Epilogue
EASTON
MIDDLEBURG, VIRGINIA - THREE WEEKS LATER
I guide Gwen the last few steps, my hands resting lightly on her shoulders as gravel crunches under our shoes.
“Don’t laugh if I trip,” she warns. “I feel like I’m about to go off a cliff.”
I bark out a low, husky laugh. “I would dive after you, don’t worry.”
“Oh, I know,” she murmurs.
“But no cliffs. Promise.”
Wind lifts strands of her blonde hair, and she tilts her head as if trying to map the world through sound alone.
“Okay, we’re not in city territory, that’s for sure.”
“Nope, but it’s not too bad of a drive.”
“I remember, seeing as though you’ve had me blindfolded since we left the hotel,” she says with a chuckle. “It was kind of fun to go down on you while you—”
“Gwen,” I cut her off before I have a heart attack. I twist around to see how much distance is between us and her father. Wyatt’s hanging back where I signaled him to stay. Thank you, God.
I stop walking to stand in front of her. For a second, I just stare at her—blindfolded and in my favorite flight jacket.
My fingers slide behind her head, loosening the knot, and I pull the blindfold free.
She blinks hard against the sunlight, lashes fluttering as her eyes adjust. Then she goes completely still.
In front of us, rolling green hills stretch out toward the Blue Ridge, the late-day sun turning the grass to liquid gold. A long gravel drive winds down toward a stand of old trees, and beyond that, there’s an open pasture that falls away for what feels like forever.
Her hand finds mine without looking. “Easton . . .”
“The Sapphire is great and all,” I begin, nervous as fuck, “but I was hoping we could have a place that’s just ours, too.” I swallow. “All sixty acres.”
She takes in the full sweep of the land, from the high ground where we stand, to the lower fields beyond as the trees form natural borders.
“Dad’s here?” She uses her hand like a visor, squinting his direction where he’s standing against the side of his truck.
“He helped me scope out the place. Among many.” I grin, waiting for realization to dawn on her. “This was our fifth and final stop on our mission to find the safest location for us to make a home.”
“That was the op the four of you went on?” Her mouth drops open as her hand falls to her side. “You were on a rooftop to—”
“To ensure even the world’s best snipers didn’t have any line of sight to our property from the nearest homes,” I finish, smirking. “We also had to check into the backgrounds of any neighbors within five miles of us, and I had to get a lay of the land by flying over it. This was the best choice.”
She fists my shirt.
“Love the idea or hate it?”
“I love it. Under one condition.” A sexy smile slips across her lips as she unhands me and steps back. “We build a hangar here. I want you to have a helo or plane to take me up in.”
“I, uh . . .” I clear my throat. “I kind of emptied my savings on this property and the down payment on building a house.” I lift a shoulder. “A bird can wait, don’t worry.”
“Or . . . hear me out.” She waggles her brows a few times. “We tap into that trust fund I never use and you let me buy you a plane.”
“Buy me a plane?” I choke on the words.
“Come on.” She rests the back of her hand on my cheek. “You may be old school and traditional—which I do adore—but you’re still in love with a modern girly.” She tucks the edge of her lower lip between her teeth and shrugs. “Boss babes buy their men planes.”
“Oh do they?” I laugh and capture her wrist to draw her against me.
“They do.”
“Well, maybe one day, I’ll—”
“Fine, I’ll buy myself a plane and seduce you into piloting it for me. I can be very convincing when I want to be.”
“As long as you don’t take off your clothes while we’re in the cockpit so I don’t crash us . . . you’ll get your way. I can’t say no to you.”
She drapes her arms over my shoulders. “Unless it’s about my safety.”
“Of course.” I cover her mouth with mine, my heart racing for what I have planned next. When I finally let her go, I shoot a quick look at her dad patiently waiting for us, then dig into my pocket.
“My stickers!” She’s beaming. “Finally.
I fix the stack, ensuring none of the stickers are out of order, then open her hand and place them in her palm. “Got a few more than two.”
“And this is a Monday gift. You know me so well.” She kisses me before she begins to read them off, and I do my best to remain as cool as possible and not lose it.
“Troublemaker with five stars.” She grins.
“I better get five stars.” She laughs, then goes to the next.
“Handle with caution. Facts. I void warranties.” She meets my eyes for a second. “I speak fluent sarcasm and code.”
“Also true,” I whisper.
“A sticker of a hedgehog?” Her smile meets her eyes. So damn beautiful.
“Had that custom made.”
She gives me her signature happy-pout I love so much.
And here we go. I reach into my pocket in preparation.
“And last but not least,” she says while flipping to the final one. “Will you . . .” Her words trail off. “. . . marry me?”
I drop to one knee, removing the box from my pocket, and the stickers slip from her hands onto the grass as she covers her mouth with both hands.
She sinks down in front of me, not caring about staining her jeans. Thankfully, the snow cleared out last week. I was waiting for a warmer, sunny day, and it finally came.
“Corny, I know.” I let go of a shaky exhalation as I flip open the ring box. “Any chance you want to spend the rest of your life with me as my wife?”
Tears fall as she remains quietly staring at me.
“I know it’s soon, but it’s also not. We’ve known each other for a long time,” I rush out, nervously filling the silence. “But—”
“Yes, yes, yes,” she cries, dropping her hands from her mouth. “I want to be your wife. For you to be my husband. Like, today if possible.”
My heart explodes, probably bruising my ribs.
She leans in and presses her glossy lips all over my face. Cheeks, forehead, then finally, my mouth.
I take over at that point, running my free hand into her hair to make out with my future wife, not giving a damn her father can see us.
“I take it she said yes?” Thankfully, he gave us a few minutes to kiss before he snuck up on us. Damn Navy SEALs.
Gwen pulls back, swiping tears from her cheeks. “Hi, Daddy.”
“Hi, baby—” He cuts himself off. “Hey, sweet—”
I shake my head, letting him know that word is mine now, too.
He smirks. “Hi, daughter,” he finally says as a low rumble breaks from his chest.
She sniffles and looks back at me so I can slip the princess-cut diamond onto her ring finger. “I’m getting married,” she cries.
“No eloping.” He stabs a finger at us in warning. “You hear me?”
I nod and let a quick, “Roger that,” fall from my lips before I help Gwen pick up the stickers and stand.
Wyatt pulls her in for a hug and she promises, “Don’t worry, there’s nothing I want more than for you to walk me down the aisle to the man I love.”
He rests his chin at the top of her head, holding her as his eyes flash to mine. They’re watering, and—shit, he’s going to make me cry. I was already on the verge of it anyway, but damn.
“Now, about a plane.” I swap the stickers for something else I had hidden in my pocket.
Gwen leaves her dad’s hug so I can place the fighter jet charm I had custom made in her palm. “This is the only kind of plane I can afford, and now you can carry a little of me with you wherever you go.” I close her fingers around the jet.
Her gaze wanders up to my eyes, and a knowing smile cuts across her lips. “There’s a tracker in here, isn’t there?”
I exchange a quick look with Wyatt before peering at her, a shit-eating grin I can’t hide flying across my face. “No idea what you’re talking about.”