Epilogue
EPILOGUE
Just shy of a year later-
"Babe?"
Vince looked up from the car to the balcony of their apartment. "Yeah?"
"Do you really need to put the bags in the car tonight?"
He shook his head. "But I do need to take the stuff out of the car so we can put the bags in tomorrow. I'll be up in a few minutes."
She leaned over the balcony, and he caught a glimpse of what she was wearing.
"Is that my shirt?"
Cora plucked at the fabric with her fingertips. "This old thing?"
He shook his head when he could read NAVY printed in big block letters across her chest. "Yes! That old... that's my shirt."
"I like it. And my clothes that I'm taking are in the wash."
He shook his head. "Honey, you've got more of your own clothes."
"But I like your clothes better."
"Well, what am I going to wear if you're wearing my clothes?"
Leaning over the balcony, she gave him a mischievous look and 'whispered' down to him. "Then come and take it back, boyfriend."
She disappeared out of sight, and he heard the sliding glass door click closed.
Shaking his head, he decided that he'd just have to wait to clean out the trunk in the morning. He closed the back and grinned to himself.
"Well, girlfriend." he chuckled to himself, "I'm going to have to go and get my clothes back."
Locking the car with the key fob, he darted inside the building and pocketed his key chain.
He had plans for his 'girlfriend' while they were in Hawaii for the next week.
Plans that included the ring that he'd packed into his carry-on bag.
He'd already called Cameron to let him know.
Not to ask him, he wasn't going to chance that her brother would say no since he was the closest thing she had to a dad in the world.
He'd also mentioned his plans to Kawehi and Maile who were planning on getting her all dressed up for the romantic dinner he'd booked at La Mer in Waikiki. Kawehi had sent him pictures from her anniversary dinner with Pallas and he agreed it looked like the most amazing view of Waikiki and Diamond Head that he'd ever seen. The prices were... extraordinary, but he was only planning to propose once, and Cora deserved the best.
When the door to their apartment opened, Cora could barely hide her smile.
She knew that she was playing with fire wearing his Navy shirt.
Of course, she could have left it alone, but she was hoping that he'd leave it at home in Chicago.
He'd mentioned wearing it in Hawaii and she was determined that he wasn't going to.
After all, her brother had cooled it with the Navy jokes for the last few months, but she could tell that Cameron was on the verge of letting loose with a tirade about that branch of the military. He'd been holding back on the phone when they'd talked over the last few weeks.
Well, not exactly the phone, but FaceTime.
She'd seen him more in the last year than she had in the few years before, given that he always seemed to be there when she chatted with Maile over the video connection.
He hadn't exactly said so, but she had the feeling that he and Maile were... closer lately.
How much closer, she didn't know.
Smiling to herself, she wondered if Cameron even knew what was going on.
Cora yelped when two strong arms wrapped around her body and lifted her up from the floor.
"Vince! Babe! Put me down!"
As much as she struggled, she couldn't get Vince to let her go until he'd all but tossed her onto their bed.
"Vince!"
"What?" He laughed as he grabbed for the hem of his shirt.
"Hey," she grabbed the hem too and tried to push it down. "Hands off."
"Really, honey?"
He let go of the soft cotton fabric and she fell back against the covers.
"Hey!" She gave him a pointed look. "Some warning would be nice."
Vince shrugged. "You said to get my hands off."
She grinned at him, color rising in her cheeks. "True."
"So, I listened." He shrugged. "I'm trying to be a good guy here."
"Good?" She laughed and scrambled to get up on her knees in the center of the bed. "You're the best!"
Yeah, he liked hearing that.
She could see it in his smile and the spark in his eyes.
"I thought you liked it when I wore your clothes." She tried to sound innocent, but she could tell it didn't work.
"I like you in my clothes, but, honey, you know I was planning on taking that with me. And I won't have time to wash it now."
"Well," she lifted the hem of the shirt a scant inch, "I know you were planning to bring it just to stick it to Cam."
He shrugged. "Can you blame me?"
He cast a look over his shoulder to the oversized stuffed bulldog in the corner of their bedroom with the neon pink MARINE t-shirt on it. "Well, your brother sent us that stuffed abomination over there."
"What?" She laughed, "Chesty?" Cora lifted the hem a few more inches. "He's adorable!"
"It's the Marine mascot, honey. Do you have any idea how obnoxious that is?"
Cora lifted the hem of the shirt up and over her head. When it was completely off, she threw it at Vince and hit him square in the chest.
He didn't seem to notice.
His gaze was fixed on her almost bare chest.
She'd found a lace demi-cup bra that she'd intended to pack for the trip, but on a whim, she'd put it on. Getting ready to head back to Hawaii had gotten her thinking about their first time in the state together.
And the day when they'd burned like lobsters.
"I've got aftersun lotion pre-ordered in my Instacart," she joked with him, "but I think we should get in some practice before we get there."
"Practice, honey?"
She shrugged. "Training if you want to call it that."
"Training to burn?"
She rolled her eyes at him. "Practice putting on lotion," she suggested, "because practice makes perfect."
Vince got onto his knees at the edge of the bed and moved a little closer. "We've had plenty of practice getting our hands on each other, baby."
His voice was deeper, his eyes darker, and when he moved, lunging at her, he took her down onto the mattress and she loved it.
"I want to get my hands on you, too." She smiled up at him and saw the way that his humor had melted away and the heat that was looking back at her took her breath away. She reached out and slipped her hands under his shirt, trailing her nails along his abs and around to his ribs.
Vince hissed in a breath, and she smile at him.
"It's crazy how much I love you."
A corner of his mouth tipped up. "No, it's not, sweetheart."
She lifted her brows at that. "Why?"
"Because I love you, Cora. Every day I can't believe how much and then the next day comes and I love you even more."
He leaned in and kissed her, and she wrapped her legs around his waist as her hands moved under his shirt to his back.
Vince moved a hand under her and lifted her up so that she fit up against his body.
He had her breathless in moments and when they finally managed to get to sleep, they were wrapped up in each other's arms.
Cora dreamed of wonderful things that night, anticipating the next day and their two tickets to paradise.