Epilogue #2
Elodie moved without thought. She walked toward Baker and put her arms around him before she chickened out.
He hesitated for a split second, as if surprised anyone would dare touch him. Then she felt his arms wrap around her.
“Thank you. I’m thinking since I’m a chef, and your first name is Baker, this was meant to be. Anything you want, anytime, I’m in your debt,” she told him.
She felt his arms tighten briefly, then he cleared his throat and stepped back. She had no choice but to let go. He raised a hand and ran the backs of his fingers over her cheek before turning to Scott. “She’s sweet. Don’t find too many like that anymore. Don’t do anything to fuck it up.”
“Not planning on it,” Scott said as he came up behind her and wrapped his arm around her waist.
Baker nodded at them once more, then he spun and headed for the front door.
The second it closed behind him, Elodie turned to face the guys. “And thank all of you for helping to find me. For calling this Tex guy. For getting the Coast Guard involved. For all of it. I owe you.”
“You owe us nothing,” Scott said.
“Wait a minute,” Midas said. “I could use a good apple crumble.”
“I don’t even know what that is, and I think I could too,” Aleck threw in.
“I want her to make us some more burgers,” Pid added.
“I’m thinking you can probably make some kick-ass Thai food,” Jag suggested.
“Chocolate cake,” Slate told her.
Elodie chuckled. “Done. Maybe not all at the same time though. We’ll have lots of get-togethers so I can make everyone what they want.”
As the rest of the team started discussing what they wanted her to make for them first, Scott turned her toward him so they were face-to-face. “Now you’ve done it,” he warned.
Elodie chuckled. “I’m happy to cook for them. I owe them everything. Where did this Baker guy come from? What’s his story? He’s kind of scary.”
“He is,” Scott agreed. “But he’s a good man.
He’s seen a lot of shit in his life and is kind of a hermit.
He lives up on the North Shore and spends his days surfing, trying to outrun his demons, I guess.
But the admiral of the base seems to have him on speed dial.
He’s used as a consultant for a lot of intense missions and, as you found out, he’s got some pretty powerful connections as well.
If he says he’s got your back, he’s got your back. ”
“Is it really over?”
“Yeah, babe. It is.”
Elodie closed her eyes and leaned into Scott’s chest. “It seems hard to believe.”
“Believe it. So when are you going to marry me?”
Her eyes popped open. “Seriously?”
“Yeah. I’m thinking a beach wedding. Low-key. Nothing fancy. I don’t do fancy.”
“We’ll talk about it,” she told him, her mind already racing, thinking of ideas for their wedding.
“I love you, Elodie. I promise not to let you down as badly as I did with the Columbus situation ever again.”
“You didn’t let me down,” she protested.
“I did, but it won’t happen again.”
She decided to drop the subject. She’d known deep in her bones that Paul Columbus was going to catch up to her at some point. She’d been the one who’d gotten complacent. Thank God no one had been killed. They’d all been very lucky.
“Do I get to invite Baker to our wedding?” she asked.
“You can invite whoever you want, but don’t get your hopes up that he’ll come. He really is a hermit. I’m surprised he agreed to come here to talk to you today. I think he wanted to make sure you understood that he really does have your back, and that you’re safe.”
“I like him. He’s broody and intense and kinda terrifies me…but I still like him.”
Scott kissed her forehead. “Me too, babe. Me too.”
Elodie didn’t know how it happened, but two weeks later, she was standing on the bow of a yacht Scott had rented, having just said her vows to love and cherish her husband for the rest of her life.
He’d talked her into getting married on the ocean, even though she’d been terrified of getting on a boat again.
The memories had threatened to overwhelm her when she’d stepped onboard, but she’d been so busy with getting dressed, with Kalani fussing over her, and making sure everyone was having a good time, she’d soon forgotten to be scared.
She and Scott said their vows on the top deck as a beautiful sunset bloomed behind them. Everyone was there—well, everyone except Baker. He’d declined but said he was happy for both her and Scott.
Kai and his mother, Perry and Kahoni and their families, Scott’s team, of course, and Scott had even found Manuel and flown him out as well.
She hadn’t seen him since she’d left the Asaka Express.
She wore a replica of the first dress she had on when she’d gone out to dinner with Scott, after they’d accidentally run into each other again.
Scott had gone crazy and bought as many duplicates of the dress as he could find.
Not only that, but he’d bought them in different sizes, saying he wanted her to be able to wear the dress no matter if she gained or lost weight in the future.
It was a beautiful gesture, and she loved him all the more for it.
The dark purple dress with white and hot pink petals was as far from a wedding gown as she could get, but she wouldn’t have wanted to wear anything else.
Scott had on a pair of black board shorts and a Hawaiian shirt that matched her dress almost perfectly.
They both had leis around their necks, as did all the guests.
The mood onboard was jovial and relaxed, and Elodie loved that she was sharing her special day with her new friends.
“Happy?” Scott asked as he hugged her body from behind. Elodie never felt safer than when she was in his arms. Being in the ocean would never be her thing, not anymore, but since she was now married to a man who practically had gills, she’d need to get comfortable being around and on the water.
“Very,” she told him.
They stood there, listening to the party going on behind them and enjoying the view as the sun began to dip below the horizon.
Then Elodie gasped as she saw two dolphins frolicking in the bow waves. “Look!” she told Scott.
“I see them. Did you know dolphins swimming by a boat are a sign of good luck?” he asked.
“When I was out there, a shark started swimming around. I was so scared, but then a pod of dolphins surrounded me, keeping me safe. And toward the end, right before you found me? There were two that stayed right by my side. I could even touch them, they came so close. Do you think they’re the same ones?
” Elodie knew the chance of that was slim to none, but she could dream.
“I don’t know, but dolphins are smart. Many people think they’re even smarter than humans. It wouldn’t surprise me if they’d known exactly what they were doing when they helped you. And that they know you’re here now.”
Elodie sighed in contentment and watched the pair of dolphins playing in the water. Then she turned and looked up at her husband. “I love you.”
“And I love you,” he replied. He leaned down and kissed her long, slow, and deep. It had taken a while for Elodie’s libido to return after her ordeal, but lately she’d been even hornier than she’d been before everything had happened.
“The only bad thing about a reception on a boat is that we can’t sneak out early,” she said between kisses.
Scott smiled against her lips. “Who thought of this idea anyway?” he complained.
“Um…you did.”
And he had. Scott had practically planned their entire wedding himself. She’d been in charge of the menu, but otherwise, he’d done everything else.
“I’ll make up for it when we get to the hotel.”
He’d even rented the honeymoon suite at the Halekulani Resort, complete with a home theater and plunge pool in the bathroom of their suite. It was over the top and totally unnecessary, but Elodie couldn’t wait to experience it.
“I’m gonna hold you to that,” she said with a smile.
“Hey, you guys gonna come and shove cake in each other’s faces so we can eat it yet or what?” Aleck called out from nearby.
Elodie smiled.
“We’re comin’, jeez, keep your pants on,” Scott grumbled.
“That was gonna be my line,” Aleck joked before disappearing.
“Such a fucking smart aleck,” Scott griped, but he smiled as he said it.
She laughed. “I like your team. All of them. I’m glad you guys have each other’s backs.”
“We do,” Scott agreed. “Come on, let’s get this cake thing done, then the first dance, then I’ll bribe the captain to take us back early.”
Elodie knew she should argue, tell her husband that she wanted their guests to be able to stay and party late into the night, but she wanted to be alone with Scott. She couldn’t wait to start the rest of their life together.
“Shit,” Mustang swore again as they waited for their commander to arrive to the emergency meeting he’d called.
“Sorry, man,” Midas told him. “Sucks that you’re still officially on your honeymoon and we get called up for a mission.”
Mustang shrugged. “Par for the course, I suppose. And Elodie and I weren’t doing anything other than hanging out at my place anyway. It’s not like we had a trip planned or anything.”
“Riiiight. Hanging out at your place,” Aleck joked.
“Shut up,” Mustang told him, throwing a pencil at him from across the table.
They were all waiting for their commander to arrive to tell them more about the mission they’d be leaving on the next day. Sometimes they had weeks to plan, other times, in the case of emergencies, they were sent out almost immediately.
Midas leaned back and listened to the team give Mustang crap. The truth of the matter was, they were all thrilled for their team leader. Elodie was amazing. Down-to-earth and funny. She didn’t seem to resent the time her new husband spent with them, and she was a hell of a chef to boot.