“Just make sure I don’t trip going down the aisle,” Abby said.
“Church wedding?” Hannah asked. “Town hall?”
Abby glanced at Seth, who clearly guessed exactly what she was thinking. He nodded.
“Seaview Inn, if it’s okay with Grandma Jenny,” Abby said.
“That’s perfect!” Hannah said. “She’ll be thrilled.”
And for Abby, it would be proof at last that she was well and truly home for good.
Epilogue
Seth stood nervously beside Luke in the living room at Seaview Inn. Christmas decorations had been replaced with huge bowls of fresh spring flowers. Only a few guests had gathered, including his sisters, Jason, Jeff, Jack Ferguson and Lesley Ann. Grandma Jenny and Ella Mae sat in places of honor in the front row of chairs set up for the service.
Recorded music announced the start of the ceremony. Seth looked toward the foyer, then grinned as Isabella toddled unsteadily into the room clinging to Kelsey’s hand and tossing fistfuls of flower petals in her path. When she caught sight of her dad, she let out a scream and headed in his direction.
Then came Hannah, wearing a deep blue silk dress that shimmered like the sea at night.
Seth’s breath caught in his throat as Abby stepped into view, wearing a simple cream silk sheath and carrying a bouquet of daisies as a tribute to the day he’d brought her flowers stolen from one of Jenny’s containers. As she reached his side, he leaned close.
“Did you steal those?”
She laughed. “Nope, Grandma Jenny gave them to me of her own free will. She seemed to think they might have some special significance.”
“And I thought I’d gotten away with it,” Seth said, then turned to face Sandra, who’d agreed to conduct the ceremony.
When it came time for their vows, Seth looked into Abby’s eyes and saw everything he’d ever dreamed of. “You are my future and my hope for all that’s good,” he told her. “Whatever comes our way, we’re strong enough to face it together. If there’s heartache, I promise there will be joy. If there’s tension, I promise to balance that with laughter. Above all, there will be love.” He held her gaze. “Never-ending love.”
Instinctively Abby’s free hand went to her stomach and stayed there. With her other hand, she clung to his. “You have given me everything I ever wanted,” she said. “My dreams are coming true because of you and this life we’re pledging to build together. You are my heart and my future. You and our family will always be the most important things in my life. I love you, Seth, today and forever.”
They exchanged rings and Sandra pronounced them husband and wife. Seth looked into the face of this woman who’d taught him that love was possible, even after heartbreak.
“I love you,” he said as he leaned down to kiss her.
And in that kiss he proved that what had happened on the beach all those weeks ago was no fluke. Abby could still—and always would—take his breath away!
* * * * *
Look for Sherryl Woods’s next novel,
THE DEVANEYS: RYAN AND SEAN
available soon from Harlequin MIRA
at your favorite retail outlet.
Keep reading for an excerpt from SEAVIEW INN by Sherryl Woods.
“Woods is noted for appealing, character-driven stories that are often infused with the flavor and fragrance of the South.”
—Library Journal
If you loved Home to Seaview Key, be sure to catch Seaview Inn by #1 New York Times bestselling author Sherryl Woods. Available in ebook format.
Order your copy today!
For more warm and inspiring stories of friendship, families and heartfelt emotions, don’t miss The Ocean Breeze series, also by Sherryl Woods, featuring Sand Castle Bay, Wind Chime Point and Sea Glass Island.
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1
Hannah Matthews prided herself onbeing sensible and responsible. A single mom and a public relations executive handlingseveral very demanding but fascinating clients, she was the person to turn to in anycrisis. She claimed there wasn’t a superstitious bone in her body, but she was beginningto wonder if there wasn’t something to the old adage that things happened in threes,especially bad things. She was also losing her faith that God never gave a person morethan they could handle, because she was definitely on overload.
Not quite three months past her final chemo treatment for breast cancerand less than a month after her mother’s death from the very same disease, here she wasback in a town she hadn’t been able to flee fast enough, standing in front of thebed-and-breakfast that had once been her much-despised home. Worse, she was facing thearduous prospect of trying to convince her stubborn eighty-five-year-old grandmotherthat it was time to move into an assisted-living community and sell Seaview Inn. Lifecouldn’t get much more stressful than this, or if it could, she didn’t want to find outhow.
“Hannah, why are you just standing out there daydreaming?” hergrandmother demanded from behind the inn’s screen door, her tone every bit as querulousand demanding as Hannah remembered from her last visit home. “As hot as it is, leavingthis front door wide open is a waste of air-conditioning. And why weren’t you here thismorning? You told me you’d be here this morning. I’ve beensitting on the porch watching for you most of the day. The heat finally drove meinside.”
Hannah bit back a sigh and grabbed the handle of her suitcase to pullit along behind her. “My flight was delayed, Gran. Remember, I called you from theairport in New York to let you know?”
Her grandmother’s faded hazel eyes filled with confusion, yet anotherrecent change from her once astute demeanor. “You did? Are you sure?”
“I’m sure, Gran, but it doesn’t matter now. I’m here.”
“And about time, too,” her grandmother added with a little humph.
Hannah placed an arm around
