Chapter 18

It was well after dinnertime by the time we had the concession stand looking better. Fiona cleaned the display case, the counters, and the cupboards. We'd replaced the popcorn machine and removed the old cash register. Now we just needed a tablet and point of purchase to take credit cards. It was so much simpler, and it took up a lot less room.

"You're going to serve popcorn, candy, soda, and water?" Heath asked.

I looked around the space. "That's the easiest. We'll purchase a refrigerator case for the drinks. I don't want to deal with fountain sodas."

"I can create a storage room for you where you can keep extra supplies," Heath offered.

"You've thought of everything."

Heath leaned against the counter, crossing one foot over the other. "You forget I live with Marley. She has a running to-do list for everything."

"I assume you're the one that needs to cross everything off," I said wryly.

"You got that right. But I wouldn't have it any other way. I'm blessed that she came back into my life, and she gave me another chance." Heath had a good energy about him. He was content, happy.

I longed to have what he did.

Heath focused on me. "How are things going with you and Fiona?"

I thought about the night we'd spent together. It had been close to perfect. Fiona hadn't said exactly how she felt, but I hoped they were similar to my feelings. Today, she'd been a little distant. But I figured it was just getting back into the swing of things now that the snow cleared. "Things are good."

"Is she still planning on leaving when we're done with the theater?" Heath grabbed a water bottle, twisted off the cap, and took a long pull.

"As far as I know. She hasn't mentioned it one way or the other." I wondered where her head was at. Had things changed for her like they had for me?

"Are you willing to move to her to make things work?" Heath asked.

That question threw me off. "Why would I move? Everything I want is here. The inn. Marley."

Heath gave me a pointed look. "Fiona might not be."

"We can do long distance." My throat tightened because I wasn't so sure that was the case. We hadn't even tried last time. I'd been certain that I didn't want her to leave school for me. Now I'd be asking her to quit her job, the only career she'd ever known. It was tough for me to retire from the military. I didn't want to force her into a decision.

Heath raised a brow. "Is that what you want?"

I leaned on the counter with my elbow. "In an ideal world, she'd be here with me. I just don't know what she wants. Marley would love if Fiona helped with the rest of the renovation, but what then?"

"That's what you need to find out. You can't pretend the end date isn't quickly approaching."

"It's not until after the New Year." I just wasn't sure of the exact date. "And she said she'd visit often to see her family."

Heath shrugged his shoulders. "You know how it is. Once she gets back into work, she'll be busy. She won't get back as often as she'd like. Can you handle that? Do you have the time to visit her?"

I cleared my throat. "Not really. Charlotte has been working weekdays, and I take the weekends."

Heath shook his head. "It sounds like you have a lot to talk about then. Where is she?"

"She went to see her family. She's been so busy here that she hasn't seen them as much as she'd like to."

"The thing about relationships is that you need to let the other person thrive. If that means opening a new business, going into a different career, or even moving. Are you prepared to meet her where she's at?"

I thought back to how she'd so effortlessly proposed to me when I was nineteen and how I hadn't been ready for that gift. I'd thrown it back in her face. I'd registered the hurt, but I hadn't let myself absorb that, to think about how it might damage her for relationships going forward. I sighed. "I'll have to be."

Heath touched my shoulder. "I want you two to make it."

"It worked out for you and Marley, and her home was in California."

"She hated it here. Initially, she wanted to renovate and sell the inn. But she fell in love with the inn and the farm. She remembered how much she loved me. You have to make it so Fiona won't want to leave."

"Are you saying that I need to show her how great it is to live in an inn?" I'd done a good job of that during the storm, and I was positive she was on her way to falling back in love with me, if she wasn't already there.

"You couldn't ask for a better time of year. There's something about the holiday season. Women can't resist it."

I scoffed. "I'm hoping she can't resist me."

Heath moved toward the theater doors. "Come on. Let's take a look."

The original chairs have been cleaned, the worst of the chairs recovered. The curtains would be in soon. The old ones had already been removed, leaving the space brighter. The walls were a soft gray. There was new red carpet on the floor and the electrical had all been brought up to code.

Tiny lights lined the aisles, and Heath had kept the original sconces on the walls. When he turned on the lights, there was a soft glow to the room.

He hit a button, and the projector screen came down. "We need to fix the projector room. Then we can have a showing."

"You want to do it before Christmas?"

"I think you need to. Invite the Calloways."

"Should I invite the Monroes?" It was as much Heath's project as it was mine and Marley's.

"If you feel comfortable doing that. I'll talk to Emmett, see if he can be slightly less grumpy than usual for one night."

"You do that." I walked around the room, taking it all in. It felt grand for such a small space. "Tomorrow, the repairman for the bowling alley will be here."

"Marley can take pictures of the showing and post it on the website. With the holiday decorations, it will be perfect. I think you're going to be busy soon. How many hotels can offer an onsite movie theater, a game room, and a bowling alley?"

"Not many."

"I'm confident we can utilize the game room too. We'll recover the pool tables, add a few foosball tables and maybe an air hockey table for the kids."

"Do we want to make it more kid friendly? We could add a few basketball-hoop arcade-style games."

Heath grinned. "I love Skee-Ball."

"It has a gentlemen's club feel now with the bar and the grand interior. Do you think Marley will want to change it that much?"

"I think Marley likes the idea of making the entire hotel more kid friendly."

I was pleased we'd planned so much in one evening, but I wish Fiona were here. I'd come to rely on her input. She had a feel for what people wanted. It was too bad her superiors couldn't see how brilliant she was. We were lucky to have her support and advice.

My heart hurt at the thought of her leaving or me not being able to see her because I was tied to this place. I loved it, but I wanted her more.

"When things went bad between me and Marley, I flew to California. I told her I was willing to move there to be with her."

"Were you?" I hadn't heard about this.

"I'd do anything for her. If you feel the same way about Fiona, you'll know what you need to do."

Then he walked out of the room. I heard the clang of his tools hitting the metal storage box as he put them away.

I let my head drop back, and I sighed. I loved her, and I knew I wouldn't get another chance at this. I had to go all out, and if that meant making a contingency plan for the hotel, I'd need to do it.

I'd talk to Marley about what would need to happen for me to be more flexible, whether it was a possibility to manage the hotel from Chicago or wherever Fiona was.

* * *

The next few days were busy. I worked on the projector room with Heath since his crew was needed on another project—a kitchen that had to be completed before Christmas.

We cleared the old equipment out of the room, building new shelves and a table. It felt good to work with my hands again.

When it was completed, we set up the new equipment, then stood back to see how it looked.

"You do good work. I think your specialty is custom woodwork," Heath observed.

"I enjoyed it."

"How would you like to do this kind of thing for me? Whenever we have custom projects, whether it's shelving, cupboards, or even a window seat."

I sighed. "I'd love to, but I can't commit to anything right now. Not until I figure things out with Fiona."

Heath nodded. "The offer still stands."

"I appreciate it. You've been nothing but supportive since I got back."

Heath clasped my shoulder. "You're my best friend and future brother-in-law."

His reference to being my brother-in-law didn't bother me like it used to. I was happy for him. "You thought about a date for a wedding?"

"Marley wants to get married on Christmas Eve."

I tipped my head to the side. "This Christmas Eve? You're kidding."

"She's already hired a wedding planning service in town, and one of their wedding planners, Aria from Happily Ever Afters. She wants to keep the guests to family and friends. It will be small."

"Where does she want to get married?" I asked him.

"She wants to get married on the front steps and hold the reception in the ballroom."

"Of my inn?" My brain was trying to keep up with this information. We were planning for a grand opening of the theater which would include a private family showing the day before Christmas Eve. Now we had to plan a wedding for my sister too?

Heath shot me a look. "Last time I checked, it was yours and Marley's."

"I didn't mean anything by it. I'm just feeling a little overwhelmed. This is the first time I'm hearing of it."

"You don't need to do anything except stand by my side at the altar."

"You want me to be your best man?" My chest swelled with pride.

Heath smiled. "You're my best friend, and Marley's your sister. We wouldn't be here without you."

"I'd love to stand up for you," I said, giving him a hug. "And welcome you to the family."

Heath raised a brow as I pulled back. "The Matthews family of two?"

"That's right." I thought about my parents, how they'd left after Marley graduated from high school and hadn't returned.

Marley said they'd made rumblings about the inheritance and said she'd paid them off. I had no idea how much money she'd given them, but we hadn't heard from them since.

I hoped it stayed that way. If my parents knew about the re-opening of the inn or Marley's wedding, they might use it as an excuse to pop their heads out of whatever hole they'd been hiding in. But I wouldn't say any of that to Heath. "I'm happy for you."

Heath chuckled. "I never thought I'd see the day where you'd be happy for me marrying your sister."

"I couldn't find a better man for her." Heath took care of her. It didn't matter that Heath was my friend, or I'd asked him to protect her when I enlisted. Instead, he'd fallen in love with her. I couldn't fault him for that. Not when he made her so happy.

Heath looked away, his eyes suspiciously shiny.

"Are you sure there isn't anything I can do for the wedding?"

Heath cleared his throat. "You can help with the setup in the ballroom. A rental company will be delivering the tables and chairs. We'll need to set up a couple of bars, but we have them in storage. Aria is handling the rest of it."

"Is this what you both want? You don't want to take more time and have a larger affair?"

Heath grinned. "This is exactly what we want. A party with our family and friends."

"But it's Christmas. Won't people already have plans for the holiday?"

Heath shook his head. "That was the idea. Marley didn't want to have a large wedding. She wants to keep it cozy."

Marley appeared in the doorway. "Did you tell him our plans?"

Heath's grin widened as he pulled her into his side, looking down at her. "Sure did."

"I'm happy for you, sis."

Heath let her go so she could hug me.

Marley pulled back slightly to see my face. "Are you really?"

"I just told your fiancé I couldn't find a better man for you. Whatever you want, we'll make it happen."

Marley and Heath exchanged a look. Then she said, "I think Aria has everything taken care of."

Marley returned to Heath's side. "Are you ready to get out of here? Aria wanted to go over some details."

Heath nodded to her. Then asked me, "You can clean up here?"

I waved them off. "Get out of here. You've got a wedding to plan."

Marley grinned as she led Heath out of the room. I put away the tools, then dusted the remaining sawdust from the room. I was happy for my sister, and I couldn't think of a better location for their wedding than the inn. It would be gorgeous even if it was winter. The inn was its best at Christmas.

* * *

Later that night, I let Fiona into my apartment.

She kissed me, and then I asked, "Did you hear that Marley and Heath are getting married here on Christmas Eve?"

"It will be beautiful," Fiona said with a smile. "Are we still planning on having a family showing of a movie the night before?"

"I think so. We won't be in the way of the wedding preparations, and the kids are looking forward to it."

"With everything going on, this might be the last night we have to ourselves," Fiona murmured as she wrapped her arms around my neck.

"Then we'd better make the most of it." I closed the door and led her to the bedroom, thoughts of how I wanted to spend the night playing like a reel in my head. I thought I'd take things slow, start a fire, maybe light some candles, then pour some wine.

But when we got to my room, I was desperate for her. I closed the door, then pressed her against it, kissing her while my fingers fumbled with the button of her jeans. She helped me shove her jeans down, then off as I sank to my knees, breathing her in.

"You're gorgeous," I said as I looked up at her and slowly lowered her lace panties.

I eased my finger between her folds, her hips arching off the door. "I want to see you."

She removed her sweater with shaky hands, then unclipped her bra, baring her breasts. The nipples were a dusky rose, standing at attention.

I reached up and palmed one, rubbing a thumb over the hard nub.

Her breath hitched as she touched my hair.

I loved this woman, and I never wanted to be away from her. It was clear to me that I'd need to be flexible like Heath said.

I nudged her legs wider as I eased a finger inside her, drawing a whimper from Fiona's throat. I wanted to watch her come apart. I wanted to drive her wild with need.

I pumped my fingers inside her, my other hand tweaking her nipple. When she moved her hips in time with my fingers, I sucked on her clit. She cried out as the orgasm flew through her. Her walls spasmed around my fingers. When her body relaxed against the door, I wiped my mouth, then stood. I lifted her into my arms and carried her to the bed.

I'd never get enough of her, and I wouldn't let her move without me. With that settled in my mind, I lowered her to the mattress and removed my clothes.

When I entered her, I made sure we were touching, my body lowered over hers, our fingers entwined, and our mouths fused. When her body arched against mine for her second orgasm, I swallowed her cries.

I loved her. I just wasn't sure she was ready for the intensity of my emotions, or the thoughts running through my head. This woman was my future, and I needed to do everything I could to show her the possibility of us.