Epilogue
One year later . . .
Hunter had found the perfect location in Branford near the village of Stony Creek, about ten minutes from our apartment. Since Rodney had signed over the bakery building to me, Hunter and I had renovated the second floor to be our apartment.
And in the midst of all this, he had been working on his facility. Rodney had been more than happy to invest in Hunter’s dream. His parents had come around and donated. Hunter had hired some amazing people to help him navigate all the steps, hiring the right staff and therapists/psychologists/experts, coming up with the programming specifics, working on licensing and accreditation, setting up the 501(c)(3) to make it a nonprofit.
Today was the center’s soft launch and Hunter had invited everyone out. It was a big celebration and he was a month away from accepting their first clients, who would live here full-time on their road to mental health and addiction recovery.
He had decided to focus on outdoor activities, including equine therapy, and on the arts. A whole section of the converted bed-and-breakfast would be devoted to different mediums—painting, sculpting, drawing—along with a dance studio and all sorts of music therapy options. Singing, playing instruments, composing.
Everything had moved quickly because he was so motivated and because money greased all wheels.
I was beyond proud of him as I watched him cut the ribbon on the Harper Cartwright Academy. Rodney had come, as had all the Cartwrights. Hunter’s mother sobbed through the entire ceremony, his dad having to hold her the whole time.
They had been so welcoming to me. Susan had sent many a car for me so that I could spend time with her and Hunter’s younger sisters. I loved the entire Cartwright clan, and it felt like I was getting a bonus family.
Hunter was getting a bonus family, too. Rose and Lily cheered loudly as he cut the ribbon. I was so grateful they had come. I had offered my sisters jobs at the bakery but they had turned me down. Thanks to grants, Lily was back in school to get her nursing degree, and Rose had been promoted at her company. They were completely financially independent from me, and our relationship had never been better. They totally adored Hunter, to the point that I thought if he and I ever broke up, they would both choose him.
“Put the phone up higher, mate!” Georgia called out, and I lifted it so that she and the boys could see more clearly. Georgia and Pieter were still together and she was more shocked than anyone else about it. They were madly in love, though. Pieter had texted me last night to show me potential wedding rings so that I could help him pick out which one she would like best.
It was hard to imagine Georgia, of all people, settling down, but I supposed stranger things had happened.
Andre had gone back to S?o Paulo to open a restaurant where he could keep Preacher on his shoulder while he cooked. Francois had given up life at sea and returned to France, where he and his wife had welcomed another baby. Georgia had told me that his wife pretty much didn’t let him out of her sight, and I didn’t blame her. I hoped he would behave.
Thomas and Kai were still on the ship with Georgia and Pieter, and Hunter and I had talked about taking a trip out to the yacht sometime later in the summer. I did worry that it might be a little weird being a guest instead of part of the staff.
Fortunately, Captain Carl was long gone. Hank had fired him the day after Hunter told them everything that had occurred on the ship. Carl had taken Emilie with him.
Everyone on board adored the new captain, an Aussie named Jason who Georgia had immediately labeled a “stern brunch daddy.” He was good at his job and treated his staff well. The nonfraternization rule had been lifted.
Hank had renamed the yacht Seas the Day , the way he wanted. Hunter still joked about going and writing Knot Pro Bono somewhere in small letters so that his dad wouldn’t see it.
Hunter’s sister Hadley held up one of my cupcakes and then gave me a thumbs-up. I waved back. I was the official dessert caterer for the ribbon-cutting. The bakery had been open for six months and was doing extremely well. I had let Maria and the Mascarellis know that with the Italian flour, the sfogliatelle turned out perfectly almost every time. Giovanna insisted on sending me every recipe they had from their bakery, and their excellence set me apart from other bakeries in the city.
And I couldn’t keep my chocolate chip cookies in stock.
The ceremony ended, Hunter posed for pictures, shook hands with important government-type people, and then opened the center for guests to go in and tour. He rushed over to me, picking me up in a big bear hug and twirling me around.
“You did it!” I exclaimed. “I’m so proud of you.”
“Thank you. I couldn’t have done it without you.”
He probably could have, but I loved that he thought it anyway.
“Hey, two of the horses arrived. Do you want to come see them?” he asked.
“Yes!”
He had spent a lot of time picking out the perfect animals to interact with the teenagers who would be living here. Gentle and kind, and very loving.
We walked hand in hand toward the stables. The land here was so serene and gorgeous. Green as far as the eye could see, surrounded by tall trees and lush underbrush.
“We got a boy and a girl. A gelding and a mare,” he said. “I think we should name them Harry Trotter and Hermioneigh.”
“What about Sylvester Stallion and Kolt Kardashian?”
“Al Capony and Britney Spurs?”
We threw a bunch of names at each other that had me laughing, like he always did. It seemed to be his specialty. He had brought so much light and laughter into my life.
He was the best boyfriend. Devoted, caring, and so, so sweet.
Not to mention incredibly passionate. My skin flushed at the memory of last night.
We walked through the garden area that I adored. Hunter had envisioned it as a place where the clients would be able to congregate and hang out. A previous owner had made it like a wild English garden, so there were all types of wildflowers blooming along paths that led to a patio, where Hunter had placed comfortable outdoor chairs and couches. A large white gazebo encased the center, with climbing roses growing up the sides.
As we were about to reach the center, he let go of my hand. “Hang on, gotta fix my shoelace.” He knelt down to do so.
“Have I ever told you how much I love this spot?” I said, taking it all in.
“Many, many times. I know you sometimes think I don’t listen, but I always do.”
I turned back to look at him, and it took me a second to realize that he had on shoes without laces. He hadn’t been fixing anything.
He was kneeling with a ring.
My heart slammed into my chest. We had talked about marriage but we had wanted to get our businesses going first.
And now they’re going, that internal voice of mine reminded me.
“Lucky Salerno, I am so thankful every single day that my dad is obsessed with boats. Grateful that I got set on a path that led me to you because you are the most wonderful, amazing, spectacular thing that has ever happened to me. None of this,” he said, waving his arms wide, “would mean anything to me without you. You not only make my life better, you make it complete. I love you so, so much. Will you marry me?”
“Yes!” I shrieked, throwing my arms around his neck, knocking him to the ground and going down with him. “Oh, sorry. I didn’t mean to do that.”
He laughed and hugged me tightly. “Good thing I have catlike reflexes and I didn’t drop the ring box.”
“That would have been unforgivable,” I agreed. He slid the ring onto my finger, and it was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. After a moment I realized that it was just like my nonna’s wedding ring, but bigger and flashier. Which meant that the twins had been involved in this.
“Did she say yes?” It sounded like Harlow, his youngest sister. I lifted my head above the wildflowers and saw all of the Cartwrights and my sisters watching us and waving.
They had all known and kept it from me. I grinned at them.
“She said yes, but don’t come over here yet!” Hunter yelled back. “I’m going to kiss my fiancée senseless!”
“Gross!” Harlow called out.
“Fiancée,” I repeated. “I like the sound of that.”
“I’m going to like the sound of ‘wife’ even better,” he said, pulling me down so that he could kiss me into a mindless oblivion.
When we could breathe again, he said, “Did I tell you I already came up with a theme for our wedding?”
“You did?”
“Yep. It can be ‘We Tide the Knot,’ and it will all be nautical.”
“That makes me a little em-ocean-al,” I said, wondering how long he’d been planning this.
“Good, because obviously our vows will have to be made up of all kinds of puns. Like I’ll say I love you a yacht and will warship you all of my days.”
“Right. I’ll say I’m all a-boat loving you.”
He kissed me again. “I’m so lucky that you love me.”
I grinned at him, amazed that this was my life. That I would get to spend every day after this with him and his terrible puns. I loved him so, so much. And I was the Lucky one. “You’re anchorrigible, but there’s no one else I’d rudder be with.”