Lantern Lake (10 page)

With Cooper, she’d begun to believe in the possibility. And standing on the shore of Lantern Lake in the sparkling cold of a frosty winter morning, Vivian realized she still felt it. Even if Cooper never came back, she would be okay. Would she be as happy as she could be with him? No. But she’d survive, and even find contentment and peace.

For a woman who’d spent years defining herself as part of a couple—one deliriously happy and one the exact opposite—it was a revelation.

Taking a break between sanding and carting out the paintbrushes and cans, Vivian turned on her phone. She wanted to call the title company back and get the ball rolling on transferring the property back to Cooper’s name.

But before she could find the number for the title company, Vivian’s eye caught on an email from a Janine Turner. Was that the name of the woman who’d helped them with the property paperwork? Vivian clicked into it and felt equal parts of confusion and joy expand her lungs like a pair of helium balloons.

She was so engrossed in puzzling out the meaning behind the title rep’s email, she didn’t register the growl of a fine-tuned Italian sports car engine until it was almost on top of her.

Phone in hand, Vivian whirled to see Cooper unfolding his tall, broad-shouldered body from the driver’s seat. He looked rough, a scruffy growth of beard darkening his jaw and purple bruises under his eyes telling of a sleepless night—but he was still just about the most welcome sight Vivian could imagine.

“You didn’t leave,” she said, immediately wanting to smack her own forehead. “I mean, obviously. You did leave the house, but not the island. Or the country. Or—can you help me out here, please?”

Cooper came around the front of the car, but kept his distance, as if he wasn’t sure of his reception. He smiled slightly. “When I left here yesterday, I intended to fly out immediately. I wanted to round up the posse and ride out after justice—but when I went to ask Miles if I could borrow his helicopter, it hit me.”

“What?” Vivian held her breath.

Palming the back of his neck, the way he did when he felt uncomfortable, Cooper shot her a sheepish look from under his brows. “I was planning to ask to borrow the helicopter—which meant on some level, I’d already admitted that I’d lost that bet, or else I’d be on my way there to take possession of
my
helicopter.”

Vivian felt more at sea than ever. What did this have to do with anything? “The bet?”

He stuck his hands in the pockets of his rugged canvas jacket. “Miles bet me that if I came to Sanctuary Island, I’d fall in love before he ever said ‘I do.’ And he was right.”

Heart in her throat, Vivian swayed closer to him. “Oh?”

Cooper nodded slowly, never taking his eyes off her. “The first moment I saw you again, walking down that aisle toward me like a fantasy I thought I’d given up on, it all came rushing back. Hell, maybe it was there all along, buried under layers of hurt and resentment. But Miles was right. I love you, Vivian Banks. I loved you when we were dumb kids, and I love you even more now that we’ve found each other again as adults. I even loved you when I hated you. You’re it for me—and you’re all I need.”

With a glad, inarticulate cry, Vivian dropped her phone and ran to him. Cooper swept her up in his strong arms, spinning them around in the sunshine. Laughing and crying, and kissing him through both, Vivian managed to mutter, “I love you, too. What took you so long?”

“I had a few things to arrange.” He let her slide down his body until her shoes crunched into the frosty leaves and grass. “And no, not one of those things was a sudden trip overseas to play vigilante.”

“Good,” Vivian said fervently, tightening her arms around his lean, hard-muscled waist. “Thank you.”

Cooper grimaced. “A long night of driving around this island made me realize I’ve got some stuff to work through. Like my tendency to want revenge for the past instead of letting myself enjoy the present and plan for the future. In this case, I was partly so fired up about getting back at your ex because…well, originally, I planned to punish you instead. I was going to sleep with you and then walk away—but that backfired when you opened your arms and let me go…and I discovered I wasn’t ready to leave. And then when I found out what happened to you while we were apart, well. I have some guilt to work through about not finding you and helping you, and that might have played a part in my revenge fantasy, too. Like I could make up for not being there for you back then.”

“You can make up for it by being with me now,” Vivian said urgently. “Cooper, that’s all I want. For us to be together. Everything else will work itself out.”

Love and desire warmed Cooper’s hazel eyes in the instant before he covered her mouth with his for a deep, searching kiss that only ended when a distant buzzing filtered through Vivian’s hazed brain.

Sucking in oxygen, she turned her head in search of the source of the odd noise. A few paces away, her phone lay vibrating amongst the fallen leaves. And that reminded her of the odd email she’d received right before Cooper showed up.

“Speaking of working things out,” he said, a mischievous grin curling his lips. “I told Janine to call this morning to finalize the paperwork.”

Vivian scooped up her phone, and sure enough, it was the title company. “That poor woman. We must be running her ragged.”

Arching a brow, Cooper tilted his head. “We don’t have to make the change. I’m fine with things as they are.”

In answer, Vivian hit the ‘talk’ button, her eyes never leaving Cooper’s. “Hi, Janine? So sorry for all the confusion. Yes, I want to transfer ownership of the Lantern Lake house into both our names. Cooper Hayes and Vivian Banks. Together. Final answer. Thanks.”

She hung up, blood bursting with joy. The possessive edge to Cooper’s jaw and the soft tenderness in his gaze both combined to steal her breath. “It’s a big step,” she said huskily. “Owning property together. A lot of responsibility.”

“We can handle it,” Cooper said confidently, wrapping his arms around her from behind and turning them so they both could gaze up at the ramshackle, partially renovated cabin. “We’re all grown up now, we know how to see something through.”

The enormity of what they were doing hit Vivian suddenly, sending a wave of fear through her. “And you won’t miss roving all over the world, footloose and fancy free?”

She felt his big chest move as he shrugged. “We can still travel. There are lots of places I want to kiss you—the top of the Eiffel Tower, in the shadow of the Parthenon, under an arch at the Alhambra…the list goes on and on. And when we’re done making out around the globe, we’ll come back home.”

“Home,” Vivian echoed, perfectly content in the circle of Cooper’s arms, with the whole world at their feet and the promise of many happy years to come.

The future had never looked so wonderful.

Lily Everett
grew up in a small town in Virginia reading
Misty of Chincoteague
and
Black Beauty
, taking riding lessons, and longing for a horse of her own. Sadly, her parents gave her a college education instead—but she never forgot what the world looked like from the back of a horse. She currently lives in Austin, Texas, where she writes full-time. Find out more at
lilyeverett.com
.

Don’t miss the other heartwarming novellas in Lily Everett’s romantic e-original trilogies!

THE BILLIONAIRE BACHELORS

THE BILLIONAIRE BROTHERS

Get even more romance with Lily Everett’s full-length Sanctuary Island series!