Epilogue
Perry
One Year Later…
"Llamas shouldn't have access to public beaches." I stand with my arms crossed, head cocked, wondering where I went wrong. King's poor excuse for a pet chomps on the sandwiches Fran specially made for this occasion.
"True," Lola says slowly as she approaches the oblivious animal from the side. "But if Prince Harry wasn't here to cause a bit of havoc every once in a while, it just wouldn't feel like Willow Cove."
I grumble a complaint under my breath as I shoo the beast away from our blanket. King rushes up to us, breathless and red-faced. "There you are! I've been looking all over for you." He reaches out and grabs Prince Harry's leash, then runs a hand over his back. Once he sees my scowl paired with the turned over picnic basket, complete with half-demolished food, King winces. "Uh…sorry about that. Were you guys…?"
"Having our anniversary date," Lola says, grinning as if her dinner didn't just get devoured by an ornery llama.
"Man, I'm sorry," King says to me. "I'll get him out of here."
"Thanks," I mutter, bending to pick up the mess.
"Hey," Lola grabs my hand as King and Prince Harry head down the beach away from us. "At least he didn't eat the cookies. Silver lining, right?"
My lips twitch at her perpetual good mood. I used to wonder if I would get tired of the way she always sees the best in things, but even after a year together, I'm still amazed at her positivity. "Right."
"Come on." She pulls on my hand and gets to her feet, urging me to do the same. "Why don't we save dessert for later and skip right to dancing?"
"Who says we're dancing?" Even as I ask the question, I tug her up against me, loving the way she feels in my arms.
"Wasn't this supposed to be like a…I don't know…a repeat of our first date?"
Slowly, I bend down and run my nose along her cheek. "Was it?"
She hums a laugh, shivering under my touch. "Well, now I'm not so sure. I don't think we did this that night."
Smiling against her skin, I place a kiss just below her jaw, then at her pulse point. "Definitely not." I continue to brush my lips down her neck and sink into the feel of her hands tightening on my shoulders. "What about this? Did we…" I trail off as I cradle her head in my hand and skim my mouth along her collarbone. "I'm sorry, you'll have to refresh my memory."
She pushes against my chest and raises an eyebrow. "You know very well we didn't ."
I laugh and capture her lips in a warm kiss that encapsulates our fast and fiery love story. Some people might've thought we were crazy, going all in so soon after we started dating, but those that really cared about us knew how deeply we loved each other.
And still do.
When I ease back, I tuck a piece of pink hair behind Lola's ear. "You're still just as breathtaking as you were the first time I saw you on this beach."
Her swollen lips quirk into a smile. "And I still remember you taking off your shirt to give me show."
A laugh rumbles in my chest. "How could I forget."
Her eyes drop to my shirt before locking with mine. "So…how about a repeat?"
I run my hands over her shoulders, then down her arms, linking our fingers together. "Don't you get enough of that at home?"
She purses her lips and shakes her head. "Nope, never. I prefer you shirtless, always."
Just as I'm about to oblige my lovely wife, music begins to play behind me. I almost groan aloud but think better of it. That guy has the worst possible timing.
"You hired Stanley again?" The sheer delight in Lola's voice quickly replaces my irritation.
"Of course. Had to take the internet's advice on that one."
Lola's glassy eyes move from Stanley to me. "Perry, I'm touched. This is perfect."
"Really?" I ask, brows pinched. "And to think, all it took was hiring the same sub-par troubadour."
She nods, chin wobbly, and I tuck her close. Burying her face in my chest, she clings to me. I rest my cheek on the top of her head and slowly sway her to the slightly off-key melody. I can't help but think of all that's transpired since the first time I brought her here.
Not only did she manage to get the museum to take on the Prater's shipwreck project, but she was also offered Hal's old position, which she took until the excavation was completed. Neither one of us quite knew what would happen with our relationship after that. The only thing we were sure of was that this wasn't some flash-in-the-pan romance. It was real and passionate and everything we both wanted.
So when she left to head back to Rhode Island, we decided to try long distance.
Yeah, that lasted two weeks.
The first time I flew to see her, meet her parents, and spend the weekend with her, she quit her job. It wasn't all sunshine and rainbows after that, especially not with me feeling guilty about taking her away from all she'd worked hard for, but we've learned to lean on each other during the tough stuff. She accepted a position at a local high school, teaching maritime archeology as an elective, while I've been furiously trying to make our other dream a reality.
And three months ago, surrounded by our friends and family, we got married. Right on this beach.
Now we're about to take another big step as a couple.
I clear my throat to ward off the lingering nerves. "There's something I need to tell you, Lo."
Stiffening a bit in my arms, she looks up at me. "What is it?" Her brows cinch tight. "Wait, is it about Bertie? Did the vet say something else about her condition today? Something you're afraid to tell me?"
I rub my hands down her arms to calm her. "No, it's not about Bertie." I smile. "In fact, the vet gave her a clean bill of health this afternoon. You know I'd tell you if something came back abnormal."
She nods as if she believes me, then searches my face. "Then what is it?"
I take a deep breath. Release it slowly. "Ford's Beach Glass has a permanent location."
Lola's eyes grow wide. "What? Are you saying…?" She squeals a laugh, jumping up and down, then launches herself into my arms. "You got a storefront!"
I squeeze her before setting her on her feet. "I did." Reaching into my back pocket, I pull out a key and dangle it between us. "A prime location too. Right next to the surf shop."
"Really?" She snatches up the key and inspects it. "Can we go see it?"
"Right now?"
She nods, eyes bright and shining. "Please?"
I grab her hand, excitement rippling through me. "Stanley?" I call over my shoulder as we hurry toward the boardwalk. "You're dismissed."
"Wait!" he yells back. "Does this mean I still get the full hundred?"
Waving him off, we take off running together. Lola's giggles spur me on as I try to keep up with her. Once our feet hit the wooden slats of the boardwalk, we slow our pace, and I tuck her into my side. Strings of lights twinkle in the dusky evening as we reach our destination.
"This place used to be—"
"The old antique store," she finishes for me. "I remember." Before I can explain that the place still needs quite a bit of work before I'll be able to open the shop, Lola fits the key into the lock and pushes inside.
"Wait," I say, following behind her. She stops in the middle of the dusty space and does a full turn. For once, she's completely silent, not giving me any hint to what she's thinking.
"Don't write it off just yet, okay?" I say, running a hand through my hair. "I know it needs work, but…" I glance at the bare walls in desperate need of some new drywall and paint. "I think I could make it work."
Lola stalks over to me, expression blank. "Close your eyes."
"Huh?"
One eyebrow lifts in challenge. "I said, close your eyes."
I do as she says and sense her stepping behind me. When she leans in close, her breath whispering over the shell of my ear, I suppress a shiver.
"I want you to envision this room with exposed brick walls and floating shelves full of your glass creations lining them." There's a hint of a smile in her voice, and I fight to keep my own at bay. "Now, imagine some center displays full of glass vases and candleholders…"
One of her hands skates up my arm, onto my shoulder. "Picture a counter over on the left wall, me standing behind the register."
I pop one eye open. "You?"
Her cheeks turn rosy, and she shrugs one shoulder. "I mean…I always thought that once you opened your own shop, you'd let me run it." Vulnerability shimmers in her eyes, even in the dim room. "If you really don't want me to, I understand, it's just—"
"I want you to."
A whisper of a smile lifts her lips. "You do?"
Taking her in my arms, I nuzzle her neck. "I want you to run my shop, my home, my life…"
She laughs, light and airy. "Oh, Captain. How easily you've relinquished control to a pink-haired pixie!"
I grip her hips and continue what I started on the beach. I drag my lips across her neck, her shoulders, her chest. "It's easy to do," I rasp. "You already own everything anyway, Lola. My heart, my body, my soul. It's all yours and has been ever since the first day I saw you."
She melts into me at my confession, and I waste no time showing her what she means to me. With my lips, I worship her skin. With my body, I promise to protect and love her forever. And with my words, I whisper all the ways I'm going to continue to let her ruin me from this day forward.