Page 73 of Shatter the Dark

He leaned back against the worktable and removed the scroll. “It’s not.”

“It’s not what?”

“A commission.”

“Oh.” The hope in my chest deflated, and I struggled to find the words to recover. If he wasn’t going to offer me another commission, maybe this really was goodbye.

“It’s a drawing. I want you to have it.” He crooked his finger, and my steps were slow, almost as if I were walking through quicksand. So this was a parting gift. Something to remember him by.

I watched through welling tears as he unfurled the scroll and placed candles at each end. He moved behind me, resting his hands on the table, one on each side of me. I felt his warmth against my back and resisted the urge to close the space and lean against him.

My brow creased as I studied the drawing. It was one I’d seen before, when he brought me back to the manor after getting me released from prison. He’d been drawing it then but had mentioned it wasn’t finished.

It was finished now.

The scene was of the cove beneath the manor. Waves crashed against the shore and spilled over the rocks. In the center, playing in the sand, was Annie, and I stood beside her, dipping my toes in the water. I was laughing, my face turned up toward the sunshine.

“It’s a beautiful drawing,” I said, speaking around the tightness in my throat.

He lowered his head, his voice skating past my ear. “When you saw it the first time, I knew something was missing, and then when I saw you two playing on the beach, it was as if the drawing came to life right in front of me. I had to capture it.” Moving his hands to my waist, he turned me to face him. His features softened, but a worry line still marred his brow. “The thing is, I don’t know if I have the right to ask you to stay with me after what I did to you. After everything you’ve given me, it doesn’t feel like a fair trade. But I’m asking anyway because this drawing was perfectly fine when it was just a landscape, but now you’re in it, I don’t think I can go back to one where you’re not.” His hands lifted to frame my face, and his tone deepened. “You makeeverythingbetter. So stay with me because you want to, because you know I’ve fallen in love with you, and because you want to build your future with me.”

I smiled and drew in a shuddering breath. “You know, I had a fancy speech prepared, but you ruined it when you didn’t offer me another commission. You asked me to think about what I wanted, and I planned to tell you all I wanted was you, every day for the rest of my life.” I heaved a dramatic sigh. “But now, it looks as if I’m going to have to accept your proposal instead.” I held out my hand, and his gaze dropped to my wiggling fingers.

His brow rose. “Really, Liana? A handshake?

“Oh, I’m going to give you more than a handshake. I’m going to seal the deal in every way I know how.” I wrapped my arms around his neck and leaned up to kiss him. He groaned against my lips, urging my head back with his hands cupped around the base of my neck. We bumped the workbench rattling a set of metal tools.

Well, this is getting out of control, and we don’t even have an agreement.

I pulled back, grinning when he ground his teeth in frustration. “Hold on. There’s still the matter of the handshake…and the contract. So let’s start at the beginning. Do we have a deal, Bowen MacKenzie?”

His hand closed over mine, and he dragged me to him. “We have a deal, Miss Archer.”

And so we did.

The marriage contract came later, and I finally got to finish the rest of my story.

The End…Happily.

P.S. The witch never came back.