Epilogue
Two months later…
Mak stared at the glittering letters on the glass window and wanted to pinch herself as she pulled into the alley next to it. She parked behind the building and grabbed her purse, taking a deep breath.
She got out, and despite the anxious feeling to get inside and get started for the day—her first official day—she walked to the front and took out her phone, snapping a photo of the gorgeous window to put on social media to go along with the photos of her creations for the opening-day celebration. Thanksgiving was a few weeks away, and she had orders already booked.
“Not so fast,” Finn said, jogging across the street with a giggling Emi in his arms. He’d parked at the Blackwell’s rentals building so as to not take up the spaces directly in front. “You take this and give me that.”
Mak laughed as much as Emi when Finn pretended to toss the girl toward Mak before gently lowering her to her feet.
He snagged Mak’s phone from her hand, and as always, she felt that initial twinge of ugh because a certain ex-someone had always had to comment on her pictures in the past and give his critique.
Then her gaze caught on Hudson heading their way, pushing Sam in the wheelchair he’d needed to make the trip, and she remembered what was most important. Despite the deep-dark circles under his eyes and the gaunt look to his too thin frame, Sam smiled from ear to ear.
It makes living your life all the more precious.
Zoey’s voice filled Mak’s head, and she blinked back tears. Mak shoved the thought of her ex aside along with the negativity and toxicity of their relationship. She was human. She’d made a mistake. Spent far too many years walking through that minefield. But that was over. And what mattered now was how she lived her life. That and how she loved.
“Smile.”
Mak lifted her chin with a wide grin as she posed with Emi in front of her bakery. Like her creations, the storefront was tiny and would barely hold a dozen people inside, but when it had come available, Sam had insisted she use some of the money he intended to leave her to lease the spot and make her dream a reality. And because she wanted Sam here to see it happen, she’d agreed, using the grant money to fund needed equipment and supplies.
Now the Itty-Bitty Bakery was a reality.
“One of us,” Finn said.
He wrapped his muscled arm around her as the three of them posed and took a selfie.
“And with the man of honor responsible for it all,” Mak said as Hudson swung Sam’s chair around to join them.
Mak leaned down to kiss Sam’s cheek and give him a hug as Emi climbed onto Sam’s lap. “Thank you.”
“No need for that. So happy to see this day, honey.”
She kissed him again, and Emi joined the fun, kissing his other cheek.
Sam laughed at their antics, and Hudson captured the moment with quick taps of his finger.
“The city officials will be here at ten,” Alec said as he joined them on the sidewalk. Mia followed a step behind, carrying their daughter. The girl’s leg rested atop Mia’s pregnant belly.
The rest of the Blackwells would be there too, along with Zoey and her husband and the Boardwalk Babes, who’d seemingly invited the entire island as well as Wilmington.
During the work to get the building ready, the Babes had stopped while out on a walk and inquired as to what the business would be. They’d kept Mak in baking mode ever since. Turns out Isla worked for Isabel—who was a Babe daughter. It was yet another connection to a community she hoped to belong to for a very long time.
Since then, she’d provided goodies for birthdays and anniversaries and family gatherings, and news of her creations had spread like wildfire. She’d also hired a part time person to help her.
“I’d better get started. It’s not a bakery unless it smells like cakes and cookies,” Mak said, thankful she’d prepped everything she could the night before so that she’d just have to bake today. Timers and alarms were key, she reminded herself. But so long as she had the first batches out before the city officials arrived, all would be well. “Sam, will you come inside and be my first customer?”
“You know I will,” the man said in a gruff tone filled with emotion. “I’m so proud of you, honey.”
She unlocked the door, and Hudson stepped up to push Sam’s wheelchair inside. Emi followed as did the rest of those present, but Finn snagged her hand and held her back.
“I’m proud of you, too. I love you, baby girl.”
She leaned against him and reveled in how safe she felt in his arms. “I love you. You know I couldn’t have done this without you, either.”
Finn leaned low and kissed her, the sweet caress turning into something headier by the time he let her come up for air.
She saw Hudson on the other side of the window snapping photos of them outside and laughed softly at his ornery grin.
“Marry me.”
Mak gasped and blinked up at Finn. Had she…imagined those words?
Finn held her gaze, his face serious and a bit flushed.
“There’s no rush if you need more time before we actually do it,” he said softly as he dropped down on one knee. “But I love you, and I know without a doubt that I want to spend my life with you. Will you marry me?”
Finn pulled the most beautiful ring from his pocket. She gasped when she saw it and held out a visibly trembling hand. “I didn’t think it was possible.”
“To love you?” Finn asked with a deep scowl.
“No! Not that,” she said, laughing and teary and just a hot mess of emotion.
“So does that mean…yes?” he asked with a frown.
Oh, the poor man. A laugh bubbled out of her. “Yes! Of course, I will marry you.”
Finn slid the ring into place before kissing her finger and straightening. A few more of his brothers stood across the street watching, phones up and trained in their direction as though they’d timed things perfectly in order to catch the moment.
“What did you think wasn’t possible?”
She stared at the man she loved and struggled to get her emotions under control. “That a perfect day could get even better. I love you, Finn. I never this was how love was supposed to be. How it’s supposed to feel.”
Finn lowered his head for a blazing kiss, lifting her off her feet while the others inside and out wolf-whistled and applauded.
When Finn set her back down, she met Sam’s gaze and saw that he cried, tears running down his wrinkled face.
Thank you, she mouthed, making a point to glance up at Finn because without Sam’s offer to come stay with him, she might never have known this kind of love. The kind that’s precious and—returned without conditions or criticisms.
Finn accepted her as she was, flaws and all, just like she accepted him. No one was perfect, but she knew without a doubt Finn had her back. Just like she had his.
Sam nodded, swiped at his wet cheeks and murmured something she couldn’t hear. Whatever it was, it drew laughter from all of those waiting inside. “What do you think he said?”
Finn kissed the top of her head and gave her one more squeeze.
“Knowing Sam, he’s telling them the tale of how he told Max to wander off with Emi that first night just to get me over there so we’d meet.”
“And nearly get you arrested?” she asked wryly.
“The price of love,” he murmured near her ear. “But maybe I should pick up a pair of handcuffs and use them on you so you can share the experience.”
Mak laughed and squeezed him tighter. “Maybe you should.”
That same day, Gage swore under his breath as he stared down at the latest weather alert on his phone.
There was still plenty of time for the late-season hurricane to shift and head back out to sea, but if the spaghetti models were correct, Carolina Cove was dead center of the path if it made landfall.
He shoved the phone in his pocket, fought back his frustration that he’d have two dozen more things to handle, and yanked open the door to the rentals building.
“You’re late,” Hudson groused from behind the checkout counter. “And you missed the grand opening. Finn’s going to murder you when he sees you.”
At Hudson’s growl, several of their customers turned from where they took a look-see at what was available before going back to their perusal.
Hud grabbed his backpack and charged toward the door with a deep scowl on his usually grinning face.
He’d missed the grand opening? Wasn’t that tomorrow? “I thought that was?—”
The door shut behind Hudson as he booked it out of there to get to his class. Gage grimaced.
Next time he’d set more alarms. He’d set three to get to the building in time for Hud’s class but had still wound up losing track of time after getting derailed by problem after problem.
Cole burst through the side door from the convenience store at a fast pace but paused as he caught site of Gage.
“You finally show up?”
Hudson had apparently called Cole to come cover the counter. On his day off.
Yeah, his day was about to get worse. He now had three brothers angry with him. “Yeah, sorry. The day got away from me.”
The customers rented a set of chairs and umbrella for the next day and left after they paid. Cole remained, and Gage figured there was more of a lecture to come.
“You know you’re going to have kiss Hud’s behind for a long while this time. You promised him you wouldn’t make him late anymore.”
Yeah, it wasn’t the first—or third—time it had happened. “I know. I’ll make it up to him.”
“Make it up to him by hiring help. You know you need it, so why are you sitting on your hands about it? And where were you this morning? You missed the grand opening of the bakery.”
Gage swiped his palm over his face and rubbed hard. Curses filled his head that he’d screwed up the date. He should’ve been there. He’d meant to be there. “I tried hiring someone, remember? It’s easier to do it myself than it is to train someone only to have them quit two days later.”
“Maybe don’t scream at them next time and they’ll stick around.”
“He deleted the entire schedule. I still have pissed-off clients coming out of my ears two weeks later, which is why I missed this morning.”
“You have pissed-off customers coming at you because you don’t know your head from your tail these days.” Cole moved toward the counter and braced his hands on top, hitting Gage with a stare he had no doubt perfected with his teenage stepson.
“I’ll hire them. I’ll train them on my days. But I’m getting someone else in here before you lose what’s left of your mind or one of us murders you. You can’t be in ten places at once or do ten things at once.”
Gage’s phone buzzed, and he looked at the name and number and cursed softly.
“Let me guess. You forgot something else?” Cole asked with a huff.
Yeah, he pretty much hated himself right now. “Can you, uh, stay and work?”
“It’s my day off.”
Gage stared at his brother. “Can you stay and work?”
Cole jerked his thumb toward the door. “Get out of here before we have a meeting on how we’re going to tag team to kick your?—”
“Yeah, this is Gage,” he said into the phone after a swipe of the screen. “Yes, sorry. I’m running late, but I’m on my way.”
Gage headed toward the door, hearing and ignoring Cole’s mutter of, “Didn’t even get a thank-you.”
Too many hours later, Gage dragged his tired body into his truck and headed for the rentals building. One more stop, and then he could go home—at the early hour of 12:30 a.m.
He made his way to Blackwell Rentals and rolled into his usual spot, seeing a vehicle he didn’t recognize tucked behind the building where only someone really looking would see it.
“Get a room,” he muttered to himself, the streetlights reflecting just enough off the glass to see the steamed windows indicating someone was inside. Or someones.
Remembering his younger years when he and a girlfriend would find a quiet spot before he’d take her home, he decided to let them be until he came back out of the building.
If they were still there, he’d run them off, but the odds were good that his arrival would be enough to spook them away.
He had to grab a few things to be ready for a repair tomorrow and his tool bag was behind the counter. He’d left so fast earlier he’d forgotten to grab it.
He exited the truck and kept a wary eye on the vehicle until he got inside. He relocked the door, grabbed what he needed, but he didn’t hear the sound of an engine starting and groaned aloud.
He did not want to have to go confront some horny teenagers and get yelled at for ruining their magic moment.
He locked up, tossed the tool bag inside his truck and carefully made his way down the side of the building after grabbing his mag light. “Hey. You can’t park there. Take off before I call the cops.”
No one was in the front. More proof he was probably interrupting a rendezvous.
He flashed the light into the back and saw wide eyes staring at him as a woman scrambled to sit up and slide to the far side of the seat away from him. He flashed the light to the seat beside her and frowned when he realized she was alone. “You okay in there?”
The woman nodded and held up a hand to shield her eyes. He lowered the light so as not to blind her but kept it on to get a read on the situation. “Roll the window down.”
She shook her head, and he heard a muffled no in response. “I just want to talk to you.”
The woman had dark auburn hair, pale skin, and heavy freckles across her nose. All above full pillowy lips he had no business noticing.
He couldn’t tell what color her eyes were, but she wore a black tank top and workout shorts, and had her hair up in a messy bun. And considering the heat of night indicating that hurricane was indeed on the way, she had to be miserable in there with the windows up. “Look, I’m not going to hurt you. But either roll the window down, or I call the cops and you can sort it out with them.”
A frown pinched her features into a scowl and she slowly stretched into the front to the hit the Start button to crack the window a half inch or so.
“Thanks,” he said, forcing himself to gentle his tone. “What are you doing here? Are you homeless?”
A shrug was his answer.
“You either are, or you aren’t. You want to elaborate?”
“My roommate’s jerk of a boyfriend decided I came with the apartment when he stayed the night. She believed him when he said I came onto him and kicked me out instead.”
He stared into her eyes, not seeing or smelling any signs of drugs or alcohol. “Why didn’t you go to a hotel?”
“Have you priced hotels here?”
Yeah, there was no such thing as a cheap hotel in a beach town.
“I just needed to shut my eyes for a minute. I’ll leave,” she said in a low mutter. “Sorry to bother you.”
“You have nowhere else to go? Parents? Friend’s house?”
A slow shake of her head was his answer.
“I…I just moved here. Don’t really know anyone.”
He scraped a hand over his face and fought off his own fatigue and frustration, because as much as he wanted her to leave, he couldn’t be that guy.
His kid sister wasn’t much younger than the woman in front of him, and he’d like to think someone would help her if she ever found herself in this type of mess—not that she ever would with all eight of her older brothers looking after her. But still… “Okay, here’s what you’re going to do. See that starfish painted on the back of the building?” He pointed the flashlight to the spot. “I want you to move your car over there.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m going to let you stay here for tonight—only tonight—and we have security cameras over there. I’ll get an alert if there’s any commotion or if someone bothers you. There will be at least one drunk who’ll roll by here at some point and probably see you. The cameras won’t pick up anything this far away.”
She tucked a stray curl behind her ear and nodded. “Thanks.”
“You got food? Water?”
“I’m fine. Thanks for letting me stay. I’ll be gone first thing.”
“You got a phone?”
The woman nodded again, and he wished he could place her age. She looked to be in her midtwenties, but with her hair up and the abundant freckles, she appeared younger.
“Yeah.”
“Okay, good. Keep it close. Call 911 if anyone bothers you. They’re just a couple of blocks away, so they’ll be here quickly.”
“Okay.”
He flashed the light around the shadows nearby. Man, he really hated leaving her here like this. “Or… you could follow me to a hotel.”
“Not happening.”
A low chuckle left him. “That’s not what I meant, sweetheart. I’d get you a room and leave you there. No strings. You’re not safe out here.”
She shifted on the seat, and he saw the flash of her legs.
“I’ll be fine for one night.”
“Suit yourself,” he murmured. “One night. Tomorrow you find another roommate?”
She nodded and leaned toward the door, bright green eyes flashing up at his as she rolled the window back up.
Gage headed back to his truck and got inside right. He watched as she moved the vehicle to the spot he’d told her. She hadn’t gotten out, so she must have climbed over the seat to stay safely locked inside. Smart girl.
His body ached after the hours he’d put in, and he craved his bed, but he now had one more stop to make.
A few blocks away, he pulled into the police station and climbed out again after sending a text to Ky, the convenience store night manager he and his brothers employed, to inform them of their guest.
That done, he headed inside. He could’ve called the nonemergency number, but he was right there so?—
“Hey, Gage. What brings you in this time of night? You got trouble?”
Officer Bruce Holloway stared up at Gage from behind the front desk. “I hope not. I do have a favor to ask though. There’s a woman sleeping in her car behind the rentals building.”
“Ah. No worries. We’ll go run her out and give her info on the shelters,” the man said.
“Actually I told her she could stay tonight. One night only. But I hoped you’d keep an eye on her with a few drive-bys. I didn’t like leaving her there by herself.”
“She on something?”
He thought of her big, clear eyes and adorable freckled face. “Not to look at her. She seemed clearheaded and clean. Said her roommate kicked her out after the roommate’s boyfriend came onto her, and she didn’t have anywhere else to go tonight.”
“Always something,” the man muttered with a shake of his gray head. “Yeah, I’ll spread the word and let you know if we see anything unusual. Your cameras working?”
“Yeah. She was parked over in the shadows, but I made her move so we can keep an eye out for her.”
The cop nodded. “You’re a good man, Gage.”
He rubbed a hand over his neck and squeezed to relieve the tension. “Not sure about that, but I am a tired one.”
“You look it. Go home and get some rest. We’ll watch out for her.”
Gage tapped the desk twice and then turned. “Thanks for the help, Bruce.”
Gage left the station and headed for home. On the way, he passed Hudson’s truck parked outside the fire station.
He shook his head, not understanding why Hudson would have bothered with getting a business degree only to chuck it all away to train to be a fireman and EMT.
His kid brother had always been his right hand whenever he needed extra help, but with Hud in training, Gage scrambled to know his hand from his foot on a good day.
He made it home and stripped as he headed toward the bathroom. He tossed his shirt toward the hamper only to see it miss and fall to the floor. Figures. Par for the course these days.
He kept going, wanting only to brush his teeth and crawl into bed.
Minutes later, his head hit the pillow and opened his phone to pull up the camera feed of the building. She was still there, parked in the spot with a perfect camera view.
He upped the motion sensor settings and then upped the volume just in case so the alert would definitely wake him.
Then he closed his eyes with a groan, drifting off to sleep with the memory of big eyes and pretty freckles.