Page 90 of Meet Me at the Grand

“Ditto.”

One of his hands cupped her cheek as she angled her mouth up to meet his and placed one palm flat against his chest.

Could she feel the way his heart beat for her?

Kissing her slowly, Liam backed her up against the door and feathered kisses along her cheek, her jaw, her ear. He wanted this, with Dani, forever. Little moments and big.

Was this his life? And he’d almost missed it.

Finally, he pulled away and smiled at the hazy look in Dani’s eyes, like she was waking out of a dream. Leaning down, he kissed her nose. “You ready to see inside?”

“You know I’ve seen it before, right? I used to babysit for the Rogers family, who lived here when I was a teenager. Before they sold it to the Matthesons.”

He chuckled. “Guess it’ll be a while before I can rattle off people’s names and island history like that, huh?”

“Good thing you have a great teacher.” Dani winked and dangled the keys for him to take back. “Now show me your new home!”

“All right, all right, Miss Impatient.” He slid the key into the knob. “Ready?”

“I am. Are you?” Her voice was soft now. She knew what this meant to him.

“I think so.” He nodded. “Yes.” Then turning the knob, he pushed on the door. It creaked open, and together, they stepped through the doorway. The place looked brand new—freshly painted walls, all the nail holes patched up where previous owners had hung picture frames. The crown molding, which on Liam’s first walk-through had been crumbling in places, was now pristine.

Liam whistled. “Cody did a great job getting this place all ready for me.”

For him. This was his. He wasn’t even renting.

He’d put down roots.

“I still can’t believe he wouldn’t let me pay for his time. Just the cost of the repairs.”

“That may have been my idea.” Dani walked into the kitchen and ran her fingers against the smooth, white countertop, which used to be laminate but now was granite.

“Your idea? But why?”

“This house was in a similar state of disrepair as the homes around here that we plan to offer to new business owners for a dollar. You know, Phase Two of our revitalization plan. I thought it would be good to know how much it would cost to fix up the other available houses for new business owners.”

“That was very business savvy of you.”

“I’m learning.” She offered a small smile. “Although I am feeling a bit overwhelmed and out of my depth. It’s going to be a fairly massive undertaking to get all of the homes and business fronts ready, plus sift through applicants, vet them, and assign them to spaces. I think I’m going to need some help since I’ll be busy with planning the tourism season and working with vendors to get a few festivals up and running.”

“And checking up on me and my progress, right?”

“Of course. Gotta make sure you’re sticking to our plans.”

Speaking of those plans, he still couldn’t believe she’d altered them slightly, even before she knew he was coming back. When he’d seen the addition of a Donna’s Delights ice cream parlor in the bottom level of the Grand Sullivan Hotel, well, he hadn’t thought it was possible, but his love for her had grown right then and there.

“Oh, Dani. If only you knew.” He winked at her. “I have so many plans for us.”

Her eyes flashed, something flirtatious in them. “Is that a fact?”

“It is.” Liam walked up behind her and slid his arms around her, tucking her back against him. Closing his eyes, he breathed in her vanilla scent, daring to picture what future moments in this very kitchen might look like. All the meals they might prepare. The kisses they might share. The slow dances they might take. He pressed a kiss to her temple. “And every one of them is good.”

“If they’re with you, then I have no doubt.” Dani turned in his arms and placed her hands on his biceps. “What do you say we make this into a real home? I’ve got so many ideas on how to decorate.”

“It already is a real home.”

She cocked her head. “Right now it’s the shell of a real home.”

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