Page 64 of Stars Shine In Your Eyes

“What are you afraid of, Josie?”

“The correct answer is nothing,” she said with a small smile. “But the honest answer is that sometimes it feels like I’m afraid of everything. But then I always remind myself I’m going to wake up in the morning, and the sun will hopefully be shining, and I’ll realize that all those fears were just the darkness playing tricks on me.”

“Late nights have a habit of messing with one’s mind, that’s true,” he agreed. “But I suspect some of your concerns have to do with the way my family is reacting. It’s almost like they can’t believe I’m managing a real relationship, or that I’ve found someone as great as you are.”

“They love you so much,” she said, “and it’s so obvious that they want you to be happy, despite their teasing. But at the same time, I know it’s never easy when other people, especially family, critique your life and the decisions you’ve made along the way.” She squeezed his hand. “It’s a testament to your closeness that they feel they can speak so openly to you.”

“Did you enjoy yourself this afternoon? Or did the Sullivans overwhelm you?”

“I loved every second of being with your family. They’re wonderful. It makes perfect sense that you turned out so well.” They had just parked and were getting out of the car when she said, “There’s one other thing I wanted to talk about. Where I’m going to live.”

He was shocked. “I insist that you stay on the houseboat with me.”

She nodded. “That’s a really lovely offer, but I can’t help but wonder if this is all moving too fast.”

“No.” He stopped them on the path and pulled her into his arms. “When you know, you know. And I know.” He stroked her cheek. “Don’t you know too?” He could feel her heart beating through the pulse point just behind her earlobe.

“I do. I know that you’re right for me and moving to London is right, but we don’t have to move in together right away.”

“There’s nothing either of us needs to be afraid of.” He lowered his mouth to hers to seal his words with a kiss. Now more than ever, he refused to let any of his doubts or that tightening in his chest rise to the surface.

“Are you nervous about Wednesday?” he asked when they got inside.

“A little,” she admitted. “But mostly excited about my first reading retreat on Elderflower Island.”

“I can’t wait to walk over with you the first day.” He pictured them hand in hand as they headed to the cottages, only this time she’d be there to welcome guests who would hopefully find their lives changed by the books Josie had chosen especially for them.

“You’re going to walk me to work?” She laughed. “Are you afraid I’ll get lost?”

“No. But I want to kiss you good luck on your first day, and I want to do it inside the cottages.”

She put her arms around him, and the expression in her eyes made his heart swell. “I would love that.”

* * *

After they’d both dealt with a few emails, they went to bed and made love. It was as wonderful as always, and Malcolm seemed even more tuned in to her pleasure, if that was possible. She shuddered to climax and heard him cry out her name as he came right behind her. Still trembling, heart pounding, she turned to kiss him, and he held her gaze, his eyes intense in the near dark.

“I love you,” he said.

She felt like her whole heart turned over. He’d shown her in so many ways that he loved her, but this was the first time he’d said those all-important words.

“I love you too,” she said.

And suddenly, all her fears seemed foolish. He loved her.

What could possibly go wrong?

* * *

Josie fell asleep in Malcolm’s arms, but even though he loved the way her body curled around his, he couldn’t sleep. There had been an email from Genevieve warning him that Kieran Taylor was becoming increasingly difficult. Malcolm knew this stage of the negotiations was always make-or-break. Damn, they’d worked long and hard on this project, and it could be one of the biggest deals of his career.

He calculated that it was midday on Monday in Christchurch. There was no harm in checking in, even if a little voice in the back of his head said he should stay out of it and let Genevieve handle things. But as Josie said—sometimes in the darkness your mind spiraled off, and the worries and the fears that you were able to push away during the day rose up.

He slid out of bed, wondering if Josie was right, and they were moving too fast. But he’d always made decisions quickly and stuck to them.

He was Malcolm Sullivan. Success was what he did. And no, he wasn’t at all concerned about things moving too fast. The tightening in his gut be damned. It was unreasonable to expect that taking any leap would be simple, that he would just go with the flow. The way he’d been doing since the moment he picked up Josie at the airport and realized how much he liked being with her. Loved being with her. It was why he’d finally said those three little words.

I love you.

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