Under the Mistletoe

Jill Shalvis

NEW YORK   BOSTON

Begin Reading

Table of Contents

An Excerpt from It Had To Be You

An Excerpt from The Sweetest Thing

Also by Jill Shalvis

Newsletters

Copyright Page

All rights reserved. In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the publisher is unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), prior written permission must be obtained by contacting the publisher at permissions@hbgusa.com. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.

To my readers, happy holidays!

Contents

Title Page

Welcome

Dedication

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

About The Author

Also by Jill Shalvis

A Preview of “It Had to Be You”

A Preview of “The Sweetest Thing”

Don’t miss Jill Shalvis’s bestselling Lucky Harbor series.

Newsletters

Copyright

Chapter 1

Holding on to her hat, Mia ran along the streets on her killer four-inch red heels, her matching red skirt ruffling in the breeze. Late. She was late.

It was the story of her life.

“Hey, Mrs. Claus!” a construction worker yelled. “I need some holiday spirit! Come on, mama, bring it over here!”

This was accompanied by the hoots and hollers of the guy’s coworkers.

Mia flipped them off and kept running in tune to their raucous laughter. She might not be New York born or bred, but she’d learned to fit in just fine.

“Wow, are you real?” a little kid asked in marvel a block later, taking in her costume. “Is Santa real?”

“Yes!” she told him, and kept running.

Except if there’d really been a Santa Claus, she’d have happily crawled onto his lap and whispered her greatest wish—to be picked. For her softball team, for her internship, for a relationship, it didn’t matter. Getting picked meant everything to her, but somehow, she always ended up doing the picking.

Finally, she skidded into the restaurant and stopped to catch her breath, smoothing down her Mrs. Claus outfit. She had a change of clothes in her bag; she just needed to get to the ladies’ room. Whirling to do just that, she plowed right into a warm, hard body.

Nick.

Her first reaction was embarrassment at her costume. Granted, she’d just made two hundred bucks serving drinks at a corporate Christmas party, but she’d hoped to get into her cute little black dress before Nick caught sight of her.

And then there was her second reaction, which was wow, because he looked heart-stoppingly great tonight.

“You’re thinking so hard your hair’s smoking,” he said, his voice low and sexy. Teasing.

Mia reached out to touch her hair, but Nick caught her hand in his and smiled. “Like the look,” he said. “Is it for me?”

“No!” But she smiled back at him because it was impossible not to react to Nick. “I have my date night LBD in my bag. That’s for you.”

He took her hands and spread them out at her sides, studying the skimpy Mrs. Claus costume. “Mmm, I’m happy to settle for this.” His sun-kissed hair was the same color as the aged whiskey in the bottle on the bar behind him, and matched his eyes as well. He’d come right from work. His tie was loosened, his shirt sleeves shoved up past his deliciously corded forearms. His yummy build came from daily runs and long summers working as a manual laborer for tuition money.

But it wasn’t his looks that stopped Mia’s heart.

“Love that smile,” he murmured.

That. It was that way he had of making her feel like the prettiest woman in the world. She had it bad for him, and knew it.

The hostess seated them before she could change. Each table held a flickering candle and a sprig of mistletoe. Nick picked the mistletoe up, held it over Mia’s head, and then leaned in for a kiss. He squeezed her hand, his callused thumb slowly gliding over her palm. She’d never considered her palm a particularly sensual spot before, but his touch altered her breathing and made her shiver.

Or maybe that was just him.

His eyes darkened as he pulled back. “Hmm,” he said, his voice like sex on a stick. “I definitely want to know what you’re thinking now.”

“It’s you,” she blurted out. “You have the most amazing eyes.”

He brought her hand up to his mouth and nipped the pad of her thumb. “And just think, my eyes aren’t even my best part.”

She laughed. “And as I’ve seen all your parts, I’m in a position of authority to verify this as fact.”

“Maybe you should re-verify later. Just to make sure,” he said, flashing her a panty-melting grin.

Mia knew she could get lost in him. Had gotten lost in him. But she didn’t want to get distracted by his sexiness, not tonight. She’d come here with a plan. She was giving him his Christmas present early, which was a flight to her aunt Chloe’s Christmas Eve wedding. It would mean flying across the country on a whim and meeting the people who meant the most to her.

Nick was good with whims, and she was excited at the prospect of spending the holiday with him. But she held back, waiting, because this was a beautiful, expensive restaurant that they’d talked about but had never been to. It was intimate, and exquisitely decorated for the holidays, and she hoped that maybe Nick had a surprise of his own up his sleeve.

They’d been dating for six months, through her graduating NYU with a BA in psychology and Nick working his very fine butt off studying and passing the bar exam. Mia had gotten into graduate school and was currently halfway through her first year, and Nick was working around the clock to make a name for himself and reduce his monumental college debt—which was currently rivaling the size of the national deficit. So his restaurant choice had to mean something.

Was tonight the night he’d finally use the L-word?

Her heart picked up at the thought because that would be a most excellent Christmas present. But whatever his plans, Nick seemed in no hurry. He ordered appetizers, teased her about what she might have on beneath the Mrs. Claus outfit, and coaxed the details of her day out of her.

They ordered wine, and he touched his glass to hers, his eyes warm. “To a night like last night…,” he said silkily.

Last night had involved the secluded, deserted—and thankfully enclosed—rooftop patio of his five-story walk-up, where he’d loosened her inhibitions with slow, steady hands and an incredibly talented mouth, until she’d begged him to take her.

He’d acquiesced, twice. Just the memory made her go damp. “It’s supposed to rain tonight,” she said, her voice all Marilyn Monroe whispery, giving her away.

His smile was as slow and steady as his hands, and bad-boy wicked. He didn’t care about the rain.

“You’re wearing your new clothes,” she pointed out. “You’ll ruin them.”

He shrugged. After a lifetime of not having money, he never seemed to put much importance into possessions. In fact, he’d applied to work at a nonprofit law office providing restorative justice across the country. He wanted to try to save the kids who’d made some bad choices and needed help. If he got the job, he’d be traveling far and wide, and she’d lose him. She’d known this.

She’d fallen for him anyway.

Helplessly.

The question was still the same—had he fallen as well? They’d both been given up at birth, but Mia had been adopted by a wonderful couple who’d become mom and dad to her. Nick hadn’t been as lucky, and didn’t feel the same need for ties that she did. He was a lone wolf.

She, on the other hand, had been born to be part of a pack.

Nick leaned in close and kissed her just beneath her ear. “Have you ever had sex in the rain, Mia?”

Her breath caught, and there was a lot more tingling in places that had no business tingling in a restaurant. “Is sex all you think about?”

“No. But I think about it a lot. With you.” He flicked her earlobe with his tongue, and somehow all the bones in her body liquefied.

“Are guys really that much of a slave to their libido?” she managed.

“It’s the testosterone. A guy’d follow his girl all the way to Siberia if he thought it might get him laid. Barefoot. Uphill in the snow, both ways.”

She laughed, and he smiled. “Love the sound of your laugh,” he said. “You don’t do it enough.”

She’d been a serious kid, and not just because she was adopted. She loved her family, both her adoptive parents and her birth parents. She was lucky enough to have them all in her life. But there was no denying that in spite of her luck and the wealth of love she’d been showered with, she was…well, serious.

And still looking for her place to belong.

She thought—hoped—that her place to belong was with Nick, and it filled her with a giddiness that was hard to contain. He filled her with giddiness.

Dinner came and was delicious, and still Nick didn’t seem inclined to get to the point of the expensive restaurant. When the check arrived, he scooped it before she could. He always did that, even though he was drowning in college debt and, thanks to her four parents, she was not.

Outside, there were no cabs to be had. There was only a light mist in the air so they started walking. The construction crew was gone. Not that it mattered. No one would have bothered her with Nick at her side. He held himself in a way that spoke of a tough, easy confidence. He never went looking for trouble, but there was an edge to him that said if he happened to come across some, he wasn’t opposed to kicking its ass.

And growing up as he had, she had no doubt he could do so with little to no effort.

They made it to her tiny place, enjoying the crazy, over-the-top lights and Christmas decorations of the city. At her door, Nick playfully pushed her up against it. “You’re all wet, Mia…”

She took a moment to enjoy the feel of his hard body holding her pinned, then tipped her head to his. The flight confirmation was burning a hole in her purse. “Nick? Before we go in…”

He bent and kissed her cheek, her jaw, her throat, his hands slipping inside her coat. “I’m as adventurous as the next guy,” he murmured hotly against her skin, making her shiver because she knew exactly what his hands and mouth could do. “But out here in the hall?”

She went still and then smacked him on the chest. “That’s not what I was going to say.”

He laughed and straightened, leaving his hands on her hips. “No?” His eyes were gleaming with mischief and a sexual promise that made her rethink turning him down for anything.

“No,” she repeated, her heart speeding up a little. “Nick—”

He kissed her again, full of intent and purpose, and only when her bones had melted did he pull slowly back. “Sorry,” he said. “You’re just so damn sweet.”

“You can gobble me up inside,” she promised. “But I sort of have a Christmas present for you.”

He dropped his hands from her. “You said no Christmas presents, that we’d go away together for a weekend next month when we both have off, and that would be our gift to each other.”

“Okay, so it’s not a Christmas present,” she said. “Call it a present present. Do you remember months ago when I told you I was going home for Christmas for my aunt Chloe’s wedding?” She hesitated. “Well…I bought two plane tickets, not just one.” She pulled his confirmation from her purse and handed it to him.

Mia’s aunt Chloe and her fiancé, Sawyer Thompson, had been together for five years now. Being committed but not tethered had suited both of their wild souls, but recently Chloe had caught baby fever from her sister Maddie, who’d just had her second child.

Nick stared down at the paper Mia had handed him. “The wedding in Lucky Harbor?” he asked. “In Washington State?”

“Yes,” Mia said. She’d spent her first summer there five years ago at age seventeen, where she’d found and met her birth parents. She’d discovered her first crush there, too, her first love.

She and Carlos had done their best, but they’d been so young. Too young. Their teenage romance hadn’t survived, but she’d still gone to Lucky Harbor as often as she could over the past five years. “I realize it’s all the way across the country,” she said. “And also that it’s short notice, but I’ve been wanting to ask you for a while now. I just didn’t want you to feel obligated.”

He wasn’t looking like he felt obligated. He was looking like she’d clobbered him over the head with her purse, and some of her happiness faded.

“You want me to meet your birth parents?” he asked slowly.

“No,” she said slowly. “Well, yes. But mostly I just want to spend the holiday with you.” She knew the holidays had never been kind to him, and she wanted to show him how magical it could be. “This’ll be our first Christmas. It’ll be fun.” She smiled.

He didn’t. “Mia, I can’t.”

She took in his blank expression and got suddenly cold. “Can’t?” she murmured, not understanding.

“Okay, won’t,” he corrected, voice soft but his meaning brutally clear.

Shocked, she stepped back, coming up against her front door.

Nick reached for her, but she lifted a hand, holding him off. “You know it’s just a trip, right?” she asked as lightly as she could. “It’s not a request for a diamond or anything like that.” She’d never make that request of him. Maybe she’d secretly hoped that someday he’d make that request, but she certainly wouldn’t.

“I can’t,” he repeated.

No warm smile, no explanation to soften the blow, nothing. She actually looked down at herself. Was she bleeding? It felt like she was bleeding. But she wasn’t. She was in perfect working order as Mrs. Claus. Feeling stupid, she lifted her chin. “Okay,” she said quietly, even as her heart seized. “Never mind.” A little numb, which was a good thing at the moment since she didn’t want to fall apart, yet, she unlocked her door and stepped inside. Don’t look back, don’t look back—

She totally looked back.

Tension radiated from Nick, but he wasn’t giving anything away. A moment ago, he’d been touching her as if he needed her more than air, and now he was a complete stranger.

She quietly shut and locked the door, then leaned back against it.

He hadn’t picked her.

Chapter 2

Nick spent the next hour studying the ticket confirmation Mia had given him as if it held the answers to the universe. Not that he was actually seeing the piece of paper. Nope, he kept flashing back to Mia sitting across from him at the table earlier, her long brown hair falling like silk to her shoulders, her mossy green eyes full of affection and heat.

For him.

He loved the way she looked at him, though he’d managed to ruin that pretty well tonight. Disgusted with himself, he set the paper aside, turned off the lights, and got into bed where he proceeded to stare up at the ceiling, counting the ways in which he’d screwed up.

There were too many to count.

He could argue that his life was in crazy flux, but that was an excuse, and he hated excuses. His reaction to Mia’s invitation had been knee-jerk, and he’d hurt her.

He felt like shit about that, but he knew in the end, it was for the best. He had no business going to meet her family. One, he had no family experience. None. Two, he had even less relationship experience. Three, he’d applied for a job that was going to take him places, the first of which was around the entire country for the next two years.

It was what he’d wanted, to defend the kids who were falling through the cracks of the system—as he had. Mia, more than anyone else, understood this need. She’d been given up at birth, too.

But she’d been adopted. Nick had been shuffled from home to home his entire childhood, never quite belonging anywhere. Mia knew all this about him. It was what drew them together.

But what she didn’t know was that he’d gotten the job.

He’d been planning on telling her at dinner, and then they’d have celebrated. Except that being with her, as always, took him out of time and place. She made him forget everything but her and how he felt when he was with her.

And then there’d been the real problem.

Sitting with her at that candlelit table, watching her smile at him, for him…suddenly he hadn’t wanted to go anywhere.

He’d been wrestling with that when she’d dropped her wedding invite like a bombshell. She wanted him to go spend Christmas—a holiday he’d never believed in—with her family. Her family, something else he didn’t quite believe in.

When he finally fell into an exhausted, restless sleep, he dreamed about the first time they’d met, in a Human Behavior class that he’d needed in order to counsel teens on a volunteer basis.

She turned her head and gave him a long look when he slid into the class ten minutes late on the first day, thanks to a monster hangover. She was in glasses, her eyes nondescript, her brown hair piled up on top of her head. She had a laptop perched carefully on her lap and the required reading opened in one hand.

A nerd, he’d immediately decided, and knew he’d sat by the right girl. He always tried to sit by the smart ones because they were great study partners. He smiled at her.

She frowned and went back to concentrating on the lecture.

He realized he must have missed something important, as she had a full screen of notes. He leaned in to try to read over her shoulder at the same moment she turned back to him.

Their lips nearly brushed.

Her eyes widened and her lips opened in a little oh! of surprise. His reaction wasn’t all that different. Had he thought her nondescript? She was the furthest thing from nondescript, starting with her eyes. They were deep green and brimming with intelligence. She stared at him for a long beat, and then turned her laptop his way to share her notes.

“Oh, whoops,” she said, quickly closing a screen. “That was my research project for a different class.” She bit her lower lip. “You’re probably wondering about it now.”

Actually, he wasn’t. He wasn’t even looking at her screen. He was wondering how it was that she smelled so amazing, how her eyes could be so…green. He was wondering if she was wearing a bra beneath that thin sweater, or if she was just chilly…

“I’m writing about human sexuality,” she said.

Okay, now she had his attention. “You’re researching sex?” he asked. “As in how to have it?”

“Hey, I know how to have it,” she said, and then blushed gorgeously when she caught the teasing in his gaze.

Later he found out she’d been adopted, too. Drawn by this thing they had in common, he bought her a burger that night, and they ended up in Central Park beneath the stars watching an unexpected meteor shower. Mia made wishes on every falling star, big wishes, little wishes, wishes for everyone in her life…and he found himself entranced big-time.

Normally he never talked about himself, but she pulled him out of his shell, and they talked until dawn. Talked. Never in his life had he just sat and talked with a girl he hadn’t yet even gotten to second base. But she was different, and he shared things with her that he’d not shared with anyone.

The next night, she brought him homemade brownies. And unlike the brownies his roommates always made, hers weren’t illegal.

They’d been together ever since. Nick flopped over in his bed. They’d had fun exploring the city together. Exploring each other. Getting closer than he’d ever let someone get before.

And that’s about when her ex had shown up.

With a ring.

Yeah, that had been fun.

Carlos knocked on Mia’s door late one night. Mia was shocked at the visit. Nick was shocked when she asked him to go home so she could talk to Carlos alone.

Nick went downstairs and stood on the sidewalk, wondering if he was about to lose the best thing that had ever happened to him.

The longest hour of his life later, Carlos came out of the building, hood up and hands in his pockets as he headed down the sidewalk, never looking back.

Nick took the stairs at a jog, his gut in knots.

Mia’s shower was running, and he waited until she came out of the bathroom. In just a towel, steam surrounding her, she stared at him, and slowly shook her head.

And then her eyes filled with tears.

His heart squeezed as he strode to her and pulled her in close.

“He wanted me to marry him,” she said against his chest.

Nick went still. “And you said…?”

“I loved him when I was seventeen,” she said soggily, “with everything I had. I wanted to make it work, but he didn’t. He told me to move on. So that’s what I did. He broke my heart, and I just broke his.”

Nick let out the breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding and pressed his jaw to the top of her head.

“I think you should go,” she whispered.

Nick had made it a lifelong policy to never stay a moment longer than he was wanted. Ever. So he headed out of the building much the way Carlos had only a little while before and walked home. The last thing he remembered before falling asleep that night was the feel of Mia’s tears on his neck.

Rolling over again, he punched his pillow. He’d made a choice back then, and he’d been wrong. He shouldn’t have left her.

And he’d made the same mistake tonight.

At the crack of dawn, he gave up trying to sleep. He dressed and went to Mia’s apartment. He needed to see her, talk to her. Touch her. He had a key, but it didn’t feel right to just let himself in this time. But she didn’t answer, which is what happened when one acted like a complete ass. A complete, stupid ass. “Mia,” he said, “let me in.”

At the deafening silence, he blew out a sigh and pulled out his phone. But either she’d turned hers off or she’d hit Ignore because his call went right to voice mail. “Come to the door, Mia.”

Three doors down, an older lady peeked out and frowned at him. “So you’re all stupid then,” she said.

“Excuse me?”

“‘Let me in.’ ‘Come to the door.’ You always demand like that? No wonder she isn’t answering. Try asking sometime. Not all women will stand for that 50 Shades crap, you know.” She gave a disgusted headshake and slammed her door shut.

Nick had no idea what “50 Shades crap” was, but he looked at Mia’s door. Had he been demanding? He knocked again. “Mia? Can we talk?”

When the door still didn’t open, he gave up and tried a text: I’m at your place, come to the door. He paused, and then added please.

Hoping that covered all the bases, he waited a minute. Mia always responded to his texts right away, even when she was busy at school or work. She wanted to be a high school counselor when she finished grad school, and was working on getting an internship. But swamped as she was, she always made time for him no matter what—which never failed to make him feel special. Wanted.

Needed.

She was the first person to ever make him feel those things, and it meant a lot to him. She meant a lot to him.

But his phone remained ominously silent and her door remained shut, neither of which boded well.

He knew his own issues—he’d always been reluctant to let anyone too close. But if he knew his own, he knew hers even better. She was the opposite. She needed to let people close, to be surrounded by those who cared.

And he also knew something else, something she’d never verbalized to him: for as well adjusted as she was, she needed her people to make a stand for her.

Nick had failed her in that, big-time, and both his heart and gut were churning over it. She’d never asked for a thing from him, but he’d known that need of hers was there and he hadn’t fulfilled it.

He could fix that. He would fix that, and then she’d never doubt him again.

The door behind him opened, and he turned to face Mia’s other neighbor. Cindy was twenty-something, rumpled but pretty, with an infant in her arms and a toddler in a Santa hat wrapped around one leg.

“Hey, Nick,” she said in surprise. “Mia left already.”

“Left?”

“Yeah, she caught a cab a few hours ago.”

Chapter 3

Mia landed in Seattle and took a shuttle to Lucky Harbor. It was a long drive, and she hadn’t wanted to inconvenience anyone to come get her.

Okay, that was a lie. Her heart hurt and felt too big for her rib cage, and her emotions were all over the place. She needed time to get herself together.

Tara and Ford Walker—her birth parents—might not have formally met her until she sought them out at age seventeen, but there was no doubt that having them in her life had completed her. She belonged to them. She loved them. But…

But she’d found them. She’d picked them. She’d picked Nick, too, though, and look how that had turned out.

Shoving away the unproductive thought, she inhaled deeply, taking in the thick, lush forestland of the Olympic Mountains as the van cut through them. On the other side, as they came down to the coast and into the little bowl where Lucky Harbor was nestled, she found herself relaxing a little. The ocean churned wildly beneath a gunmetal-gray sky, and the air was scented with sea salt and pine—unique to Lucky Harbor. The town smelled perennially of Christmas, which never failed to make her smile.

Being back here made it hard to hold on to a bad mood, but she intended to give it a try. Except it wasn’t a bad mood. It was a broken heart.

Nick never promised you anything.

That thought came with another—maybe he’d only liked her because she understood being abandoned. Maybe she’d been nothing more than a mental crutch for him. This thought tumbled in her brain for a few minutes, giving her a headache. But she couldn’t blame him for this. He’d never given her false hopes. He’d never said that they were going anywhere with this relationship.

Hell, he’d never even said they had a relationship.

She’d just assumed, and everyone knew what assuming anything got you. Good and hurt.

Realizing she’d never turned her phone back on after her flight, she pushed the power button and watched as a few texts loaded from Nick.

I’m at your place, come to the door.

And then the shocking please.

She called him, but it went straight to voice mail. Since she had no idea what to say, she hung up.

He’d gone to her place. There was a terrible beat of hope, but realistically she knew it’d been to make sure she was okay. He’d made it clear how he felt; that wasn’t going to change. It didn’t mean he was a bad guy.

He wasn’t. He was one of the good guys. One of the best…

And wasn’t that just the problem.

The van entered Lucky Harbor and made its way along the quaint Victorian main street, past the pier and the Ferris wheel, and finally down the narrow road to the Lucky Harbor B&B. The B&B was run by her mom Tara and her two sisters, Maddie and Chloe. They’d turned away all reservations for the next two weeks to concentrate on the wedding. But Mia knew the place would be abuzz with craziness, and in spite of her heartache, her spirits lifted slightly at what lay ahead.

A wedding.

The B&B had been decorated for the holidays, with a fresh garland lining the wraparound porch. At night, the two-story Victorian would be lit up with strings of white twinkling lights. In the light of day, the flower beds were filled with festive red poinsettias.

Mia tipped her driver and got out. The sun peeked through the clouds, piercing the sky with long, shimmery beams that shifted into a rainbow over the water. It was all so amazing and gorgeous, it could have been a painting, and a very small part of her happiness returned.

A gardener was hard at work on the yard, his back to her. He was digging holes for planting, the shovel moving steadily in and out of the dirt, the muscles of his shoulders, arms, and back flexing and bunching effortlessly, and Mia went still as stone, as recognition hit hard.

Carlos.

The past five years fell away, and just like that memories of a far simpler time washed over her, back to when a teenage crush had been the most important thing in her life.

It’d been four months since he’d come to New York to ask her to give him another shot, and she hadn’t seen or heard from him since. Before Mia could say a word, a young woman came around the corner of the house and threw herself into his arms.

Carlos easily caught her up and with a megawatt smile, lowered his head and kissed her.

And kissed her.

Feeling intrusive, Mia took an involuntary step back, unable to put a finger on what she felt exactly. Envious that she’d broken up with the love of her life while Carlos was clearly so happy? As unflattering as that was, yes. She must have made a sound because Carlos broke from the kiss and turned to face her. He was wearing dark, reflective sunglasses, which he slowly shoved to the top of his head. And then he smiled.

The woman in his arms disentangled herself and turned with curiosity in Mia’s direction. Carlos murmured something soft to her, squeezed her hand, and then left her, heading toward Mia.

“Hey,” he said, genuine affection in his voice as he reached for her. Mia was so relieved that it wasn’t awkward that she walked right into his arms.

It wasn’t the same kind of embrace he’d just shared with the woman still watching them, not even close. Nor was it the same kind of embrace that Carlos himself would have given Mia once upon a time. It was warm and friendly. Not sexual.

Mia waited for the hit of disappointment over that, but though being held by Carlos was bittersweet, she ached for someone else.

For Nick.

She missed his solid warmth, the way he always tightened his grip on her in a way that made her feel like she was his everything.

His pick.

For a moment, she closed her eyes against the sorrow that was threatening to bring her to her knees and held on to the oh-so-painfully-familiar Carlos. Then she stepped back and gave him as big a smile as she could manage.

“It’s good to see you,” he said sincerely. “You look beautiful. You must be fighting the guys off left and right.”

No, just scaring them off…

“Yes,” she said lightly, “and it’s quite the chore.”

Carlos smiled, and then turned to the other woman and held out his hand for her. When she came close, he said, “Theresa, this is Mia.”

Theresa’s smile was as reserved as Mia’s. “Ah,” she said, “the one who got away. I’ve heard a lot about you. You’re the one who taught him how to treat a woman right, which makes me eternally grateful to you.” She moved into Carlos a little bit, marking her territory. “Hope you enjoy your stay.”

*  *  *

Mia found everyone in the large B&B kitchen—her parents, Maddie and Jax, Chloe, and Sawyer. They were all in an assembly line, wrapping what appeared to be an entire Toys R Us warehouse of stuff.

After welcome hugs and kisses, Mia was put to work wrapping presents for Maddie and Jax’s two kids.

“We might have gone overboard,” Maddie said, passing Mia a pair of scissors.

“Might?” Sawyer asked drily, attempting to fold a neat corner and failing.

Chloe took over for him. “Tell us, Mia.”

“Tell you what?”

She smiled gently. “Why you’re looking like you just found out there’s no Santa.”

“I’m fine,” she said. And then she burst into tears.

Chapter 4

Mia told everyone about Nick over eggnog and more wrapping, which temporarily halted when a baby’s cry came through the monitor. Jax left the room and came back holding his sleepy three-month-old son, Ryder, in one arm like a football. “Sierra’s still sleeping,” he said.

A relieved Maddie went back to the discussion at hand. “I think the text means he’s sorry,” she said to Mia. “It’s actually kinda sweet.”

Nick was a lot of things. He was strong of mind and body, he was both street and book smart, and he possessed a wicked sense of humor. He treated Mia like she meant something to him.

But she wouldn’t classify him as sweet.

“I like the ‘please,’” Chloe said. “The ‘please’ is always good.” She gave Sawyer a secret smile.

“If he’s long term,” Maddie said, wielding a spool of ribbon like an expert, “he needs to be the kind of guy who thinks you’re beautiful when you’re not. So, for example, he wouldn’t care if you live in yoga pants even though you hate yoga.”

“You hate yoga?” Chloe asked. She was Maddie’s yoga instructor. And a tyrant. “You said you liked it.”

Jax choked on his beer, making Ryder mewl in his sleep.

Maddie shot her husband a look as she soothed the baby. “He needs to let you know how much he cares,” she said to Mia. “He needs to see you and think you’re it for him.”

Jax tugged on Maddie’s hand until she moved in close. “You’re it for me, Mad. For always. And I love your yoga pants.”

Maddie smiled and kissed him over Ryder’s head.

Mia’s heart sighed.

“Oh good Lord, get a room,” Tara said before looking at Mia. “Look, Nick let you go. Not okay. As I see it, he’s got to earn your heart back.”

“Harsh,” Ford said.

Sawyer snorted. “Says the idiot who once had to do the same thing.”

Ford leveled a long look at Sawyer. “You want to tell tales?”

Sawyer just smiled. “In two days, I’m going on a honeymoon to a South Pacific beach. We’re packing sunglasses and sunscreen, and that’s it. Nothing you say can bug the shit out of me.”

*  *  *

Mia woke the next morning to a knot in her gut that came from missing Nick like she’d miss a limb. She’d clearly misread things. She’d mistaken affection for a deeper emotion. She’d mistaken passion for love.

Could she go back to New York and resume right where they’d left off and accept less than she’d hoped for?

If she was being honest with herself, the answer was no. She couldn’t do it. It would kill her slowly.

She opened her eyes. She was on Ford’s boat, docked at the marina at the B&B. He and Tara had a house on the hill above town, but Mia had wanted to sleep on the water. They’d stayed with her, taking the tiny cabin. She had the narrow couch in the galley area. Sitting up, she saw that they were cooking breakfast.

Tara was the chef in the family, but Ford could totally out-cook her when he wanted. Proving it, he jostled a pan and expertly flipped the eggs.

Tara rolled her eyes at him. “Show-off.”

He grinned and gave her a smacking kiss on the lips.

“Morning,” Mia said, and they both turned to her. They were still smiling, but she could see worry in their gazes.

“I’m fine,” she said.

“Of course you are, sugar.” Tara’s southern drawl came out as she made up three plates with quick efficiency. “You’re a Daniels and a Walker.” She shot Ford a wry smile. “That means you’re ninety-nine percent fine stubbornness, tenacity, and resilience combined.”

“And the other one percent?” Mia asked as they sat at the tiny galley table and ate elbow to elbow.

Ford wrapped an arm around her neck and pulled her in close. “Perfection.”

Turning her face into his chest, Mia closed her eyes and ignored the burn in her throat as he stroked her hair.

It was going to be okay, she told herself. Somehow, it would. So she’d made a mistake and had fallen for a guy who hadn’t fallen back. Welcome to Womanhood.

“There’s something you should know, Mia,” Ford said quietly.

She lifted her head. “What?”

“Actually, it’s more a confession than a what,” Tara said.

Oh, God. “Are one of you sick?”

“No.” Tara took Mia’s hand. “Nothing like that. It’s just that your phone was buzzing off the hook while you were sleeping, and I didn’t want it to wake you up, so…” She grimaced.

“So you turned it off?” Mia asked.

Ford chuckled softly, and Tara reached over Mia to smack him.

Ford simply caught Tara’s hand. “Your mom doesn’t quite have that much control,” he said to Mia. “What she’s trying to tell you is that she not only answered your phone, she meddled.”

“Hey, it’s in my blood,” Tara said, sounding like a Steel Magnolia. “And I’m not sorry for it. Okay, maybe I’m a little sorry for it, but not as much as he will be if he screws this up.”

Mia’s heart stopped. “If who screws what up?”

“Maybe you should just go see him,” Ford said. “He’s at the B&B waiting for you. He’s been there since dawn.”

Mia blinked, unable to fully process this.

Ford handed her a coffee, which she gratefully sipped. The caffeine hit her system in thirty seconds. “Okay,” she said, “that’s better. Because I could have sworn you just said there was a guy waiting at the B&B for me.”

Tara just looked at her, and Mia’s heart kicked. “You aren’t kidding.”

“Sugar, I never kid about men.”

Ford lifted his wife’s hand to his mouth, smiling at her over their entwined fingers.

Normally, Mia would take a moment to think about how sweet it was that they loved each other so much, but…Nick had come? With wobbly knees and a rush of blood through her head, she set down the coffee and started to scramble above deck, but Ford gently pulled her to him by the back of the sweatshirt she’d slept in. He looked down into her face, his own unusually serious.

“I remember that look,” she said. “It’s the look you once gave Carlos right before you threatened to kick his ass.”

“I can still kick ass,” he said with absolute steel. “I just wanted you to know that.”

Mia went up on tiptoes and kissed his cheek. “No worries. I inherited the ability from you.”

Once again, she started to go, but quickly backtracked to brush her teeth, making Tara and Ford laugh. Then she hit the deck. The tide was in and choppy, knocking the boat around some. She jumped to the dock and crossed the wide yard to the Victorian B&B with…well, she didn’t know what exactly was humming through her veins. Hope? No. Even if he’d come, he couldn’t take back what had been in his eyes the other night.

But none of that mattered because the man staring down at the flower beds wasn’t Nick.

It was Carlos.

He turned and took in her baggy sweats and undoubtedly rumpled bedhead, and the corner of his mouth quirked. “Like the look,” he said.

She tried for a smile and failed, and then his faded, too. “What’s wrong?” he asked.

“Nothing.” Everything… “I thought…” She shook her head, not trusting her voice. She wasn’t going to cry again. Hell no. She’d save it for really important events, like watching The Notebook after a round of brutal finals, or the National Humane Society commercials.

“Ah, hell,” Carlos said. “He fucked it up, didn’t he? Did he hurt you, Mia?”

Throat burning, she shook her head.

With a sigh, he pulled her into him.

“I’m a mess,” she whispered.

“A cute mess.”

She found a smile after all. “I did miss you, you know.”

“I missed you, too.”

They paused, then at the same time both said, “but…”

Carlos pulled back and gestured for her to go first.

“But…” She drew in a deep breath. “I don’t love you anymore. Not the way I used to.”

He nodded. “I know. It’s okay, chica. We’re both okay.”

She wanted desperately for that to be true, but was afraid it wasn’t. “Do you love her? Theresa?”

Carlos hesitated. “Mia.”

“It’s okay. Really,” she said softly.

He looked at her for a long moment. “I didn’t think I’d ever get over you. But I was wrong,” he said. “She’s the one for me, Mia.”

She nodded, wondering what Nick would say if someone asked him if he loved her. Would he hesitate? Say no? She thought about how he’d pretty much done exactly that, and felt her face heat with embarrassment and hurt.

She’d been so sure that they’d been in a very different place…

“Mia,” said a low, unbearably familiar voice behind her.

Mia went still, then whirled around, coming face to face with Nick, silhouetted against the morning sun slanting across the water.

Chapter 5

Nick watched Mia’s emotions chase each other across her face. Hope, hurt. Temper. He was going to hold on to the first one, in spite of the fact that Carlos was standing at her back.

“Nick.” The genuine surprise in Mia’s voice was a direct hit. Clearly, she hadn’t expected to see him, hadn’t expected that he’d come for her. He took a step toward her, but before he could say a word, the door of the B&B opened. In the doorway stood Mia’s uncles, both of whom he’d met when he’d arrived last night. Clearly interested in his and Mia’s reunion, their imposing, impenetrable vibe was broken only by the little girl and huge brown Labrador at their feet.

Mia’s aunts were in the window. They’d been incredibly kind but incredibly vague about Mia’s exact location. Not up to par on family protocol, Nick figured he had some serious ass-kissing to do. He was prepared to do that. What he wasn’t prepared for was the glacial wall of protectiveness from Maddie’s husband, Jax, and Chloe’s husband-to-be, Sheriff Sawyer Thompson.

The dog and little girl weren’t imposing. The little girl was offering a soggy cookie to the dog.

“Baby, don’t feed Izzy,” Jax said, and hoisted her up into his arms.

The dog shot Jax a look of reproach and sighed.

Everyone else looked at Nick.

This was possibly the most important moment of his entire life, and he had an audience. Well, what the hell. He was good at tuning out the bad shit. He’d been able to tune out unfavorable foster parents, nosy teachers, menacing bullies…everything. It was a unique gift. So he used it now, and looked only at Mia.

But she’d craned her neck and was watching Tara and Ford walk across the yard toward them. Perfect. Now everyone was here to witness this.

Mia was wearing sweats—his, he was relieved to note—and her hair was piled precariously on top of her head. She had a sleepy-eyed look to her, one that he knew well. Normally, the heavy-lidded look was accompanied by a sweet yet sexy-as-hell smile as she woke up, stretched, and then climbed all over him.

She’d clearly just very recently woken up—hopefully not with the tall, dark, and attitude-ridden Carlos, who was still standing too close at her back.

Nick wanted to be alone with her to talk, but apparently she didn’t have ESP because she looked at him for a long beat, then gestured to the couple who’d just crossed the yard. “I’m assuming you met my parents, Ford and Tara.”

They shook hands. Nick noted that they were watching him with guarded sympathy.

“And you’ve met the rest of my family?” Mia asked him as she swept a hand toward the B&B.

Nick nodded.

“And Carlos?”

Carlos sent Nick a narrow-eyed glance that said, You screwed up.

There was no doubt.

Nick’s life had been only what he had made of it. He was used to being responsible for his own emotions, just as he was well used to controlling them tightly. But he hadn’t slept for two days now, and his control was slipping big-time. Plus, Mia wasn’t showing much. Since she’d always shown him her feelings before—no holding back—this was a bad sign.

“We need to talk,” he said.

She arched a brow. “You came across the country to talk?”

“I came for you. Look,” he said, all too aware of their company, “I know I suck at this, but can we talk? Please?”

It may have been wishful thinking, but her eyes seemed to warm. “Okay.”

Nick let out a breath and eyed their avid audience pointedly, but not a single one expressed any embarrassment at shamelessly eavesdropping. Finally, one of the aunts took mercy and stepped in. “All right, show’s over,” Maddie said, soft-spoken though her voice was laced with steel as she turned and gave the entire gang a shooing motion.

To Nick’s relief, everyone actually listened to her and began to move off.

Except Carlos. He grabbed the shovel from against the porch railing and leaned on it, staying right at Mia’s back.

“You’ve had a long trip,” Mia said to Nick. “Though why you made it when you so clearly didn’t want to, I can’t imagine.”

“I was hoping we could discuss that. Privately.” This last word he directed at Carlos.

Carlos didn’t move.

“Nick,” Mia said quietly.

Christ, he thought, she was going to turn him down.

“It’s a really busy day here,” she said. “There’s last-minute fittings, and the rehearsal dinner, and I have to help.”

“I’m not leaving,” Nick said.

“You’re leaving if she wants you to leave,” Carlos said, and set aside the shovel.

Nick stared at him. “This is none of your business.”

“Did I say that to you when you waited like a vulture in New York to swoop in and pick at the bones?” Carlos asked.

“Oh, for God’s sake,” Mia said. “This is ridiculous. Both of you need to—”

“She was mine then,” Nick said, stepping closer. He could feel Mia’s surprised reaction at this, and couldn’t blame her. It was the first time he’d laid public claim to his feelings for her. He was surprised as hell, too. But oddly enough, it felt natural.

And right. “She’s mine now,” he said.

“Hey,” Mia said with a frown, “I’m—”

Carlos stepped up to Nick so that they were toe to toe. “You need to go. I’m going to stand here and watch you. Then I’m going to pick at the bones this time. How’s that?”

“You have a real problem,” Nick said.

“Yeah,” Carlos said. “It’s you.” And he punched him.

Perfect, Nick thought, swinging back. A fight was just what he needed, and the next thing he knew, he and Carlos were in a tangle, rolling around on the ground, fists flying.

Carlos landed a few good hits, but so did Nick. In fact, he was getting the best of the fight when they were suddenly blasted with icy water.

He and Carlos rolled away from each other, flat on their backs, gasping for breath. Nick swiped dirt and water from his face and blinked as an old lady came into view. She was in a pink velour sweat suit with white sneakers, and she was holding a hose.

“That’ll do it every time,” she said to Mia.

Mia’s mouth was pinched tight. “Thanks, Lucille,” she said. Then, with one long, hard glare at both Nick and Carlos, Mia stormed inside the B&B and slammed the door.

The sound of the lock clicking into place was unmistakable.

Lucille tossed the hose aside and brushed off her hands. “Hello,” she said to Nick. “Nice to meet you. I run the art gallery down the street.” She looked at Carlos. “You two are good now? No more silly boy stuff?”

“Yeah,” Carlos said and sat up, rubbing his jaw. “We’re good.”

Nick sat up, too, rubbing his aching ribs as he nodded.

“Great,” Lucille said. She pulled a cell phone from her pocket and snapped a picture of them. “Behave now.” And then she was gone.

Nick glanced at Carlos. “She for real?”

“Unfortunately.”

“You going to tell me what the hell that was about?” Nick asked.

“Does it matter?”

Nick thought about it. “No.” Taking a careful breath, he rolled to his feet. “We are done, right?”

Carlos gave him a long, considering look. “Depends on how stupid you are.”

Nick shrugged. He tried hard not to be stupid, but apparently where Mia was concerned all bets were off. Wet, dirty, and off center, he walked around the B&B until he came to the back. As he suspected, there were steps leading up to the wraparound porch and a sliding glass door, which was thankfully unlocked.

Inside, Mia sat on the couch with her smartphone, working on a word puzzle. “I have a problem,” she said when Nick walked in. “I need a three-letter word for asshole, and I don’t know if it’s M-E-N or Y-O-U.”

“Either, no doubt.” He walked over and crouched in front of her, his hands on her thighs as he looked into her face. “Am I too late, Mia?”

Chapter 6

Mia was startled by Nick’s question. “That’s an odd thing to ask,” she said carefully, “for a guy who was too afraid to come to a wedding with the girl he’s been with for six months.”

“I wasn’t afraid.”

She just looked at him and he grimaced. “Okay, maybe a little.”

Carlos appeared at the slider, as dirty and wet as Nick, and Mia narrowed her eyes at him as well.

“Hey,” Carlos said, raising his hands in surrender. “I’m just working here.” But he didn’t go anywhere.

Mia stood between the only two men she’d ever been with. The only two men she’d ever loved. “We need a moment,” she said to Carlos.

“You going to dump him?” Carlos asked. “Because if you are, I should get to watch. It’d be nice to be on the other side of the fence on that score.”

“You dumped me,” she reminded him.

“Yes,” he said. “So that you could go live your life.” He looked at Nick. “Not to get hurt.”

“Carlos,” she said, and knew he heard the warning in her voice because he sighed.

“Yeah, I know,” he said. Ignoring Nick completely, he leaned in and kissed her on the cheek, taking his sweet-ass time about it, too. “Give him hell,” he whispered against her ear. “Neither of us deserves you.”

And then he was gone.

She drew in a deep, steady breath and looked at Nick. “So. You want to talk?”

*  *  *

“Not here,” Nick said, and pulled Mia to her feet. He knew damn well her uncles hadn’t gone far. Maybe Carlos didn’t intimidate him, but Jax and Sawyer sure as hell did. He wasn’t scared of much, but this—Mia’s family—terrified him. They’d loved her a hell of a lot longer than he had, and he was pretty sure he hadn’t made a great first impression.

Or a second…

Mia led him through the inn. There was mistletoe hanging in various spots, and he longed to shove her beneath it and kiss her until she melted against him and remembered that she liked him.

But since steam was still coming out her ears, he resisted.

She took him to the kitchen, where Sawyer stood against the counter drinking a coffee. He didn’t express surprise at the sight of Nick all dirty and rumpled from the fight. “Nice right hook,” was all he said.

Mia let out a sound that managed to perfectly convey her annoyance, probably with the entire male race, then went to the freezer. She grabbed a small bag of frozen peas and brought it up to Nick’s right eye with exactly zero gentleness.

“Hold it there,” she said tightly when he winced. “You’re swelling.”

Nick took some heart in the fact that she hadn’t offered Carlos a bag of peas.

“We’re making a getaway for a few,” she said to Sawyer. “You going to have our backs?”

“Sure.” Sawyer looked down at her, his eyes softening. “You know where to find me if you need anything.”

“Come on,” Mia said to Nick, and tugged him outside. They walked across the yard to the marina and into a small building, where she snatched a set of keys off a desk. From inside a closet, she grabbed two life vests and carried them with her.

Because she didn’t look like she was ready to talk, he followed her to the docks to a rickety old houseboat that had definitely seen better days.

“It came with the marina,” Mia said. “My dad taught me how to operate it several summers ago.”

Nick eyed the shabby houseboat and then the dark, choppy water. “It’s December.”

She glanced over at him, her eyes showing the slightest amusement and also the hint of challenge. “So?”

“The water looks cold.”

“Yeah. Don’t fall in,” she said.

He rubbed his jaw and studied the death trap. “Is this thing seaworthy?”

“Mostly.”

What the hell. He boarded behind her, watching as she tossed the life vests down but within reach, and then turned on the engine compartment blower and checked the outdrive and propeller.

“Untie the mooring lines,” she said, “and FYI? You’re my rear lookout.”

“My pleasure,” he responded, and checked out her rear.

She rolled her eyes but let out a low laugh that was music to his ears. “The boat,” she said. “Make sure we’re clear.” She went inside the houseboat to the controls, leaving the door open so she could hear him as she started the engine. “I’ve got to run this for two minutes at 1500 rpm,” she called to him. “Time me.”

Two minutes later, he told her “time,” and then was amused when she began barking directions at him like a drill sergeant.

“This bossiness is a new side of you,” he murmured, entertained. “I like it.”

“Just keep your eyes on the water. Pulling this bad boy is tricky, and I don’t want to clip the dock. Jax hates it when I do that, because he’s the one that fixes everything around here. Oh shit, am I close? Stop checking out my ass and go look! Hurry!”

“I’m not much for hurrying,” he said, doing as she asked and moving to where he could see their hind end. “I’m more a fan of the slow and thorough.” He slid her a look through the door. “I’m going to remind you of that you when it’s my turn to be in charge.”

She stopped moving, nibbling on her lower lip as her eyes went a little glossy.

“Mia?”

“Yeah?”

“The boat.”

“Oh!” She jerked back to attention.

When they cleared the marina safe and sound, he joined her inside. She wiped her brow and turned to him. “Slow and thorough?”

“Have you forgotten?”

She blushed. “No. I remember.”

“Do you?” He liked the look of her standing at the bridge. He came up behind her, a hand on either side, caging her in. “I was starting to wonder…”

She closed her eyes when he leaned over her and brushed his mouth along her jaw. Taking that as a good sign, he concentrated on the sweet spot beneath her ear. She let out a shuddering sigh, but gave him a nudge back.

“I need space,” she said. “I can’t think when you’re so close. I’m not going to run this thing into the ground because you’re distracting me.”

The sensation of needing more room had figured prominently in Nick’s life. He’d always needed far more room than he’d been given. Then he’d turned eighteen, been free of the system, and made sure to never be cornered again. That she needed room from him sucked. “I never meant to hurt you, Mia.”

“Is that what you came all the way across the country to tell me?”

“Yes,” he said. “Partly.”

“You could have said that much on the phone.”

“You didn’t answer your phone,” he pointed out.

“I was on a plane. And I called you back, and you didn’t answer your phone.”

“Because I was on a plane,” he said.

She sighed. “You shouldn’t have come.”

There was something terrifying in her voice. A distance, he thought, and felt the licks of a newfound and very unwelcome emotion blocking his throat. Panic.

She apparently didn’t have the same problem. “We’ve said all that needed to be said,” she told him.

“Not by a long shot.” Turning her to face him, he pulled her in close, which took some doing because she was stiff as a board. “I didn’t come out here just to apologize, Mia,” he said, cupping her face. “I wanted to be with you. I’ve wanted to be with you since day one, when you saved my ass.”

“You’d have figured it out. That class wasn’t hard.”

“I don’t mean the stupid class,” he said. “I mean life. You saved my ass in life. And you’ve been saving it ever since. Keeping me on track when no one else ever gave a shit, encouraging me to go after what I want. And what I want, Mia, is you. I want you in my life, in a relationship with me.”

She searched his gaze for a long beat. “When I asked you to this wedding,” she finally said, “I really just wanted your company. I wasn’t asking for—”

“I know. I was an idiot, Mia.”

She rolled her eyes again but definitely warmed toward him. “Look at us,” she said. “Two ridiculously scared peas in a pod.”

He shook his head. “Scarred, maybe. Not scared. I’m not scared of this.”

“Well, that makes one of us.” She let out a breath. “I thought I knew what and who we were. But I was wrong.”

“I screwed up.”

“No,” she said, shaking her head. “No one can blame you for not being ready for a relationship. I thought I was ready, but the truth is, I’m not even sure what a real relationship is.” She paused, and a frightening solemnity came into her eyes. “We were both given away once. I’ve made peace with that. I grew up loved, so I know what it feels like. Now I have my birth parents in my life, too, and have had nothing but acceptance. I even had a teenage love that I have nothing but fond memories of. But the fact is that I picked these relationships. I found my birth parents. I forced my way into their lives. Hell, I forced myself on Carlos, for that matter. He had no choice; he never knew what hit him. I’ve always done the picking, Nick, and—”

“—And for once you want to be picked,” he said softly. “I know. I’m picking you, Mia.”

“No, listen to me…that very first day when you strolled into class? There were two girls sitting in the seats on one side of me and my backpack on the other. I saw you come in and my heart stopped.” She put a hand to her chest as if it ached. “I told the girls that James Franco was in the back row, and when they scampered off to check, I quickly kicked my backpack beneath the seat in front of me, making it look like I had nearly a whole row to myself so you’d take one of the seats. And then…” She sucked in a breath. “Then I broke the cardinal girl rule.”

Nick was confused. “Girl rule?”

“I didn’t wait three days to see if you’d contact me. I made sure to run into you the next day with brownies. I threw myself at you, Nick. Don’t you see? You had no choice.”

He stared at her for another beat and then laughed.

She smacked him. “I’m serious!”

“So am I.” He let his smile fade, let his own intent ring clear in his voice. “So now you listen. Mia, I think of you from the moment I open my eyes to when I close them at night. You make me smile, you make me ache. You make me think, you make me strong. You make me frustrated as shit, and I honestly can’t see myself without you. I know you don’t quite believe that right now, and that’s okay. I can wait for you to catch up.”

She shook her head. “I’m so confused. I really thought that this whole thing was your fault, but now I’m confused because you’ve changed your mind about commitment. I’m going to be a counselor, Nick. How can I be a counselor when I’m so confused? God, I was such a smug idiot.”

“No, you’re the smartest woman I know. And if anyone’s the idiot, it’s me. A slow idiot.”

She didn’t disagree with him, which might have made him smile if this hadn’t been so serious. “I didn’t change my mind, Mia. I always knew.”

She stared at him, and he touched her, running a finger along her temple. He couldn’t help himself. “I just didn’t know how to make this work,” he said.

“And you know now?”

“No, but I want to figure it out. Together. Mia, I heard back about the job.”

Her breath hitched, and she stared into his eyes. “You got it.”

He nodded, taking in her expression. She was happy for him. He could see that clear as day. Past any sadness for her own heart, her relief for him was tangible. Tugging her close, he buried his face in her hair. Carlos was right. Neither of them deserved her, himself especially. But hell if he’d walk away. “I was going to tell you about it at dinner the other night, but then I couldn’t.”

She pulled back and stared into his eyes. “Because you thought I would hold you back?”

“No.” He tightened his grip on her. “I knew you wouldn’t. But you were talking about us going skiing next month, and then on a Valentine’s Day trip. I want to do those things, but I probably won’t be able to. And I didn’t know how to tell you.”

“So you told me nothing?”

“Not my finest moment,” he admitted. “Look, this is going to be a challenge for us, but it can work. Tell me you know that, that you still feel something for me.”

“I feel lots of things for you, Nick. Probably too much. But that doesn’t change anything.” She turned away from him to the controls and adjusted their course. “It’s just too complicated,” she whispered. “You shouldn’t have come.”

“I’ll always come for you.”

Chapter 7

Mia kept her eyes on the horizon, but she didn’t have to turn around to know that Nick was there, right at her back, so close that a sheet of paper wouldn’t have fit between them.

“Anchor us,” he said.

Her heart sped up, in reaction to both his low, sexy voice and his proximity. Her body always reacted to his like this. Zero to sixty. This condition wasn’t improved when he brushed a kiss to her jaw, and lingered. “Nick—”

His mouth slid over her throat, his warm palm settling on the nape of her neck to hold her steady. “It’s my turn to be the boss, Mia.”

She had no idea what it said about her that this made her quiver in anticipation, but she hurriedly steered them into a quiet, deserted bay and dropped anchor.

Turning her to face him, Nick took her hands in his and directed them to his chest. Unable to help herself, she let them wander. She loved his body. Lifting her head, she found his eyes on hers.

“Do you want this?” he asked quietly. “Do you still want me?”

“Yes,” her mouth said without her brain’s permission.

With a groan, he pressed her against the controls, pinning her there with his deliciously warm body. His mouth skimmed over her jaw to her lips as his big, warm hand palmed her breast. With a sound that said it wasn’t enough for him, he slid his hands beneath her sweatshirt and thin tee. Another sound escaped him at finding her braless, this one of rough, male appreciation while his thumb strummed over her nipple. “God. God, I missed this,” he said, his lips hovering over the pulse beating frantically at the base of her neck. “I missed you.”

She didn’t want words. She wanted him to banish the hurt, just for a little while. Rocking into him, she reached for the zipper on his jeans. “We have to be quick.”

Catching her hands, he pinned them on either side of her.

“Nick—”

“My turn,” he said firmly, and dropped to his knees in front of her.

Pushing up her sweatshirt, he cupped her breasts, leaning in to take a nibble of her quivering abs. “Mine,” he said, untying the sweats.

She had no idea if he meant the sweats, or herself. Had no idea how she felt about that either.

Okay, so that was a total fib. She knew exactly how she felt about it. She’d just gotten a rush that was a millimeter short of an orgasm.

When he tugged the sweats down, she gasped.

“Commando,” he said huskily. “My favorite.”

“I was sleeping, and I don’t like wearing underwear when I sleep.” A little panicked, she searched their immediate surroundings. How had she gone from so hurt to so nearly naked? “Uh…”

“No one’s around,” he assured her. “Not for miles. Relax, Mia. This is for you.”

Relax? She had no idea how she was supposed to do that with her emotions seesawing, not to mention the fact that her pants were at her thighs and Nick’s hands were cupping her ass, pulling her to his mouth, and— “Ohmigod.” She slid her hands into his hair, holding him to her because his mouth—good Lord, his mouth. It took her an embarrassingly short amount of time to come, which she decided to attribute to adrenaline and not to his considerable skills or the fact that she was still helplessly in love with him.

When her knees buckled, he caught her. Feeling incredibly emotional, and far too vulnerable, she tried to push him away. He simply and devastatingly pressed a sweet kiss to her hipbone. Then just beside her belly button.

She stared down at him, nearly choking on her heart. “Nick.”

He tugged off her sneakers and then her clothes, and surged to his feet. “I need you, Mia.”

He did. She could feel his erection pressing against her through his jeans. She let her hand glide down his chest, his abs, and then she palmed him.

He groaned but took her hand. “Not there.” He slid their entwined fingers back up to his chest against his heart. “Here.”

Undone, and unable to resist, she went up on tiptoes and kissed him, long and deep. They’d do this, and she’d hold the memories warm and safe inside her forever.

Nick pulled a condom from his wallet and Mia freed his essentials—and oh how she loved his essentials—and then he lifted her up. “Wrap your legs around me,” he said, and when she did, he slid home.

And in that moment at least, her world was complete.

*  *  *

He was going too fast with her, Nick knew it. But the pent-up lust and longing had drawn them into this explosion of deep, wet kisses and slick, needy bodies, and he couldn’t slow himself down. When she came, shuddering in pleasure, his name on her lips, she took him right over the edge with her.

They ended up on the floor of the houseboat flat on their backs, staring up at the sky through the skylight, panting for breath, trying to recover. He wasn’t even sure he could move, but somehow he managed to pull her into him, holding her to his side, gliding a hand up and down her satiny, still-damp skin. She shivered at his touch and arched into him as if needing more, and he discovered he could move plenty. Catching her hands in his, he rolled, tucking her beneath him.

She stared up at him, her eyes two fathomless pools, and he felt his heart give a hard kick to his ribs.

She was it for him.

“Mia,” he said quietly, brushing her hair from her face, breathing deeply of her scent—part shampoo, part satisfied woman. “I love you.” He kissed her before she could respond because he wanted her to absorb the words and believe. He kissed her as if he could breathe the truth into her lungs.

But she eventually pulled back. “I don’t need promises, Nick. I never did. I just wanted you here with me. For now.”

For now. A guy’s dream, those two words. But he’d come to realize that he wanted more, so much more. He wanted her heart.

Chapter 8

By the time they got back to the B&B, Mia had received no less than ten calls from her mom and aunts, and Nick could feel her pulling away.

On the porch of the B&B, she turned to him, face solemn. “Today was wonderful, Nick.”

There was an unsettling finality to her words, like she was saying good-bye. Did she think he would just go home now that he’d gotten laid?

“I’ll never forget it,” she said.

Yeah, she did. She expected him to go. “I want to stay, Mia.” He ran his hands up her arms and felt her tremble at his touch. She closed her eyes and he cupped her face, running the pads of his thumbs over her cheekbones. “I know you don’t quite believe in us right now,” he said, “but I believe enough for the both of us.”

“Nick—”

Maddie burst out of the B&B. “Thank God,” she said at the sight of Mia. “Someone I can boss around.”

“What do you need?” Mia asked.

“Everything. A builder, a gopher, an errand runner…No offense, honey, but your mama’s gone off the deep end. Her elevator isn’t hitting the top floor, she’s a few fries short of a Big Mac Meal, she—”

“I can hear you!” Tara yelled from the open window.

Maddie winced, then leaned in and lowered her voice. “Help me. Chloe’s this close to killing her, and if she goes to prison, I’ll be the only one left to deal with her.”

“Sure,” Mia said. “Whatever you need.”

“Me too,” Nick said.

Both women stared at him in surprise.

“But you’re leaving,” Mia said.

Nick shook his head.

“Either way, you’re a guest,” Maddie told him. “And guests don’t help.”

He’d spent much of his life telling himself he didn’t need a family, but right then, for the first time ever, he’d have loved to have been included as a family member and not a guest. “I want to help.”

Maddie stared at him for a long beat, but apparently she decided to take him at his word because she put him to work. Hours later, he and Jax had assembled a big white tent and outside heaters to keep the guests warm, set up all the tables, including hanging mistletoe at each one, assisted Tara in the kitchen, and run around town picking up more Christmas trees and decorations by demand of Chloe herself. He even set up the trees with Carlos. They didn’t speak much, but they didn’t brawl either, so that was a bonus. Halfway through, Carlos’s girlfriend, Theresa, showed up with a basket of cookies, which Carlos reluctantly offered to share with Nick.

Not a martyr, Nick dug in. “If you have a girlfriend,” he asked, mouth full of delicious chocolate chip cookie, “what the hell was earlier about?”

Carlos shrugged. “Still care about her.”

“You have a girlfriend,” Nick repeated.

“Yeah, but you never really get over your first love.”

Nick chewed on that statement along with the cookie. His first love was Mia, too. And since he couldn’t imagine moving on or forgetting her, he finally nodded his understanding.

The rehearsal dinner was a blur, and afterward Mia vanished with her mom and aunts doing…whatever girls did the night before a wedding. Nick was politely shown to his room at the B&B.

He got up early the next morning, made himself useful some more, and knew he’d won over at least half the clan when Tara made him a big breakfast and Maddie hugged him for all he’d done to help out.

By the time the guests showed up and the ceremony began, he was hungry for a peek at Mia.

And then she was walking down the aisle in a beautiful forest-green dress, flowers in her hands, hair flowing behind her in the slight breeze, a warm smile on her face. Just looking at her, Nick ached. She was a part of him. The very best part.

Halfway down the aisle, their gazes caught and held. He wasn’t sure he recognized the look on her face, but he couldn’t tear his eyes off of her.

Tara was next, and then Maddie, holding her son. Her three-year-old daughter was walking at her side, carefully and precisely dumping a fistful of flowers out of her basket with each step. When she ran out of flowers, she stopped short, refusing to go another step. “I need more flowers!”

Maddie shot her husband a desperate look where he stood with Ford and Sawyer. Jax jogged down the aisle and gave Maddie a quick kiss, and then picked up his daughter.

“Daddy, I need more flowers!”

“I know, baby.” Jax adjusted her in one arm and slid the other around Maddie, and they walked the rest of the aisle together.

Then the crowd hushed and it was Chloe’s turn to walk toward Sawyer. Nick was struck by her expression as she smiled at her soon-to-be husband from brilliantly shiny eyes. And then it hit him like a one-two punch—it was the same expression Mia had worn only a moment before when she’d locked gazes with Nick.

Love.

Stunned, Nick sat there and missed nearly every word of the ceremony, which apparently had been incredibly touching because there wasn’t a dry eye in sight when it was over.

Then the music started and the bride and groom had their first dance. Nick caught sight of Mia dancing with Ford, and then Sawyer. And then Carlos.

Nick stood. Pocketing the swig of mistletoe from the table, he made his way toward the dance floor. He knew this wasn’t going to be on the top ten list of the smartest things he’d ever done, but he didn’t care. “Can I cut in?”

Carlos looked at Mia, who nodded. Nick took her hand and brought it up around his neck, pulling her in close, drinking in her familiar scent and the warm, soft feel of her curves. He molded his body to hers and felt her react by melting into him.

It was almost as good as being inside her. Unable to help himself, he ran his hands down the length of her back, closing his eyes to savor the feel of her.

“Nick?”

He opened his eyes and met hers, surprised to see a glimmer of uncertainty.

“What are we doing?” she asked.

“Dancing.”

“It feels like a lot more.”

“Good.” He held the mistletoe over her head.

She let out a low laugh. “You want a kiss?”

“To start,” he said, and leaned in and touched his lips to hers. “You are so beautiful, Mia.”

“You really do have some pretty fancy words lately.”

“Yeah.” He put the mistletoe in his pocket and pulled her in closer. “And here’s three more…I love you.”

“I’ve waited a long time to hear you say that.” She stared up at him. “I love you, too, Nick. So much. But—”

“No. No buts,” he said, dropping his forehead to hers. “Not tonight.”

She relaxed slightly in his arms, and as the beat of the music flowed over them, he wished the song wouldn’t end. As if she felt the same, her hands tightened around his neck. Again she pressed her face into the curve of his throat, but this time his heart dropped in his chest when he felt the wetness of her tears against his skin.

“Mia,” he said, devastated. “Don’t cry. I’m sorry.” He wasn’t exactly sure what he was sorry for, but he’d be sorry for breathing if that was the problem.

“No, they’re happy tears,” she said, and sniffed. “It’s Christmas Eve, it’s Chloe’s wedding, and it’s all been wonderful.” She lifted her head and met his gaze, her own drenched. “And you’re still here.”

“I’m not going anywhere.”

*  *  *

Her mom and aunts cut in then, and the women all danced together for a while, laughing and sharing a few happy tears. Afterward, Mia went looking for Nick, and had a moment’s panic when she couldn’t find him. She didn’t think he and Carlos would fight again. Earlier she’d actually seen them hauling in cases of beer and wine together. They’d even been laughing at Jax’s brown Lab, Izzy, who was napping in the center of the aisle all sprawled out, forcing everyone to literally take a flying leap to get past her.

Watching Nick interact here with her family, with the people who mattered so deeply to her, had been a jump start to her aching heart.

“I know that smile,” Chloe said, coming up beside Mia, slinging an arm around her shoulder and nearly drowning Mia in white silk. “It’s the smile of a woman in love.”

“How do you tell the difference between lust and love?” Mia asked.

“If you can wear your laundry panties on a date with him, you know it’s true love.”

Mia put her hands to her butt and tried to remember what panties she was wearing.

Chloe laughed softly and hugged her. “Baby, you’re so lovable you don’t have to worry about it. Your heart will talk to you.”

Her heart was talking to her plenty. “How do I know it’s not just heartburn?” she asked. “Is there a magic handshake?”

Chloe smiled. “Yes. You don’t marry the first guy you can see yourself living with.”

“I don’t?”

“No. You marry the first guy you can’t live without.”

Mia smiled. “Says the woman who strung along the town sheriff for five years before caving and marrying him.”

“Hey, some things take time,” Chloe said unapologetically. “The best things take time.”

And one thing Mia did have was time. “Have you seen Nick?”

Her aunt turned and pointed across the dance floor to the bar—where she could see her dad and her uncles talking to a tall, handsome Nick.

He looked relaxed enough, even perfectly at ease. “He’s handling it,” she said, relieved.

“Handling what?” Chloe asked. “Looking fine? You got that right.”

Mia smiled. He did look especially fine. If fine was hot as hell. “He doesn’t have family, you know. He doesn’t come from roots and ties. He never had anyone teach him loyalty and unconditional love.”

“Some things you don’t have to be taught,” Chloe said.

“He was uncertain about my big family, and how he might feel out of place, but he came anyway.”

Chloe squeezed her gently. “We’re a bunch of misfits ourselves, aren’t we? All of us. But we fit together. Including Nick.”

Mia’s throat tightened, and she turned into Chloe. They hugged for a long moment, then Mia pulled back. “I have to go.”

“You’re going to go eavesdrop on them,” Chloe said.

“Hell, yeah.”

Chloe grinned. “Me too.”

They skirted around the dance floor and made their surreptitious way toward the bar, hiding behind a white lattice that Chloe totally blended into with her wedding dress. Not so much Mia, in her forest green. In fact, with the lights flashing on the other side of the lattice, she probably looked like a Christmas tree.

But the guys were paying them no attention at all.

“You know she’s only twenty-two,” Ford was saying to Nick.

Mia opened her mouth at this because she was twenty-three, dammit. Or at least she would be next month. But Chloe squeezed her hand to keep her quiet.

“Yes,” Nick said. “She’s twenty-two. A grown-up. Listen, I get that you’re her family and you’re all very protective of her, but she kicks ass at life. You can trust her to make her own decisions.”

“She hasn’t decided on you yet,” Sawyer pointed out smoothly. Calmly. Eyes steady. He wasn’t wearing a gun on his hip today, not with his tux, but Mia would bet he had one hidden on him somewhere.

Chloe rolled her eyes at her new husband and muttered something about him being the sexiest stubborn ass she’d ever met.

“I realize she hasn’t chosen me,” Nick said. “But I’m still going to be here for her.”

“Even if she dumps you?” Jax asked.

“Yeah.”

“That’s quite a promise.”

“It’s a fact,” Nick said.

Chloe sighed dreamily.

Mia did the same. And her heart melted into a puddle of love that swelled against her rib cage.

“We weren’t always here for her,” Ford said quietly. “So we’re a little overprotective. I won’t apologize for that. But she’s everything to me, and I’m not a complete idiot. I can see that you’re everything to her. All I want is for her to be someone’s everything.”

“Done,” Nick said without hesitation. “And maybe you weren’t always a part of her life, but you gave her life. A great life. And she’s made the most of it. She’s really amazing.”

Chloe sighed again.

Mia didn’t have breath left in her lungs to sigh. Pulling free of Chloe, she walked around the lattice, eyes only on Nick.

Some things take time, Chloe had said. And that was true. It’d taken her seventeen years to get to meet her birth parents and find this great big family waiting to embrace her.

And six months to give her heart to Nick.

He’d come here for her. He’d picked her.

She walked right up to him and into his arms, which closed hard around her. “Mia,” he breathed into her hair, burying his face in her neck, inhaling deeply. Taking comfort, she realized. It wasn’t something he’d ever done before, actively sought comfort from her. She whispered his name and hugged him to her, aware that everyone had moved off to give them some privacy.

He pulled back enough to shove his hand into his pocket and come out with a small black box.

Her heart stopped. She pulled it open and stared down at the delicate white gold promise ring that was two ribbons woven together leading to a knot lined with tiny sapphires.

Her birthstone.

“It’s after midnight,” he said softly. “Merry Christmas.”

“We weren’t going to give each other a present,” she said just as softly, mirroring his words back to her from a few days ago as she ran a reverent finger over the beautiful ring.

“Then it’s just a present present,” he said, a smile in his voice. “A promise for the future. Our future.”

“Oh Nick,” she breathed, slipping the ring on, so happy she could scarcely contain herself. “I wasn’t sure you wanted a future.”

“I do, very much. I think about my life before you came into it, Mia. It sucked.” He met her gaze. “I need you. I want you to know that. I should have told you sooner, but I thought that made me weak. I was wrong about that. You’re the only thing I care about. You’re the only thing that matters to me. I turned down the job—”

“Nick,” she gasped. “No. You—”

“I took a different one, with the same company. Still restorative justice, but I’ll be staying within the state of New York.”

“But you wanted to travel.”

“Wanted. Past tense. I want to be with you, Mia. You’re it for me. You’re everything.” He paused and let his gaze touch her every feature. “You’re the best choice I ever made. You’re my only choice.”

She pressed her forehead to his, her words brushing against his lips. “I was just thinking the same thing about you.”

New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis lives in a small town in the Sierras full of quirky characters. Any resemblance to the quirky characters in her books is, um, mostly coincidental. Look for Jill’s bestselling, award-winning books wherever romances are sold and visit her website for a complete book list and her daily blog detailing her city-girl-living-in-the-mountains adventures.

You can learn more at:

JillShalvis.com

Twitter @jillshalvis

Facebook.com/jillshalvis

Also by Jill Shalvis

Simply Irresistible

The Sweetest Thing

Heating Up the Kitchen (cookbook)

Christmas in Lucky Harbor

Small Town Christmas (anthology)

Head Over Heels

Lucky in Love

At Last

Forever and a Day

Everyone in town thinks Ali Winters is a thief. Her only shot at clearing her name is a police detective who’s as sexy as he is stern…

It Had to Be You

See the next page for a preview.

Traffic was light, and Ali Winters took in the salty air, the beautiful day while she drove. She loved Lucky Harbor. She loved the warm feeling she got from just driving through town. Things stayed the same here, could be counted on here. She thought maybe it was that which drew her the most: the sense of stability, security, and safety.

Her three S’s…

As she drove, each storefront’s glass windows glinted in the bright sunlight like bursts of fire. At night, she knew strings of white lights would make the place look like something straight off of a postcard.

She parked and headed into the floral shop. The entire time she put in her shift, she worried about how light business was, wishing for the millionth time that Russell wasn’t so stubborn. She really felt like she had something to offer this shop, the very least of which would be a website. But Russell, like his sister Mindy before him, was a technophobe. Hell, even the books were still done by hand.

On her break, Ali used her phone to fill out as many online applications for apartments as she could find. By six o’clock, she was back at the beach house, hoping not to run into Teddy. She didn’t, which was good for his life expectancy. Even better, the front door key still worked. Bonus. She had a roof over her head for at least one more night.

In the kitchen, she tossed her keys into the little key bowl she’d set by the back door. Mostly this had been for Teddy, who’d constantly been searching for his keys or wallet. She’d found it endearing that he could run an entire city budget, but he couldn’t find his wallet or keys to save his life.

It didn’t feel so endearing now. Out of curiosity, she poked through the stuff there: a button, some change, and…two ticket stubs, dated a week ago for a show in Seattle.

A show she hadn’t gone to…

She stared down at the stubs, set them down, and walked away. Something else niggled at her as she headed into the master bedroom that she’d shared with Teddy, but she couldn’t place it.

And now that she was thinking about things, she realized that Teddy had been working 24/7 for weeks. And before that, he’d been sick and had slept in a spare bedroom. They hadn’t actually slept together in…she couldn’t even remember.

Which meant that Ali had been very late to her own breakup.

At this, her heart squeezed a little bit. Not in regret. She tried really hard not to do regrets. It wasn’t mourning, either, not for the loss of Teddy. She was just realizing that she’d loved the idea of what they’d had—two adults, having an adult relationship—more than the actual reality of it.

Not to mention that apparently it hadn’t been an adult relationship at all since he’d been cheating on her.

Ali stripped down to her panties and bra before it occurred to her what was bothering her—and then she reversed her tracks and ran barefoot back to the large living room.

The house had come fully furnished, but Ted had always made the place his own thanks to the messy, disorganized way he had of leaving everything spread around. Running shoes hastily kicked off by the front door. Suit jacket slung over the back of the couch. Tie hanging askance from a lamp. His laptop, eReader, tablet, smartphone, and other toys had always been plugged into electrical outlets, and when they weren’t, the cords hung lifeless, waiting to be needed.

Not now. Now it was all gone, even his fancy, highfalutin microbrew from the fridge. Everything was gone, including her iPod.

How she’d missed that this morning, she had no idea, but facts were facts—Teddy had moved out on her like a thief in the night.

*  *  *

Lieutenant Detective Luke Hanover had been away from the San Francisco Police Department for exactly four hours of his three-week leave and already he’d lost his edge, walking into his grandma’s Lucky Harbor beach house to find a B&E perp standing in the kitchen.

She sure as hell was the prettiest petty thief he’d ever come across, at least from the back. Wearing nothing but a white lace bra and a tiny scrap of matching white lace panties, she was speaking angrily into a cell phone.

“You have some nerve, you— you ratfink bastard,” she snapped, waving her free hand for emphasis, her long, wildly wavy brown hair flying around her head as she moved.

And that wasn’t all that moved. She was a bombshell, all sweet, womanly curves, barely contained in her undies.

“I want you to know,” she went on furiously, still not seeing Luke, “there’s no way in hell I’m accepting your breakup message. You hear me, Teddy? I’m not accepting it because I’m breaking up with you. And while we’re at it, who even does that? Who breaks up with someone by text? I’ll tell you who, Teddy, a real jerk, that’s who— Hello? Dammit!” Pulling the phone from her ear, she stared at the screen and then punched a few keys before whipping it back up to her ear. “Your voice mail cut me off before I finished,” she said. “You having sex in your office while I was in the building? Totally cliché. But not telling me that you weren’t planning to re-sign the lease? That’s just rotten to the core, Teddy. And don’t bother calling me back on this. Oh, wait, that’s right, you don’t call—you text!” She punched the Off button on her phone and tossed it to the counter, hands on hips, steam coming out of her ears. Then she thunked her forehead against the refrigerator a few times before going stock-still, her head pressed to the cool steel door.

Had she knocked herself out? Luke wondered.

“It’s just one bad day,” she whispered, still in the perfect position for him to pat her down for weapons.

Not that she was carrying—well, except for that lethal bod.

“Just one really rotten badass day,” she repeated softly, and Luke had to disagree.

“Not from where I’m standing,” he said.

Find out what happened when Mia Hutchinson

first arrived in Lucky Harbor…

The Sweetest Thing

See the next page for an excerpt.

Chapter 11

“Always tell the truth. It eliminates the need to remember anything.”

Tara Daniels

Up until that moment, Ford’s plans for the day had included talking Tara into going out for a sail. And then burning off some excess energy.

With their naked bodies.

Yeah, that would have been right at the very top of the to-do list.

But that all changed with Mia looking at him through his own green gaze, her expression slightly challenging and yet braced for… hurt and rejection, he realized as something twisted hard in his chest.

How many years had he wondered about the baby that he and Tara had given up at birth?

Seventeen.

And how many years had he wondered if that baby would grow up happy and whole and smart and sharp and then… someday show up on his doorstep.

Christ, he couldn’t remember ever feeling nerves like this before. Not while facing forty-foot waves threatening to tear his boat apart. Not while standing on an Olympic podium accepting a medal in the name of his country. Not ever.

Tara hadn’t taken her eyes off Mia, and she was looking nervous too, her eyes misty. “You’re so beautiful,” she whispered.

Mia’s eyes cut to her, quiet and assessing. “I look like you.”

“Not as much as you look like…”

They both turned to Ford.

Having the woman he’d once loved with painful desperation, along with the daughter he’d dreamed about, both looking at him with varying degrees of emotion, was a punch in the solar plexus. Ford found he could scarcely breathe.

“Can I hug you?” Tara asked their daughter.

Mia gave a halting nod, but it was too late; they’d all seen the hesitation. Awkwardness settled over them all as Mia moved into Tara for a quick embrace. Ford was next, and he was surprised that with him Mia didn’t seem awkward at all. Anxious, even eager, but not reluctant, and as he wrapped his arms around this thin, beautiful teenager that was his—Christ, his—he closed his eyes and breathed her in. “How did you find us?”

Mia pulled back and shifted her weight nervously, although her voice never wavered. “I thought I’d tell you after I got hired.”

Bold. Ballsy. Probably she’d gotten a double whammy of both of those things from the gene pool, Ford thought.

“I only have seven weeks,” Mia said, and Tara’s hand went to her chest as if to keep her heart from leaping out.

Ford understood the panic. Hell, he felt it as his own. When Mia had been young, she’d had heart problems. A leaky valve that had required surgery. The only reason either Ford or Tara knew about it was because Tara’s mother had donated a very large chunk of money to the medical bills, taking a second mortgage on the inn to get it—something that had only been discovered after Phoebe had died.

“What’s the matter?” Tara asked Mia, voice thick with worry. “Your heart again?”

“No. I’m doing my senior year of high school in Spain as an exchange student, and I’ll be gone for nine months.”

“Oh.” At this, Tara sagged in visible relief.

“So you’re healthy then?” Ford asked Mia. “Everything’s good?”

“Yep. I haven’t had so much as a cold in years.”

“That’s wonderful,” Tara said. “And your parents are okay with you doing this? Coming here to meet us?”

Another slight hesitation. “Well, they wanted to come with me,” Mia admitted. “To be sure I’d be welcome, but I wanted to do this alone.” Something came into her eyes at that. More nerves. And a dash of defensiveness.

And there was something else, too, Ford noticed. Whenever Mia spoke, she did so directly to him, not Tara. Almost as if Mia somehow resented the mother who’d given her up, but not her birth father.

Worse, given the look on Tara’s face, she knew it too, and was miserable about it. Up until now Ford had caught only glimpses of the guilt that haunted Tara, but seeing it etched so deeply on her face squeezed his heart.

“My parents know I’m applying for work,” Mia told them. “They’ve agreed that I can drive back and forth from Seattle to Lucky Harbor. If, you know, I get the job.”

Smooth, Ford thought. Also from the gene pool.

“I’ll hire you,” Tara said softly. “If that’s what you want, to work for me.”

“Really?” For a beat, the cool, tough-girl expression fell away from Mia, revealing a heartbreaking vulnerability.

“Of course,” Tara said.

“But… you don’t even know my real skills. Or me.”

“You came all this way,” Ford said quietly. “Don’t lose your nerve now.”

Mia turned to him, studying his face like she’d been hungry for the sight of it as he’d been for hers.

“You’re hired,” Tara said. “I can teach you what you need to know. And then maybe by the end of the summer, you’ll be able to write a real résumé, with real experience.”

“Thanks,” Mia said, looking slightly softer. Younger. “And don’t worry. I’m real organized and a big planner. My parents tell everyone I’m anal, and it’s sorta true.”

“One guess as to where you got that,” Ford said.

Tara slid him a long look, making him smile.

“I think I’m more like you,” Mia said, looking at Ford.

Tara looked away at the quick hurt of that, and Ford felt unaccustomedly helpless, not sure how to breach the gap between mother and daughter.

“Excuse me, Ms. Daniels?” Carlos called from the marina office door. He was in baggy homeboy jeans and a T-shirt that advertised some surf shop in Cabo. His dark hair was in spikes today, his earrings and eyebrow piercing all black to match his untied, high-top Nikes. He’d been cleaning windows in the morning sun, and his arms and face gleamed with sweat. “You have a phone call.”

Mia looked at him, and then kept looking.

“Thanks, Carlos,” Tara said. “Can you take a message?”

The teen nodded, his gaze falling to Mia, meeting her outwardly curious gaze.

“Mia, this is Carlos,” Tara said, introducing them. “He works for the inn part time as well.”

Carlos smiled, and to Ford, the expression had horny teenager written all over it. A very new and entirely surprising emotion hit Ford squarely between the eyes.

Paternal protectiveness.

Which was ridiculous. Hell, when he’d been Carlos’ age, he’d looked at Tara just like that. He’d also done a hell of a lot more than just look.

“I’m going to start planting those seedlings,” Carlos said to Tara. “You said it was a two-person job, but everyone’s busy so…”

“I could help,” Mia piped up.

“No!” Tara and Ford said at the same time. Ford let out a breath. That settled it. He was going to have to kill Carlos. He glanced over at Tara and found her wearing what he imagined was a matching scowl to his.

Luckily, before either of them could do or say anything stupid, Mia’s stomach growled into the silence.

“Oh, Sugar,” Tara exclaimed. “You’re hungry! Come on, come up to the inn. I’ll get you some breakfast.”

“But the planting,” Mia said, still looking at Carlos.

“Maybe later,” Tara said.

Much later, Ford thought. Like never.

Tara hustled them all into the kitchen. Well, except Carlos. Carlos she sent on a run into town on an errand. When he was gone, Tara sat Mia at the table and pulled ingredients out of the fridge until she had a mountain of food on the island. “What would you like? Omelets? Crepes? Pancakes? French toast? I have—”

“It doesn’t matter,” Mia said. She and Ford watched as Tara went to work, her hands a blur. “Anything’s fine. So about you two. Are you… a two?”

“Veggie and cheese omelets?” Tara asked, looking a little desperate for a subject change. “With turkey bacon and fresh fruit?”

“Okay.” Mia hesitated and then glanced at Ford. “Is she always like this?” she whispered.

Crazy? Yes. Often. “She loves to cook.”

Mia nodded, glancing at the newspaper that had been left on the table. “Is this for real?”

Ford looked over her shoulder. “What?”

Mia pointed to an article on the front page and read: “It’s neck and neck between two fine stallions in the race for Lucky Harbor’s Beach Resort owner Tara Daniels’ heart. Which sexy hunk will make it to the finish line? The NASCAR cutie Logan Perrish or our own sailing hottie, Ford Walker? This just could be a photo finish, folks. Be sure to vote in our new poll, up on Facebook now. We’re looking for donations of a buck a vote. The pot goes to the pediatric cancer research center at General, so don’t be shy. We all have a buck to give, right? Vote now.” Mia lifted her gaze and stared at Ford and Tara. “Is this about you guys?”

Ford looked for the byline. Lucille Oldenburg. Nosy old bat.

Behind the stovetop, Tara had gone utterly still, her eyes horrified. “Are you kidding me?”

“Nope,” Mia said. “It’s all right here in black and white. Who’s Logan Perrish? Cuz it also says he spent two hours of his time graciously signing autographs—and bikinis—on the beach yesterday.”

Tara closed her eyes. “He’s my ex-husband.”

Mia turned to Ford. “You’re in competition with her ex-husband? For real?”

“It’s a joke.” He wondered if Jax would find him a good criminal defender after he killed Lucille.

Mia glanced at the paper thoughtfully. “Do you think you’re winning?” she asked Ford. “In the poll?”

“Pay no attention to that,” Tara said, pointing with her spatula. “I’m not seeing either of them.”

Mia looked at Ford.

Tara looked at him, too, sending him a silent plea to back her up. He refused to, on the grounds that… hell. He had no idea. But when he remained silent, Tara let out a noise that managed to perfectly convey what she thought of him. He was pretty sure he knew what that might be.

“So you’re not dating each other?” Mia asked Ford.

“No,” Tara said, answering for him.

“But if you’re not seeing each other, why were you kissing on the dock?”

“Do you prefer Swiss, mozzarella, or American cheese in your omelet?” Tara asked a bit desperately, turning to the refrigerator again.

“I don’t care.” Mia was still looking at Ford. “So have you two been… not seeing each other all this time? The past seventeen years?”

“No,” Tara said. “Yes. Wait a minute.” She pressed her fingertips to her eyes. “Can you rephrase the question?”

“Until about six months ago, Tara lived in Texas,” Ford told Mia. “And I lived here.”

“So you two were never together?” Mia asked. “Not even when… you know. When I was conceived?”

Ford drew in a deep breath. This part was going to suck. “We were seventeen,” he said.

Mia nodded. “Like me.”

Yes, and he wasn’t proud to say that he’d been far too experienced for his age. He’d lost his virginity two years prior, after being seduced by a sexy waitress who’d promised to rock his world. She had. For one entire glorious spring break, she’d rocked everything he had.

But Tara hadn’t been experienced. At all. He had no idea how, but she’d seen something in him that had inspired her trust. “We were too young for the kind of relationship that we found ourselves in,” he said carefully. Please read between the lines and never have sex.

Ever.

“Yeah,” Mia said quietly. “I figured I was an accident. A really big one.”

“No,” Tara said fiercely.

“It’s okay,” Mia said. “The whole giving-me-up thing was a dead giveaway.” She shrugged as she looked at a stricken Tara. “You needed to fix a mistake quick, so you gave me up. Easy enough.”

Christ, those eyes, Ford thought. The both of them were killing him. “It wasn’t easy,” he said, hoping to God that Mia believed him. “And it wasn’t about us giving you up to make things better for us. It was about making things right for you.”

Tara had turned to blindly face the window, completely ignoring what she was cooking.

Ford imagined she was feeling sick over the same thing. Heartbreaking to hear that the child they’d given up was thinking that it had been an easy fix. More heartbreak that she’d felt unwanted, even for a minute.

“I think I forgot to do the dishes this morning in the cottage,” Tara whispered. “I should go check.”

Ford would bet his last penny that she’d done every dish in the place and he stood to go to her, but, eyes glittering, mouth grim, she shook her head.

They’d been kids when she’d gotten pregnant. Stupid kids. That was no longer the case, and yet the situation was bringing back all the emotions from that time—the fear, the stress, the anxiety.

The utter helplessness.

And that overwhelming, ever-present, life-sucking guilt. Looking at Tara, Ford saw it all. He knew that she felt that they’d done the right thing. She’d always felt that way. But any woman would still feel the pang of giving up her own flesh and blood. She’d carried Mia, had been the one to feel her wriggle and kick, to feel her every hiccup.

And then had been left with little choice but to sign her away.

“I smell something burning,” Mia said, and pointed to the stovetop, which was now smoking.

Yep, something was burning all right. Ford stepped behind Tara, took the spatula out of her hand, and turned off the burner. He carried the pan, and the blackened omelet in it, to the sink, where it hissed and smoked some more when he added cold water to the mix.

“I burnt it,” Tara murmured.

“Yeah,” Mia said, eyeing the pan. “You killed it dead.”

“I never burn anything.”

“No biggie,” Mia said quietly. “I wasn’t that hungry anyway. Should I go?”

“No.” Tara straightened, seeming to come into herself again. “Mia, my burning breakfast was an accident. Like forgetting to go to the dentist. Like running out of gas on the highway…” She paused and swallowed hard. “But having a baby, that would never be classified as an accident. Not by me. I want you to know that. I’m not good at this. At revisiting the past, or talking about things that—I’m not good at emotions and feelings. But I want—I need you to know that I never thought of you as an accident. And I want you to stay.”

Mia didn’t look away as a myriad of emotions crossed her face. After a long beat, she swallowed hard. “Okay. Thanks.”

In the heavily weighted silence, Ford went to the refrigerator. Time for improvisation, and his eyes locked on a big, juicy-looking strawberry pie. Worked for him. He grabbed it, carrying the tin heaped with brilliant red strawberries and dripping with glaze to the table.

“That’s my Kick-Ass Strawberry Pie,” Tara said, surprised.

“Yes, and now it’s Kick-Ass Breakfast.” Ford pointed to the chairs. “Sit.”

Tara shocked him by actually following his direction. Mia followed suit, and he cut the pie into three huge thirds.

Tara choked. “I can’t feed our daughter strawberry pie for breakfast.”

“Why not?”

“Yeah,” Mia asked. “Why not?”

“Because…” Tara appeared to search for a reason. “It’s not healthy.”

“It’s got fruit,” Mia said.

Tara looked at her. The awkwardness was still there. The air was filled with it, as well as unspoken questions and answers. But finally she nodded. Kick-Ass Breakfast it would be.

Mia gazed down at her third of the pie, her pretty hair sweeping into her eyes—which might be Ford’s own green but they were guarded like Tara’s.

His daughter, he repeated to himself. God. His daughter. She was careful. Controlled. Smart. And when she reached up and impatiently shoved her hair out of the way, he couldn’t hold back the smile.

“What?” she wanted to know.

“You remind me of Tara at your age,” he said. “Ready to tell us how you found us?”

“My dad helped me.”

Ford couldn’t help it: he flinched at the word dad, something he’d certainly never been to her. Tara met his gaze, and the understanding and compassion in her eyes were far too much for him to take. Getting up from the table, he poured three glasses of cold milk.

“I’d tried to find you before,” Mia said, “but I couldn’t. Then when Phoebe Traeger died, she left me some money.” She looked at Tara. “I’m sorry about your mom.”

“Thank you,” Tara said quietly. “You got the money around Thanksgiving.”

“Yes, and with it came a letter from her. She said she wasn’t supposed to make herself known to me. That she was breaking rules and promises all over the place, but that she was dead and if people didn’t like it, they could suck it. Her words,” Mia added with a small smile. “She included your contact information in case I ever wanted it. For both of you.” She paused. “I’ve always wanted it, but it took me a little while to find the nerve to do anything with it.” She looked at Tara. “It said you lived in Texas, so I was surprised when I saw that ad to find out you were here.” She paused. “I have a good life only half an hour from here. Two parents who love me very much. It should be enough.” She paused. “I wanted it to be enough.”

“It’s natural to be curious,” Tara said quietly. “It’s okay to be curious.”

“Yeah, well, at first I told myself I didn’t care, about either of you.” Mia pushed a strawberry around on the plate. “You gave me up, right? So I didn’t care. I wasn’t going to be curious. I refused to be, natural or not.”

Tara looked devastated. Ford reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze. “I’m glad you changed your mind,” he said.

“Who says I did?”

“You’re here,” he pointed out. “That indicates a certain level of caring. Of curiosity.”

She sagged a little. “Yeah. I always was too curious for my own good.”

“And now that you’re here?” he asked. “What do you want to happen?”

Mia very carefully cut a large strawberry in half with her fork. “I realize I really should know, since I came to you, but I don’t. At least not exactly.” She looked at Ford’s hand. He was still holding Tara’s fingers in his, and had been stroking his thumb across her skin, soothing her without even realizing it.

“I know I’ve asked this already,” Mia said wryly. “But it really does seem like you two are together.”

Ford understood why she thought it. But he’d told himself it was about sex. Hell, Tara had told him as well. And he’d been absolutely sure that’s all there could be. It was a self-protection thing. But when he met Tara’s gaze, that protection urge turned to her, as she was revealing a heartbreaking vulnerability. She’d gotten hurt the last time they’d been together, much more than he. It’d left her gun-shy, no doubt. He couldn’t blame her for that. She’d been the one to face the consequences of their relationship.

“It’s hard to explain,” Tara said.

To say the least. Ford braced for Mia’s reaction, but she was as resilient as she was smart. She merely nodded and stood up. “Can I borrow a computer?”

Tara looked confused. “Computer?”

“I want to go to Facebook and vote.” Mia turned to Ford. “I’m going to vote for you. It’d be nice to have my parents together.”

Tara turned to Ford. “She wants to vote for you,” she said faintly.

“That’s possible, right?” Mia asked. “You two getting together? You’re not going to give me a line of crap about how you care about each other but it’s not in the cards or something, are you?” She drew a breath. “Or how you each want to live your own lives, you have to be true to yourselves, you won’t be held back anymore—” She broke off and winced. “Sorry. Wrong kitchen.”

“Your parents are splitting,” Ford said.

Mia nodded.

Shit. Ford found himself wanting to reach for her, but she was vibrating with a very clear don’t-touch vibe, so in the end he refilled her milk. It was all he could think of, but she clutched her refilled glass and smiled at him.

“Mia,” Tara breathed. “I’m so sorry.”

“Yeah. Thanks.” Mia got to her feet. “So… a computer?”

“Mine’s in the small office behind the laundry,” Tara said after a beat. “Second door to the right.”

“Thanks.”

When she was gone, Tara moved to the sink to stare down at the blackened mess of an omelet pan. “I burned breakfast,” she murmured. “Burned it black.”

Ford came up behind her. Like mother, like daughter, she was also sporting a don’t-touch vibe, but he walked right through it and slid his hands to her hips. “You okay?”

Surprising him, she turned and faced him. “She’s… ours.”

“Yes.”

“I mean, did you get a good look at her? We did that. We made her,” she marveled.

“We did good.” He pulled her in close.

She swallowed hard, clearly fighting tears. “We did really good. God, it brings me back, you know?” She dropped her forehead to his chest. “Back to that time when it was all so messed up.”

“I know.” He felt the same. Tara had spent the last five months of her pregnancy in Seattle. When she’d gone into labor, she hadn’t wanted him there. He’d gone to the hospital anyway, though as far as he knew she’d never known he was there. He’d sat in the waiting room by himself staring at the walls, agonizing over the hell she was going through for all those hours, terrified for her.

Afterward, he’d spent more long hours just staring at their daughter through the nursery glass until they’d eventually carried her away to deliver her to her new parents.

To her new life.

“When I had her,” Tara said, voice muffled against him, “it was so much harder than I thought it’d be. The pain. The worry. I kept telling myself that it would be over soon, and then when it finally was, they asked if I wanted to hold her for a minute. I had told myself no, no way could I do it and give her up, but I did. I took her.” She paused, lost in the memory. “It was only for a second, but she was awake. She opened her eyes and looked right at me and I knew,” she whispered. “I knew she was going to be beautiful.” She pressed her lips together. “And for a minute, I didn’t think I could give her up.”

“Tara.” Ford pressed his forehead to hers and fought with the what-ifs.

“I’d made my decision, and I was okay with it,” she said, nodding as if to help convince herself. “It was just that when she looked at me… God, those eyes. She still has your eyes, Ford. And her eyes—your eyes—they’ve haunted me for seventeen years.”

“You’re shaking,” he murmured.

“No, that’s you.”

Well, hell. It was.

“You were so good with her today,” she said and sniffed. “You knew just what to say, and I… I froze.”

“You did fine. It was a shock.” Ford slid his fingers in her hair and tugged lightly until she lifted her face to his.

Her eyes shimmered, and she gave him a small smile that reached across the years and all the emotions, and grabbed him by the throat. As if it was the most natural thing in the world, he cupped her face and lowered his mouth to hers, just as Mia came back into the room.

After an interminable beat of silence, she said, “I don’t know whether to cheer or be grossed out.”

“Did you find the computer?” Tara asked, clearly trying to change the subject.

“Yes.” Mia turned to Ford. “You’re up in the voting so far, but not by much. Maybe you should help a few ladies across the street today if you get the chance.” She grabbed her plate of pie and paused, head cocked as she studied the both of them. “Were you two really just about to kiss again?”

Tara winced. “Only a little bit.”

“But you’re not together,” Mia clarified.

Tara winced again. “No.”

Mia studied them both. “I don’t have any siblings, do I?”

Don’t miss Jill Shalvis’s bestselling Lucky Harbor series.

“Heartwarming and sexy…an abundance of chemistry, smoldering romance, and hilarious sisterly antics.”

—Publishers Weekly on Simply Irresistible

*  *  *

“A Perfect Ten! Tara and Ford have some seriously hot chemistry going on and they make the most of it in THE SWEETEST THING. Trust me; you’ll need an ice-cold drink nearby.”

—RomanceReviewsToday.com

*  *  *

“This touching, character-rich, laughter-laced, knockout sizzler is the latest in Shalvis’s award-winning series.”

—Library Journal, starred review

*  *  *

“Count on Jill Shalvis for a witty, steamy, unputdownable love story.”

—Robyn Carr, New York Times bestselling author of Redwood Bend

*  *  *

“Shalvis makes me laugh, makes me cry, makes me sigh with pure pleasure.”

—Susan Andersen, New York Times bestselling author of Playing Dirty

*  *  *

“Top Pick! 4 1/2 Stars! Laughter is served in doses as generous as the chocolate the heroine relies on to get through the day. Readers will treasure each turn of the page and be sorry when this one is over.”

—RT Book Reviews

Looking for more great digital reads? We’ve got you covered!

Now Available from Forever Yours

Dear Reader,

My boy Stone has always been the quiet one in the family, but now he’s got the whole town talking. He and his longtime sweetheart, Sharon, are crazy about each other, but suddenly they can’t see eye-to-eye on their future. Sharon thought they were going to go to college, then get married. But Stone had other plans—plans he didn’t share with anyone.

So it looks like our resident matchmaker, Miriam, is going to be wrong for the first time ever. She swears Sharon and Stone are true soul mates. Well, I think between the broken promises and Sharon’s meddling mother, these two kids are going to need a miracle to make it down the aisle…

There’s Arlene—I just need to finish her trim and then I can head over to the Watermelon Festival. Be sure to stop back by the Cut ’n’ Curl for hot rollers, free coffee—and the best gossip in town.

See you real soon,

Ruby Rhodes

*  *  *

A Runaway Heiress…

If saving her grandfather’s life means giving up the social whirl of Boston for the rustic charm of Texas, socialite Annelise Montjoy is more than happy to make that sacrifice. Determined to find the long-lost relative who holds the key to her grandfather’s recovery, Annelise will have to hide the truth about who she really is until she earns the trust of the Maverick Junction locals.

A Rough and Tumble Cowboy…

Cash Hardeman thought he’d have all the time in the world to find the right woman…until he discovered that his gold-digging stepgrandmother will inherit the family ranch if Cash doesn’t marry by his thirtieth birthday. With the deadline just around the corner and no prospects in sight, Cash knows it’s only a matter of time before he loses everything. But when Boston beauty Annie blows into his life, Cash can’t help but wonder if she’s the answer to his prayers.

*  *  *

A Season of Magic

As the bard of the MacGregor clan, Finlay Grant is a natural-born charmer. He can easily win the heart of any lass…but somehow, the right words to express his love for stunning Leslie Harrison have eluded him. Yet as Christmastide approaches, Finn knows he must find a way to propose to the raven-haired beauty who has stolen his heart.

A Battle for True Love

A furious Leslie Harrison could run her brothers through for promising her to another. But she will do anything to save her family from dishonor…even though in her heart she knows no other man but Finn will do. When Leslie’s betrothed makes a dastardly deal, putting her family and the MacGregor clan in danger, Finn will prove that he’s just as fierce in battle as he is sweet in song. Can these two lovers find a Christmas miracle that will grant them a happily-ever-after?

Thank you for buying this e-book, published by Hachette Digital.

To receive special offers, bonus content, and news about our latest e-books and apps, sign up for our newsletter.

Sign Up

Or visit us at hachettebookgroup.com/newsletters

Copyright

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

Copyright © 2012 by Jill Shalvis

Excerpt from It Had to Be You copyright © 2012 by Jill Shalvis

Excerpt from The Sweetest Thing copyright © 2011 by Jill Shalvis

Cover design by Diane Luger and Melody Cassen. Cover copyright © 2012 by Hachette Book Group, Inc.

All rights reserved. In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the publisher is unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), prior written permission must be obtained by contacting the publisher at permissions@hbgusa.com. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.

Forever Yours

Grand Central Publishing

Hachette Book Group

237 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10017

www.hachettebookgroup.com

www.twitter.com/foreverromance

First e-book edition: December 2012

Forever Yours is an imprint of Grand Central Publishing.

The Forever Yours name and logo are trademarks of Hachette Book Group, Inc.

The publisher is not responsible for websites (or their content) that are not owned by the publisher.

The Hachette Speakers Bureau provides a wide range of authors for speaking events. To find out more, go to www.hachettespeakersbureau.com or call (866) 376-6591.

ISBN 978-1-4555-4490-5

Table of Contents

- Title Page

- Welcome

- Dedication

- Chapter 1

- Chapter 2

- Chapter 3

- Chapter 4

- Chapter 5

- Chapter 6

- Chapter 7

- Chapter 8

- About The Author

- Also by Jill Shalvis

- A Preview of “It Had to Be You”

- A Preview of “The Sweetest Thing”

- Don’t miss Jill Shalvis’s bestselling Lucky Harbor series.

- Newsletters

- Copyright

Table of Contents

Title Page

Welcome

Dedication

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

About The Author

Also by Jill Shalvis

A Preview of “It Had to Be You”

A Preview of “The Sweetest Thing”

Don’t miss Jill Shalvis’s bestselling Lucky Harbor series.

Newsletters

Copyright