Through a Magnolia Filter (27 page)

The man disappeared.

She dodged between people. Why did he have to come here when it was so crowded? “Liam!”

Someone shot her a dirty look for yelling. “Show some respect.”

“I'm sorry,” she gasped.

Respect. She slowed to a walk. The Fitzgerald plot. He might have gone to pay his respects to James and Fiona.

She cut down a small path, free from the crowds. The crunch of shell under her shoes filled the tree-lined space. She headed deeper into the cemetery.

One more corner and there he was. He knelt next to James's headstone, eyes closed, hand resting on the granite.

She left the shell path and walked on the fringe of grass. Now that she'd found him, what should she say?

At the black wrought iron fence she stopped, gasping for air.

His head snapped up. A smile started across his face, his eyes filling with joy. Then a mask of sorrow smothered his happiness.

“Liam,” she whispered.

He stood. “Why are you here?” His voice was harsh.

“Why did you do it?” She stepped closer.

“Do what? Come here to Savannah?” He shook his head. “To bring you the letters and tell the story of the Irish influence on Savannah.”

She shook her head. “Not that.”

“Then what? Fall in love with you?” His laugh filled with pain. “It was inevitable.”

“No.” She stopped on the opposite side of the plot fence. “Why did you call Evan about me?”

“I...” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Because I wanted to help you with your career. I wanted to make you...happy.”

“Happy?”

He closed the distance between them. Only the fence separated them. “Because it's your dream.”

Her dream. Was that what she really wanted? She didn't know anymore. Before Liam, everything had been so clear. Now...

“What's your dream, Liam?” She had to ask.

His eyes closed. “My dreams don't matter.”

Oh, but they did. “What makes you happy?” she asked, taking his hand.

“I can't do this again.” His fingers squeezed her hand so hard, she winced.

“Please, answer my question.”

His blue gaze caught hers and held. “You. You make me happy. I...I thought it was this place—” he waved his hand toward the historic district “—or your family. But it wasn't. It was you. It was always you. And I didn't understand until I'd ruined everything.”

Her heart fluttered like a camera on auto shutter, clicking away.

She set her free hand on his chest.

He shivered under her fingers.

She pressed harder, so amazed she could touch him again. Touch him and not be afraid that his affections were just an act. “What if I told you I'm not happy?”

“
A ghrá.
” He brushed a curl off her face. “What can I do to make you happy? Is it that you can't stand me being near? I'm leaving tomorrow.”

“
A ghrá
, what does that mean?” she asked.

“My heart.” The words were like feathers on her face, stroking and calming her heartbeat.

He still loved her. She hoped.

“And if I said losing you makes me unhappy—” she reached up and cupped his face “—what would you do then?”

So much light filled his eyes they sparkled like sapphires. He stepped over the short fence, wrapping his arms around her waist. “I would have to stay.”

The pieces of her life fell into place with a click as loud as her camera. “I love you.”

His arms tightened so hard, she worried he would break a rib. But she didn't want him to let go. The world spun as he swung her around.

Their laughter exploded.

When her feet touched the ground, his mouth was there, joining with hers. Tongues chased each other. She wanted to be closer.

“Why?” he breathed. His lips brushed the shell of her ear and sent tingles through her.

“Because I was wrong.” She arched her neck, inviting him to explore.

“Wrong?” He took her invitation, his lips trailing from her ear to her collarbone.

Her legs wobbled. “I should never have pushed you away.”

Liam carried her to a bench. He cradled her in his arms, and her world righted.

There hadn't been a bench here when they'd cleaned up the plot. “Where did this come from?”

“I bought it.” He buried his head in her hair. “I thought...it's nice to sit and think.”

She cupped his head between her hands and tipped his face up. “That's why I love you. You're so thoughtful.”

“If I'm so thoughtful, why did I treat you so thoughtlessly?”

“Because we both had to grow up to deserve each other.”

“You? You're perfect.”

She stroked her thumb across his lip, laughing. “Far from it. If I were perfect, I would have realized a long time ago that I am as important to my family's B and B as both Abby and Bess. I don't need to travel to have my talent recognized. And I don't want to. I belong here with my sisters.”

“You can't give up your photography!” His face screwed up in anxiety, on her behalf.

She loved that. Joy shimmered inside her. She loved him.

“I'm not giving up my photography, but I can compromise. I don't have to be gone all the time. Plus—” she smoothed the wrinkles in his forehead “—Savannah is the most beautiful city in the country. Then there's the low country and the islands. And I can freelance for Evan and see the world. I just have to prove to him I'm worth the risk.”

“You're worth the risk.” He hugged her, hard. “What about your B and B?”

“I want it all. You. My photography. Working with my family. Maybe even some website work. But I'm not taking Barb's offer. No way. I'm a photographer.”

She kissed him, drawing his tongue into her mouth.

His hands tugged her closer, binding them together like a vine and a tree. She was his tree. Could he, the wanderer, adapt to life in Savannah? She broke the kiss. “What do you need to make you happy?”

His arms tightened one more wonderful notch. “This. You.”

“And if I make Savannah my home base?”

“My home is wherever you are. But I would love you to come to Ireland with me to see Michael's grave.” His eyes twinkled. “Just a visit, mind you.”

Her heart burst open like a time-lapse film of a flower blossoming. This was what she wanted. This was where she wanted to be.

Because she'd thought all she'd needed to be happy was to escape her sisters' shadows. But now she knew, all she needed was Liam's love to be happy.

“I love you,” she whispered.

He brushed a kiss on her nose. “I love you more.”

They walked hand in hand back through the avenues of moss-laden oaks. She let her head rest on his shoulder. “I've never felt so much...peace.”

“Nor I.” He brushed a kiss on her knuckles. “You're my family now. Will you come to Ireland with me?”

“How much time do I have to get my passport?” she asked.

“My love, I'll wait for you forever.”

EPILOGUE

Which of my photographs is my favorite? The one I'm going to take tomorrow.

Imogene Cunningham

October

D
OLLEY
EDITED
HER
picture of an old man asleep in a hammock in Costa Rica, changing from color to black and white. She wanted to emphasize the deep creases in his face, the road map of his life.

Liam peered over her shoulder. “The black and white highlights his wrinkles.”

“But the colors in the hammock give the photo life.” She toggled back and forth.

“Both are wonderful.”

She grinned and spun her chair to face him. “Are you done with your edits?”

“Almost. I got distracted by what came in the post.”

“I hope it's a check.” She ran her finger up and down Liam's cheek. “I like checks.”

“Not a check.” He nuzzled her neck.

She and Liam had bought one of Gray's River Street warehouse condos. She was close to the B and B and Liam loved watching the boat traffic. They'd even built a darkroom in the Carleton House basement.

She was on assignment a week or two each month for Evan. And Liam worked part-time in New York, editing the documentary, and the rest of the time in Savannah on a new exhibit.

He pulled her out of the chair.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him, letting the joy of her love fill the room. By the time the kiss ended, they were gasping. Reluctantly, she pulled out of his embrace. “I need to stop or I won't finish my work.”

He pushed a box closer to her desk. “You might want to open that.”

His nonchalance was suspicious. “What is it?”

He handed her scissors. “Only one way to find out.”

She cut through the tape and pulled away the packaging.
Planting Roots in Savannah: The Fitzgeralds' Influence on Irish Immigration.

“It's your book!” She bounced up and threw her arms around his neck. “It's here!”

“I thought you were observant. Look a little closer at the title.”

She read the title and then the rest of the cover.

By
Liam Delaney and Dolley Fitzgerald

“But I sold the rights to those pictures to your publisher. I signed a contract.”

“It wasn't right. I will never take credit for your pictures again.”

She hugged the book to her chest. “Maybe I should have negotiated for a higher royalty percentage.”

“That's the woman I love.”

“Oh.” It didn't matter how many times he told her he loved her, it always made her sigh. “I love you, too.”

He grinned.

She no longer counted his smiles. He smiled all the time. So did she.

He pulled her into a hug. “I think we should do more collaborations.”

“I like that idea.”

They walked into the great room and stared down at River Street.

He tapped on his jeans. “I'm thinking of a more permanent collaboration this time.”

“I may have to get an agent to negotiate with you. I have a hard time saying
no
.”

“That's a grand opening for this negotiation.” He pointed a finger at her. “Stick with that answer.”

She frowned. “What answer?”

He pulled a jewelry box out of his pocket and flipped it open.

“Oh. Oh, my.” An emerald surrounded by diamonds stared up at her. “Oh, oh, my.”

Liam shifted. “I was looking for the answer
yes.
”

Did he think she wouldn't agree to a marriage proposal? “I...I haven't heard a question.”

Liam took her hands. “Will you marry me? Be my family and, most important, my friend?”

“Yes.” She twirled, surprised when rainbows and glitter didn't fly off her. “Absolutely!”

He caught her in his arms, his grin splitting his face. “Thank you.”

He kissed her. Took her on a whirlwind tour of paradise, right there on Savannah's River Street.

She didn't need travel or fame. With Liam by her side, she had the world.

* * * * *

Read more in the
FITZGERALD HOUSE
miniseries to find out how Abby and Gray
found their happily-ever-after,
in SOUTHERN COMFORTS—
Harlequin Superromance, December 2014.

Bess and Daniel's story is
A SAVANNAH CHRISTMAS WISH—
Harlequin Superromance, December 2015.

And keep an eye out for the next
Fitzgerald House book, coming in 2017!

Keep reading for an excerpt from THE MARINE'S EMBRACE by Beth Andrews.

Get rewarded every time you buy a Harlequin ebook!
Click
here
to Join Harlequin My Rewards
http://www.harlequin.com/myrewards.html?mt=loyalty&cmpid=EBOOBPBPA201602010003

Get rewarded every time you buy a Harlequin ebook!

Do you want to earn
Free Books
and More?
Join
Harlequin My Rewards
points program and earn points every time you shop.

You can redeem your points to get more of what you love:

Free books
Exclusive gifts and contests
Book recommendations tailored to your reading preferences

Earn
2000 points
instantly when you join—getting you closer to redeeming your first free book.

Don't miss out. Reward the book lover in you!

Click
here
to sign up
Or visit us online to sign up at

http://www.harlequin.com/myrewards.html?mt=loyalty&cmpid=EBOOBPBPA201602010001

We hope you enjoyed this Harlequin Superromance.

You want romance plus a bigger story!
Harlequin Superromance
stories are filled with powerful relationships that deliver a strong emotional punch and a guaranteed happily ever after.

Enjoy four Harlequin Superromance stories every month!

Connect with us on
Harlequin.com
for info on our new releases, access to exclusive offers, free online reads and much more!

Other ways to keep in touch:

Harlequin.com/newsletters
Facebook.com/HarlequinBooks
Twitter.com/HarlequinBooks
HarlequinBlog.com