Page 57 of An Heir Made In Hawaii (Hot Winter Escapes)

Then let it go.

“But I’m no longer the right person to run it. My heart isn’t in it. I want to travel and, most importantly, I want to be there for you and our baby.” She glanced over his shoulder at the inn. There was grief in letting go, but also a hint of excitement. It would be a fresh start for all of them, a chance to truly move on. “After seeing how you run your hotels, knowing the reason behind why you do what you do, I knew signing the contract was the right thing to do.”

He turned and together they studied the inn.

“I had planned on making Bled my home base, at least for a few years,” Nicholas finally said. “Would you be comfortable living here in Bled and traveling with me for work?”

Anika smiled. “Yes. That was always one of the things I struggled with. I had my mother’s wanderlust, but Babica’s love of having a home to come back to. And,” she added as she looked back over her shoulder at the town perched on the north shore, “Bled has been my home for so long. Knowing we’ll always be able to come home will make the adventures that much more enjoyable.”

“Then I would appreciate having you play a part in the renovation of the inn, ensuring that the vision of the Hotel Lassard brand blends with the legacy of your family.”

Her heart swelled. “Thank you.”

He turned her in the circle of his arms. “And at least a couple of stays every year, for quality control.”

“Of course.”

His smile faded as he looked down at her with a serious expression. “I love you, Anika. I’m not sure what the next few months are going to be like. But I do know I don’t want to be anywhere but with you.”

She cupped his face in her hands and rose up on her toes.

“I love you, Nicholas. And I know it’s not going to be perfect. But,” she said just before she kissed him, “I have a feeling it’s going to be our best adventure.”

EPILOGUE

THEORANGEANDred leaves glowed beneath the rays of the autumn sun as the gondola pulled up to the dock. Nicholas stepped out onto the wooden boards and turned, his breath catching at the sight of the woman still seated in the boat.

“Are you ready, Mrs. Lassard?”

Anika smiled up at him. Her dark hair fell in loose curls past her shoulders. The ivory gown she’d selected for their intimate wedding at the castle bared her shoulders, adding a hint of sexiness to an otherwise elegant dress that clung to her body all the way down to her knees before flaring out into a cascade of silken folds.

He held out a hand, hot possessive need flowing through him at the sight of the silver band on her finger. An hour ago, they’d exchanged vows in the upper courtyard of Bled Castle with his parents and a couple of close friends in attendance.

And their daughter.Hisdaughter, who had watched over the ceremony in a little white dress that brought out the golden brown of her eyes and a gummy smile.

When he looked back over the transition he’d undergone in the past year, it amazed even him how starkly things had changed. He’d offered to purchase the inn and have it made into a home. But Anika had stayed firm: she wanted the inn renovated to be enjoyed by guests. Zvoncek House, a Hotel Lassard property, would open in the spring and was already booked a year out.

As they’d balanced traveling in her second trimester for his work and overseeing the renovations, they’d stumbled across a home tucked away in the mountains with a two-story living room, massive windows that provided a jaw-dropping view of the lake and acres for their little one to run around on. The words “I love it” had barely escaped Anika’s mouth before he’d told his realtor to make the deal.

The painters had just finished painting the nursery adjoining their bedroom a pale lavender when Anika had gone into labor four weeks early. When he’d first held Sorcha Lassard in his arms, his wonder had been offset by a resurgence of his old fear. She’d been so tiny, so dependent on him and Anika for everything, that it had been a struggle to stay present and not give in. It hadn’t been easy, but he’d kept his vow to Anika and their child. From rocking a wailing Sorcha at midnight to learning how to change diapers and bathe a tiny infant, he’d tackled every task he could to be there for his daughter and help Anika.

It had been after one of those baths just a couple weeks ago that he’d lifted Sorcha out of the little baby tub, wrapped her in a tiny towel and watched a smile bloom across her face as she looked up at him.

And just like that, he’d experienced the same wonder he’d seen on Anika’s face at the ultrasound appointment. He’d hollered for his wife, begged Sorcha to do it again and laughed when she’d proven to have both her parents’ stubborn streak and refused to smile for another three days.

And his wife—his wife, he thought with masculine pride—had given him the time to get there, supporting and loving him through the highs and lows of those first tumultuous weeks of parenthood.

“Are you sure you can do this?” Anika asked as she joined him on the dock, casting a skeptical glance at the stone steps that climbed up the hillside of the island.

“I’ll try not to take that as an insult.”

She laughed. “But it’s ninety-nine steps! I don’t think I could even walk that without needing to rest.”

He pulled her against him, savored her sharp intake of breath as their bodies collided. He would never tire of this rush, this desire mixed with the intimacy of loving someone as he loved Anika.

“Trust me?”

“Always.”

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