Epilogue
Two months later
On a sunny day in late October, with fall leaves the color of red wine underfoot, Faith ran up the stairs of Lawson House and took a moment to catch her breath before heading inside.
She was running late. She’d got caught up at The Dock, helping Samantha with a new payroll system, and lost track of time. She glanced at her phone. There were four missed calls from the realtor.
“Shit,” she muttered, as she reached for the door and let herself inside.
Miranda, the realtor, greeted her as soon as she doffed her jacket.
“Hey, glad you made it. Candy is nearly ready to go. Her friend Darla, is with her.”
“Is Gus here?”
Miranda shook her head. “Not yet.” Then, she offered her a large key ring. “These are yours. You and Gus are officially the owners of Lawson House.”
“Thank you,” Faith murmured just as Candy shuffled into view. Her friend, Darla, was weighed down with several large bags, and Miranda offered to help get them out to their van.
Faith knew this was hard for Candy, leaving the house. The woman looked pale and her hand trembled. She leaned onto her walker and exhaled a big, long breath.
“Please tell me you will come and visit.”
Candy shook her head. “No. I don’t think so.
” She smiled then. “I’ve just closed a long chapter in my life.
No need to read it back again.” She touched the hall table.
“This is your place how. You’ll make new memories, and this house is glad for it.
” She looked at Faith, faded eyes shimmery and full of tears.
“You’ll be happy with him and that’s enough for me. ”
Faith stood back as the woman pushed her walker forward and, after a few moments, disappeared, leaving her alone in her new home.
They had plans, she and Gus, and she wandered back to the common room. She ran her fingers across the old countertop and looked outside. Liam sat under the shade eating an apple while Taco romped in circles, jumping at falling leaves and barking at nothing.
Lost in thought she didn’t hear him until Gus’s arms wrapped around her waist and drew her back against him. He kissed the top of her head, and she rested there a bit, content just to be.
“It’s ours,” she whispered.
“We’ve got some plans to make.”
Faith nodded. “Liam’s staying as long as he wants.”
“Agreed.”
“Sage has already told me she’s moving back to the city, so we have upstairs and the loft to work with.”
“It’s a lot of space for two.”
Slowly, she turned in his embrace. She looked up at him and cupped his face, then drew him down for a long, slow kiss. “We’re going to be three.”
“Yes.” He pulled her into the kind of hug that felt so right it brought tears to her eyes.
“I was thinking it might be time to make an honest woman out of you.”
She stilled. Her blood stopped pumping, and the air in her lungs caught in her throat.
“Marry me and let’s do this right.”
She looked up at this man who meant everything to her but couldn’t form the words. She stared up at him for so long that a frown touched his beautiful face, and he rubbed his thumb along her jawbone.
“Faith?”
Yes, she screamed inside, though only a squeak or something equally as embarrassing fell from her lips.
“Jesus Christ, answer the man.” Walker leaned against the doorframe to the common room with his hands shoved into his front pockets. Dressed in jeans, boots, a T-shirt, and leather jacket, he flashed a smile and shrugged. “It’s painful for me to watch this.”
“That’s because you’re a dick,” Gus shot at him.
“There is that,” Walker replied.
“Yes,” Faith whispered, smile soft, voice tremulous.
Gus grinned. Looked like he’d just won the lottery, then turned and accepted Walker’s handshake before the man enveloped Faith in a hug that was both awkward and sweet.
“He’s a lot, but I think you can handle him,” Walker said, taking a step back.
“I’m going to try,” Faith said with a chuckle. “I didn’t know you were in town.”
“Had some business to discuss with Gus. Plus, he practically begged me to help with some of the renos.”
“I didn’t beg.”
“If you say so, sir.” Walker took a step back. “I’m going to leave you two alone. We’ll hook up later?”
When he was gone, Gus began to trail kisses down her neck, small whispers of delight that had her panting for more before he’d barely begun.
“We can’t,” she murmured against his mouth. “Liam is out there with Taco.”
Gus scooped her up into his arms. “We can.”
He took her upstairs and into her apartment where he spent the next hour or so, loving every inch of her body. When they finally came up for air, he cradled her flat belly, then kissed it gently.
“I hope he lives long enough to see this kid.”
She knew he was talking about Porter. While the relationship with the twins, Sunday and Ford, was still strained, he and Porter had managed to forge a relationship of sorts. The man meant something to Gus.
“I love you,” she whispered.
“Show me,” he growled.
And she did.
THE END