Page 31

CHAPTER 30

C hapter 30

An hour later Sebastian observed their friends gathering coats and scarves, preparing to depart after what had to be the most successful supernatural intervention in London history. The ceremony for Will had left everyone in a reflective mood, yet The Red Lion held a newfound tranquility that had been absent for weeks—like a house settling after a long-overdue renovation.

No more flying glassware. No more arctic temperature zones. No more ghostly guilt trips about unfinished business. Just blessed, normal, non-supernatural pub atmosphere.

Gone were the supernatural disturbances that had turned the pub into London’s most haunted cocktail lounge—the bone-deep chill that had nothing to do with November weather, the flying objects that had made serving drinks a contact sport, the flickering lights that had given the place the ambiance of a horror film. Now there were only the natural sounds and scents of a centuries-old pub firmly anchored in the present: creaking timber, the lingering aroma of ale, and the comfortable quiet of a place finally at peace with itself.

Mission accomplished. Ghost successfully relocated to the afterlife. Relationship status: resolved.

Oliver approached as he buttoned his coat with the careful precision of someone married to a very pregnant woman, while Alice waited by the door with the patient grace of someone who’d grown accustomed to her husband’s protective hovering.

“Remarkable evening,” Oliver said, his casual tone belied by the knowing scrutiny in his gaze. “The board won’t accept this gracefully, you know. They’re not exactly known for their appreciation of supernatural real estate decisions.”

A laugh bubbled up from somewhere deep in Sebastian’s chest. “I realize that.”

And I couldn’t care less. When did that happen?

Just days ago, the prospect of disappointing his father’s former colleagues would have sent him into a tailspin of corporate anxiety. Now the thought seemed almost laughably trivial compared to what he’d discovered here—about Will and Rebecca, about the power of love that transcended death, about himself, and most importantly, about the woman currently surveying the room with peaceful contentment.

About how completely, utterly, hopelessly in love I am with Tessa Lawson.

“Our country estate has a guest cottage,” Oliver continued, adjusting his scarf with casual wealth that had once made Sebastian competitive. “You’re welcome to visit anytime. Not as a rival—“ his mouth quirked upward in genuine amusement, “—but as a friend.”

Friend. When did Oliver Graham become a friend instead of a competitor?

The laugh that emerged was genuine and unrehearsed, the sound of someone who’d discovered that winning wasn’t everything after all. “I might actually take you up on that invitation.”

Shocking. Sebastian accepting hospitality instead of plotting hostile takeovers.

Oliver nodded, something that looked suspiciously like respect passing between them—recognition of a kindred spirit who’d chosen love over ambition. Before he turned toward Alice, Sebastian caught a fragment of conversation that made him smile.

“I’ve been thinking,” Harry murmured to Daphne, his Scottish accent soft with affection, “about taking a weekend away. Just us. Oliver and Alice offered to watch the boys.” Their fingers intertwined with the natural ease of longtime partners. “We should remember who we are beyond being parents.”

Daphne’s expression was answer enough—the radiant smile of a woman remembering she was beloved as well as needed.

Even the happily married couples are getting their romantic renewal. Something about this place brings out the best in love stories.

The door closed behind them with its familiar chime, leaving the pub in comfortable silence that felt like a held breath finally released. He found Tessa surveying the room, her face reflecting a contemplative peace that transformed her already beautiful features into something luminous.

She appeared utterly transformed—as though Will’s peaceful departure had unburdened something within her too, releasing her from whatever invisible weight she’d been carrying.

She’s free. Free from the pressure of saving the pub alone, free from the ghost’s demands, free from the fear that she might lose everything she loved.

Sebastian moved toward her deliberately, bridging the physical distance that had narrowed emotionally through weeks of shared research, late-night conversations, and mutual understanding that felt like coming home. No ghosts waiting in corners. No acquisition plans hovering like threats. No corporate obligations pulling him in opposite directions.

Just this moment, this woman, this choice.

“I belong in the city,” he said quietly, wanting to be completely honest about who he was and what he could offer. “I could never relocate to the countryside like Oliver. London is in my bones.”

I need her to know I can’t be someone I’m not, even for her.

Tessa smiled, and his heart performed that familiar skip that had become as natural as breathing. “I know. And that’s perfectly fine. I wouldn’t want you to be anyone other than exactly who you are.”

She loves me as I am. Corporate background, city preferences, and all.

He paused before her, raising his hand to brush away a strand of hair from her face with the reverent touch reserved for precious things. His thumb traced her cheekbone, marveling at the softness of her skin, the way she leaned into his touch like she’d been waiting for it.

This is it. The moment everything changes. The moment I stop being afraid and start being brave.

“May I?” he asked, voice barely audible, though they both knew the question encompassed far more than just a kiss.

May I love you? May I stay? May I build a future with you in this place that brought us together?

She nodded, emotion brightening her eyes until they shimmered like stars. “Please.”

Please. Such a simple word carrying the weight of permission, invitation, and promise.

“I love you,” he confessed, the words rich with feeling that had been building for weeks. “I think I have since you sarcastically called me ‘sweetie’ when we first met and made it sound like an insult and an endearment at the same time.”

I love your sharp tongue, your fierce loyalty, your capacity for compassion, your ability to see the best in people even when they’re trying to destroy what you love most.

Tessa’s laugh was soft and radiant, her eyes glistening with tears that looked suspiciously like joy. “I love you too. Even though I tried desperately not to. Even though falling for you was the most impractical thing I’ve ever done.”

Even though I represented everything that threatened her world, she chose to love me anyway.

Their kiss was gentle yet profound—built not on impulse or desperate attraction, but on every moment of connection, shared discovery, and unspoken longing that had led them to this perfect moment. Her fingers rested against his chest, right over his heart, and he wondered if she could feel how it was racing. His arms encircled her waist, holding her as though she were infinitely precious, which she absolutely was.

This is what coming home feels like. This is what “right” feels like.

When they separated, foreheads touching in an intimate gesture that felt like a promise, he whispered, “I’ve been completely drawn to you since that first day. This place—“ he gestured around the pub that had become so much more than a potential acquisition, “—it’s become part of us. We belong here together.”

The Red Lion brought us together. Will and Rebecca’s love story made us brave enough to write our own.

“We do,” Tessa agreed, her voice soft with wonder. “It’s astonishing how everything’s changed since you arrived with your acquisition plans and corporate confidence, looking like you owned the world.”

And now I’ve discovered the only thing I actually want to own is your heart.

A smile felt more natural than it had in years. “My father would be absolutely horrified,” he said with quiet amusement. “I’ve transformed from demolishing historic buildings to preserving them. From profit-focused to preservation-minded. He’d probably disown me posthumously.”

And I couldn’t be happier about it.

“What happens when the board forces you out?” Tessa asked, though her tone suggested she was more curious than worried.

He answered without hesitation, surprising himself with how certain he sounded. “Then I’ll create something new. Something that honors both history and progress. London has countless overlooked buildings with stories worth saving. Not all of them contain ghosts, but each one holds pieces of the past that deserve preservation.”

I’ll build something better than what my father left behind. Something that creates rather than just consumes.

“A solitary preservation mission?” she teased, though her eyes suggested she already knew the answer.

As if I could ever want to do anything important without her.

“Not alone,” he replied, his voice rough with hope and possibility. “I was hoping for a partner. Someone who understands that the best buildings are the ones with stories. Someone who knows that preservation isn’t just about architecture—it’s about honoring the people who lived and loved and built their lives in these spaces.”

I was hoping for you. I’m hoping for us.

Her response was a smile of quiet radiance that made his chest tight with emotion he’d never learned to name.

That’s a yes. That’s definitely a yes.

Outside, the season’s first snow had begun falling—unusually early for November, but London weather had never followed predictable patterns. The unexpected flurries transformed the city into something from a vintage postcard, each snowflake catching the streetlight like tiny stars descending.

Like a place where corporate sharks fall in love with pub owners and choose preservation over profit.

Inside, they watched the transformation together, her warmth pressed against his side like she belonged there. For an instant, he thought he glimpsed two figures walking hand-in-hand beyond the frosted glass—a young man in 1940s clothing, a woman with dark hair wearing a heart-shaped locket, both of them looking blissfully, eternally happy.

Will and Rebecca. Finally together. Finally free.

Then they vanished into the swirling snow like a blessing, leaving only the sense that love stories, even the impossible ones, sometimes found their happy endings.

“What comes next?” Tessa asked softly, her voice carrying the weight of infinite possibility.

Everything. The rest of our lives. Building something beautiful together.

“Whatever we choose,” he answered, then added with conviction that came from finally knowing what mattered most, “Though I have one request.”

Her expression turned curious, eyebrows lifting in the way that always made his heart skip. “What’s that?”

“The Red Lion should honor Will and Rebecca properly. Their story deserves remembrance, but more than that—it deserves celebration. They showed us what real love looks like, what it’s worth fighting for.”

They showed us that love is stronger than death, stronger than time, stronger than any obstacle that tries to keep two people apart.

Tessa nodded in agreement, her face lighting up with enthusiasm that had first captivated him. “I’d like that very much. Perhaps a small exhibition in the back room. We could display Rebecca’s diary, Will’s letter, and a reproduction of their photograph. Tell their story properly.”

“And the locket,” he added, thinking of his mother’s words about family treasures finding their proper homes. “My mother believes it belongs here, where their love story began.”

Where our love story began too.

Together they drifted toward the hearth, drawn by its steady warmth and the comfortable intimacy of two people who’d found their place in the world. The pub settled around them with the satisfied sighs of ancient timbers finally at peace, having witnessed one love story reach its conclusion and another begin its first chapter.

“I cherish this building,” Tessa said, leaning against him with the trust of someone who’d found her safe harbor. “But I cherish you more.”

How is it possible that I found everything I never knew I was looking for in a haunted pub?

He pressed his lips to her temple, breathing in the scent of her hair, the warmth of her presence, the promise of all the tomorrows they’d share. “And I love you beyond any structure I’ve ever wanted to save. Even this one. Even though this one brought us together.”

I love you more than corporate success, more than my father’s approval, more than anything I thought I wanted before I knew what love actually felt like.

Snow continued descending outside, covering London in a gentle blanket of white that made the city look like something from a fairytale. Within The Red Lion, a new chapter began—a story of love, legacy, and two people who’d found each other in a place where past and present had finally reconciled.

Will and Rebecca got their happy ending. Now it’s time for ours.

And as he held Tessa close by the fire, watching snow fall outside the windows of the pub that had brought them together, he couldn’t imagine a more perfect beginning.