He groaned. “I forgot about you and the questions.”

“Those are my terms.”

“Then I guess I have to meet them. Ask away.”

“Were you really going to drive up north to get me back today?”

He nodded. “I promised both my sister and Charlie Frankel I would. They will vouch for me. And speaking of Charlie Frankel, he offered to co-sign a loan for me at the bank.”

“He did?” My heart trilled happily. “Did you say yes?”

“Of course I did. If you’re stuck in a tower and someone offers to lend you a ladder, you’d be stupid not to use it.”

I laughed. “Right.”

“I know it was you that encouraged him to make the offer, Blair. And I can’t tell you how much that means to me. To my family.”

“Well, you deserve it. You work so hard. How was the event?”

“It was amazing. And it sucked.”

I gasped. “It sucked? Why?”

“Because you weren’t there. And you’d done so much to make it the success that it was. I kept looking around all day, hoping to see your face in the crowd.”

“I made myself stay away,” I told him quietly. “I was scared I’d break down if I saw you.”

“What made you come to the game?”

“Are you kidding? I couldn’t miss the old man baseball league championship!” I slapped at his shoulder. “I lied and told your mom and sister I was going right back to Traverse City so they wouldn’t look for me. But the truth was, Frannie had given me the whole day off in case . . . just in case.” I sighed. “So I hid out at Charlie Frankel’s house all day. He was the only one who knew I was there.”

“He adores you.”

“He’s sweet.”

“I adore you.” He ran a hand over my hip, and his cock stirred between us. “And I can’t wait to show you how much. Are we done with questions yet?”

“Nope. I get two more. Is it true that you hid the parts for my car for over a week because you didn’t want me to leave?”

He sighed. “It’s true.”

“You big lug, why didn’t you just say you wanted me to stay?” I shouted, although it made me happy to hear him admit what he’d done.

“Because saying that out loud would mean owning up to feelings I did not want to have,” he said.

“So what was the plan, you were just going to keep me stranded here until your feelings for me went away?”

“I really didn’t think it through, Blair. All I knew was that I couldn’t let you go.”

“But you did,” I reminded him, poking his chest.

“I did. Because I freaked out. I thought I might have gotten you pregnant, and that triggered a real shit show in my head.”

“I know. That was a scary moment, I agree.”

“Then I freaked out because I’d never told anyone about the miscarriage, and there I was spilling my guts to you.”

“I was glad you did,” I said softly, looking up at him. “It helped me understand you better. I don’t think you’re any less of a man for being sad over the loss, Griffin. I don’t think anyone would think that.”

He was silent a moment, then he rolled onto his back. “You’re probably right. But it never felt like something I could talk about. Until you.”

I threw an arm and leg over him and pressed my cheek to his warm, bare chest. “I know you’ll never be a talker like me. But no more hiding the big stuff, okay? That’s the only promise I’ll ask you to make.”

“No hiding things? And I get my second chance?”

“No hiding things. And you get your second chance.”

“Then there’s something I need to show you.” He sat up, bringing me with him.

“What is it?”

He switched on the bedside lamp, got out of bed, and went over to his closet door. “I swear, this is the last thing I was hiding.”

I gave him a strange look. “Okaaaay.” Then he opened the closet door, and I gasped. “My dress!”

“I rescued it from the dumpster.”

Scrambling out of bed, I went over and looked at it, all wrapped in dry cleaner plastic, looking as fresh as the day I’d bought it. “I don’t believe it!”

“I remembered how you were wearing it the night we met. And how you said to me that you couldn’t let it go because it made you feel beautiful and hopeful. Like your life was just beginning.”

My throat closed up, and my eyes filled. “That’s right.”

He drew me into his arms. “I want you to feel that way again.”

“I do.” I laughed, even as tears leaked from my eyes. “I honestly do.”

“Good.” He lifted me off my feet and carried me back to the bed, turning off the lamp before stretching out above me. “Because I’ve gone and gotten my heart set on you, Blair Peacock Beaufort. And I come from a long line of men who are awfully stubborn once they get their hearts set on something.”

I wrapped my arms and legs around him. “I’m so glad you were there that night, to catch me when I fell.”

“I’ll always be there to catch you,” he whispered as his body began to move above mine in the dark. “In my arms is where you belong.”

Twenty-Five

One Year Later

“Blair! You ready?”

“One minute!” I hurried out of the bedroom and saw him standing at the top of the stairs, keys in his hands. “Sorry,” I said breathlessly. “This thing takes a minute to get on. Can you zip me up?”

“I’m better at unzipping this dress, but sure.”

I laughed, turning my back to him. When I was all zipped up in my strapless white gown, I faced him again. “I’m lucky this thing still fits. How do I look?”

“Like a debutante ready for the ball—or at least a photo shoot.”

“Is my tiara on straight?”

He pretended a close assessment. “It’s perfect.”

“Is my lipstick smudged?”

“Nope.”

“Good.” I looked him up and down, and my entire body tingled. “You look cute too.”

He glowered at me. “You know how I feel about cute.”

I laughed. “I can’t help it. The baseball uniform gets me. I know you weren’t actually wearing it the night we met, but I think for the photo shoot, it’s perfect.”

The Bellamy Creek Gazette was running a series on how local couples had met and fallen in love, and Cheyenne had submitted our names and the details. The editor had gone crazy for the story of how I’d gotten myself stranded here after my car broke down and then fallen for the mechanic who fixed it. She especially loved the detail about my wardrobe, and how Griffin had caught me when I fainted. She wanted us to re-enact the scene.

The only difference, besides putting Griffin in his Bulldogs jersey, was that she wanted the photos taken in a different location—rather than in front of the credit union, where it had actually happened, the editor wanted the photographer to snap us in front of the shop I’d just opened up: The Bellamy Creek Boulangerie.