A Kiss in the Moonlight (Pelican Bay #3)

16. Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Sixteen

Ty paced the kitchen of his childhood home. He’d texted Maddy an hour ago, but she was tied up with something and said she’d stop by when she was done. He knew she was showing Broadway Betty’s to Aiden and Marco, but they’d texted him over an hour ago that they were finished.

So where was she now?

With help from his friends, he’d cleaned up the yard and even assembled a swing set for Dylan. Evan, who avoided physical labor whenever possible, used his laptop to create several architectural views of how they could renovate the house. Each option had pros and cons, and he said they could tweak anything and see how it would look. Ty had definite thoughts on which he liked best, but this was a big decision and he wanted Maddy’s input.

And right now, she wasn’t on the same page as him about living together.

Yet.

Which meant he needed to put his heart on the line and show her how much he loved her—and the kind of life they could build in Pelican Bay .

He made his way to the front of the house. True to her word, Emma had been busy sorting through the inventory and separating what she’d take with her to her new art shop and what would be part of the huge yard sale in a couple weeks.

Whatever didn’t sell would be donated. Ty had spent the past day sorting through any remaining personal stuff. He’d taken a few of his dad’s T-shirts along with a couple of old fishing rods, including the one his father had used to teach him. Maybe it was silly to keep them, but Ty hoped to teach Dylan and maybe a future child how to fish.

Part of him worried he was getting ahead of himself, but hadn’t he been stuck at the same point in his life for too long? It was time to make a stand and move forward in all areas.

To start, he registered to compete in the Barnegat Triathlon in September and was gaining confidence swimming in the bay. His Jersey Boy stores were hugely profitable, and hopefully Paddle Company would be as well.

That left his personal life…his life with Maddy and Dylan.

The sound of a car door had his head snapping up.

A knock on the door was followed by Maddy stepping through the doorway. “Sorry it took me longer than I expected.”

He’d seen her when she left that morning, but he still caught his breath at the way the late afternoon sun cast a magical aura around her. Her flame-red hair spilled over her shoulders, which were covered by the thinnest straps he’d ever seen. The creamy white dress was covered in purple flowers and fell just above her knee. The wedge sandals she wore added a few inches to her height.

“Ty?”

He smiled. “No worries. I had plenty to keep me busy here.”

She looked the room over. “Emma has certainly been busy. ”

“It’s coming along. The dining room furniture sold earlier today. After the yard sale, we’ll have a better idea of where we stand and what will be donated.”

“Em showed me her new space the other day,” she said. “It’s going to be great. We’re already planning our first ladies-only painting class.”

He held out a hand. “Come out back. I have something to show you.”

She furrowed her brow. “Sure. Everything okay?”

He kissed her. “Come.”

Before she could press him further, he led her out the back door and heard her gasp at the top of the stairs.

“Oh wow. What have you done?”

A swing set had been placed in the corner, complete with swings of various heights, a flip bar, and a fort with a slide. His friends had added turrets, which they painted pink, and added flags.

“Dylan’s been talking about Becca’s swing set, and I thought it would be fun to have one for her party.”

“Oh, Ty, she’s going to love it.” Maddy put a hand over her mouth. “Wait, is that what I think it is?”

“You can’t have a mermaid party without a proper grotto.”

They made their way to the side of the yard, where an inflatable princess pool had been added and surrounded by foliage and fake rocks. They’d dug out the grass and added sand and shells to make it look like a beach.

“You did this?”

“I had a lot of help,” he said. “Too much?”

“It’s perfect. The costumes I got for each girl are part bathing suit. I bought a sprinkler so they could get wet, but this is a million times better.” She flung her arms around him. “I guess this means we’re moving her party here. ”

“There’s more.”

“What more can there be?”

He led her back to the patio, where wooden Adirondack chairs had been arranged around a coffee table. “Jace and Connor’s dad made these.”

She brushed a hand along the back. “I’d heard he and a friend had started a side business, but I had no idea how fantastic they’d be.”

“Let’s sit.” He pulled her next to him onto a couch.

“What else are you up to?” she asked with a suspicious raise of an eyebrow.

There was no turning back now.

Ty opened the laptop on the table. “Maddy Kinkaid, this is your life.”

Maddy settled next to Ty and watched him click a button on his laptop. They usually met up at Emma’s house for dinner after work, so she’d been surprised to get a text asking her to meet him at his old house.

Or more accurately, his new house.

After a few seconds, a video filled the screen. Music accompanied photos from her life. Starting with her early years, it followed her journey through school, sleepovers, dance recitals, choir concerts, bonfires, birthday parties, large groups of them sitting in a lifeguard boat, and more.

The video transitioned to her time in L.A., which Ty must have gotten from her mom or her friends. Images from performances, recording sessions with Marco and Aiden. The show continued with more recent pictures since she had returned to Pelican Bay, including the outside of Broadway Betty’s, picnics at the house, a picture of Maddy, Dylan, and Ty taken at the Fourth of July parade, and finally a picture of Ty and Maddy slow dancing at Anna and John’s wedding.

Wonderful moments of her life that brought a smile to her lips and tears to her eyes.

The screen faded to blue, and he hit the pause button.

“You’ve lived a life full of wonderful memories with friends and family on two coasts,” Ty began. “And there’s room for your family to blend into the life you want and deserve.”

He hit play again, and the words A world of endless possibilities came on the screen. Pictures from the Mermaid Parade, with the ladies surrounding Marco. A picture of all her friends, including Marco and Aiden, taken at dinner one night. Marco and Aiden at Broadway Betty’s holding drumsticks and a guitar. Between them, they held a sign with the words Kinkaid Recording Studio . The next screen had a photo of all her Pelican Bay friends and family in front of Erickson Amusement Pier holding a sign with the word Stay .

Maddy’s throat was tight from trying not to cry, making her speechless.

Ty brushed away her tears. “You started out with a simple life in this tiny beach town and have worked your way up to a successful pop artist and a mom who puts her daughter first. Now, you have a chance to start a new journey here. I want to be by your side for all the moments…whether it’s attending teacher conferences for Dylan, celebrating when you open Broadway Betty’s, or traveling with you to L.A. to watch you win a Grammy. Because nothing in this world means anything to me if you and Dylan aren’t a part of it.”

Maddy’s heart beat wildly in her chest when he dropped to one knee.

“I love this house and know we can make it into something we both love. But more than the house, I love you, Maddy…and I love Dy lan. And regardless of where we live, I will always love you. I want to spend the rest of our lives building our life, wherever that leads us.”

A new image appeared on the screen. A picture of her mom and Dylan in front of this very house. Their sign had the words Will You…

Reaching into his front pocket, Ty removed a huge princess-cut diamond ring and held it up to her.

“I’ve loved you since I was sixteen and that’s only grown. Maddy, will you marry me?”

With him kneeling, his blue eyes were level with hers. She’d dreamed of being married from a young age, when she and Emma would share their visions about their perfect man. Then she’d married Reece for what she thought was love, but was more for duty after learning she was pregnant. This was different. This decision was about her and what she wanted and how she wanted to spend her life.

“I’ve loved you even when I pushed you away,” she croaked. “You understand me. The mom, the singer, the person in charge of town festivals and publicity, the new owner of Broadway Betty’s, the woman with a fear of water and other insecurities. You see and accept all aspects of who I am, flaws and all, and respect what I want to accomplish.” She steadied her voice. “I started to fall for you when you were sixteen, and now, I love you so much, my heart may burst. Yes, I’ll marry you, Ty.”

He slid the ring on her finger and, cupping her face, gave her a kiss that filled her with a joy she’d never known.

“You’ve made me the happiest man in the universe,” he said.

She jumped into his arms. “Whoop! We’re getting married. We have so much to figure out.”

“And we will. You said you’re the new owner of Betty’s. Does this mean Mr. Rafferty accepted your offer?”

“He did. Cade told me when we were showing the place to Marco and Aiden. Oh, and Gabe showed up with my mom, and guess what? They want to move here and help me open Betty’s and the recording studio.”

“See, everything’s coming together.” He hugged her tight. “About this house…I don’t want you to feel pressured to live here. We can sell it and find something we both want.”

Maddy shook her head. “I want this house. But renovations will take a while, and I don’t want to live with Emma and Jason in the meantime.”

“Maybe we can rent a place together.”

She smiled. “It so happens I talked with Cade, and he showed me two potential places right before I came here.”

He laughed and kissed her. “Oh, did he?”

“Maybe we can look at them tomorrow? There’s plenty to choose from, although some are in better condition than others.”

“That sounds like a plan.” He fumbled in his back pocket for his phone. “I almost forgot.” He sent a text message.

Moments later, all their friends and family came bursting through the gate and surrounded the couple, giving them hugs and congratulations.

Dylan launched herself at them. “Mommy, Uncle Ty’s going to marry us.”

“Are you okay with that, baby?” Maddy asked.

“Of course, Mommy. Except I can’t call him Uncle Ty,” Dylan said, and furrowed her brow.

“If you both agree, I’d like to adopt her,” Ty said.

Maddy’s heart swelled even more. “You really are the greatest.”

“Does that mean I can call you Daddy?” Dylan asked .

“I’d be honored, princess.”

The three of them hugged, and Maddy felt a sense of rightness that she hadn’t felt in a long time. She’d left this town, not wanting to return. Now staying made her life perfect.

There was a pop of champagne and, surrounded by friends and family, they toasted to their new life together.