“Is Deidre okay? Did you tell her about Linc?”
“Yeah. She’s flying to Tahoe even as we speak. I saw her off in Detroit.”
“You’re kidding.”
Liam shook his head.
“But surely she shouldn’t go alone,” Natalie murmured.
He sighed. “No one needs to take care of Deidre. She’s a force of nature. I told her I’d come out and join her in a few days if she wanted me there. Who knows what’s going to happen? We’ll just have to let things play out as far as her and Linc. I wanted to get back to Harbor Town as soon as possible, though.”
“Why? Because of your job?”
“No. Because I couldn’t stand not seeing you another second longer,” he said with a low, sexy chuckle that caused goose bumps to rise on her neck. He shook his head in bemusement as he looked down at her. “I wonder if I’ll ever figure you out.” He cupped her jaw in his customary tender gesture. A few more tears spilled down her cheek onto his fingers. “Did you really have yourself convinced this was a temporary thing between us? A blip on the radar screen?”
She winced. “I didn’t want to believe it, but the circumstances have been so strange. I thought maybe…”
“What?” he demanded gently.
“That you’d convinced yourself you cared, when really it was just misplaced guilt…or pity,” she finished in a whisper.
She caught the fierce glint in his eyes before he lowered his head and spoke next to her upturned lips.
“The last thing I feel toward you is pity. Will you get that into your head?”
He raised his eyebrows in half exasperation, half amusement when she nodded meekly. He pressed his forehead next to hers.
“There are a lot of things that are uncertain for my family right now. Please tell me you’re a certainty, Natalie.”
“I’m a certainty,” she replied quickly.
His slow grin caused a quivery sensation deep inside her.
“Good. Because I’ve never been more certain of anything in my life. How about if we go to the cottage…how about if we go home?”
She couldn’t help but grin. “Eric is going to be so put off by all this.”
“To hell with Eric,” Liam said. “He shouldn’t have ever tried to talk you out of living at the cottage, when it’s obvious it’s your home.”
They shared a smile.
“You ready?”
“I’m so ready,” she whispered.
His mouth lowered, and they sealed their deal with a kiss.