Epilogue
brADY
A fter the celebration at the senior center, the buzz about our fake engagement died down quickly. There was no drama to talk about because we were officially a couple. The locals appeared to enjoy our love story and were happy that we were officially together.
But there were a few unresolved issues. We admitted that we loved each other, but we hadn't discussed the matter of our engagement. Hazel still wore her grandmother's ring, and we hadn't discussed what it meant.
I didn't like the uncertainty. As one of my brothers said, You need to lock Hazel down soon.
I had a plan for doing that. One that necessitated Hazel being gone for a few days.
So I waited until she was scheduled to visit a few libraries off the island to share how they could implement a similar after-school program.
Not only was Hazel the children's librarian at the Sanibel Library, but she was also in charge of a new program in the state to start aftercare programs in libraries that had a need. She'd applied for a state grant and received it, provided she was the one who was in charge of the program.
It was an amazing honor, and I was so proud of her. I didn't want to be away from her for a week, but it was perfect timing for what I had planned for her when she returned.
My brothers and I spent the week turning my office into a library, one fit for a librarian who adored books.
The walls were lined with shelves from floor to ceiling, and we'd even added a rolling ladder to complete the look.
There was a desk, a more feminine one than was there before, and comfortable leather furniture for her to lounge on and read on a rainy day.
Once the work was completed, we took a step back to admire the results.
"I can't thank you enough for helping me with this. I couldn't have done it without you," I said to my brothers. Everyone was here except for Marshall and Dalton.
Hudson gripped my shoulder. "It's in our best interest for you to be engaged to Hazel."
My forehead creased. "Why's that?"
"You were miserable before you two figured things out, and I couldn't imagine a lifetime of dealing with your grumpiness," Hudson said.
I shook my head. "I suppose you're right."
He placed his hand on his chest. "Of course I am. As the oldest brother, I'm always right."
"Thank you for the assist. I won't forget it."
"What are your plans? You can't build a woman a library and expect her to fall on her knees for you." Cooper asked.
I raised a brow. "Have you met Hazel? I'm fairly positive the library is all I need."
Hudson just gave me a look. "She'll want to be asked properly."
I chuckled. "Of course I'm going to ask her to marry me.
I never got a chance last time. She had the ring on her finger, and I just announced I was her fiancé.
" The only thing was, she hadn't mentioned the engagement.
Or asked if she should take the ring off.
I liked seeing it on her finger. But it felt incomplete somehow.
I wanted her to be my real life fiancée. "You don't think it's too soon?"
"I've been a little slower with Elena because we're cognizant of her grandmother's health. She moved here to keep an eye on her, and I don't want to push Elena too fast to move in with me. I want to be sure Sofia's okay with it too."
"There's nothing holding us back. I want to make things official."
"We'll support you. No matter what," Hudson said, moving past me.
Shep leaned against the shelf, his arms crossed over his chest. "I can't believe you went to all this work for a woman."
Cooper shook his head. "I think it's nice."
"One day, you'll find someone who's worth all of this and more." I was confident there was someone out there, even for my middle brothers, and I couldn't wait to see them fall for a woman.
"I don't think so. I can't even imagine caring about someone so deeply that I'd build a library for them." Shep's tone wavered slightly.
"You never know what's going to happen. Your life can change in a second," Cooper said, and I assumed he was talking about Dalton. That had certainly been the case for him.
Dalton had bought the beach house we'd toured and moved in.
We were working on getting his bathrooms and kitchen updated in time for the baby's birth.
Next, Mom would throw him the baby shower, and we'd decorate the nursery.
I was proud of how much Dalton had grown up with the news that he was going to be a father.
I clapped my hands together. "I need you guys to get out of here so I can get everything ready for tonight."
Once they were gone, I jumped in the shower to get rid of the residual sawdust. The caterer would be here soon with the food. I didn't want a server interfering on our night together, so I'd only paid for the food and the delivery.
I wore slacks and a button-down, nicer than my usual clothes but not so nice that I'd reveal the surprise when Hazel arrived home.
Downstairs, I threw a white tablecloth over the desk and set it with the nicest dishes I owned. Once the food arrived, I kept it on warming plates in the kitchen.
I lit candles throughout the room to give it ambiance and then waited for Hazel to come home. When her car pulled into the driveway, I met her on the porch.
She threw her arms around my neck. "This is a nice surprise."
"I missed you." I buried my face in the crook of her neck. The nightly talks on the phone were nice, but there was no substitute for her being in my arms.
"I want to take a bath and sleep. In that order."
I raised a brow as she eased away from me. "I ordered food."
She grinned. "Perfect. I'm starved."
"Can I show you something before we eat?" I asked her, suddenly nervous.
I couldn't be sure she wanted to be engaged so soon. We'd only just admitted we were in a relationship. But I enjoyed the fake engagement so much, I wanted the real deal.
I'd already asked Mabel for the ring, and she said it was mine as long as Hazel was happy. I was forever grateful for that woman seeing what we couldn't.
"What did you want to show me?" Hazel asked as I ushered her through the front door.
I paused before we got to the office door. My plan was to let her see the library first and then pop the question. But suddenly, words were stuck in my throat, and my heart was thumping hard. I took a deep breath and pushed the door open.
I kept my gaze on Hazel's face.
Hazel gasped. "What did you do?"
I smiled as she moved farther into the room. "You said your dream was to have a library in your home one day."
"I can't believe you did this." She walked around the perimeter, her hand moving over the smooth wood. "It's gorgeous."
"I ordered books you mentioned that you liked, but there’s plenty of room to get more.”
"I'll spend a lifetime filling it with my favorite books."
"This is my gift to you," I said, putting my arms around her from behind.
"It's perfect." Then she turned in my arms, spotting the set table. "Are we eating in here?"
"I thought we'd recreate our first date."
Hazel grinned, and I knew this was the right thing to do. "As much as I love this, you didn't have to do anything so elaborate. I'm already in love with you."
"Well, my dad always says you shouldn't stop dating your wife. And you should probably take advantage of me being handy."
She waggled her brows. "Oh, I intend to."
"There's just one problem." I stepped back, holding one of her hands and dropping to one knee. "You're not my wife yet."
Her eyes filled with tears.
"I know we haven't discussed what we want, or at least not since our circumstances changed from fake to real. But I couldn't go one more day without asking you to be my wife. I want you by my side, living in this house, forever."
Max nuzzled our joined hands, and I took that to mean that he approved. "So what do you say? Will you marry me?"
She nodded through the tears. "Yes. I will."
She already wore the ring, so I stood and pulled her into my arms.
"I can't believe you planned all of this while I was gone." Her voice was muffled by my chest.
"I had my brothers help. I can see us living here for the rest of our lives, raising our kids, reading books to them in these chairs, and exploring the island with them."
"It sounds perfect."
"There's one more thing I wanted to show you." I led her to the table where there was a document in front of her place setting.
"What's this?"
"It's your paycheck for the work you did on the show."
Her eyes widened when she saw the zeroes. "This is too much."
"There's something underneath."
She lifted the check to find the deed to the house.
"Dalton and I owned the house together. I bought him out so he could purchase his new place. But I didn't want to own it by myself. All you have to do is sign here, and it's ours." I pointed to the dotted line above her printed name.
Her gaze lifted to meet mine. "But I didn't pay anything for it."
"You can pay a dollar to satisfy the contract requirements, but you're a rich woman now. You can pay me for half the house, but since we're engaged, I'd rather you save it for something else." I wasn't sure what yet, but maybe we'd travel or invest in our future.
"This is too much," Hazel said, her eyes brimming with tears again.
"Is it though? You earned that money, and I want you to live here with me." I dropped my forehead to hers. "I can't believe I was afraid to ask for what I wanted for so many years."
She turned in my arms. "No more regrets. It worked out exactly how it was supposed to."
"Now you sound like Mabel," I said, gazing down at the woman who'd be mine forever.
She grinned. "She is wise."
"I'm a little scared of her and her friend group. If she wants us to have grandkids, will she meddle with that too?"
Hazel laughed. "I'd bet on it."
"Maybe they'll set their sights on a different couple," I wondered.
Hazel played with the hair on the back of my neck. "Yeah, maybe. But I don't want to think about anyone else tonight."
"You want that bath?" I asked her, wanting to show her how I felt.
"Yes, please."
I lifted her so that her legs wrapped around my waist, and she kissed me. I maneuvered us through the house until I set her down in front of the bathtub. This house and everything in it was now ours.
I carefully removed her clothes and helped her into the tub. She eased back and closed her eyes.
"Don't get too comfortable. I'm joining you." I quickly shucked off my clothes.
She smiled without opening her eyes. "I can't believe I got so lucky to have this amazing beach house, the library, Max?—"
I waited with my foot poised to go into the tub. "And?"
She opened her eyes. "And you of course. I have everything I've ever wanted."
I slid into the water and eased behind her so that she could rest on my chest, her legs between mine. "I was worried there for a minute."
"If I've learned anything these last few weeks, it's that I shouldn't make any assumptions."
I nibbled on her ear, caressed her breasts, and tweaked her nipples. "I love you, now and forever."
Her head fell back on my shoulder. "I love the sound of that."
"I want to make you come with my hands, and then on my cock."
"Never stop talking dirty to me."
"They're just promises I intend to keep." I'd love her forever and always, always remember to cherish her. Like my father said, I'd never stop dating my fiancé, and then my wife.
I hope you enjoyed Hazel and Brady’s story!
Ivy and Cooper’s romance is next in Summer Nights .
To earn my place in the Kingston family business, I have to work with the island’s most sought after realtor.
She'ssmart, stunning, and impossible to charm. But when our chemistry ignites, one taste turns into an obsession. The first time was a mistake. The second? Madness. The third? Dangerous. Because no one’s ever tamed Ivy—and now she’s carrying a secret that could ruin everything…
or give us the one thing neither of us saw coming.