She was curled up on the sofa watching a movie when he came in from the garage under his house. Tomorrow, he needed to return the car he’d rented in New Jersey after getting the call about Izzy’s accident.

  “How was the meeting?”

  “Eventful,” he said when he sat next to her and kissed her cheek.

  “How so?”

  “Well, it seems I resigned, effective immediately.”

  Her mouth fell open. “You did what?”

  “It was kind of like this… As I listened to lawyers try to convince us to approve a zoning variance to allow for yet another development we don’t need, I found myself thinking about things such as a moose that stands in the middle of the road, a town without cell service, freshly made maple syrup available at a moment’s notice, and my daughter, son-in-law and girlfriend, all of whom live in this place that must be experienced to be believed. And then I asked myself where I wanted to be—where I really want to be—and it’s there where you and Mia and Wade and your extended families are. And before you worry that I’m rushing you into things you’re not ready for, I was thinking about this before I met you in June. Well, not the part about leaving the council, but about spending more time in Vermont to be with Mia. And now,” he said, smoothing a strand of her silky reddish-blonde hair back from her face, “where you are.”

  “You’re moving to Vermont,” she said, sounding astounded.

  “I believe I might be.”

  Izzy shocked him when she threw her good arm around him and hugged him as tightly as she could. “That’s the best news ever!”

  “Is it?”

  She pulled back so he could see her nod. “You know what I was thinking about the whole time you were gone?”

  “Tell me.”

  “How we were ever going to make this work with three hours between us.”

  “I’m glad you’re happy about my news.”

  “I’m thrilled! You can live with me and see Mia any time you want.”

  “I wasn’t asking to live with you, Izzy. Not yet, anyway.”

  Her brows furrowed adorably. “Why not? We had fun the last week, didn’t we?”

  “So much fun, but I don’t expect you to—”

  She surprised him again when she kissed him. “I want you to live with me. Is it fast? Maybe, but neither of us is a child, and we both know what we want, so why postpone the inevitable?”

  “I want you to think about this before you commit to anything.”

  “It’s already decided. You’re going to live with me in Vermont, and we’re going to make this work.”

  “What if we can’t? What if a month from now, you decide this isn’t what you want?”

  “That’s not going to happen.”

  “You can’t know that.”

  “Yes, I actually can know that, and I do know that. I’ve wanted this,” she said, gesturing between them, “since the minute we met, and I’ve wanted it every minute of every day since then, and I’ve never wanted this with anyone else.”

  “Why me, sweet Isabella?”

  “I’ll never forget your joy at the wedding. It was palpable.”

  He groaned. “I was a fucking mess that entire day. It was mortifying.”

  Laughing at the face he made, she said, “It was beautiful. Everyone knew your story, yours and Mia’s, and it was an honor and a tremendous joy to be part of that celebration. I remember thinking to myself, ‘This man is special. He loves big, and he doesn’t care who knows it.’”

  “That was the best day of my life, second only to the day she was born. Not only did I get to celebrate my beautiful daughter, but I met you, too, and then proceeded to mess that up in spectacular fashion.”

  “That’s ancient history now. The only thing that matters is where we go from here.”

  “How does bed sound?”

  He loved the way her cheeks flushed with heat. “That sounds really good. I can’t wait until I can do more than snuggle with you.”

  His body responded immediately to that statement with all the blood in his body heading to one central location. “I can’t wait either, but there’s no rush.”

  “I’m in a big rush.”

  Groaning, Cabot got up and then helped her up.

  She wrapped her arms around him. “Are you really moving to Vermont?”

  “I believe I am.”

  “That makes me so happy.”

  At some point over the last few weeks, making her happy had become as important to him as making himself and Mia happy.

  “Mia will be thrilled.”

  He shut off the TV, took her hand and led her to the main bedroom, which was on that same floor. “I hope so.”

  “She will. I’m sure of it.” They were halfway there when she stopped to catch her breath. “We’ll need to add on at some point. You’ll want your own office, and we need room for babies.”

  Cabot wondered if it was normal to have heart palpitations when she talked about having babies.

  “Why do you look like you’re going to pass out or puke or something when I mention babies?”

  “Do I?”

  Smiling, she flattened her hand on his chest. “Uh-huh. And your heart is racing.”

  “I’m working on coming around to that. I swear I am.”

  Her smile faded ever so slightly. “But you’re not there yet.”

  “I’m getting there.”

  “I don’t want you to do it just for me.”

  “Who else would I do it for?”

  “Yourself.”

  “If it wasn’t for you, I’d never consider having more children. That’s just the truth of the matter.”

  Izzy sat on the end of the bed. “If it’s not what you really want, Cabot—”

  He sat next to her and put an arm around her while being careful not to hurt her. “I want you, Isabella. You want children. That makes it a rather simple proposition.”

  “It’s hardly simple, as you know all too well.”

  Cabot took a minute to think about what he wanted to say—and how he wanted to say it. “A year ago today, I had a sixteen-hour workday between my regular job and a political fundraiser at night. I came home completely exhausted and fell into bed, with another long day ahead of me. That was my life—work, sleep, eat, repeat. A year ago tomorrow, I found my daughter, and everything changed. Just that quickly, I had something that mattered more to me than working myself into an early grave. And then I met you and discovered there could be even more, if I could find the courage to reach out for what I wanted.”

  He ran his fingers through her gorgeous hair, the color a cross between copper and gold. “If you’d asked me a year ago if I’d ever consider having more children, I would’ve laughed at the absurdity of it. But now… Everything is different, and I’m working on opening myself to all the possibilities, including more children. I just need you to be patient with me when you’ve already been so incredibly patient.”

  “Thank you for sharing that with me. It helps to know what you’re thinking and how you’re feeling about all this. I don’t want you to feel obligated—”

  He kissed her. “I don’t. I swear I don’t. You know that saying about how hard it was to turn the Titanic?”

  “What about it?”

  “I’m like that. Set in my ways. A creature of habit so deeply ingrained in me that redirecting me is like trying to turn the Titanic. It’s not going to happen overnight, but it is happening. Slowly but surely.”

  “You said something before about not having had a vacation in decades.”

  “Work kept me sane. I couldn’t imagine not having that to occupy my time. A vacation would’ve sent me over the edge.”

  “What about now?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “It occurred to me that I’ll never again have this much free time. Like you, I’m usually booked solid, but for the next month or so, I’m free as a bird. What do you say we go somewhere warm and sunny?”

  “Are you sure you feel up to something like that?”

  “It’ll be mostly downtime in the sand and sun, right? I can handle that.”

  “Then I say yes. One thousand percent yes. When do you want to go?”

  “Tomorrow?”

  Laughing, he said, “We might need a day or two to set something up. And you’ll need clothes.”

  “I’ll borrow from my sisters who live locally. We all wear the same size in everything.”

  “My sister will die from me doing something spontaneous. She says I don’t have a spontaneous bone in my body.”

  “That’s because you needed to be hyper-scheduled to survive what you were going through. Letting go of that habit also won’t happen overnight.”

  “Maybe not, but a vacation would be an excellent first step.” He kissed the top of her head. “Hold that thought.”

  Chapter Twenty

  “Butterflies can't see their wings. They can’t see how truly beautiful they are, but everyone else can.” —Unknown

  When he got up and left the room, Izzy stayed seated at the end of the bed and watched him go, thinking about what he’d said about who he’d been a year ago. In some ways, he was like a chrysalis, emerging from his cocoon to take a look at the world around him for the first time in decades. She couldn’t wait to watch him spread his wings and experience things he hadn’t allowed himself during the desperate years he’d spent searching for his daughter.

  Cabot returned with his iPad. “Let’s get comfy and figure out where we want to go.” He helped her up and led her into the walk-in closet, where he’d put her suitcase earlier. “The bathroom is through there, and I put towels on the counter for you. What else can I get you?”

  “I think I’m all set. Thank you.”

  “Take your time. I’ll meet you in bed.”

  “I’ll be right there.”

  Izzy wanted more than anything to feel like herself again because she wanted to be with Cabot for more than hand-holding, kissing and sweet cuddling. The parts of her that were uninjured in the accident were wide awake and letting her know she was still a woman, even if other parts of her weren’t ready for the next level with him.

  She’d experienced desire many times in the past, but it’d never been coupled with the overwhelming feelings she had for Cabot. Of course, that had to happen when she could barely move, but hopefully it wouldn’t be long before she could act on the feelings and the desire.

  After she changed into pajama pants and a T-shirt, she brushed her hair and teeth, which was easier said than done with only one working arm. She was sick to death of the cast that extended past her elbow, which ached all the time from being immobilized. But it was the abdominal incision that was still giving her the most grief. Until this, she’d never realized that every movement included core muscles that’d been cut during the emergency surgery to remove her ruptured spleen.

  The whole thing sucked, but she was damned thankful to still be alive and refused to complain about anything. It wasn’t lost on her that if she hadn’t been nearly killed in an accident, she wouldn’t be in Cabot’s bathroom in Boston. She might never have seen him again, except in passing with Wade and Mia, and that would’ve been a damned shame.

  She walked slowly from the bathroom to the bed where Cabot waited for her, propped up on pillows, his chest bare, putting broad shoulders on full display. He had black-framed reading glasses propped on the end of his nose as he messed around with the iPad.

  “Glasses, huh?” Izzy asked when she sat on the bed and eased herself back against the pillows, breathing through the pain that subsided faster than it had at first.

  “Only after I remove the contacts.” He looked over at her. “Are you okay?”

  “Just the usual any time I move.”

  “Do you need pain pills?”

  “Nope. I just needed a second, which is better than when I needed five minutes.”

  “You’re doing so much better than you were. I hope you can see that.”

  “I do, but I’m annoyed by the things I still can’t do.”

  “Like what?”

  “Um, well… Like, you want a list?”

  “Sure, that’d be good.”

  “Work, drive, have sex…”

  Cabot’s lips quivered with amusement. “Which of those three are you most eager to do?”

  “The last one. For sure.”

  His low groan indicated his feelings on the matter. “Don’t talk about it.”

  “Why not? If we can’t do it, we can at least talk about it.”

  “Do we hafta?”

  “Nah, that’s okay,” she said, laughing. “But just so you know that it’s at the top of my agenda for when I feel better.”

  “Thank you for the warning. I need to prepare myself for that.”

  “How so?”

  He fell back against the pillows, laughing. “I can’t even think about it without feeling like it’s going to be over before it starts.”

  “It hasn’t been that long for you, has it?”

  “No, but it’s been a very long time since it mattered as much as it will with you, and I’m going to want it to be perfect and—”

  “It’ll already be perfect because it’s you and me.”

  He removed the glasses, put them and the iPad on the bedside table and turned on his side to face her. “I look at you every day, without a doubt the loveliest woman I’ve ever met, and wonder what I did to get so lucky as to be even talking about these things with you.”

  “Flattery will get you everywhere, my friend.”

  “Are you that easy?”

  “Only with you.”

  He raised himself up on one elbow and leaned in to kiss her. “I should hope so. I’d be extremely sad if you were easy with anyone but me.”

  “You have nothing to worry about.”

  When he would’ve pulled back from the kiss, Izzy curled her hand around his neck to keep him from getting away. She ran her tongue over his bottom lip, which brought him in even closer to her as the kiss quickly became urgent. When his tongue rubbed against hers, she wanted to weep from the sweet relief of finally getting to this moment with him.

  “Iz.” He sounded as undone as she felt. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

  “I’m okay.” She ran her fingers through his hair. “Don’t stop yet.”

  The next kiss made the last one seem like nothing, and by the time they came up for air, Cabot was partially on top of her.

  “This can’t feel good.”

  “I feel better than I have since before the accident.” She squirmed restlessly. “I just wish…”

  “What, sweetheart? What do you wish for?” He placed soft kisses on her face and neck. “I’d give you anything.”

  “How about a nice easy orgasm?” She’d never asked any man for that but felt entirely comfortable asking this man.

  “How easy are we talking?”

  “I’ll leave that up to you.”

  “And you’ll tell me if something hurts?”

  “I promise.”

  “Am I allowed to warm you up a little first?”

  “Yes, please.”

  He eased her T-shirt up until her breasts were exposed.

  Her nipples were already tight and tingling before he lowered his head to suck gently on the left one.

  Izzy wrapped her good arm around his head to anchor him to her chest. She had to force herself to remain still to keep the pain from intruding.

  “Feel good?” he asked after he’d moved to the other side.

  “So good. That might be enough to get the job done.”

  He kissed down to her abdomen, making a wide circle around the incision. “Still good?”

  “Mmm.”

  “Can we remove these?” he asked, giving a gentle tug to her pajama pants.

  She started to help him.

  “Let me. I’ve got it.” He went up on his knees to gently remove the pants and bikini underwear.

  She’d lost weight since the accident, and her hip bones were more prominent than they’d ever been, which made her feel self-conscious.

  He dropped his head to kiss a line across her lower abdomen. “You’re so beautiful, Iz. Every part of you is lovely.” As he settled between her legs, he moved slowly and carefully to ensure her comfort before he began kissing her inner thighs. “Still okay?”

  “Yes.” She kept her eyes closed and focused on breathing when he pressed his tongue to her core and slipped two fingers into her. The combination made her gasp from the pleasure while trying to stay as still as she possibly could, which wasn’t easy.

  Cabot put an arm across her hips to anchor her to the bed while he used his tongue and fingers to give her the orgasm she’d requested.

  It rolled through her in easy waves that left her panting in the aftermath and wishing she felt well enough for more.

  “Are you okay?” he asked after a moment of silence.

  “So much better than okay. Thank you.”

  His gruff rumble of laughter made her smile. “My pleasure.”

  “Speaking of your pleasure…” She gave his hair an easy pull. “Come to where I can reach you.”

  “That’s okay, love. I’m fine.”

  “Please?”

  He moved up and settled next to her.

  Izzy shifted her broken arm out of the way so she could put her other hand on his chest. “When do you have time to work out?” she asked, marveling at the defined muscles of his chest and abdomen.

  “We have a gym at the office. I usually work out every day, but I’ve fallen off the last couple of weeks. That was another big part of my daily stay-busy routine.”

  “It was time very well spent.”

  “I’m glad you think so.”

  “I definitely think so. When we danced at the wedding, I could tell you were ripped under your tux. I was hoping for a closer look.”

  “I came this close to asking you to come home with me that night.”

  “Why didn’t you?”

  “I’ve asked myself that a million times since then, and I honestly don’t know why I didn’t. Part of it might’ve been that you were Wade’s cousin, and I was still getting to know him then and wasn’t sure what he’d think of me being with you. I thought maybe he’d think I was way too old for you, which I am.”