the Mighty Quinns he’d been told as a child, to the Quinn “curse” that had befallen his three oldest brothers. He smoothed his hands over Ellie’s shoulders and kissed her forehead. Now he knew why Conor and Dylan and Brendan had laughed when their father brought up the curse. It wasn’t a curse at all. It was a gift.
And Liam was going to spend the rest of his life thankful for the gift, for the fateful events that brought Ellie Thorpe into his life…and for the love that would keep her there.
Epilogue
“ARE YOU READY YET?”
Ellie stared at her reflection in the mirror, then touched her fingers to the string of pearls that circled her throat. Liam had given them to her as an anniversary gift, in honor of one month together. She smiled. One month and so much had changed. They’d settled into a life together. Liam’s career had begun to flourish and Ellie had a brand-new job at Intertel Boston. They’d begun a search for the perfect apartment, living at Liam’s place while they looked. And she’d fallen more deeply in love with the man of her dreams.
“Perfect,” she murmured, pleased with how the necklace looked with her gown.
Liam knocked impatiently on the bathroom door. “We’re going to be late, Ellie.”
“I’m coming,” she said. “Just give me a few more minutes.”
“Amy told me that I have to be there at exactly six p.m.”
“It’s five-thirty,” Ellie called. “The wedding doesn’t start until seven. We have plenty of time. The church is only fifteen minutes away.”
Ellie smoothed her hands over her gown. The pale blue silk had a strapless bodice that fit her perfectly. The beading gave it an elegant look and the narrow waist flared into a full skirt that rustled when she walked.
“Are you dressed?” Ellie asked, picking up her earrings.
“All but the tie. I can’t get it straight. And these studs are too small to work. Why don’t they just put buttons on the shirt?”
“Because studs are so sexy.” She grabbed her lipstick and touched up, then dropped it in her purse. “All right, I’m ready.”
Ellie pulled the bathroom door open and walked out. Liam stood at the end of the hallway, his tux jacket on, his pleated shirt unbuttoned to the waist and his bow tie draped around his neck.
He was fussing with his cuff links, then glanced up at her. His jaw dropped and he stared. “Wow!”
Ellie smiled, warmed by his compliment. Even though they’d been living together for a month, Liam still found a way to charm her every single day, to make her feel like the most beautiful woman in the world. “Thank you.”
“You look—wow.”
“You look pretty nice yourself. Do you think they’d let you keep that tux for a few days? You could wear it around the apartment.”
“I look like a waiter,” Liam said, tugging on the front of his jacket. Then he grinned. “But I feel like James Bond.”
“You’re much more handsome than James,” Ellie teased. She took the studs from his palm and began to work at the front of his shirt. Her fingers brushed against his naked chest and Ellie felt a tiny tremor run through her. They’d made love countless times since she returned to Boston, yet a simple touch was enough to pique her desire. Would she ever have enough of him? Ellie couldn’t imagine a time when she wouldn’t crave his touch or the taste of his mouth or the feel of his hands on her body.
“There,” she said, smoothing her hand down the front of his shirt. “That looks nice.”
“So you think studs are sexy, huh?” Liam asked. “Why is that?”
“Well, a girl can just yank open the shirt and the studs go flying,” Ellie explained. “I saw it in a movie once. Very provocative.”
“You mean, like this?” Liam grabbed the front of his shirt and tugged, and just as Ellie had described, the studs went flying, skittering across the hardwood floor of the bedroom.
“What are you doing?” she cried, trying to restore order to his shirt.
Liam grabbed her around the waist and pulled her toward the bed. “You said we had time. We don’t have to be to the church for a half hour.”
“Twenty-five minutes,” she corrected, pushing against his chest.
“An hour and twenty-five minutes,” Liam countered.
“If we’re late, Brendan will have your head. And Amy won’t speak to me.”
“They’re in love. They’ll understand.” Liam reached around for the zipper of her dress, then slowly slid it down. When he reached the small of her