lives. I didn’t stop at Tiffany’s to buy you a proper ring because I wanted us to choose one together if you say yes. So say yes. Say you’ll marry me.”

“You know I’ll drive you crazy, right?”

“I’m counting on it.”

“And although we’d never go hungry, I don’t do ironing, and I loathe cleaning the bathroom,” she said.

“We’ll wear wrinkled clothes, and I’m good being on permanent john duty. Small price to pay.” More snowflakes spiraled down, giving Del’s rumpled brown hair a salt-and-pepper frost.

“I’m stubborn and opinionated. I jump to conclusions, and I have dreamy misconceptions about love and marriage.”

“We’ve already established neither of us are saints.” Del shrugged and reached for her hand again. “And not all your dreamy ideas are misconceptions. We’ll define how our love and marriage should be.”

His eyes blazed, but she couldn’t quite form her lips around a one syllable answer.

“There’s too much of you taking up space in my heart already,” she said. “I couldn’t bear letting you go again…”

He brushed his lips across her knuckles. “Baby, you won’t have to. Get used to having me under your feet, because I’ll continue to fill up your big, loyal heart for the next fifty years, and you’ll fill mine. Don’t you think we’re worth the risk?”

She’d never have the easy, stress-free love she once thought she wanted. They’d need to trim, mold, sometimes even carve into their lives to make their two halves fit. They’d disagree and butt heads, and each would have to shoulder the burden of loving the other through tough times and painful decisions.

But the payoff…

Oh, the payoff of loving this incredible man and being loved by him. Of working together, laughing together, being the one he’d whisper to last thing at night, the one she’d wake to in the morning.

Del snapped his fingers. “Uh. Earth to Shaye? Please say yes, and let me put this crappy ring on your finger before my knee freezes to the tiles.”

A laugh hiccupped out of her, and she shoved her left hand under his nose. “Yes, Hollywood. Yes, I’ll wear your crappy ring and love you for the rest of my life.”

“Oh, thank Christ.” He slipped it on her finger and bounced to his feet.

The gathered crowd cheered, and New York’s lights dimmed to a flicker as he kissed her again under the falling snow. Shaye wrapped her arms around Del’s neck, holding tightly to her Mr. Perfect-for-me.

Epilogue

One week later…

Del stood on the Mollymawk’s stern deck with his arms around Shaye as the rolling hills of Stewart Island grew closer. Her long, brown hair blew in his face, and even when strands of it caught in his mouth, he couldn’t bear to pull away.

“If I tell you I’m sea-sick again, will you come with me into the cabin and make me feel better?” he asked.

Even after twenty-four hours of traveling, his fiancée still smelled like sunshine—still smelled like
his
. Call him a Neanderthal, but he wanted to throw her over his shoulder and drag her into a cave.

Or a cabin, since that was closer.

“If my brother and Kez catch us sneaking off, they’ll make you swim the rest of the way to Oban. They have spies.”

Three little faces peeped out the window behind them—Zoe, Jade, and their little dog, Sparky.

“Can we bribe them? Maybe with the cookies you promised to bake this afternoon?”

Shaye’s pretty brow crinkled. “I don’t remember promising to bake cookies.”

“Macaroons, I believe you said. Or maybe some chocolate chip cookies.”

A slow smile spread across her mouth, and out of sight of the girls, she shoved her hands into his jean pockets and squeezed his butt. “Huh. Thought you said you didn’t have a sweet tooth?”

“
I lied
. I’m completely addicted to your sweet face, your sweet smile…” He paused to nudge her stomach with his hip, cupping her sexy, no-ugly-panties-in-sight bottom. “Your sweet—”

Lips pressed against his mouth, muffling his last word. A short, lush kiss that warmed him from the inside out. Being so damn happy from just a kiss would take some getting used to. But now he had lots of time to get used to it—even if they had work tomorrow since Vince, Robbie, and her pal, Des, who’d come over temporarily from the mainland, were already bitching about the pre-Christmas rush.

Inside, Sparky yapped enthusiastically, egged on by peals of laughter.

“Don’t underestimate the little spies,” she said. “I’m pretty sure at least one of them can lip-read.”

“Damn.”

“I’ll make it up to you tonight when we try out your new queen-sized bed.”

“Assuming Ford and my brother have disassembled the old bunks and installed it.”

“Oh, my mum organized a working bee once Wally agreed to rent you the place long term.” She squeezed his ass again. “The bunks are gone, and my boxes are all stacked in the living room as you insisted. As soon as we unpack, we’ll have a love-nest fit for two, baby.”

“
We
? You mean I have to help unpack your twenty boxes of books, and make-up, and girly clothes?” he teased.

She stiffened in his arms, and he laughed, but this time instead of squeezing, she smacked his ass—hard.

“Ow—hey! You wanna deal with bruised goods later?”

“Just for that,” she informed him, lips against the notch of his throat, “you don’t get to unpack the bag I bought from Victoria’s Secret on 5th Avenue.”

Sunbeams sparkled on the waves, and the brine-filled breeze ruffled their hair. The Mollymawk chugged into the calmer waters of Halfmoon Bay Harbor, heading for the wharf and blasting the horn as they drew nearer. Sea birds whirled in the air currents high above the hills, some drifting down to rest on Due South’s roof.

His brother stood at the wharf’s end, his arm wrapped around Piper’s waist. Next to them in a deck chair sat Bill, with Del’s mom fussing on one side, and his future mother-in-law beaming on the other. Ford, Carly, Mrs. Taylor, Holly and Mr. Nolan—or Wally, as he’d ordered Del to call him now, encircled his dad’s chair. In fact, it appeared as if half of Oban’s locals waited on the wharf.

Del turned Shaye toward the crowd, who were waving like mad. Their families, their friends, their place, their future with people who’d walk beside them on this crazy, wonderful journey.

“Look, cupcake,” he whispered in her ear. “We’re home.”

###

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Ready To Burn
! I hope you enjoyed diving into the Due South world. If you did…

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