Page 87 of Sometimes You Stay

The single whispered word cut through him, stopping him short. As her fingers walked up the front of his shirt, they pulled something like hope with them.

“I was in St. Paul’s Cathedral in London. It was beautiful and historic, and I went to get a shot of the exterior. But then I felt this tug, like I should be inside.” Her gaze dropped to his chin, her eyes narrowing. “When I went in, the priest was talking about love. He said the heart of love is always sacrifice. And it made me wonder if...” She swallowed thickly. “I wondered if maybe you let me go because you cared more about my happiness than your own. Because maybe you loved me a little bit?”

Heaven help him, he’d never heard anything more true in his life. But he couldn’t manage to get a word past his lips, so he settled for a jerky nod.

“Then I thought about what I hadn’t been willing to sacrifice for you.” A tear slipped down her cheek, and he caught it with his thumb. “I was afraid. I was afraid of turning into my mom. Of being consumed by stuff. Of having ahome.” She let out a stuttered breath. “I think wherever you are is my home. And it turns out that all I have to sacrifice for you is my fear. I have to give it up if I want to be with you.” She shrugged one shoulder. “I don’t know what this is going to look like, what our lives are going to look like, but I pick you, Finn Chaffey. I pick you over any fear. I pick you and this island and your life here.”

Pulse thundering, he pressed his forehead against hers, wiping away even more streaks across her cheeks. “I’m falling in love with you.”

“I’m so glad to hear that, or I wasted a lot of frequent flier miles coming back here.”

As he was sure she intended, he chuckled low. “I suppose we better make good use of them then,” he whispered against her mouth, their lips barely brushing.

It seemed that was all the invitation Cretia needed to throw her arms about his neck. She met his kiss without fear or reservation and held him tight, and he knew they’d figure it out. Whatever his life was going to look like, it would be so much brighter with her by his side.

After several long kisses, and more than a moment of disbelief that this was really happening, Finn pulled back just far enough to say, “I’m so glad you came back.”

“Well, I had to. Roberta and I needed to confer about your online name. I’m sorry to report that she’s not budging. I’m afraid from here on out, you’re going to be Farmer Finn.”

Epilogue

Three Years Later

“Morning, wife.”

Cretia looked up from the phone in her hands as Finn strolled into the living room, his hair standing up on one side and a few extra days on his five o’clock shadow. He still made her heart pound and her stomach take a lazy barrel roll. “Good morning, sleepyhead.”

He leaned across the arm of the cozy couch and hovered over her for a moment before pressing his minty lips to hers.

“I thought you were going to sleep the whole day,” she teased as Joe Jr. nestled closer to her, his head on her lap.

“I was thinking about it. You know, I need my beauty rest.” He ran a hand over his ruffled hair with a grin. “Ruby and Jack only do morning chores one day a week, so I’ve got to take advantage of it. But the bed got cold without you.” His eyes filled with a heat stronger than fire, and she lifted her lips for another kiss. Finn graciously obliged.

Saturdays had become her favorite day of the week, not because it was the weekend—the work on the farm never ended—but because Finn had hired Ruby, a retired schoolteacher, andJack to handle the morning chores each week. More often than not, Jack stuck around to play with the dogs, learning everything that Finn could teach him about training the big guys.

But Saturday mornings were for her and Finn. They were for sleeping late and snuggling side by side. They were for long sips of coffee and lazy smiles. They were for enjoying their home, which was full of the most important things—love, hope, and laughter.

And they were for long moments of gratitude for a life so much richer than she’d ever dreamed. No exotic destination or luxury hotel could compare to the joy of building a life with the one she loved.

In the end, she hadn’t really sacrificed much of anything. Sure, her day-to-day had shifted some. She spent more time creating videos of animals than she did jetting off to new locations—though Finn had joined her on a travel adventure since they had gotten married two and a half years before. He’d suggested running with the bulls. She’d suggested a relaxing beach. They’d compromised and gone to Fiji.

Now she put her skills to use growing Chaffey’s social media channels—one dedicated to the dogs and one for Finn’s Farm, which drew hundreds of visitors each summer for the chance to pet the animals, learn about caring for them, and even bottle-feed baby goats.

The internet couldn’t get enough of the little cuties.

If she were honest, neither could she. There were six kids this year and bound to be more next year, as she and Finn had driven to a farm near the West Point Lighthouse to pick up a few more goats in need of a home only the week before. It was a good thing their online income had more than coveredthe cost of the new addition to the barn. At the rate that Finn brought in new strays, they were going to need even more space soon. A lovely problem to have.

At least they’d have some more help this summer. It wasn’t officially a camp yet, but four local children were lined up to come every weekday for two weeks beginning on Monday. Jack would teach them how to feed the animals and brush their coats and care for their needs. They’d play with the dogs and socialize Bella’s latest litter—all girls, all named after PEI wildflowers.

This year was an experiment. But several moms at church had already asked her if their kids could participate next summer.

“What are you working on?” Finn asked as he settled onto the arm of the couch and looked over her shoulder.

“The St. John’s Rescue team sent over a video of Tater at work this week. I was editing it for our channel.” She held up her screen, and Finn smiled as the big gray dog jumped into the water off the Newfoundland coast and swam straight for a child struggling to keep his head above the water. Tater reached him within seconds, and the kid hung on to a special vest as he was towed back to shore and safety.

“Good boy,” Finn muttered. He probably didn’t even know he said it, the encouragement was so ingrained in him. One of the things she liked best about him.

Running her hand across his knee, she smiled. “Remind you of another harbor and another rescue?”

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