40. Epilogue
Logan
Fifteen months later
Last year, the first trip we took was to Laguna Island to visit Ren and Pri. A few weeks afterwards, we left for a warm place by the ocean. We enjoyed it so much, we returned a year later.
This vacation spot is incredible. Evie mentioned wanting to go somewhere that made her feel like she was in a movie, and Saint said he knew the exact place. He was right. This private beach house is surrounded by exuberant plants, sand, and ocean. The water is the perfect temperature, and the days go by slowly.
Like last time, we don't do much. We swim, eat, nap, and engage in the best recreational cardio of my life. I have to keep my condition in the off season, after all. Not to say anything of how neither of us can seem to get enough of each other, all these months later.
I don't expect it to ever be enough. Even now, with Evie in my arms, I want this to last forever .
The property isn't fully isolated, so we wear bathing suits. We're in the water, her slick body plastered to me as I keep us in place. My feet anchor us in the sand, while peaceful waves bathe us and keep us cool under the sun. The light around us has started to turn orange, with the star's journey toward the horizon. It reflects on the water and on her skin, and a deep, satisfied sound hums out of my throat.
Her eyes are closed, and a placid smile rests on her lips.
I kiss her jaw, then her mouth. "Evie. I have a question for you."
"Mh?" She doesn't open her eyes.
Her arms spread like wings, treading water and letting me hold her close.
"How long have we been living together?"
"Officially? Like a year. Unofficially a bit longer." The words come out dreamy, like the memory pleases her. "There was a lot of 'I don't like it when you're not there. Too much house, too little you' from you during that time, if I remember correctly."
"Mh, I remember the same. Though I'd like it on record that it's not like I had to fight you too hard for it."
A wave slightly taller than the rest raises the water level to her shoulders, and she shivers. We don't react much to it otherwise.
She gazes at me and shrugs. "Not denying it. I was just hoping to hear you tell me again how much you love me and why you can't live without me."
"Mhhh. Have I been slacking in that regard or…?"
"Not at all, I just like to hear it as often as possible."
"I say 'I love you' every day."
"You do, but I've spent too much time with you and now I'm greedy too. It's that speech you gave me when you won the Hypercubed crown last year. It spoiled me. You can understand that I want more, right?"
"Right. Yeah, I understand."
She surrounds my hips with her legs, and my shoulders with her arms. Cold drops of water run down my back, and it's me who shivers this time.
She raises an eyebrow. "I'm ready. You can start whenever. "
I smirk, but I relent. "Ah, Mystery Girl. My Evie. I love you."
"Good start."
"I wasn't looking for love until you came into my life. I thought romance was a pretense, but now all the songs make sense. You're the best puzzle I ever solved. The game we played was the most important one in my life, and I never knew."
She sighs. "Yep. It's working."
"When you're in my arms, I know peace." I kiss her. "I'm selfish. Wanting to make sure you're within reach every night I'm at home. And cocky, sure, because I know you can't get enough of me either."
"I can't even deny it. We both know that, given enough time, you always get your way with me."
"On that note, we should start thinking of our dream home. We should build something."
Her mouth opens like she's confused. "Wait. What?"
"The house we live in— we didn't pick it or decorate it. I want a home we created together. I want to see your wildest dreams come true."
The humor in her eyes continues to sparkle bright, but her soft smile is the kind to have my heart skipping a few beats. It's the kind that tells me she's happy with me. It never fails to muster awe, shining bright into every shadowed corner still living inside of me.
She kisses me. "You make me believe you want my happiness. You make me feel cared for. You are steady and generous and…" she sighs. "Little by little, you know how to bring me to my knees."
"Then say yes. Send me a hundred pictures of your vision. We'll argue about a color here or there, or a tile design. But bar a few exceptions, I think I'll let you win most of it this time."
"Most?"
I nod. "I have a few requirements."
"Such as?"
"A hot tub. Privacy. Strong windows overlooking the water. "
"Strong… windows?"
"They need to be able to take some repetitive force on them. I need to be able to say, 'hands on the glass' and not worry about accidents of any kind."
"Logan—"
"It will keep me going when the contractors are late, or when the tile we picked after an argument is discontinued. I'll say, 'it's okay. I'll still get to fuck Evie against the windows first thing once this is over' and it will all be better."
She laughs. "First thing? As in, 'we got the keys. Let's go!'"
My nod is serious. "First thing, Evie."
"Got it," she laughs. "Thanks for the warning."
She gives me a long, languid kiss.
"Can't wait," she adds.
"Now let's go chill on the couch and watch the sun set. What do you say?"
Evie and I lounge on a large, circular outdoor sofa. Thirty cushions of many colors lay about, providing support for anything we can think of. Let's say, we've been getting creative. Some risks have been taken outside.
Right now, we're content to watch the sun set. Light has turned golden everywhere, hinting to the bronze hiding in all things. She sits against me, between my legs, her head resting on my chest. We breathe in sync, our eyes on the horizon.
The evening is turning out to be everything I wanted.
I smile. "What's on your mind?"
"Just thinking how good my life is. We're together, we're moving forward, we're going to build a house together… I think I'm getting used to having a lot of things to look forward to."
"You're just getting used to it now? We've been together for a year and a half."
She chuckles. "Yeah, you've been slacking after all."
I snort. "Unbelievable. "
"I need someone to feed me cold grapes, I think. That would really help."
"Unbelievable," I repeat, but I diligently make my way into the house.
I come back with a bowl of grapes and a couple other things. We sit side by side, with her snuggling against me and my arm around her. I cross my legs at the ankles and set the bowl on my lap. Green, shiny grapes fill the dish to the brim, and I take one to her lips.
Playfulness shines in her eyes as she chews. "Thank you. You are the best."
"Remember this moment moving forward."
I take one grape for myself, then give her another. Sweetness explodes on my tongue.
"Even when I pretended not to remember," she says, "I couldn't help it. Every moment we share takes hold inside of me."
"That's what I was hoping to hear."
"You know one of the ones that repeat in my mind?"
"Mhh?"
I feed us again.
"When you guys won the championship a few months ago. When we all ran from the box to the field— I was so focused on finding you I didn't even notice Ames and Saint."
"I didn't either."
"All I cared about was finding you. My heart was in my throat, and everything was so loud, and confetti made it hard to see—"
"But you found me."
"And we forgot about the world, and kissed and kissed."
Her eyes glitter. A small smile appears on my mouth. It was one of the highest highs I've ever had.
Yes, this moment is perfect.
"Even though reporters wanted to talk to me," I say. "I just kept you close and kissed you some more. "
"Even though some of those reporters took pictures, and released the ones where your hands are on my butt and pulling me closer."
"Can't say I'm upset about it. It was a good photo."
I liked it so much, I made it my phone's screensaver. Evie, on the other hand, printed it and keeps it in her office.
"This is it, isn't it?" Evie asks. "We made it. We have everything we want."
I cock my head. "Almost."
A small wrinkle appears between her brows. "What? What is missing? Are you happy, Logan?"
"Very happy, but things are unbalanced." I put the bowl away on the side table.
I shift until I can see her better and caress her face.
She still looks a bit worried. "Unbalanced, how?"
I drop a soft kiss on her lips. "I have a ring and you don't."
I breathe slowly, patiently waiting for her first response. My thumb makes a pass over her cheek. It takes her a second to understand my meaning, but she eventually gasps.
I frown. "I can't stop thinking about it, since I got my first ring."
"We've never talked about marriage." She places a hand on top of mine.
The sun is halfway gone, and light is turning softer around us, the sky painted in shades of violet. Her warm brown eyes look deep black, and it brings a sense of being seen, being known, being loved that I craved for a long time.
I smirk. "Is this you letting me know you'll have to think about it?"
"No— I mean— I just—"
"I love you, Evie. I didn't fall for you because I was lonely, or because I was missing anything. But we fit in a way I didn't know was possible. I don't want to imagine a life without you. We're building a home. We have each other. But I'm greedy, and I want more. I want the whole package now. The party, the promises. I know you'll cry reading your vows and I'll frown and dry the tears away, because I can't help myself. "
"Logan—"
"If you need me to convince you, I'm prepared to wait and work on it. I also got a ring for you. I thought I might show you. See if that helps."
"You got… a ring?"
I lick my bottom lip, and take a breath to calm the nerves I didn't expect, but that appear nevertheless.
I search in my pocket.
"You're just carrying it around casually?!"
I chuckle at her response. "I didn't just bring grapes back from inside."
The right ring waited for me at the third jewelry place I visited, only a month after winning the big game. I've had it since, thinking about this proposal, hoping it would be as simple and genuine as every moment we've ever spent together.
I sit and she mirrors me. I open the blue velvet box in front of her. The ring I picked is engraved in my mind, so I gaze at her instead.
I lower my voice. "I thought it was time for me to have a proposition for you."
Her lips part. Tears come to her eyes.
Yeah, I got this one right.
My Evie likes to indulge now. At one point in her life, that was just about keeping a few pieces of lingerie. These days, I get to be the one showering her with things she loves, and this ring can't be any less. She picks it up from the box, and admires the three-stone set up. All diamonds, the center one big and bold in an emerald cut, flanked by tear-shaped stones to soften the design. The points draw the eye to the shank, made of shiny platinum.
"Three stones for every ring I'll have," I say. "If I have more, I'll add a pendant. Maybe some earrings. We need to keep it balanced."
"Logan…" She lifts her eyes at me. A tear falls, and I gently dry it with a pass of my thumb.
"Do you think you'll say yes?" I whisper.
She nods.
"Will I have to work too hard?" I ask.
She shakes her head .
I smirk. "Can you talk at all, my Evie?"
She shakes her head again, hiccups-laughs, and kisses me hard.
I kiss her back, but soon I'm chuckling.
I hold her in my arms, the sun almost gone. Outdoor lights turn on around us, as the skies turn a deep blue. She still holds the ring in her hand.
"Evie. Will you marry me?"
"Yes. Yes! I'll marry you, Logan."
With a smile that echoes hers, I kiss her again. I put the ring on her finger, then we kiss some more.
I'm pretty sure neither of us will ever get enough.