Page 108 of The Guest Cottage
She left to the sound of more cheering. The townspeople were in a cheering mood today, for sure.
Outside, she saw that her in-laws were indeed gone, and she wondered if she’d ever see them again. For their sake, she hoped they would soften their stance.
“Want to just ride with me?” Cort asked. “We could get your car tomorrow.”
It was sweet that he wanted to pamper her. No one had done that since her parents passed away. “Nope, I’m good, but as usual, I’ll follow so you can be the deer spotter.”
Fortunately, though they did see a few deer, the beautiful animals bolted away from the road rather than into it.
Once they were inside Cort’s house, he locked the door and then carefully gathered her close. He studied her cheek again, his scowl fierce but his hold tender. “For an old woman, she packed a hell of a wallop. I think you might bruise.”
The slap seemed to have hurt Cort more than it did her. “Did you see Sandra look at her hand? I bet her palm was smarting.” Her attempt at humor fell flat. Marlow wished she knew what to say to him, but she was at a loss. Never before had she faced a situation like this. Never had she expected to. “It’s over, Cort. I’m fine, I get to stay in Bramble, and I’m with you. Overall, the day has been amazing.”
His mouth tightened. “I’ve never in my life hurt a woman, but I swear to God, I wanted to pick her up and stuff her into her car and tell her never to return.”
Marlow understood that. At first, she’d been equally incensed. “I think in the long run, it’ll be better and easier for Pixie if Sandra does come back—as long as she contains herself.”
Cort ground his teeth before taking her hand and leading her up the stairs. “It’ll probably be good for Mrs. Heddings, too. I don’t like your in-laws, and I won’t pretend that I do. But I know what it was like to lose a mother, to face the awful reality that there will be no more phone calls, no visits, no disagreements or jokes. The smiles, the hugs, the everyday conversations are gone . . . forever. With my mother, I knew she was ailing. I knew it was coming.” Inside his bedroom, he drew her to the bed and sat beside her, his hands braced on his knees, his shoulders rigid. “Your in-laws had no warning they were about to lose their son. I’m sure they assumed they’d die before him.” Again, his jaw flexed. “They’re not nice people, Marlow.”
All she could do was nod, but she clarified, “They’re not usually this bad. In all the time I’ve known them, the worst treatment I ever received was icy politeness.” That didn’t feel fair, so she added, “They were never unkind to me.”
“You’re so special, I don’t know how anyone could be.”
“I’m as imperfect as everyone else.”
Ignoring her comment, Cort said, “I accept that even Sandra and Aston suffer heartache. It was pretty obvious that your mother-in-law shocked herself, and I think her apology was genuine.”
“I do, too.” She leaned against him. “Thank you for not stuffing her in her car.”
Reluctantly, he nodded, then cast her a look. “If she ever touches you again, I make no promises.”
“She won’t.” Marlow pushed him back on the bed, then crawled over him. “So, Cort, I was wondering . . . What are we doing?”
He didn’t pretend to misunderstand. “You blindsided me.” His fingertips brushed her cheek. “I’ve tried to be prepared for anything life might throw my way.” He touched her lips. “No way could I have prepared for you.”
Like a verbal nudge, she reminded him, “You said you cared about me.”
“I love you.”
There it was, and still she repeated, “You love me?”
“Don’t panic,” he said, far too seriously. “I love you, but it doesn’t mean you have to—”
She crushed her mouth down on his, and it was an odd kiss because she was laughing and maybe crying a little.
He pressed her away. “Marlow?”
“I love you, too, you silly Marine.” She forced her way down for another kiss, then grinned at him. “How could I not love you?”
“I hope that’s a rhetorical question.”
“I’ve never known anyone like you. And you want to talk about blindsided! Holy smokes, you bowled me over.Constantly. Somehow meeting you took the worst period of my life and turned it into the best. Believe me, I was not looking for another romance. I wanted the freedom to be me, to live life any way I wanted, to make my own choices without having to consider anyone else.”
A small frown showed Cort’s worry.
Marlow put her hands on his cheeks. “With you, Cort, I’ve felt more like myself than I have since before my marriage. I like the person I am now a lot more.”
“Good, because I would never ask you to change.”
