But it was a reality she’d had to think about often over the past few days, ever since Ian had dropped his bombshell about possibly moving back to England. She’d known this day would come, had known it ever since Victoria had casually made mention of the possibility a few years back. But Ian had never once brought the subject up, giving her cause to hope that moving back to England wasn’t something he’d ever seriously consider.
However, fate had finally come knocking on their door, and now it was time to face the fact that her life as she knew it was quite possibly going to change in a big way. She would have to say good-by to her friends in San Francisco, would have to sell both the mansion in the city that had been the first real home she’d ever known, and this beach house where she’d spent some of the happiest days of her life. And while she liked London, and loved the fact that Ian’s family would be close at hand, Tessa was afraid that it would be a long time before she could start to think of that city as home.
Ian wrapped her up in his arms, and she snuggled the top of her head beneath his chin. “I’ll take you one day to the Northern Isles, just off the coast of Scotland. You’d love it there. The weather is almost always cool and rainy, and the scenery is spectacular. But I’m afraid you’d have to wear shoes there.”
Tessa laughed, burrowing a little closer against the welcome heat of his big body. “That might be something of a deal breaker,” she teased. “But otherwise it sounds lovely. Is Gilly still asleep?”
He nodded. “Out like a little light. The drive up here always puts her right to sleep, you know. But she’ll be waking soon, just in time for dinner.”
“I’ve got everything ready to go, just needs to be heated up. Why don’t you make yourself a drink or pour a glass of wine? She’ll probably nap for another half hour or so.”
“In a bit, perhaps. I’m not in any rush,” he assured her. “We can just stand out here and watch the surf for a few minutes. I know that’s one of your very favorite pastimes.”
They had made the drive up to the beach house just after lunchtime, arriving in the middle of the afternoon. Tessa had settled Gilly down for a much needed nap, then unpacked the groceries they had brought with - including all of the fixings for Thanksgiving dinner in two days time. They would head home on Sunday morning, just in time for their Christmas tree to be delivered.
She didn’t want to think about the possibility that this could very well be the last Christmas she spent in the beautiful brick house, the one that had welcomed her in the very first time she’d stepped over the threshold. Nor did she want to contemplate how exhausting it would be to pack up all of her clothes, Gilly’s toys, every dish and vase and painting, all of her precious Christmas ornaments. And she really, really didn’t want to think about having to sell this beach house - her beach house - the one that Ian had continued to insist remain in just her name.
“You didn’t ask who I was on the phone with a little while ago.”
Ian’s voice startled her from her thoughts as she gazed up at him. In her bare feet he had several more inches on her than usual.
“I figured it was someone from the office,” she shrugged. “Andrew maybe. Even with the office closing tomorrow for the long weekend, he’ll probably head in for half a day.”
“It wasn’t Andrew. Or the office. I was actually speaking with my father,” replied Ian.
“Oh?” Tessa tried her best to sound calm, willed her heart to slow down its rapid beat. “Is everything all right?”
“Yes. At least it is now,” he clarified. He took her firmly by the shoulders and turned her to face him. His hazel eyes were gentle, filled with so much warmth and understanding that she wanted to weep. “I told him no, Tessa. Turned down the offer to transition into Hugh’s job. I told my father that I’ve never been happier in my life than I’ve been these past few years, and that as much as I love him and my mother, my life is here now. In San Francisco. With you and Gilly and Liam. So you don’t have to be brave for me any longer, darling, don’t have to keep a stiff upper lip as we Brits are so fond of saying. We’re staying put, and I for one couldn’t be happier about it.”
She stared at him, not quite believing what she had just heard. “But - but you’ve worked so hard for that job,” she whispered. “You’ve earned that job, Ian. It isn’t right that you turned it down just because of me. Yes, it will be difficult to make the adjustments, especially with a new baby to take care of, but I’d do anything for you, anything at all.”
“Good,” he told her, pulling her into his arms. “Then, in the words of the poet Christopher Marlowe ‘come live with me and be my love, and we will all the pleasures prove’. I love the life we’ve made here together, Tessa. And it wouldn’t be quite the same if we moved to England. I’d miss all of this, too, you know.”
Stubbornly, she shook her head. “I know you turned that job down because of me, Ian. Because you’re afraid to leave me alone for weeks at a time, that I wouldn’t be able to cope with all the responsibilities and loneliness. But I swear I’d be all right. I’m so much stronger now then when you first met me, and it would all work out. I promise you that -”
Ian placed a finger over her lips. “Hush. The only thing I want you to promise is that you’ll never stop loving me. And if you think for one minute that the only reason I refused the job is because of you and the children, then think again. There are other issues that I considered as well.”
A gust of wind blew through Tessa’s long hair then, and the cool, foggy air was beginning to turn to a light drizzle. She couldn’t suppress a shiver, and despite her protests, Ian shooed her back inside the warm, cozy house where he’d already lit a fire in the majestic stone hearth. He urged her to sit on the plush sectional sofa, then tucked a fleecy throw over her lap and bare feet.
“This would be a very bad time for you to catch a cold,” he scolded. “Not just being pregnant, but with all of the holiday goings-on that are about to happen. So please indulge your very fussy husband and put some socks or shoes on. Please?”
“All right,” she agreed. “In a minute. After all, we aren’t quite through with what we were discussing, are we?”
“Not quite,” he acknowledged, taking a seat beside her and linking their hands. “I didn’t turn the job down just because of the upheaval it would have caused in our lives - selling two houses, arranging for everything to be packed up and shipped, finding a new place to live, unpacking. Throw in the arrival of young Liam in four months time and life would have become very complicated very quickly. All that being said, however, we would have found a way to cope, as you’ve mentioned more than once. I thought of all that, Tessa, thought of every advantage and disadvantage behind this move. Yes, I would have loved to be near my family again, to see them more often. Yes, this was the position I was always meant to hold one day, the one I worked myself ragged for. But in the end I realized it didn’t mean a thing to me anymore. All those years I worked fourteen hour days, six days a week, all with the goal of one day having that job, and eventually being co-CEO - none of that mattered any longer.”
However, fate had finally come knocking on their door, and now it was time to face the fact that her life as she knew it was quite possibly going to change in a big way. She would have to say good-by to her friends in San Francisco, would have to sell both the mansion in the city that had been the first real home she’d ever known, and this beach house where she’d spent some of the happiest days of her life. And while she liked London, and loved the fact that Ian’s family would be close at hand, Tessa was afraid that it would be a long time before she could start to think of that city as home.
Ian wrapped her up in his arms, and she snuggled the top of her head beneath his chin. “I’ll take you one day to the Northern Isles, just off the coast of Scotland. You’d love it there. The weather is almost always cool and rainy, and the scenery is spectacular. But I’m afraid you’d have to wear shoes there.”
Tessa laughed, burrowing a little closer against the welcome heat of his big body. “That might be something of a deal breaker,” she teased. “But otherwise it sounds lovely. Is Gilly still asleep?”
He nodded. “Out like a little light. The drive up here always puts her right to sleep, you know. But she’ll be waking soon, just in time for dinner.”
“I’ve got everything ready to go, just needs to be heated up. Why don’t you make yourself a drink or pour a glass of wine? She’ll probably nap for another half hour or so.”
“In a bit, perhaps. I’m not in any rush,” he assured her. “We can just stand out here and watch the surf for a few minutes. I know that’s one of your very favorite pastimes.”
They had made the drive up to the beach house just after lunchtime, arriving in the middle of the afternoon. Tessa had settled Gilly down for a much needed nap, then unpacked the groceries they had brought with - including all of the fixings for Thanksgiving dinner in two days time. They would head home on Sunday morning, just in time for their Christmas tree to be delivered.
She didn’t want to think about the possibility that this could very well be the last Christmas she spent in the beautiful brick house, the one that had welcomed her in the very first time she’d stepped over the threshold. Nor did she want to contemplate how exhausting it would be to pack up all of her clothes, Gilly’s toys, every dish and vase and painting, all of her precious Christmas ornaments. And she really, really didn’t want to think about having to sell this beach house - her beach house - the one that Ian had continued to insist remain in just her name.
“You didn’t ask who I was on the phone with a little while ago.”
Ian’s voice startled her from her thoughts as she gazed up at him. In her bare feet he had several more inches on her than usual.
“I figured it was someone from the office,” she shrugged. “Andrew maybe. Even with the office closing tomorrow for the long weekend, he’ll probably head in for half a day.”
“It wasn’t Andrew. Or the office. I was actually speaking with my father,” replied Ian.
“Oh?” Tessa tried her best to sound calm, willed her heart to slow down its rapid beat. “Is everything all right?”
“Yes. At least it is now,” he clarified. He took her firmly by the shoulders and turned her to face him. His hazel eyes were gentle, filled with so much warmth and understanding that she wanted to weep. “I told him no, Tessa. Turned down the offer to transition into Hugh’s job. I told my father that I’ve never been happier in my life than I’ve been these past few years, and that as much as I love him and my mother, my life is here now. In San Francisco. With you and Gilly and Liam. So you don’t have to be brave for me any longer, darling, don’t have to keep a stiff upper lip as we Brits are so fond of saying. We’re staying put, and I for one couldn’t be happier about it.”
She stared at him, not quite believing what she had just heard. “But - but you’ve worked so hard for that job,” she whispered. “You’ve earned that job, Ian. It isn’t right that you turned it down just because of me. Yes, it will be difficult to make the adjustments, especially with a new baby to take care of, but I’d do anything for you, anything at all.”
“Good,” he told her, pulling her into his arms. “Then, in the words of the poet Christopher Marlowe ‘come live with me and be my love, and we will all the pleasures prove’. I love the life we’ve made here together, Tessa. And it wouldn’t be quite the same if we moved to England. I’d miss all of this, too, you know.”
Stubbornly, she shook her head. “I know you turned that job down because of me, Ian. Because you’re afraid to leave me alone for weeks at a time, that I wouldn’t be able to cope with all the responsibilities and loneliness. But I swear I’d be all right. I’m so much stronger now then when you first met me, and it would all work out. I promise you that -”
Ian placed a finger over her lips. “Hush. The only thing I want you to promise is that you’ll never stop loving me. And if you think for one minute that the only reason I refused the job is because of you and the children, then think again. There are other issues that I considered as well.”
A gust of wind blew through Tessa’s long hair then, and the cool, foggy air was beginning to turn to a light drizzle. She couldn’t suppress a shiver, and despite her protests, Ian shooed her back inside the warm, cozy house where he’d already lit a fire in the majestic stone hearth. He urged her to sit on the plush sectional sofa, then tucked a fleecy throw over her lap and bare feet.
“This would be a very bad time for you to catch a cold,” he scolded. “Not just being pregnant, but with all of the holiday goings-on that are about to happen. So please indulge your very fussy husband and put some socks or shoes on. Please?”
“All right,” she agreed. “In a minute. After all, we aren’t quite through with what we were discussing, are we?”
“Not quite,” he acknowledged, taking a seat beside her and linking their hands. “I didn’t turn the job down just because of the upheaval it would have caused in our lives - selling two houses, arranging for everything to be packed up and shipped, finding a new place to live, unpacking. Throw in the arrival of young Liam in four months time and life would have become very complicated very quickly. All that being said, however, we would have found a way to cope, as you’ve mentioned more than once. I thought of all that, Tessa, thought of every advantage and disadvantage behind this move. Yes, I would have loved to be near my family again, to see them more often. Yes, this was the position I was always meant to hold one day, the one I worked myself ragged for. But in the end I realized it didn’t mean a thing to me anymore. All those years I worked fourteen hour days, six days a week, all with the goal of one day having that job, and eventually being co-CEO - none of that mattered any longer.”
