Epilogue
Cian
I rolled over, my hand searching for Skylar, only to find the bed empty.
With a groan, I opened my eyes. It was barely light outside, and she was up—again.
I knew where she was, though. I stood, dragging the cotton sheet with me, and trudged out to the patio.
In the dim light, I could see her, a small figure sitting on the beach, her legs drawn up to her chest, chin resting on her knees as she waited for her favorite moment of the day.
The sand was cool on my feet as I walked over, then lowered myself behind her, wrapping her in the sheet and my arms, drawing her close. She didn’t say a word, her sigh of happiness letting me know how she felt about my joining her.
As the sun rose, the light throwing brilliant shimmers over the water, Skylar stared transfixed, her head resting on my chest. I nuzzled her hair, smiling as she lifted her hands to the light, palms outstretched as she welcomed the new day.
It was the same every morning. She felt our life was a gift and we should live every moment of it.
She was there on this small stretch of beach each morning, greeting the day, and she walked the water’s edge each evening as the sun slowly sank out of view.
More often than not, I was with her. She captured those moments in many of her watercolors, the hues brilliant and shining, the way she felt about her life now.
I saved every single one, planning on framing and hanging them once we settled into our new life.
I lifted her hand, kissing the knuckles as I ran my finger over the band she wore—the one that matched mine.
We’d been married for three months, exchanging our vows in a simple ceremony with Sean and Julia standing up for us.
I swore to love her forever and promised she would never be alone and without a home again.
She replied I was her home and my love had saved her.
I personally felt she had saved me.
Our life now was far different from when we met. Neither of us pretended anything anymore.
I was Cian—finally just Cian again. Anthony was now only a ghost of my past—I was living a life of peace.
She was my Skylar. She was sweet and loving, with no need for the false bravado she projected so vehemently when I first encountered her, cursing and scared in the warehouse.
She still cheated at cards and board games and back-talked me every chance she got—and I wouldn’t change it, or her, for the world.
I still grinned when she called me fuckwit.
It usually happened during one of our arguments or when I was teasing her too much.
It often was a prelude to make-up sex or a hot make-out session on the beach, so it was all good with me.
The sun bathed us in its glow, the warmth getting stronger.
“What do you want to do today, Kitten? Go into town? Take a boat ride?” I lowered my mouth to her neck, slowly swirling my tongue on her soft skin. “Go back to bed?” I murmured hopefully.
“Hmmm,” was her only response.
Encouraged, I dragged my lips to her ear, tugging on the lobe. “We could play a little game, and later, I’ll make you breakfast.”
“A game?” She whimpered as I kissed the sensitive spot behind her ear.
“One of my favorite games,” I whispered. “The bronco game.”
“Bronco game?”
“Yeah. You sit on my cock, and I’ll try to buck you off. You can even cheat and hold on.”
She started to giggle, her shoulders shaking. I grinned against her cheek. “I’ll let you ride me—hard. Keep the game even.”
She jumped up, laughing. “I bet you would, fuckwit.”
“Skylar…” I growled in warning.
And she was off.
“You want it, come get it!” she shouted over her shoulder, heading for the water.
I scrambled to my feet—the game was so on.
T he water was warm, the sun warmer on my back as I thrust into her, the waves rolling around us as we sank into the wet sand. Skylar gripped my shoulders, arching into me as she groaned my name. I buried my face into her neck as I rocked into her, lost in the intensity of the moment.
Bucking Bronco had become another game entirely.
A far wetter, sandier one. I had chased her around the beach, knowing full well she wanted to be caught.
She squealed and laughed as I grabbed her around the waist, falling into the water and kissing her until we were both breathless.
Moments later, my boxers and her clothing were being tossed around in the waves and she was trapped underneath me, our wet bodies sliding together—both of us wanting and ready.
The feeling of her warmth and the sounds of her pleasure drove me toward my release—fast.
I could never have her enough. Countless dishes had been broken from being swept to the side in the kitchen, towel bars had to be rehung, doors reinstalled—we’d left a trail of destruction since coming here to this small piece of paradise.
Both Sean and Julia insisted they’d seen my bare ass so often, they could pick it out in a lineup.
I informed them to stop dropping by unannounced and stick to their side of the beach.
Skylar simply giggled and told them it was a great ass and she hated to see it covered up.
She hung a bell by the edge of the beach and told them to ring it before they came too close, but the breeze that flowed around the island moved it so often I was constantly yanking up my pants, so I tore it down and decided they could yell instead.
Hovering over Skylar, I kissed her, gathering her into my arms as I slid us both back into the warm water of the ocean, letting it wash away the sand and the remnants of our passionate coupling.
She wrapped her arms around my neck, her head resting on my shoulder as the water swirled about us. “You owe me breakfast.”
I chuckled. “I do.”
“I want pancakes.”
“Good thing since it’s one of the few things I can make.”
“Then we need to go into town.”
“ Need , Kitten? What’s up? You out of backgammon checkers? You’ve been eating them like…well, like candy.”
She giggled. “They are candy, Cian.”
I laughed with her. We had a real backgammon board and pieces now, but Skylar still liked using jujubes—besides the fact that she loved eating them, they made it easier for her to cheat.
“So, a candy run—is that what’s on for today?”
“I need a few other things.”
I nipped her lobe, tugging on the soft flesh. “You’re being very mysterious. You got some big plan, MacGyver? Busting someone out of the local jail? Blowing up a bank?”
She leaned back, her expression now nervous. “No.”
I kissed the end of her nose. “I’m teasing, Skylar. Whatever you want to go in for is fine.”
“I need to go to the drugstore.”
“Okay.”
“I have a theory about something, and I need to test it out.”
“So we’re going into town for a test?”
“Yes,” she whispered.
Something about her expression made me pull her a little closer. “What kind of theory are you testing, Skylar?”
“That you made me pregnant.”
My eyes widened, and I tightened my grasp on her even more. “ Kitten… pregnant? Like with a baby?”
She grinned. “Very good, fuckwit. Yes. Pregnant with a baby.” She ran her fingers through my wet hair. “Your baby,” she added tenderly.
“Our baby,” I whispered against her mouth, my heart racing with joy over the news.
“Ours.”
I buried my face into her neck, letting her words sink in.
A baby.
“I’m going to be a daddy.”
“Yes, I think you are.”
“We’ll be our own family. Us. You, me and the baby.”
She nodded, her eyes bright in the sun.
My mind raced. If she was pregnant, we needed to decide our future. We couldn’t stay here forever. She required a doctor and to be monitored. Babies needed a lot of things. We needed a house. A plan. We needed to make the decisions we’d been putting off for far too long.
It was time to move forward again.
I swept her into my arms, heading toward the shore. “We need to go into town. Then after you prove your theory, we need to talk to Sean.”
S ean grinned, clapping me on the shoulder as Julia hugged Skylar, exclaiming her delight. I smiled proudly.
“I guess you’re gonna be a grandpa, Sean. At least an honorary one.”
He chuckled. “I’d be honored to step in for my brother. It’s the closest I’ll get to being one.”
Skylar smiled. “He’ll be lucky to have you, Sean. Both of you.”
I wrapped my arm around Skylar. “We need to make some decisions.”
“You’re right. We need to move on soon. Pick a place and settle permanently.” He looked toward Skylar. “Especially now.”
I hummed in agreement. “Any ideas where?”
“I did a lot of research.” He pushed his phone toward me. “I saw this place in Canada on the east coast. Pretty. Small. On the water. Out of the way.”
Skylar looked at the pictures. “I visited Nova Scotia in my teens. Beautiful. Cold winters, but if you prepare, a great place to hide in the open.” Her hand drifted to her stomach. “A great place to bring up a family.”
I slipped an arm around her shoulders. “Let’s make a plan.”
Six years later
I pulled up the long driveway, getting out of the truck. I drew in deep lungfuls of air, the salty tang of the ocean breeze filling my senses. In all the years we’d been here, I never got tired of the heady scent. The snow and cold wore on my nerves, but the rest of the year made up for it.
We had left Mexico not long after we made our decision.
Using the contacts Sean had, we had new identities waiting for us, and we safely arrived in our new home.
Not even Frank knew where we were. He didn’t even know we’d planned on disappearing until after it happened.
It was better that way—safer for everyone.
We became Cian and Skylar Mackenzie, since her name was never mentioned in any report. She was thrilled, and I was proud to carry her name. Sean did the same, taking Julia’s name, and the small town of Ocean Edge welcomed the Mackenzies and Joneses warmly.
And seven months later, we enthusiastically welcomed our son, Colton Sean Mackenzie, into the world.