Twenty minutes until the start of the most important day of her life and Amber Lacey was dangerously close to panicking.

Here she was, standing in her gallery, surrounded by her work and yet, she couldn’t full appreciate what this all meant because the one person she was dying to see was not here.

Yet, as he’d told her when she’d called yesterday to see if he could still make it.

She’d understood the sacrifices she’d had to make when she fell in love with a mercenary—and knowing the kind of man he worked for—yet she couldn’t shake the disappointment she felt that Kyrnon hadn’t arrived yet.

The worst part was the not even knowing where he was.

Some jobs were different than others, where they could actually talk at night or she’d at least be able to hear from him once during his trips away.

But this one, and so many others like it, Kyrnon went radio silent and she didn’t know anything about where he was, who he was with, or what he was doing—not that she really wanted to know any details.

She had only managed to talk to him yesterday because as he’d said, he had five minutes to spare and he wanted to spend that five minutes talking to her.

That had been more than enough to make her smile and melt into a puddle in their bed, but the anxiety had came rushing back as soon as she woke up this morning with him on her mind and the show she was holding a close second.

They might have only been together for less than a year, but she was starting to feel the stress of what it really meant to be in a relationship with a man who broke the law for a living.

“Are we almost ready?” Margot asked, peeking inside the room, her professional smile in place though the showing had yet to begin.

Margot knew she was stalling for time considering this was her third attempt at coming back to her office to get Amber to come out, but she probably thought it was nerves.

She didn’t have the heart to say what it really was.

“I’ll be right out,” she promised, a moment before she was checking her phone again, hoping for any message from Kyrnon.

As much as she wanted to stall, she couldn’t any longer.

It was time to start.

One last glance at her reflection in the floor length mirror on the other side of the room, Amber started out of the room, her heels clicking on the polished floor.

This wouldn’t be her first time speaking in front of a crowd, but that didn’t make it any easier, even as she rubbed the ring on her finger for comfort.

The quiet murmur of conversation fell silent as she entered the main room of the studio.

Bulbs hang in intervals from the ceiling, dim light illuminating the space in an intimate glow. A table was set up across the room with glasses of bubbly champagne, three waiters in black pants and button-downs circling the room with trays topped with delicious finger foods.

It was perfect.

Everything was perfect.

Clearing her throat, Amber pasted on a smile and started her speech. “Good evening, everyone. I’m so happy you all could make it to celebrate the opening here at Ómra.”

Her smile turned a little more genuine as she thought of the name Kyrnon had started using for her. She hadn’t known what it meant at first, just the way he said it made her smile, but once she realized it was simply her name in Gaellic, she’d thought it was perfect for the gallery.

A piece of her and a piece of him.

Almost to the second she finished speaking, the curtains dropped, unveiling nearly a year’s worth of her work.

Once people dispersed around the room, Amber finally took a much needed breath, plucking a glass of champagne off a passing tray.

“Have I told you how proud I am of you?” Lauren asked, bumping her with a shoulder, her hand resting on her swollen stomach.

Baby number two was only months away.

“Maybe once or twice.” Her gaze swept the room, lingering on a painting in the back of the studio that was still mysteriously covered. “I’m glad you could make it.”

Lauren shook her head. “I wouldn’t miss this for the world.”

Of that, Amber had no doubt.

She was the best friend any person could ask for.

They made small talk for a little while longer until a potential buyer stole her away, and even as she offered details and inspiration behind the painting, she was distracted.

Not just about Kyrnon’s lingering absence, but the painting that had yet to unveil.

She knew what was meant to hang there—Sunsets of Primrose—that she had only recently completed. It was her favorite of all the paintings and a part of her hadn’t wanted to part with it.

By the time Amber finished, she couldn’t keep her confusion at bay any longer. She’d only just wrapped her fingers around the edge of the cloth when a voice spoke behind her.

“I wouldn’t want to show that one off, lovie. Might not get the reaction you expect.”

“I really hope this isn’t one of those surprises we can’t talk about,” she said turning. “Because that would be bad.”

There he stood, looking as unapologetically sexy as he had the day she met him.

Kyrnon’s hair was longer now, not quite long enough to pull into a bun, but long enough that she enjoyed running her fingers through it. Tonight, his usual uniform of jeans were replaced by a nice three-piece suit, his jacket probably hung in the front closet.

She couldn’t pretend she wasn’t happy to see him. “When did you get here?”

He held a bouquet of white roses, a smile tugging at his lips. “Come now,” he said walking toward her, “you didn’t think I would miss this, eh?”

She didn’t want to think that, no, but she knew the reality of the work he did.

As she reached him, she sighed as his arms came around her. She’d missed this, being engulfed by him.

There was no place she’d rather be.

A few hours later, after the studio had emptied and it was just the pair of them, Amber walked back over to the painting still hidden beneath the sheet and pulled it away.

She didn’t recognize the artist, or even the painting, but it was beautiful all the same.

“What’s this?”

Kyrnon’s arm slid around her waist, drawing her back against his chest. “We’re taking a trip, lovie.”

She turned to look back at him. “Where are we going?”

“Back to the home land.”

Amber laughed. This wouldn’t be the first time he took her to Ireland. “When are we going?”

“Tomorrow.” His smile was a little more rueful now. “You will need a dress though.”

It was ridiculous the way her heart fluttered. “A dress?”

“Unless you want to tie the knot in nothing but your skivvies, I’m not against that.”

“Kyrnon—”

He cradled her face in his hands. “I know I’ve been gone a lot, so before you change your mind about me, best to lock you down.”

“Nothing would make me leave you, Kyrnon. Nothing.”

And after tomorrow, it would be official.

She was never letting him go.