All I Ever Wanted(39)

"Can't you do like Oliver said and run your studios from anywhere?"

"I like being hands-on," she replied, avoiding the real issue.

"I get it-that's how I feel about Mom's foundation. But maybe I need to give up some control too, so I can have more free time to do things I enjoy."

"And what would that be?"

Grady tilted her chin up. "Being with you," he said, and then kissed her. "We both know that this is more than . . . sex. And now that you know the truth . . ."

"Grady . . ." Arabella shook her head, not knowing how to respond.

As if sensing a crack in her armor, he pressed further. "I would say that you owe me that much, but I won't go there," he said with enough humor that Arabella had to give him a small smile.

"But can you forgive me?" she asked, wishing she had the courage to tell him about the baby and her failing business, to have everything out in the open.

"That's what loving someone is all about. Forgiveness is the hardest thing, but the most important thing. Some people can't apologize or even admit fault. You just did. And I forgive you. Saying ‘I'm sorry' is every bit as important as saying ‘I love you.' Sometimes even more. I might not ever completely understand why you fled, but the important thing is that you're here now. We have a second chance, Arabella. Do you want to take it?"

After a few heart-thudding moments she said, "I'm scared."

"Do you love me?"

"Yes. I never stopped loving you." She put her cheek against his chest and felt the reassuringly solid beat of his heart. When he kissed the top of her head she nearly burst into tears.

"Do you want to know something else?"

Bracing herself, Arabella nodded.

"This beach house was built just for you. All your favorite colors, textures. Your favorite flowers. The giant bathtub. The wraparound porch. The ocean view that you said you always wanted."

"As soon as I walked in the door I fell in love with the house."

"And you didn't have a clue?"

"Yes, but I didn't want to, Grady. I wanted to keep the walls up around me so you wouldn't guess how much I still loved you. I couldn't be hurt like that again."

"But now you know the truth," he reiterated.


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She nodded.

"I need more than just your love. I need your trust. If we start over I want to know that you believe in me. Trust in me. Know that I will never even think of cheating. The very word makes me cringe."

"I trust you, Grady."

"Then you're willing to give us a second chance?"

"Yes." Arabella nodded. She felt joy enter her heart and laughed at Grady's long sigh of relief.

"There's only one more thing I want to ask of you."

Arabella felt a little nervous at his question. The emotional roller coaster was making her feel breathless, scared, and giddy all at the same time. "Okay, go ahead."

"Can we have the day off tomorrow to celebrate? Spend the day doing whatever we feel like?"

Relief flooded Arabella's brain. "Yes! Go ahead and tell your brothers they get a much-deserved day of rest."

"Sweet!" Grady shouted, and then swept her off her feet.

Arabella tipped her head back and laughed while he spun her around. She told herself that the past needed to stay where it belonged-behind her. There wasn't any reason to let him know about the baby she'd lost. She'd only shared her secret with Granny York, and she couldn't think of why Grady needed to know of the heartbreak that had taken her so long to get over. It was done, and although there would surely be rocky moments ahead, she hoped that this time around their love could conquer anything that life tossed at them.





 CHAPTER ELEVEN



TREASURE

Grady looked over to where Arabella was hunting for shells in the damp sand. Her hair was secured in a bouncy bun, but the breeze tugged strands free, teasing her cheeks. Until she'd come back to town, he'd taken the beauty of the beach for granted, but now everything seemed fresh and new. Bliss. It was such a fluffy word, but Grady couldn't think of another way to describe his life over the past two weeks.

Thanks to Arabella, Heartbeat danced like a well-oiled machine, and had even mastered a fedora-tumbling-down-the-arm move that had taken ten million tries to perfect. The preparations for the concert were taken care of down to the last details. At Arabella's prompting, Grady finally had learned the beauty of delegating, handing over more of the tasks to Devin and his team. At this point, all Heartbeat basically had to do was show up onstage. Grady had even allowed his brothers to take over some of the operations of the foundation, giving him the opportunity to do what he loved best: spend time with Arabella.