Read Magic Kiss (Hope Falls Book 11) Online
Authors: Melanie Shawn
Magic Kiss (Hope Falls Book 11) (35 page)
“And to the newest residents of Hope Falls, Emma and Drew!” Amanda raised her champagne glass in cheers as the rest of the book club members said in unison, “To Emma and Drew.”
Emma clinked glasses with Shelby, Lily, and Amy, the three women who were seated by her on the couch. As all the women cheered, the talk migrated to Karina’s wedding and the toasts she’d missed because she and Logan had left early. She checked out the window and saw Noah and Drew in the middle of an epic Nerf Gun war. The scene was just one more confirmation that she’d made the right decision.
Taking a deep breath, she brought the champagne to her lips. Then she took a fairly sizeable gulp. Though what she was doing was the best thing for her and Drew, that didn’t mean she wasn’t a little—a lot!—worried about it.
After she’d left Logan’s house almost a week ago, she’d written. And written, and written, and written. The story had just flowed out of her. Not only had she typed “the end” on
When It’s Magic,
she was ten days ahead of schedule on
When It’s Fate
.
Apparently, she worked well with a broken heart. Last night, she’d heard from Lana and Caroline. They both agreed that
When It’s Magic
was some of her best work. They’d both been
very
happy with who Tina had ended up with.
So, when she had been packing up to leave this morning, she should’ve been ecstatic. She had a good jump-start on her next manuscript, and the book she’d been working on for four years wasn’t a complete disaster.
Sure, all week she’d been missing Logan like crazy, but she’d made peace with it. He was a great man. An honest man. And she didn’t regret a minute, a second, of the time they’d spent together. She didn’t regret telling him that she loved him.
As one of Drew’s coaches was fond of saying, she’d left it all out on the field.
Since that was the case, there had been no reason for her to feel so anxious as she’d folded their clothes and put them in their luggage. But she had. With every shirt, sock, and pair of pants she placed in their bags, she’d grown more and more unsettled.
Then Amanda had knocked on the door to ask if she needed help packing and it had hit her. If she got on that plane and flew back to Seattle, she wouldn’t be going home—she’d be leaving it. This was home. Hope Falls was home. Somehow, in the few weeks they’d been there, the town had found its way into her heart.
When she’d sat on her bed and told Amanda what she was thinking, instead of questioning her sanity, asking if she was sure it was a good idea to uproot and relocate not only herself, but her son too, her new friend had just woo-hooed and said that she was calling an emergency Book Club meeting to celebrate.
So there they were. Celebrating their induction into the Hope Falls community.
Was she terrified? Yes. But in the best way possible. If it didn’t work out, Seattle would always be there, but she had a feeling that she and Drew would be happy in Hope Falls.
Drew was already ecstatic. When she’d told him, she’d gotten hugged more than she had since he’d started kindergarten. He had also told her that she was the best mom in the world and she didn’t even have to get him anything for the next two Christmases. That last one had been revised down to one Christmas after he’d thought about it for about an hour, but the “best mom” title was still in full effect, so that was good.
“Hey, did you know Lucky’s in town?” Shelby asked her, snapping her out of her inner thoughts.
“Oh, no, I didn’t.” Emma shook her head.
“Yeah. He just got into town and stopped by the bar. When I told him I was coming here, he said he might stop by. He wanted to see you.”
“Oh great.” Emma smiled, hoping that none of the sadness she was feeling bled through.
The thought of seeing him was a little bittersweet though. Even though they were fraternal twins and their personalities were night and day, Lucky was still Logan’s twin. But, she would need to get used to seeing Logan. Or, if he didn’t stay in town, then Logan’s relatives.
“Mom, look who’s here!” Drew yelled from the direction of Amanda’s front door.
It looked like she’d have to get used to it sooner rather than later.
Standing up, she plastered on her biggest smile. Then, as she turned, she fully expected to see Lucky standing at the door. But it wasn’t Lucky.
“Logan’s here!” Drew yelled.
“Yeah. I see that.” Emma tried to hold her plastered-on smile in place. Not only did she not want Drew to see her face fall, but she wasn’t real big on the idea of having everyone in Book Club witness it either.
“Hi.” Her voice wavered, as it had a tendency of doing in the presence of Logan Dorsey.
Every eye in the room laser-focused on her and Logan. Silently, he stalked towards her, his steps long and purposeful. She knew that it was impossible, but it felt like he was moving in slow motion. Like time was moving slower than it had just seconds before.
It also felt like all the oxygen was being sucked out of the room.
Before he made it to her, though, she was pulled into a hug.
“Hey, Em! You look amazing!” Lucky exclaimed as his arms held her against him.
She lifted her arms, which felt like they’d been dipped in cement, and patted him on the shoulder. “Hi, Lucky. Thanks.”
Pulling back, he held her at arm’s length as a part-charming, part-mischievous grin tilted on his face. “So, does Tina pick Kade or Sean?”
“What?” Emma was so lost, she felt like Alice after she fell down the rabbit hole.
Was Lucky serious?
Did he read her books?
Lucky just winked at her. “Never mind. Damn, it’s good to see you!”
“That’s enough, Lucky.”
A shiver ran down her spine at Logan’s authoritative tone. Her eyes automatically rose to meet his. The scruff on his face was more grown out than his normal five-o’clock shadow. And even though it’d only been six days—six
long
days—since she’d seen him, he looked thinner.
So many emotions had assaulted her from just seeing him again that she hadn’t noticed it right away. Now that she had, she was flooded with worry.
“Are you okay?”
“No,” he shot back.
Wow. She hadn’t expected him to admit that. Especially not in a room full of people.
“What’s wrong?”
“Don’t leave,” he pleaded.
“I’m just going bac—”
“I love you.”
“What?” She thought she must’ve heard him wrong.
Raw emotion filled his voice. “I know I said that I don’t believe in love, and I didn’t. But I was wrong. I love you. I love Drew. I don’t want you to go back to Seattle, or if you do, then I’ll go with you. I told Eric I’d take the job, but I’ll tell him I can’t.
“No, you don’t have to do that, I’m staying too. I already decided. I was just going back to pack,” Emma explained through tears.
Relief washed over Logan’s features as he leaned down, resting his forehead against hers. “I don’t care where we live as long as we’re together. I don’t want you to have movie nights without me. Or Drew to have games I don’t see. I want to be the one who carries you to bed when you fall asleep during a movie. And goes out and gets medicine and does grocery store runs. I want to fall asleep every night with you in my arms and wake up every morning to your beautiful face. These past three weeks were the first time I felt like I had a real family.”
“Hey!” Lucky threw his arms up like he was offended, but he had a huge smile on his face.
Emma laughed as tears, of course, streamed down her cheeks. All the other girls in attendance were chuckling as well.
Logan wasn’t. “You and Drew are my family. I want to marry you. I want to spend every day for the rest of my life with you. If you still want me.”
“I want you,” Emma said through choppy breaths. “We want you.”
“Thank God.” Logan pulled her into his arms, and her feet left the floor.
The entire room broke out in applause. Over his shoulder, she saw Drew jumping up and down and whooping. Lucky winked at her, and she had a feeling that he might’ve had something to do with Logan’s sudden appearance at Book Club. That definitely deserved a thank you, so she mouthed, “Kade.”
“I knew it!” Lucky exclaimed.
The crowd was still cheering when Nikki put her hands on her chest as she swooned.
“That was so romantic. A real-life Jerry Maguire moment!”
As Logan held her, he buried his face against her shoulder and kept telling her he loved her over and over again. Emma knew that this happily ever after was better than anything she could’ve ever written, because it was real.
Logan Dorsey was her happily ever after.
The End
Lucky Dorsey’s story
Lucky Kiss
Coming October 2015
One Sweet Day
Novella #4.5