Chapter 21
Chapter Twenty-One
F aye stood at the window, coffee in hand, watching the growing crowd gather on the bluff outside Max and Juliette’s home.
The sun was just beginning to break through the morning mist that had surrounded the people setting up cameras in the yard.
The sound of seagulls circled above, as if they, too, had shown up for the event.
She glanced over her shoulder. Nate was behind her, buttoning up his shirt in front of the mirror, his expression a mixture of pride and nerves.
She had moved out of her brother’s place and into Max’s house two nights before when Max and Juliette had returned home.
Somehow it already felt easy and right living with Nate.
“Everything is going to be great,” Nate said, crossing the room to press a kiss to her temple.
“I know.” Faye smiled, setting her mug down. “I think Max would rather be anywhere other than getting ready to stand in front of a sea of reporters,” she said as her brother paced in the hallway, mumbling to himself as he practiced his speech.
They both chuckled.
It was strange, watching her brother transform into his work alter ego and make national headlines. But this wasn’t just about Max. It was about history, love, and a long-buried story finally brought to light.
Max had wanted them both to get the credit for finding the lost necklace, which meant he wanted them standing up behind him when he gave his press conference.
When it was time, they stepped outside into the salty breeze, and Max, Juliette, Nate, Faye, and his parents all stood in front of the iconic lighthouse.
A podium had been set up just off the path, flanked by microphones and a velvet-draped display stand that held the Ocean’s Heart necklace, which was protected by at least six local police officers.
The velvet curtains would be opened on cue, revealing the necklace to the world at the appropriate time.
Flashbulbs were already snapping. A half-dozen news vans lined the coastal road.
It seemed as if the whole of Pride had shown up as well to witness the historic moment.
Max stood tall, looking impossibly handsome in a dark blue button-up and gray slacks, his arm loosely around Juliette’s waist. He caught Faye’s eyes and gave a small, reassuring nod.
Somewhere in the crowd were Ally and Charlotte. Her niece had been excited to see the necklace when she and her mother had arrived the night before. They’d spent the night in the guest rooms but were due to head back to Portland in the morning.
Max stepped up to the podium and the crowd quieted as cameras continued to click. Then her brother—humble, yet as steady as the tides—began to speak.
“Good morning. I want to thank you all for coming—especially those of you who call Pride home.” There were a few cheers, causing Max to chuckle.
“For years, this town has been known for its lighthouse, great coffee, beautiful beaches, and of course, our fiercely stubborn residents.” He paused as a wave of laughter rolled through the locals.
“But today, we add something else to that list. Today, we confirm its hidden legend. As many of you already know, while restoring my historic home here on the bluff, my wife Juliette and I discovered several lost letters written by Karnia Bergman-Rothchild.” He paused and motioned to the letters currently in a case next to the necklace’s case.
“My sister, Faye, and Juliette’s brother, Nate, uncovered a network of hidden tunnels beneath the property a few weeks ago.
Inside one of them, tucked in the shadows and sealed behind stone for over a hundred years, they found this. ”
He motioned to the display case as Juliette walked over and opened the curtains to reveal the necklace.
The crowed held their breath.
“The Ocean’s Heart,” Max continued. “A blue diamond of rare cut and impossible beauty, lost for more than a century. But its more than just a valuable gemstone. It’s the centerpiece of a love story almost lost to time.
The necklace once belonged to Karnia Bergman, a Swedish heir who fell in love and married a local fisherman by the name of Harry Rothschild.
The lovers wrote letters to one other over the short time while Harry was deployed to war.
Letters full of promises, longing, and the kind of devotion you don’t often read of outside of fiction books.
When Harry was lost at sea, Karnia hid the necklace as a symbol of that love.
Not to hoard wealth but to preserve a part of their story in a place they both cherished—where the earth meets the sea.
Today, we honor their story by sharing it.
With historians, with museums, and with the world.
We remind ourselves that even in the darkest parts of history, love can leave a shimmer behind.
Sometimes, all it takes is the courage to go looking for it. Thank you.”
Applause exploded as Max stepped back. Flashbulbs fired again. Faye’s heart swelled as she watched her brother embrace Juliette, then smile toward them.
Nate reached over and laced his fingers with hers as cameras zeroed in on them.
“We did it,” Juliette whispered to Nate.
“We really did,” Nate agreed, hugging his sister.
As the media began filing forward for interviews and close-ups of the letters and necklace, the people of Pride buzzed with joy.
At that moment, Faye knew something else deep in her bones:
This town would never be the same again and, most importantly, neither would she.
The press had cleared out, but the real party was just beginning. The locals stayed behind, transforming the grounds around the lighthouse into a lively, impromptu picnic area.
Tables and coolers appeared like magic. Lawn chairs unfolded.
Blankets sprawled across the bluff and backyard.
The scent of grilled burgers mingled with sweet pies and homemade casseroles.
Kids ran barefoot in the grass, chasing bubbles and each other while the afternoon sun bathed everything in warm light.
It was like the Fourth of July all over again, only without the fireworks.
Faye stood near the edge of the bluff with a paper plate in hand, watching a group of children dart through the sprinklers someone had set up on the far end of the lawn. Laughter echoed as kids of all ages splashed through muddy puddles and parents lounged nearby, smiling and sipping cold drinks.
The diamond was shuffled away in an armored car, followed by almost every police car in Pride. It, along with all the letters, were heading to their first stop of a very long world tour that would eventually end up right back home.
“Penny for your thoughts?” Nate said as he stepped beside her, his own plate now abandoned somewhere behind them.
She glanced up and smiled. “Just enjoying this. All of it. It’s rare to see so many people on the grounds.”
“Yeah.” He looked toward the chaos with quiet appreciation. “It’s like something out of a movie.”
She watched as Megan and Todd Jordan strolled up the pathway, followed closely by Iian and Allison, their grandchildren in tow. Lacey Stevens stood laughing beside her husband, Aaron, who was manning one of the grills like a pro.
Jacob and his wife Rose sat on a blanket, chatting with Conner and Kara, while Lilly and Riley and their husbands, Corey and Carter, played cornhole.
She finally understood where each of the Jordan clan fit in with one another. But it didn’t really matter because, she realized, it didn’t matter to them. They were family. Plain and simple.
Cousins, sisters, brothers, aunts or uncles, they were just titles. Everyone in town belonged to one another.
And today, the whole town was here. Making it feel like a homecoming.
In the past few months she had gotten to know each and every one of them. More importantly, they had gotten to know her. The real her.
Nate nudged her gently. “You’re staring at the kids like you’re seeing them for the first time.”
“I guess I am.” She looked back at him. “I’ve always liked kids, but it never felt like something I could have. You know, with everything going on with my health and hearing.”
He was quiet for a moment before turning toward her. “Do you still feel that way?”
“I don’t know.” Her voice was softer now. “Maybe I used to think it was impossible, like how I felt about a relationship. But things feel different now.” She turned to him. “You made me feel different. Like maybe I’m allowed to want more.”
He smiled at that. Not pushing. Just being there for her.
“Nate.” She wrapped her arms around him. “I think it’s time I told you how I feel.”
“How do you feel?” he asked, smiling at her.
She chuckled and suddenly didn’t feel nervous any longer. “I love you more than diamonds.”
He threw his head back and laughed. “I’ll take it.” He kissed her.
Somewhere deep in her heart, the idea of having children with Nate—of a little boy with his smile or a girl with his laugh—didn’t feel so out of reach anymore.
Later that evening, as the sun began its slow descent toward the horizon, the last of the guests said their goodbyes. Faye and Nate drove back to his—their—home in peaceful silence, fingers intertwined.
Back on the back deck, they settled into the new chairs they had bought together. The air was cooling, and the sky had started glowing with streaks of sherbet pink and orange. Waves crashed against the shore in the distance down the pathway.
Nate made some excuse and disappeared inside briefly and returned with two glasses of champagne and something small in his hand.
A velvet box.
Her heart skipped.
“Nate?” she said cautiously, her fingers curling around her wine glass.
He dropped to one knee in front of her. “It’s just something small to show you how much I care, how much you mean to me.”
She laughed, though her throat tightened.
He opened the box and nestled inside was a key.
“To the house,” he said. “I realized I hadn’t given you a copy to our home yet.”
Tears blurred her vision.
“I may not have diamonds the size of the Ocean’s Heart,” he continued, “but everything I have is yours. This house. This life. This heart.” He touched his chest. “I don’t just want you to stay here with me—I want you to live here.
Forever. With me.” He looked up, his eyes steady on hers and his voice full of certainty. “Faye, will you marry me?”
She dropped to her knees in front of him, throwing her arms around his neck.
“Yes,” she whispered into his ear. “Yes. I love you.”
As the sun set over the ocean behind them, bathing their deck in gold colors and firefly lights, they held each other—two hearts that had finally found home.