Page 139 of To Know Miss May

“No, I know that look,” she said, taking another step away from him. “We don’t ’ave time for any o’ that business. Ye must leave for work. I was merely distractin’ ye for but a moment.”

“Your distraction worked far too well,” he said, snatching her hand and drawing her closer. He kissed her deeply once again before breaking off due to her smiles.

“Kissin’ doesn’t work when ye just be smilin’ all the time, love,” August said.

“Then ye ought not make me smile so much.”

They shared a grin, but soon enough, his eyes clouded over once again. “All right, I really do need to be goin’ now,” he said.

Livvy nodded. “Yes, ye musn’t be late for your first day. What’ll all ’em men think?”

“I just be concerned with what Nicholas will do.”

“Scold ye again, no doubt,” Livvy said with a smile.

Nicholas had been given a promotion as well in the last few weeks, working directly below August. While the two were still wonderful friends, August always took a more lighthearted approach to gardening, while Nicholas secured a more serious role.

Either way, the two worked wonderfully together, and Livvy and Emma had often talked about how grateful they were to have their husbands be as close as she and Emma had grown to be over the years.

Nicholas and Emma had married a few months after Livvy and August had, though not with their parents’ approval. While there had been some hope to resolve matters, the Cuffs had stopped speaking with their son altogether, and the Pengellys only welcomed their daughter in their home without her husband.

Still, despite matters being difficult, Nicholas and Emma had been truthful with their parents, and instead of running away in the dead of the night, they’d married on the Mount and remained on the Mount, always maintaining the hope that one day, their parents would accept their relationship as one of love, and relationships would begin to heal.

Either way, Livvy had been thrilled to have their friends remain on the Mount after all their hardship, especially now that the new Cuff children—also a boy and a girl—got along splendidly with Piran and Miranda.

“All right,” August said, drawing a deep breath. “I’ll be off now—”

“Oh, do ye ’ave but one more moment to spare?” Livvy interrupted.

August hesitated, but nodded, nonetheless.

She smiled her gratitude, if only to hide what she was really doing in keeping him there longer. “I received word from me Father.”

August’s features fell. “And?”

Livvy couldn’t hide her grin for long. “’E’ll be marryin’ Miss Harris after all. Next month.”

August’s brow rose, and a smile stretched across his lips. “Ah, well that do be good news. It be about time.”

Livvy couldn’t help but agree. “We be invited, ’course, so I’ll need to send our response today.”

A strained look crossed August’s features—a look that was no stranger to them both, as it appeared whenever she mentioned her father.

But August replaced it with a smile faster than ever. “’Course we’ll be in attendance. We wouldn’t miss it. After all, ’e didn’t miss our weddin’, did ’e?”

Livvy’s heart was overwhelmed with warmth once more for this wonderful man before her.

Over the years, August’s relationship with Father had continued to be strained, but each time they saw one another—especially after Father’s direct apology last year—matters had become better and better.

Apparently, leaving the Mount and remaining in Nanstallon with his cousins permanently had been the best decision he’d ever made. While his decision had shocked Livvy—more often than not leading her to many tears that first year—her relationship with him had improved vastly.

A few weeks after his departure, he’d sent a missive to Livvy, explaining his reasoning for his behavior, expressing his regret for not loving her as he should have, and then stating that he was doing what he could now to change for her and be the father she’d always deserved—promising to be there for her wedding.

More than that, he’d offered his home—Livvy’s home—to her and August as a wedding gift, then delivered a letter of recommendation for August, so he would have no trouble obtaining a job from Mr. Caddy all those years ago.

This change of heart had not surprised Livvy. She’d always known he’d loved her. What neither of them knew was that Father needed to get off the Mount—while Livvy needed to stay.

And now, Father was thriving, just as she hoped he would be— working, socializing, marrying. She could hardly believe he was the same man whenever she saw him again.