The Summer Garden (26 page)

“Then you’ll accept his proposal?” Jess prodded, a gleam in her eyes as she clearly jumped feetfirst into making plans. “We’ll have the wedding at the inn. I think that’s best, don’t you? I can pull it together in no time.”

Moira laughed at her enthusiasm. “Hold on. I haven’t even spoken to Luke yet.”

“Well, what on earth are you waiting for?” Laila asked. “Get over to the pub and straighten this out now.”

“I’d planned to clean up the cottage before Nell gets home,” Moira protested. “While I’ve been hiding away here the past few days, I’ve let dishes pile up in the sink. She can’t come home to that.”

“We’ll take care of it,” Jess promised. “The cottage will be spotless by the time Gram gets here. Just go.”

Moira regarded them both with a mix of gratitude and dismay. “Is anyone ever able to get out of the way once the O’Brien bulldozer kicks into gear?”

The two women exchanged a look, then chuckled.

“I haven’t met anyone yet,” Laila said.

“Me, either,” Jess added. “You’d be the first.” She grinned. “But only if you’re a lot more foolish than I think you are.”

“Am I allowed time to shower and change?”

“I suppose that would be okay,” Jess said. “But don’t dawdle. We want to have an announcement ready when Gram gets home. The prospect of another O’Brien wedding will be the best medicine possible.”

Moira smiled at that, but she didn’t blow Nell’s news—that Nell had a wedding of her own in the works. Unlike the rest of this family, she at least knew how to keep a secret.

Luke was conducting job interviews when Moira walked into the pub. He’d decided he couldn’t put off hiring extra waitstaff or a potential new manager. Though he’d scheduled these interviews before Moira had twice turned down his proposal, he saw the inevitability of needing the help as more critical than ever now. With the photography show on the horizon and then her likely departure, he had no choice.

Startled, he watched as Moira eyed the assembled women with a malevolent look that probably should have scared them off, but none of them appeared smart enough to notice. He’d grown weary of their stock replies to his standard questions. It would have been all too easy to dismiss the entire lot of them, especially with the prospect of settling things with Moira right here in front of him.

Instead, though, he went ahead and started to call for the next candidate. Moira held up a hand, then stepped in front of him.

“A moment, please,” Moira said quietly.

“I’m in the middle of interviewing prospective employees,” he told her, mostly to be obstinate.

“I can see that. This is more important.”

He took heart at that. “Okay, then.”

He excused himself and followed Moira outside, where presumably they’d have more privacy than they would in the pub in front of a suddenly attentive audience.

“I wasn’t sure I’d see you again,” he began. “You’ve seemed determined to put an end to things between us.”

“And would it have mattered to you if you hadn’t?” she asked, then waved off the question. “Don’t answer that. I’m here professionally, not personally, right at the moment.”

He frowned. That didn’t seem to bode well. “What exactly does that mean?”

“It means you’re wasting your time talking to all those women in there. The job is filled.” She held his gaze. “Unless you intend to rescind your offer.”

Luke’s heart skipped several beats. “Which offer are we talking about?” he inquired hesitantly. She’d said she was here professionally, after all.

“It’s a package deal,” she told him. “You get a wife, a partner and a consultant, all rolled into one. It remains to be seen if you’ll have some famous superstar photographer in the bargain, so you need to focus on the first three things. Those are the ones that matter.”

As she spoke, she gave him a challenging look. He had to look closely to see the hint of uncertainty behind it.

“Are you sure?” he asked.

“I’ve been sure from the beginning,” she said. “It’s your certainty that’s been in question. I don’t want to stay if it’s only to beat off immigration. I don’t want to be in your life if it’s only to please your grandmother.”

Luke smiled at that. “Those were just the excuses I needed to do what I’ve longed to do since the night we met,” he said. “That’s when I fell in love with you, but the tiny shred of common sense that I was working so hard to nurture kept screaming that no one falls in love like that, not for keeps. When Connor broke the news the other day and I thought you might leave, that you might
have
to leave, I panicked. I know I didn’t say it right, but I love you and I
want
to marry you, Moira. It’s all I’ve wanted from the beginning.”

Her expression turned hopeful. “Do you swear it? I don’t want you to have regrets.”

“My only regret would be letting you get away.”

She nodded then, and stepped into his arms. “Then we’ll figure out all the rest,” she said softly.

“What about your photography, though? If you’re spending all your time here, you won’t have nearly enough time for it. I don’t want you to squander that amazing talent to work in a pub.”

“My choice,” she reminded him. “Not yours. I love photography. I can’t wait for this one show that Megan’s planning.” She held his gaze. “But I don’t need fame or fortune, Luke. I need you. I’ll be content with the photography as it began, taking pictures of people I know at weddings and other occasions that truly matter to them. And, since I’ll have an in with the boss here, I imagine I can have a permanent collection right on the walls of this pub. If there’s more and I’ve the time for it, well, we’ll see how it goes.”

“I’m sure you can manage it all,” Luke said, taking the first deep breath he’d had in what seemed like days. He felt as if his world had finally righted itself as they stood on the sidewalk, oblivious to everything except each other. He never wanted to let her go, not even to go back inside and finish those ridiculous interviews.

“I should get back in there,” he said eventually. “What kind of boss leaves a slew of potential employees waiting while he stops just sort of seducing a woman right out here in public?”

She smiled at that, then glanced inside. “Is there a one of them worth hiring? I may want a day off now and again.”

He grinned at that. “Would you care to sit in on the interviews with me?”

“I could just take over, save you the trouble.”

“The pub is O’Brien’s,” he reminded her dryly, but he couldn’t help chuckling at her take-charge manner.

She glanced up at the sign over the door. “So it is.” She winked at him. “Then, again, aren’t we about to add me to that roster? In no time at all, I’ll be an official O’Brien.”

Luke laughed at her sudden embrace of the concept. “Then, by all means, get in there and take charge.” Still, though, he held her in place. “But not before we clarify just how much I love you. I’ve said it before, but I think it bears repeating until you truly believe it. I’ve loved you since the first night I laid eyes on you when you were behaving at your absolute worst.”

She smiled at that. “Now that’s just plain crazy,” she said. “Only a fool could have fallen in love with me then.”

“It was Christmas,” he reminded her. “In my family the season of miracles seems to work out pretty well.” He studied her. “So, is it yes? Just to have it on the record, I’d like a formal acceptance.”

She gave him an odd look. “Why are you so intent on solidifying my response?”

“Just answer me. Is it yes? Are we to be engaged for something like five minutes, and then married at the first opportunity?”

“We are,” she said demurely, then leaped into his arms with an exuberance that had him staggering back.

It also drew applause and cheers from quite a crowd of people gathered on the sidewalk, openly listening in—most of them O’Briens. He’d seen them gathering as word apparently spread about what was happening in plain view on the sidewalk outside the pub. He’d wanted witnesses. He smiled, satisfied.

Now there’d be no turning back. Moira would never back out on a deal she’d made in front of the family she’d always envied and wanted so much to be a part of. He’d always taken it for granted, but it was new to her and he’d come to view its value through her eyes.

As she saw it, the things he’d considered a nuisance—the meddling, the intrusiveness—were the best things about this town and about this family. There was unconditional support to be found everywhere. Even when it was at its most exasperating, it was exactly the thing that made Chesapeake Shores the best possible place to build a life.

Add in this impossible, maddening, wonderful woman by his side and the future looked very bright indeed.

Epilogue

T
he white Victorian gazebo in Nell’s backyard was
decorated naturally with climbing yellow roses in full bloom. The groom
stood by the steps in his tuxedo, his eyes filled with anticipation. A
quartet usually more adept at traditional Irish tunes than the wedding march
began to play. As it did, all eyes turned toward the house, where the bride
emerged wearing a simple silk suit and holding a bouquet picked from her own
summer garden.

Nell took Mick’s arm and walked
slowly toward the man she’d once fallen in love with as a very young girl,
and now had the chance to love again in the twilight of her life.

A few steps behind her, another
bride stepped out of the house and took the arm of her mother, who’d flown
over from Ireland just days before.

Nell glanced back over her
shoulder and smiled at them.

The July day couldn’t have been
more perfect. She and Moira had agreed to a double ceremony, since time was
definitely a factor for both of them, though for entirely different reasons.
Nell had been willing to wait for her own wedding, but Moira had taken one
look at her grandfather and shaken her head.

“You’ve waited long enough,”
she’d told them. “Luke and I want to share this day with you, if you don’t
mind. And we’d like it to be simple, right here in your garden. I can’t
imagine a more perfect setting for the start of our marriage.”

“If you’re certain, then nothing
would please us more,” Nell had assured her.

Beside her now, Mick gave her
arm a squeeze. “You sure about this, Ma? It’s not too late to make a run for
it.”

“Stop that!” she scolded. “You
know I want to marry Dillon.”

Mick grinned. “Just checking.
Sometimes women can be fickle.”

“I’ve loved the man for more
than sixty years,” she said. “There’s nothing fickle about that.” She gave
him a rueful look. “And that’s meant as no disrespect to your father. He was
a wonderful man, and he gave me three of the most amazing sons a woman could
ever hope to have. I have no regrets on that score, either.”

“I know,” Mick said quietly.
“And you deserve this, Ma. Dad would want it for you, too. I know he would.
You deserve Dillon’s love and the happiness it will bring to your
life.”

“I don’t know if I deserve it,
but I’m grateful for it. It’s a blessing at my age to find this kind of joy.
I feel like the girl I was when he and I first met.”

“Would you two stop with the
heart-to-heart chat en route to the priest?” Luke called out from his place
beside Dillon. “I have a bride back there, too, you know.”

The entire family laughed at his
impatience. It had been a while coming, but there was no denying it
now.

“Behave,” Moira called back.
“It’s not too late for me to change my mind.”

Beside Nell, Mick chuckled. “So
much for a solemn, dignified ceremony.”

“Oh, who needs that?” Nell said.
“We’re O’Briens. We do things our own way.”

“So we do,” Mick said quietly.
He bent down and kissed her cheek before placing her hand in Dillon’s. “God
bless, Ma. I love you.”

“I’ve always been able to count
on that,” she told him, misty-eyed even though she’d sworn that today was
not a day for tears, even of the happy variety.

Then Moira was there, her hand
in Luke’s, and the priest began the service. He’d argued for holding the
ceremony at the church in the traditional way, but Nell had been
adamant.

“The Lord is everywhere,” she’d
insisted. “And this town, the beautiful bay, they’re a part of who I am. I
want to be surrounded by family and friends in God’s setting.”

He’d had no further argument for
that.

As they said their vows, all
four voices rang out strong and sure, the promises carried on the
breeze.

“I will love you now, and
always,” Luke assured Moira.

“And I will love you with the
very best part of who I am,” she responded.

Dillon gave his granddaughter a
wink before turning to Nell. “My love for you has been a constant for a very
long time, through a lifetime apart and too little time together. For
whatever time we are given, I will count you as my greatest
blessing.”

Once more, Nell felt her eyes
sting with unexpected tears as she heard his heartfelt words. She glanced
around at her family, took in the scenery and the garden that meant so much
to her, then faced Dillon.

“All of this—the blessings I’ve
had throughout a rich, fulfilled life—pale beside this chance to share the
rest of my life with you. For the one thing I’ve always believed is that it
is the people who live in our hearts who make us strong, who give us hope.
There may be tears along the way, but in the end without those we love,
there can be no true happiness. I’ve had great joy as an O’Brien all these
years, and I will continue to take pride in the name and in this incredible
family.” She smiled at Dillon. “But I will embrace being an O’Malley for as
long as we both shall live.”

When the priest would have
concluded the ceremony, Nell stopped him, drawing laughter when she said,
“I’m not done just yet. I don’t plan to do this again, so indulge
me.”

She turned to Luke and Moira.
“Though my name may be changing today, the family is gaining another O’Brien
who’ll do the name proud. Moira, when the reviews of your show rolled in, no
one could have been more thrilled than we were. You have an exceptional
talent and, if you’ll take one last bit of advice on this day of all days,
it’s to stay true to your heart. There are many paths open to you, and I
have no doubt that you can succeed at whichever one you choose. All I ask is
that you choose wisely.” She grinned. “And I wouldn’t mind a few more
great-grandbabies.”

The words had no sooner left her
mouth than there was a startled gasp from the front row. Nell turned to see
Connie clutching her stomach.

“How about one more grandchild
first?” Thomas asked, his complexion pale. “I think we can grant you that
any minute now, if you can wrap this up so I can get my wife to the
hospital.”

The declaration that Dillon and
Nell, and Moira and Luke, were wed was made in a rush and then the entire
family piled into cars and headed for the hospital to await the arrival of
Thomas’s first child. Sean Michael O’Brien came into the world, screaming
impatiently, barely an hour after they got there.

It was late evening before the
wedding reception finally got back on track. Nell was already beyond eager
for bed and a night’s rest, but she couldn’t help gazing around at everyone
one last time. Dillon stood beside her as the sun set.

“It’s been a memorable day,
hasn’t it?” he asked quietly.

She nodded, looking into his
eyes. “One of the best yet,” she said.

“I’m counting on many more, you
know.”

She touched a finger to his
lips. “Hope for them, but treat each one as a miracle. That’s what they’ll
be.”

He smiled as he looked from her
to his granddaughter and Luke across the yard, wrapped in each other’s arms.
“It seems we’ve been showered with miracles today, doesn’t it? Our
grandchildren settled. A new life to give us hope for the
future.”

He was right, she thought. And
that he’d lived long enough to understand all that was reason enough to love
him. But, she thought, her heart full, there were so many more reasons. Too
many to count.

She hoped Luke and Moira would
be wise enough and lucky enough to be able to say the same sixty or seventy
years from now. Looking at them tonight with stars shining in their eyes,
she felt confident that they would. At least she’d be around for a while to
give them a gentle nudge from time to time if they got off track.

That, after all, was the reason
she’d been put on this earth, to see her family happy and content. Thinking
of Thomas and Connie so elated about their new son, then glancing around
from Luke and Moira, to Mick and Megan, to Jeff and Jo, to Abby and Trace,
Jake and Bree, Kevin and Shanna, Connor and Heather, Jess and Will, Susie
and Mack, and finally to Matthew and Laila, she thought in all modesty that
she’d done a darn fine job of it so far!

* * * * *

Look for Sherryl’s next original
Sweet Magnolias
novel,
Midnight Promises,
coming in July to your favorite retail
outlet.