Page 19 of Resorting to Love
Hope Harbor’s streets are relatively quiet as I drive into town. Twilight is settling its peachy-golden blanket over the houses and trees, giving everything a peaceful, sleepy quality. I’ve never wanted to live anywhere else, yet the relief I expected to feel when I got here doesn’t materialize. This is home, but for the first time in my life, my heart’s not here. I left it with Eli.
“It didn’t work out quite the way you planned, did it, Mom?” I send the question up to the heavenly, pastel-layered sky beyond my windshield. “You wanted me to do something outside my bubble, so I did. You wanted me to meet someone and fall in love, and I did. I’m not sure why you chose a man I can’t have ‘happily ever after’ with, though.” I sigh while making the final turn of my ten-hour journey. “But I’m still glad you did. I really did have the time of my life with him.”
My apartment is in an old Masonic Hall that’s converted into four units. Two of the other tenants are youngish senior citizens, and the third is a cat lady whose cats are all stuffed—and I don’t mean toys. My neighbors are a quiet, stay-indoors group, yet all are outside when I pull into the parking lot. I’d call it a strange coincidence if not for the sleek, black rental car occupying the sole visitor’s spot.
The sedan could belong to anyone. But not just anyone would draw all of my neighbors from their apartments simultaneously. The driver would have to be someone they’d all know. A person who three TV-addicted homebodies would all be interested in meeting. Could it be Eli? Here, in Hope Harbor? God, I want it to be.
Wishing and hoping cranks my pulse to high as I get out of my car. The neighbors look my way, waving and grinning—the friendliest greeting any of them have ever given—in unison. Not suspicious at all. Then they scuttle into the building, leaving the reason for their united, outside presence standing alone in the small courtyard.
“You came all the way to Canada to meet-and-greet with three fans?” I ask, once I’m close enough to see every detail of Eli’s handsome everything. “That’s serious commitment.”
“I discovered this morning that I’m a fan of serious commitment.” He closes the gap between us and wraps his arms around me. “I hated watching you leave. I wanted to grab you and make you stay with me forever.”
I tip my face up, resting my chin on his chest. “Forcible confinement as a romance tactic. Kind of a hard sell.”
He chuckles while kissing the tip of my nose. “You really don’t watch much TV, do you?”
“Basically none. One of the many reasons you shouldn’t be here.”
“Because you need every free minute to catch up on all the shows you haven’t seen?” he asks, giving me his your-panties-don’t-stand-a-chance grin.
“Pfft.God, no. You’ll never convert me, Mr. Famous. I like to live outside the box.”
“Then live outside it with me.” He eases back, taking my hands when they drop to my sides. “A week ago, I hadn’t given much thought to what I wanted, relationship-wise. I wasn’t against one, but I wasn’t looking for one, either. Then you walked into my life and poured your irresistible sass all over it. I was hooked from the first moment, sweetheart. I knew you were the one I wanted to be with. The only one. Not for a night, or a week. For the rest of my life.”
My heart takes off at a gallop. My brain doesn’t. “I had a great time with you. The best time. But now it’s time for a reality check. We’re both workaholics. We’re in different countries. You know I won’t fly, and I can’t hop in the car on my days off and drive to you. I don’t see how we could work.”
There’s no sign of stress on Eli’s face. He’s calm and relaxed, even now, while my stomach twists into a tight knot. He’d make me twitchy if I didn’t love him. “If I had a solution for every problem you can think of, would you want to be with me?”
“You can’t possibly, and I don’t do hypothetical.”
“Oh, I’m aware you’re a yes-or-no person,” he says, his warm chuckle weaving its way through me like a caress. “Give it to me straight, Nurse Chloe. Do you want to be with me?”
“Yes, but—”
Eli’s mouth on mine steals my protest. Then steals my ability to form a protest by short-circuiting my brain. When I’m properly breathless, he pulls back, searching my soul with his gaze. “I know we have things to figure out, but there’s nothing we can’t handle. You could be a nurse in LA. You could be a medical advisor for the show. Hell, you can just take time off until you decide what you want to do. I’ve got enough money for both of us, and God knows you’ve earned a break. And if you want to stay here, I’ll move. There’s plenty of stuff filming around Toronto. I’m sure my agent could find me something good.”
I can’t believe what I’m hearing. It can’t be real. “What aboutLiberty General?”
“The showrunner already hinted that season eleven will be the last. I can see it through, or ask them to write me out early.”
“You’d do that? Any of that, just to be with me?”
“I’d do all of that, and so much more, for the honor of being with you, Chloe.”
“Then… Why did you let me leave this morning?”
“Let you?”A deep laugh rumbles in his chest, sending tingly vibrations to all the best places. “I don’t know everything about you yet, but I do know nobodylets youdo anything. And for the record, I love your stubbornness. It’s adorable and sexy, like everything else about you.” Still grinning ear to ear, he releases me, then slides one hand into his pants pocket. “Plus, I needed to do a little shopping before I got here.”
The rest of the world ceases to exist when he takes a knee in front of me. “Whatever this is, Eli, you don’t have to do it.”
“Yes, sweetheart, I do.” He cracks the lid on a small velvet box, removes a beautiful ruby and diamond ring, then takes my left hand. “This is my promise that nothing, including careers, borders, and miles, will ever come between us. I’m in love with you, Chloe, and I want to be with you for the rest of our lives. Will you marry me?”
“It’s kilometers, because you’re in Canada.” My deadpan comes naturally, but when he fails to return my volley, I can’t keep a straight face. “Yes, I’ll marry you. Yes, yes, yes!”
“Let’s take this inside so you can say that while we’re naked. But first, this…”
I hold my breath as he slides the ring into place. “I love this. And you. I love you. Oh my God, I’m in love with Dr. Dreamboat. They’re never going to let me live this down at the hospital.”
