Epilogue
THANKSGIVING, LAS VEGAS
S unny carried three bakery loaves of Italian bread under her arm—she’d checked with Mary to find the most authentic one in Vegas—and rang the doorbell. Gabe’s bulk landed on the doorstep beside her. Perfume from the yellow roses he clutched filled the space between them.
“Don’t be nervous. It’s just?—”
“Family,” he murmured just as the door flung open.
“Why’d you ring the bell? You’re family. Come in.” Mary’s apron crinkled when she crushed Sunny into a hug.
Rafe hulked into view. His apron had a splash of tomato sauce across the front. Sunny’s mouth watered. He must be making one of his pasta dishes. He was the best cook of any of the Forzas, though he always denied it.
When Mary moved to hug Gabe, Rafe hugged Sunny. “Glad you came,” he said. “Both of you.”
“We wouldn’t have missed it, would we, Gabe?” They’d seen the Forzas on opening weekend and again on Labor Day weekend, but they hadn’t been back to Vegas. The park stayed open weekends through Halloween, and on weekdays they’d been busy preparing for the annual Holly Days. But Thanksgiving was for family, and Gabe had agreed to spend it with the Forzas.
“Wouldn’t have missed it,” he echoed. Despite the air travel that still made him nervous, he’d stepped up like the hero she knew him to be.
“How’s everyone back in Ohio?” Mary asked. “Especially that cute cousin of yours, Brandon?”
“He’s working,” Gabe grumbled. “Besides, Brandon’s off-limits to you. He’s family.”
“Hey now,” Sunny said, smoothing a hand over his button-down. “He’s your family, but he’s not exactly Mary’s. He’s a catch.” She hadn’t thought so at first, when he’d threatened to vote Gabe out of the park’s board. As it turned out, he only wanted what was best for Gabe, which, he thought, was taking the heavy responsibility of the park from his shoulders. But Gabe’s shoulders were broad and strong, and when he’d reassured the family he wanted to stay and lead, Brandon had apologized and backed down. He’d felt terrible about the way he’d acted and begged Gabe for a way to make up for the hurtful things he’d said. So when Gabe asked, Brandon moved down from Chicago to accept a position as vice president of marketing. She winked at Mary. “Since Gabe brought him on, park attendance is up twenty percent.”
“Because of you.” He tucked an arm around her waist. “People are coming just to watch you in the shows.”
She had a love-hate relationship with the heavy brocade Sunshine Queen gown she’d worn three shows a day all summer at the Beach Island Court of the Summer Sun Extravaganza. Sure, it’d been her idea to belt out hits from Into the Woods, Camelot, various other fairy tale–themed musicals, and of course, the band Queen. The gown may have been gorgeous, but in Ohio’s summer heat, Sunny felt like a hot dog left too long on the roller.
For Gabe, the gown was an aphrodisiac. Countless times, he’d been waiting for her after the last show, his pupils blown in his dark eyes. After locking her dressing-room door, he’d hummed “We Will Rock You” as he went to work under her rustling, voluminous skirt.
Her cheeks burned, and she swatted his arm. “That’s just you. Everyone else enjoys the rides, too.”
“I ride the rides. Sometimes.”
She smiled at the memory of Gabe squeezed into the new Mile of Mayhem ride next to Brandon. The on-ride camera had captured Gabe with his eyes shut while Brandon raised his arms, whooping. Sunny had framed the photo and set it on Gabe’s desk. She sometimes caught him grinning at it.
A voice cleared behind them. Michael. Secure in his place in the family, he hadn’t rung the bell. “Gabe, Sunny,” he growled.
Gabe stiffened. But then Michael tugged him into a tight hug, and his shoulders eased down. Michael clapped him on the back and then, more gently, bent to hug Sunny.
When Sunny lowered to her heels in the small foyer of Mary’s house, squeezed in among the Forzas, she knew she’d been right to make the trek with Gabe the winter before. In the end, it had all been worth it. Both Gabe and she had learned how they fit in with their respective families. His grandfather had explained that he’d known all along about Gabe’s adoption, but he hadn’t wanted Gabe to question his place in the Armstrong family.
Sunny had bumbled into his life and made him question it anyway. But in the end, her meddling had done something good: Gabe was a part of two families, the Armstrongs and the Forzas. And although she was still a Lafortune, she was part of Gabe’s families, too.
And in that moment of clarity, she knew what she wanted. Beyond everything she already had, which included her job as Beach Island’s entertainment director and the star of its shows.
It wasn’t Hollywood or Broadway, but Sunny was the queen of Beach Island’s small entertainment venue. And while many of the guests were only looking for an air-conditioned respite from the thrill rides and the scorching summer sun, most of them gave her cast of choir and theater kids a standing ovation at the end. Sunny was entertaining people the way she loved, working with a man she adored. She couldn’t ask for more out of life.
And she wanted to hold on to that life forever.
“Where should we put our coats?” she asked. It wasn’t Ohio-cold, but the temperature would drop by the time they left that night.
“In the guest room. Second door on the left.” Mary pointed.
“I’ll take them,” Rafe said.
“No,” Sunny said. “We’ll do it. Pour us a glass of wine? Or champagne, if you have it?”
“Champagne? What are we celebrating?”
“I’ll tell you in a minute.” She handed the bread and flowers to Mary, then took Gabe’s hand, towing him toward the guest room. She closed the door and leaned on it.
“Come here.”
Gabe didn’t hesitate. One arm out of his coat, he turned and stepped in front of her. She tunneled her hands into the thick, dark hair behind his ears and pulled his face down for a long, lingering kiss.
When she broke the kiss to drag in a breath, he grinned. “What was that for?”
“For you, Gabe. I love you and the life we’ve made together. The family we’ve become. Marry me,” she whispered, the words just audible because her lungs wouldn’t pull in enough air.
His eyes opened wide, and he released her hands. “What?”
She sucked in a breath like she was about to step out on stage. “Marry me.” This time, her words came out loud and strong. This wasn’t anything from a movie. Heroines didn’t propose to their love interests inside a shoebox-sized guest room. But this felt real. And right.
“But I thought you didn’t?—”
She rested a finger on his lips. “I didn’t. But, with you, I do. Our love is forever. And I want everyone to know it. You’re mine, Gabe Armstrong.”
He stood, proud and tall. “I’m yours. I’ll marry you, Sunny Lafortune.”
She threw her arms around his neck. “Tomorrow?”
He pulled back, frowning. “On Thanksgiving weekend? Holidays are about friends and family and togetherness.”
“Who said that?”
“You did, the first time we spoke. Besides, we promised Mary we’d help her decorate the shop for Christmas.”
She tightened her grip on him. “The next day, then.”
“You really want a Vegas wedding?” His frown deepened.
“I want to be married as soon as possible. We’re here.” She shrugged. “It’s perfect.”
“You don’t want bridesmaids? A white dress? Rings? Cake?”
She saw it, then. Those were things that Gabe wanted. His big, romantic heart wanted it all. Her own heart swelled, and she landed a gentle kiss on his lips. “Half of your family is here. I’ll call my parents and invite them to come out. We can buy rings at one of the shops, and I’ll even wear white if you want. I bet Mary knows someone who’ll make us a cake. But what’s most important is right here. Just you and me.” She gazed at him, willing him to understand that she didn’t have any romantic hopes and dreams to give up. That all she wanted was him. For the rest of their lives.
When one side of his mouth kicked up in a half-smile, she knew. He got it.
“No Elvis impersonators, okay? This is for real.”
She tried to keep her expression serious, but her lips twitched. “Absolutely. And we can have a party or reception or whatever you want to call it when we get back home to Ohio. With more cake.”
The other side of his mouth lifted. “I’d love that. And I love you.”
“I love you, too.” She pressed her cheek to his chest, feeling the low, slow thrum of his big, soft heart.
“Though Rafe does a pretty good Elvis impression,” she joked. “What if he?—”
“No. He’s wearing a suit. No sequins or tassels.” He gripped her tighter. “Our life is full of entertainment. We don’t need more on our wedding day.”
Our life. His and hers. Entwined together. Forever.
“Okay,” she said. She shrugged out of her coat and laid it on the bed. Gabe laid his beside it.
“Take a deep breath, Gabe Armstrong. Everyone’s about to flip out.”
“They’ll be happy for us.” He paused. “Okay, maybe Mary will flip out a little.”
“You know she will. But the important thing is that we’re happy. Are you happy, Gabe?”
He crushed her to him again, and his heart beat loud in her ear. Still, she heard his next words clearly as a movie voiceover and remembered them for the rest of her life. “With you by my side? Always.”
* * *
Thank you for reading!