Kate Hoffmann: Sean

Sean nodded. "Thanks." He took the stairs two at a time, anxious now to see her. It had seemed like months, years even, since he'd looked into her eyes, and he wondered if he really remembered how beautiful she was. When he got to the top of the stairs Sean stopped. Laurel stood in the cavernous room, her back to him, her face tipped up.

He watched her for a long time from the shadows of the stairwell door, watched as she slowly turned, then did a little ballet step. She held her arms above her head, went up on her toes and did three neat pirouettes. But she froze in the middle of the fourth when she saw him step into the room. Her eyes grew wide and she plopped back down on her heels.

She smoothed her hands over the front of her faded jeans. "Sean."

He took another step into the room and opened his mouth, ready to profess his love. But all that came out was her name. "Laurel," he murmured. God, she was beautiful. He'd forgotten how pale her hair was and how it curled around her face. He'd forgotten the exact color of her eyes and the perfect shape of her mouth.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"I came to see you. I have something I have to tell you." He swallowed hard. "How are you?"

"I'm fine."

Sean nodded. "Good. Good. You look fine. You look better than fine." He glanced around. "And the place is looking fine, too."

She smiled, confusion coloring her expression. "Everything is fine."

Hell, this was not going well. He couldn't seem to make small talk, yet he couldn't just blurt out what he'd come to say. Then an idea popped into his head. He'd go back to where it all started. "I came here because I wanted to talk to you about a problem I have."

She moved toward him. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine. It's just this problem. You see, I'm in need of a… a wife. I had this one woman and we got along great. But I was a real dope and I blew it. I didn't tell her how I felt. I should have, but I was afraid she might not feel the same way about me."

"Maybe she did," Laurel murmured, her gaze fixed on his, her eyes piercing the depths of his soul.

"Maybe. Anyway, I have this proposition for you." He reached into his pocket and grabbed his wallet. "I have seven… twelve… fourteen dollars here and-" he shoved his hand into the front pocket of his jeans "-and seventy-nine cents." Sean held the money out to her in the palm of his hand. "How many days will this buy me?"

"Are you asking me to be your wife again?" Her voice trembled and her gaze darted over his features, as if she was trying to see the truth there.

"I am," he said. "And I'm willing to pay you $14.79 if you say yes. But this time I don't want it to be pretend. I want to marry you for real, Laurel. I want to make a life with you."

Laurel's smile grew wider. "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure I love you, Laurel. I'm sure I never expected to need you so much. And I'm sure I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

"We haven't known each other for very long."

"I know all I need to know."

Laurel reached out and hesitantly took the money from his hand. "This is all you have to give me?"

"I have my heart and my soul, and I have my devotion to give you. And a promise that I'll make you happy." Sean reached into his pocket again and pulled out one last dime. "And I have ten cents more."

Laurel laughed softly. "Ten cents. Well, that makes a big difference. For $14.79, I would have given you five or six years. But for $14.89, you can have the rest of my life."

Sean took one last step toward her and Laurel threw herself into his arms, the money falling to the floor, their mouths meeting in a frantic kiss. The taste of her was like a drug, soothing his nerves, exciting his desire. His hands moved to her face, skimming over her features as if he had to prove to himself that this really was Laurel in his arms.

"Say it again," he murmured. "Say you want to marry me."

"I do," Laurel said, laughing. "I do, I do, I do."

"I promise to make you happy, Laurel. And I promise I'll never walk away again." He grabbed her waist and lifted her feet off the floor. "I love Laurel Rand," he shouted, his words echoing in the huge room.

"And I love Sean Quinn," she replied. She hugged him. "That really isn't so hard to say, is it?"

Sean shook his head. "I love you, Laurel." As he kissed her again, a wave of emotion washed over him. Love wasn't a curse and it wasn't an affliction. Instead, it was a power, deeper than anything he'd ever known in his life. And it was also the one thing that connected him with all his Mighty Quinn ancestors. For despite his father's cautionary tales, it had been and always would be a woman who made the Quinns the mightiest men of all.

The tiny garden behind Keely and Rafe's house was strung with white lights that glittered in the dark October night. Sean stared down from a second-floor bedroom at the small group gathered outside. Conor and Dylan were waiting with their wives, Olivia and Meggie, and Olivia held Riley, the first Quinn grandchild. Nearby, Brendan scanned a table laid out with food while Amy fussed with a flower arrangement in the center. The rest of the family was running around the house, getting ready for the wedding ceremony that was scheduled to start in just ten minutes.

Sean turned back to the mirror and tried once again to tie the black bow tie. This time he managed to get both sides to come out even, though a bit tilted. Rafe poked his head in the door. "Are you almost ready?"

Sean nodded, then raked his fingers through his hair. "Yep, I'm ready to go. Have you seen Laurel?"

"She's downstairs waiting for you."

"Is everyone else ready to go?"

Rafe nodded. Sean gave his tie one last tug, then followed his brother-in-law down the stairs and into the rear of the house. He found Laurel waiting in the kitchen with Brian and Lily. The moment she saw him, she smiled.

"You look so handsome," she said.

Sean leaned close and brushed a kiss across her lips. "I had trouble with the tie."

"It looks perfect."

He smoothed his hands around her waist, so tiny above the wide skirt of her gown. The wedding had been billed as a formal event, though invitations had been sent only a few days before. He'd had to rush to rent a tux and get it fitted. Everyone in the family had believed that the evening was a simple family get-together to celebrate Keely and Rafe's new house. But the surprise had delighted them all.

"How is Da doing?" Brian asked, peering through the French doors that led to the garden.

"Your father looks a little nervous," Laurel said. "I think he would have been happier if the wedding had been held at the pub."

Sean gave her waist a squeeze. "I never thought this would happen. Da and Ma getting married again. But it feels right."

"I think it's sweet," she said. "And so romantic."

"Technically, they're already married. They never got a divorce."

Laurel reached up and brushed his hair off his forehead. "After all that time apart they realized they still loved each other. That's pretty amazing."

"It's not hard to imagine," Sean said. "I plan to love you for the rest of my life. And no time apart, not a day, or a month, or a year is going to change how I feel about you."

"One of these days, we're going to have to plan our wedding," she said.

"I'm not going to wear a tux," he said immediately. Then he shrugged. "I guess I could wear a tux if you want me to."

"Maybe we shouldn't have a big wedding. We could take the whole family up to Deer Island and get married at my uncle's house. It's beautiful around the holidays with the snow and the pines. And I know he would love it if we got married there."

"Just send me the invitation and I'll be there. I'll marry you anytime and anywhere you want me to. Unlike your last wedding, you won't need to hire a groom."