A Fare To Remember_ Just Whistle_Driven - Vicki Lewis Thompson [107]
A blush warmed her cheeks. “Alec, there was no curse. I have no powers. Absolutely no talent for anything that has to do with the psychic arts. In fact, until I met you, I wasn’t much of a believer.”
“What changed your mind?”
“I guess I couldn’t really believe that a man like you would fall for a woman like me. At least not in any natural way. I thought it had to be the charm I wore or the potion.”
Alec chuckled and shook his head. “Sabina, you are a very foolish woman. And you’re lucky I’m a patient man. I’ve waited my whole life to find you, and now that I have, I’m willing to wait as long as it takes for you to believe in my feelings for you.”
“I do believe,” Sabina said, tears flooding her eyes. “I do. I love you, Alec. And I don’t care what has happened in the past. All I care about is my future with you.”
He drew her into his embrace, then kissed her so softly and so exquisitely that it took her breath away. When she looked up at him, she saw the emotion in his eyes and knew that she wasn’t wrong. He loved her and he wanted her, for today and forever.
“I have something for you,” Alec said. He grabbed an envelope from his back pocket and handed it to her.
“What is this?” She opened the envelope and unfolded the papers. She recognized them immediately. It was the signed offer he’d made on her grandmother’s building.
“It’s yours. I’m going to buy the building from your grandmother and give it back to you. In return for the fortune you told me that first day in the shop. You said there was something I wanted. I think you used the word covet. You said I’d be tempted to use trickery, but that wouldn’t bring it to me. That only honesty would.”
“My grandmother’s building. See?” Sabina said. “I was right.”
“But that wasn’t what I wanted.” Alec paused, his gaze searching her face. “It was you. I wanted you.”
Sabina felt tears press at the corners of her eyes. She stared down at the papers, then slowly put them back into the envelope. “We’ve come full circle,” she said. “Your grandfather and my grandmother. You and me. And this building. Maybe this was meant to be all along.”
“I think it was,” Alec said, tipping her chin up until their eyes met again. Slowly, he bent forward and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. “I love you, Sabina. And I don’t care what it took to get here, but we are here. This is the beginning of our future together.”
“It feels right,” she said, a smile teasing at the corners of her mouth. “Do you really love me?”
“I do,” Alec said. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her long and hard.
“And I really love you,” Sabina replied breathlessly.
Alec glanced over his shoulder. “Do you think your grandmother would miss us if we skipped out early? My ankle has been feeling sore today and I really should get off my feet. And you do have that very comfortable bed downstairs.”
Sabina tipped her head back and laughed. “My grandmother would be deliriously happy to see us leave together. And I would hate to disappoint her. But then, she’s psychic. She probably knew this was going to happen all along.” Sabina wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed the spot below his ear. “Why don’t we mess with her a little bit? Let’s stay for a few dances.”
“Whatever you say, sweetheart.” Alec took her hand and drew her along to the small dance floor set up in front of the band. Sabina stepped into his arms as if she’d been dancing with him her whole life. As they swayed to the music, she stared up into the night sky and thanked the fates that had brought them together. She was glad she wasn’t psychic, glad that she didn’t see him coming. It made the surprise of falling in love all that much sweeter.
RUTA SAT AT A SMALL TABLE, a glass of champagne in front of her. She watched the couple dance to the small combo she’d hired for the party. A smile broke across her face and joy welled up inside her.
“They make a beautiful couple,” Mario said. “I was right. They belonged together.”
“You were right? But I was the one who saw it first. It was my amulet, my potion. You just drove the