Epilogue
EPILOGUE
CHARLIE
FOUR MONTHS LATER
It was demo day. In the best possible way.
After Sebastian had sold Radcliffe House to me for a whopping one dollar, he immediately got to work as promised. The roof and missing walls were rebuilt. The old wiring was replaced. And the restored plumbing and hot water heater now generated an abundance of luxuriously heated water. But there was still a long way to go before our house would be ready.
Yes, the house was ours. A decision that had never changed from the moment I proposed it. Of course, it would still be a while before we could officially move in. For now, Sebastian and I had rented a small home in New Elwood. And when we weren’t getting tangled up with one another in our bed sheets, we were working our respective jobs.
Being New Elwood’s heritage preservation officer had never been more satisfying. Not only had I started a historic preservation program in our local public school district, but I was also contributing to the establishment of the new museum at The Monticello Historic Hotel.
Construction of the old theater on Main Street had been underway for months. And Sebastian very much enjoyed being in charge of it all as the new owner and founder of the hotel. He was the ultimate businessman, so he’d kept his real estate business up and running, which meant sometimes we split our time between New Elwood and his high-rise apartment in Arlington—where we had lots of opportunities to explore Washington DC’s history. It was the best of both worlds.
Yes, Sebastian and I seemed to be breaking new ground everywhere.
“Would you like to do the honors, Charlie?” Sebastian asked, handing me a sledgehammer. His green eyes were covered in a pair of safety glasses, but I could still make out the lines that cracked around his lashes when he smiled.
“Why, thank you,” I said, pecking a little kiss on his lips and brushing my fingers over his knuckles as I retrieved the demo tool.
We were standing in what was once his bedroom and would soon be our bedroom after we knocked out the wall. But it wasn’t just us embarking on repairs; we’d enlisted the help of a few friends.
“C’mon, Charlie, what are you waiting for?” Abigail called out, anxiously awaiting her turn.
Rex stood next to her, arms folded, and flicked his brow. “Cool your heels, Abigail.”
I huffed a laugh and looked back at Sophie and Minnie, who stood about as far away from the wall as they could get, offering their support with their thumbs up. Then my eyes met Sebastian’s again, and I couldn’t help but blush at the man who loved me so much that he’d do anything for me. Even make sure I got my dream home where my fondest memories had lived. And where we would create many, many more. Sebastian nodded his chin, encouraging me to have at it.
My mom always said that in order to make an omelet, you had to break a few eggs. Through the course of the renovations on the house, her voice had resonated in my mind more than once. As I held the sledgehammer, I could almost feel her smiling over my shoulder.
Time to break some eggs, Mom .
I planted my feet, gripped my hands around the handle, held my breath, and swung at the wall. The hammer smashed with a booming thud, and drywall shards and dust flew from the laceration. Laughing, I turned to see Sebastian grinning at me, brows arched in appreciation.
“Not bad for a first try,” he told me.
“My turn!” Abigail quickly snatched the sledgehammer out of my grip, practically skipping up to the wall. We all backed away and my shoulders tensed as she swung the tool back, then proceeded to hack away at it.
Bam. Bam. BAM!
Abigail was relentless, and it wasn’t long before we could see through to the other side. She didn’t stop, seeming lost in the flow of the demolition while we all stood around, watching. Then there was a crack above our heads, and we all looked up. The group spread out to the edges of the room.
“Uh, Abigail…”
Another whack of the sledgehammer.
“Abigail!” My voice was harsh, and Sebastian joined in.
But it was too late. She swung back once more?—
And a part of the ceiling split open and a chunk of plywood crashed to the floor. Abigail jumped at the thud and ceased her contracting duty. Her eyes were wide behind her safety glasses, her hard hat askew as she took in the ceiling now located at her feet.
“Um,” she said, lifting her eyes to mine. “Oops?”
“Everyone okay?” Sebastian asked, and my shoulders dropped in relief at the chorus of yeses.
“Holy crap,” I said, gingerly walking closer. When the dust cleared, I saw straight up to my beloved mansard roof. Just like I had the night I fell from that same spot onto Sebastian’s bed.
He placed his hand on my shoulder, and we shared a stunned look for a beat before both of our faces split into big grins with even bigger chuckles. “Okay, we’re definitely keeping the hole,” he said, sending us into a side-stitching fit of laughter that was so infectious, everyone else joined in.
When we finally caught our breath, Rex stepped up and took the sledgehammer from Abigail. “I think I’ll take it from here.”
“And I think I’ll wait outside,” Sophie said. Minnie agreed with a twisted-lip look, and the two scurried out of there.
“Maybe we should do the same,” Sebastian said, taking my work-gloved hand in his.
“Good idea. Abigail, you coming?”
Abigail crossed her arms, keeping her eyes on the job at hand. “I’ll stay and supervise.”
I looked at Sebastian, whose eyes were full of laughter. He led me out to the stairway, and I followed him down to the first floor. “Let’s sneak off for a moment to ourselves.”
I knew what that meant. My whole body flushed with excitement. The man couldn’t get enough of me, and hell, I couldn’t get enough of him either. “Sebastian!” I said, playfully swatting his shoulder. He pulled me into Albert’s old apartment and shut the door. Tugging me deeper inside, we made our way over to the bee-and-honeypot stained glass window, which would soon be the centerpiece of our large kitchen and sit above our farmhouse sink.
“Should we really be fooling around in here with our friends banging around the house?” I said as another loud thud boomed through the walls.
Sebastian smiled and tied his arms around my waist, tossed off his safety glasses, and kissed me. I’d never get tired of his mouth, of the way he possessed me with every flick of his tongue. Softening against the hard bulk of him, I let my fingers drift up his neck to tangle into his hair.
Then he pulled away. “I want to ask you something.” In an instant, his tone had changed from playful to serious. His eyes were dark, brows drawn low.
My stomach tensed and my pulse quickened. Something was up. “Okay,” I said, mouth going dry.
He pulled back and took both my hands in his. His calloused palms had grown rougher from various construction projects, and I knew from experience that they felt good on my skin. But he squeezed my fingers and took a deep breath. “Just now when I watched that patch of ceiling fall, I remembered everything about the night you fell through it. I remember how your auburn hair was dripping with bathwater. The red ink stain on the edge of your lip. I remember how your very sexy ass was covered in splinters. And that somehow you trusted me enough to take care of you that night.”
“You mean how you smacked my ass out of force of habit,” I joked, feeling a flutter in my stomach remembering it all as he had. Only I remembered his broad, rounded shoulders, how his brow arched at the sight of me, and how his crown and jewels were out on display. I’d been so flustered.
Sebastian slinked his arm around me and touched his nose to mine. His breath warmed my lips. “I mean how you captivated every part of me with your beautiful presence.” He took my chin in his grip and gently dragged his thumb over my bottom lip. “I mean it, Charlie. I’ve never met anyone else like you. And I can’t imagine anyone else making me as crazy as you do in every possible way. I love you, Charlie. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Here. In this house. Where we can write our own history.” His hand fell away and he lowered to kneel, reaching in his pocket.
My heart raced. Was he? Was this actually happening? “Sebastian?—”
The man that had stolen my heart and had given me my house looked into my eyes like I was the only woman in the world. Like he couldn’t live without me. He revealed a small velvety green box and cracked it open. Inside was a glittering vintage ring with a shimmering round-cut diamond in a halo Art Deco setting. I gasped at the way the light flickered on it from the stained glass window, making it even more brilliant.
“Charlie Washington Reeves, Esquire.” He gulped, took a breath to center himself. “Will you marry me?”
Emotion stole my voice for long seconds, long enough for Sebastian’s brow to furrow. But what else was there to say except?—
“Yes, yes, I’ll marry you, Sebastian Anderson,” I said, tears spilling out of the corners of my eyes.
My future husband beamed and slipped the ring onto my finger. It was a perfect fit—just like the two of us. He scooped me up in his arms and kissed me with all the devotion in the world. His hands framed my face as his thumbs stroked my cheeks to wipe away the tears that wouldn’t stop. I wrapped my arms around his neck, the thumb of my left hand toying with the cool metal band on my third finger.
When we pulled away, I smiled. “Love you,” I whispered.
“Love you more, Charlie,” he whispered back. His arms came around me, and I nestled into that perfect space against his chest where I fit so well.
I glanced at the window, feeling my parents’ presence in the room. Wherever they were, I knew they would be happy for me. Happy for both of us. Because of them, I learned how to experience real, unconditional love. And now, I had someone with whom I could share it. Right here in our Second Empire home, at the edge of New Elwood.