“Yes.” He nodded, stroking her cheek with his thumb. “And maybe I should have said it to you first, but I knew that it wasn’t going to be enough to tell you I loved you. I needed to show you that I meant it. You set a high bar for your friends, Brit. You have their backs, and they have yours. Before I talked to you, I wanted Philip and Celia to know I was there for them. That I’ll be there for them in the future, no matter what happens. That was part of my plan to convince you that I’ve changed. That I can do this.”
“But—”
He gave a wry smile. “My plan was to come straight over to you once I’d talked to them, but the Puffin Island gossip-net has apparently upgraded from fast to superfast.”
“The islanders told you I was leaving?”
“They commiserated with me.” He gave a soft laugh. “I drove home in a daze where I found a casserole waiting for me.”
“You’re kidding!” She gave a choked laugh and leaned her head against his chest. “This place is—”
“Unbelievable,” he finished for her. “And the people are the most meddling, annoying, wonderful people in the world. And living here teaches you that no man is an island, and no island is ever about just one man. It teaches you that life is so much richer when it’s lived as part of a community.”
She sniffed. “Well, if you’ve been given a casserole, then I’d say you’re officially part of that community.”
“If you leave, they will never forgive me.” He eased away from her slightly and pulled something out of his pocket. “I should have given you this ten years ago. I hope it’s not too late.”
She looked down at the beautiful diamond sparkling on his palm and the breath caught in her throat. “Zach—”
“I love you. You’ve given me all of yourself and you’ve given me back a part of myself I thought I’d lost forever.” He lowered his head and kissed her gently. “Will you marry me again? And this time I’ll get it right. Through thick and thin, Brit, no matter what happens I will always have your back.”
Tears streamed down her cheeks and she held out her finger. “You’d better put it on, because my hands are shaking. I love you, too, you know I love you. I loved you before I was really old enough to understand what the emotion was, I still loved you when you left me and I love you now.”
“I know. Because when you love a person you love them forever. Sky told me that.” He smoothed her hair back from her face. “I don’t want to stop you taking up the job you found, though. We’ll find a way of making it work.”
“I haven’t found a job. I just needed some space, so I thought I’d go back to Cambridge for a couple of weeks. See some friends. Do some thinking.”
“So your only reason for leaving,” he said slowly, “was to escape from me?”
“Yes.”
“Then how would you feel about staying here and taking that part-time post at the university? I can fly you to the mainland once a week. And the rest of the time you can help out at the camp and help me with the rest of my responsibilities.”
“What responsibilities?”
He kissed her and then released her. “Wait there.”
Moments later she heard the scrabbling of paws and a grunting sound and Jaws appeared in her kitchen.
Brittany looked at the panting, slobbering dog and started to laugh. “Are you serious?”
“It’s not doing his manners any good living in the animal shelter. I thought it was time he settled down and learned to trust people. No more of this glaring suspiciously at every human being that passes. No more snapping and biting. It’s time he learned that all you need to get through life is a handful of people who love you.” He stooped to give Jaws a reassuring stroke and the dog trotted across the kitchen and settled himself in a warm spot in front of the stove. “For what it’s worth, Sara thinks we’re a perfect match.”
“I’ve already told you that the physical similarities between the two of you are astonishing, but—”
“Not Jaws and I, you and I.” He drew her back into his arms. “I thought we could live here, the three of us. Build a life. How does that sound?”
“It sounds perfect.” Choked by emotion, she eased away from him and hunted for her phone. “I need to call Emily and Sky.”
“I’ve got a better idea.” He took the phone out of her hand. “We’ll go and tell Emily in person. In fact we can share a celebratory meal together.”
“What about Jaws?” She glanced at the dog, who had his head on one side and his teeth in a chewy toy. “We can’t leave him. We’re responsible parents now.”
“We’ll take him with us.”
“Cocoa will object.”
“Cocoa will love him and it will be good for him to make a friend.” He lowered his head and kissed her again. “It’s important to let good people into your life.”