Epilogue
LYLA
One year later…
I smile at the last customer of the day as they leave. Flipping the sign to closed , I lock up for the night.
It’s been ten months since my grand opening, and this town has welcomed me with open arms. I’ve hired on staff, and I’m quickly becoming known as the place to go for sweets.
Walking around the counter, I head to the back kitchen and smile when my mom looks up from mixing a bowl of batter. Her hair is tied up, and her cheeks are dusted with flour.
Shortly after we got engaged, we found her a small apartment within walking distance from the bakery. When she asked if she could bake with me on days I needed help, I immediately took her up on the offer. She’s become my right-hand person at the bakery, working side by side with me almost every day.
She’ll never fully get over losing my father, but she’s learned to live with the grief…she’s learned to be happy again.
She grins at me and glances at the clock. “Is it time? ”
“It’s time,” I grin, hitting the playlist as the music comes on through the speakers Jake installed for us.
Laughing, we start dancing as we prepare for tomorrow’s morning rush like we have done every day since I’ve opened. It’s become our routine after we close up, and it’s not uncommon for Eve to walk down from Ryder’s Restores to join us with a bottle of wine or for Jake to swing by and twirl us around when he gets off work early.
It’s our hour a day for my mom to keep her promise and to celebrate the life she and my dad had together and the life we have now.
When the last of the prep is ready for the early morning shift, we say our goodbyes. Since Jake still has another hour with his client, I head home for the night.
We still live at his family’s beach house. Since Miles is always on the road and his parents travel so much, it just made sense to stay for the time being and watch over the place.
We’ve been slowly looking for our own home but haven’t found anything yet, so we are taking our time and waiting for the right one to come along.
I park in the garage and drop my purse on the counter before stirring the chili in the crockpot that I made for dinner earlier. Turning it down to warm, I head to the bathroom and let the shower get warm as I tie my hair in a messy bun and step out of my clothes.
The spray hits my body, easing my sore muscles from my morning run with Jake.
I feel him before I see him. The air instantly gets thick with his energy as it wraps around me.
“You’re early,” I smile when I hear him step into the shower behind me.
“The design came together quicker than I thought it would.” He steps closer, his chest coming in contact with my back. “I’m glad it did, or I would have missed this.” His hands come around me, and he kisses the side of my neck.
“I’m glad it did, too.” I lean my head back on his chest and savor the feel of his lips as they move to my shoulder, where the tattoo lies.
“How was your day at work?” He takes the loofah and begins to wash me as I tell him about my day. He’s making it very hard to concentrate as his hands do more exploring than cleaning.
I take my turn next as I slowly torture him as he tells me about the designs he did today. My hands save the best for last as I soap up his chest before moving down his stomach and stroking down the length of him. The body wash creates a slick surface, and my hand moves faster.
He grabs my wrist, his jaw clenched tight. “I’m not about to waste my cum in your hand when I could be filling your pussy.” He quickly rinses us before shutting the water off.
Wrapping us in towels, I’m swooped up in his arms as we exit the bathroom.
Our memories line the dresser as we pass by them. Framed photos of us wearing big smiles on our wedding day, which took place right here on the beach where we fell in love, and pictures of our two-week honeymoon in Barbados are scattered about the surfaces.
He lays me down on the bed, and our towels are discarded as our bodies become flush with one another. Black metal glints on his ring finger as his hand slides down my side before spreading my legs wide.
“Is my wife ready to get thoroughly fucked by her husband?” He breathes against my ear before slowly filling me inch by inch.
“God, yes,” I moan, lifting my hips to pull him in deeper. We’ve been married for nine months, and every time I hear my wife , something deep inside me stirs to life. He’s physically tattooed on my body but will forever be imprinted on my heart and soul.
He laces our fingers together above my head, and I know it's because he loves to see my wedding ring when he’s deep inside me.
His hand grasps my thigh as I meet his thrusts.
“I will never get enough of you,” he groans against my neck before his lips suck lightly on my flesh. “You were always meant to be mine.”
“Always,” I moan when he pulls on my bottom lip before diving inside. Our tongues move together as the kiss gets heated before we break away, panting. I feel my body start to fall as my head arches back further into the pillow.
“Look at me, little hummingbird.” I find the greys that have become my whole world and get lost in the amount of love shining back at me.
He pushes into me harder, bringing me over the edge as my body ignites beneath him. I see the moment his body follows me as his intense stare never wavers from mine. They say the eyes are the window to your soul, and in this moment, I see his, and he sees mine.
We come undone together as our bodies and souls connect in a way that was always destined to be…
A woman who has always wanted to feel safe enough to land…
And a man who was always meant to catch her.
THE END