Epilogue
“You’ve been staring at your computer screen for hours,” Noah says, kissing my neck with his hands resting on my shoulders. “You deserve a break.”
“This book isn’t going to write itself, you know.”
“True, but it’s not going to be written at all if you burn yourself out.”
“I just need to finish this chapter.”
“That’s what you always say,” he says as his arms wrap above my chest area. “And you get sucked right back into your goddamn hole.”
Crazy how I’m sitting at my desk in my childhood bedroom with my former childhood rival turned long-term boyfriend standing over me.
We love coming back home for the summer and spending time with our mothers. For some reason, every time we come back to Sunset Cove, it feels foreign. It’s almost like we never lived here. It’s a strange feeling.
The last two years have been a whirlwind. I can’t tell if they actually happened or if they were a dream.
After six months of dating, I moved out of the apartment I shared with Bella and into Noah’s off-campus college apartment. The one he used to share with Grayson and Xander. I felt so bad for them when he kicked them out.
Three months after we graduated college, Noah and I moved to Cedar Springs. A small town located in the heart of Central Florida. We wanted a change from the salty ocean air and tall palm trees.
Noah wanted to be closer to his sister. Lizzie moved to Crescent Falls last year because she got an amazing job offer with the police department there. She wanted an escape when she regained her strength and mobility back after the accident.
When the one-year anniversary of Ben’s passing rolled around, we visited him at Sunset Cove Memorial Gardens. I visited my dad because it was the ten-year anniversary of his passing. It was a lot for Noah and me, saying goodbye to both of them all over again. We went to Loggerhead Beach afterward to clear our heads. It’s not just Noah’s safe place anymore, it’s our safe place.
I became a published author in August which was one of the main highlights of that summer.
Laura held a special event on release day at Sweet Salty for my debut, Balancing Act. She advertised it like crazy months before on social media and the store’s website.
God, I remember how I was overcome with an abundance of emotions when I walked into the store. There are three that stick out to me: anxiety, excitement, and gratitude.
There was a table set up for me to meet readers and sign a copy of my book for them. It felt like a dream because there was a line that stretched down to Just One More Chapter.
It was insane to see my book in a bookstore and special because it’s in a bookstore very near and dear to my heart.
My editor texted me that my book made it to number five in the Sports Romance category and number eight in the New Adult College Romance category. I cried for hours because I couldn’t wrap my head around it.
I can’t believe I get to write about flawed characters falling in love as my career every single day.
Something I’ve loved to do since I was a little girl.
It’s absolutely absurd and surreal.
Noah was by my side the entire day of my debut’s release and the days that led up to it. I don’t know how it’s possible, but I fall more in love with this man every day. He’s so kind and patient with me. Sometimes I feel like I’m sleeping, but my eyes are wide open.
Noah became a published author in October of last year.
Just One More Chapter held a release day event for his debut, Expect the Unexpected.
He let me be one of his first official readers after he completed his manuscript. His writing is immersive as hell and incredibly detailed. He sucks you right into the story and writes incredibly complex characters.
I won the lottery with him.
Before he released his sophomore novel, he hired a literary agent named Julia and she’s a superstar. She helped Noah send out his manuscript to various traditional publishing houses last year.
He accepted an offer with Voyager Press, a major traditional publishing house based in Florida, but they have offices worldwide. It was a four-book deal which he completed in the spring of this year.
He’s now working on a murder mystery duology.
Voyager offered him a deal for the duology, but he ultimately turned it down. He had a great experience with them, but he wanted to indulge in the self-publishing experience.
I’m so fucking proud of him, and I know his dad is, too.
Noah snaps me out of my daze as he glides the strap of my tank top down to my upper arm with his thumb.
Rolling my eyes like a broken record, I moan. “Don’t. Do. That.”
He kisses the top of my shoulder before he runs his tongue from side to side.
Is he trying to kill me?
“Tell me to stop,” he says.
I’m trying to type, but my body keeps shuddering, so I slam my laptop shut.
Getting up out of the chair, I grab his face and smash my lips into his.
He picks me up by my ass and takes me into our bedroom, throwing me down on the bed and removing my top. Laying me down on the top of the covers, he climbs on top of me and studies my face.
My lips flatten as my eyes narrow. “What?”
“I’m never going to get over how stunning you are. You belong in a museum, so people can worship you, the ground you walk on, and the fact that a woman like you exists.”
Fuck me, that was romantic as hell.
“You know what happens when you say shit like that to me!”
“What happens?”
“It catches me off guard.”
“I love catching you off guard.” He plants a tender kiss on my lips. “And as much as I’d love to fuck you right now, you have a hair appointment in fifteen minutes.”
“What if I don’t want to go? Can’t I just stay here with you?” I pout, giving him puppy dog eyes.
“You have no idea how much I want you to stay here with me, but you need to get dressed, baby. You deserve a little pampering. Plus, your eyes need some rest from staring at your computer for several hours straight.”
I roll my eyes. “Are you taking me to my appointment?”
He shakes his head, flattening his lips. “Nope, I asked Bella to take you because she ended up booking an appointment fairly close to the time when yours is.”
“Why the hell did you take my shirt off then if you knew we weren’t going to end up doing anything?” The corner of my lip quirks up, eyebrows furrowing.
“Why not?” A wicked smirk spreads across his lips.
I laugh, flipping him off.
Sliding off the bed, I rummage through my suitcase for something to wear. My eyes land on a dress I don’t remember packing. A white lace mini dress with a flared skirt.
I take it out, presenting it to Noah. “Did you sneak this into my suitcase?”
His mouth shifts to one side of his face. “Maybe.”
“Noah!” I raise my voice, narrowing my eyes.
“Yes, I snuck it in your suitcase. I want you to wear it today.”
“Why?”
“It’s one of my favorite dresses you own and you look like a Greek goddess when you wear it.”
This is the dress I wore to my release day event for Balancing Act at Sweet Salty. Guess it’s been ingrained in his brain since then.
I scrunch my nose, rolling my eyes. “Fine, I’ll wear it.” After I slip into my dress, I stretch out the strings in the back. “Can you tie me up?”
“Oh, I’d love to tie you up,” Noah says as he wets his lips with his tongue.
“The strings to secure my dress, dumbass.”
He grabs onto the strings and crisscrosses them into each other, tightening them so my dress is secured. “Is that good?”
“Uh-huh.”
He secures me by placing his hands on my hips, moving my hair so he can kiss the back of my neck.
Once he’s done, his eyes start at my legs and work up to my face.
BELLA
BELLA
Waiting in front of your house
ME
i’m coming!
BELLA
You better be
I cross my arms underneath my breasts. “Are you seriously fucking me with your eyes right now?”
“It’s hard not to when you look like this, especially how you look in this dress.”
Rolling my eyes, I giggle. “I’m going.”
Before I can walk out of the bedroom, Noah grabs me by my hand and pulls me by my waist, cupping my face with his hands to kiss me.
“Noah, I need to go.”
“You said you didn’t want to go.”
“I changed my mind, and I don’t want to be late for my appointment.”
“What if I changed my mind?” He pouts, giving me goo-goo eyes.
“God, you’re such a pain in the ass.”
“But you love me anyway?”
I shake my head, grinning. “Of course, I love you.”
I run out the front door, waving to Noah and running to Bella’s car.
I hop in and she looks at me.
“Ready to get our hair done?” Bella asks, scrunching her nose.
“Yeah, let’s do it.” I chuckle.
After forty-five minutes of girl talk and hair makeovers, Bella drops me off back at the house.
When I open the front door and walk into the house, Noah’s standing there, wearing a white button-down shirt and black pants.
He’s staring at me, taking in the dramatic haircut I decided to go for.
My hair lands right at my clavicle now.
“Wow,” he says.
“You don’t like it?” I ask, whipping my head back and forth.
He laughs, taking a moment to admire me. “It’s short.” He pauses. “I assumed you were just getting a trim.”
“I wanted a change. It was getting way too much for me to manage.”
He walks over to me, running his fingers through my hair. Meeting my gaze, he smiles at me. “I love it.”
“Don’t lie to me.”
“I’m not lying.”
“You really like it?”
“I don’t like it, Dani. I love it.”
“I can go back to the hair salon and have them reattach my hair.”
He shakes his head. “No.” Kissing my forehead, he grabs me by the hand. “There’s something I want to show you.”
He guides me into the bedroom.
Holy shit. My jaw is on the floor.
There are lit candles filling up every square inch of my childhood bedroom, except the area near the bookcase.
I love him.
I go over to smell one of the candles sitting on my dresser, bringing it up to my nose and zooming it out, so the label is in clear view.
“Peach Bellini, huh?”
“You know my mom has an obsession with Bath Body Works.” He chuckles. “The candle smells good, but it doesn”t compare to the way you smell. God, you always smell so good.”
I giggle, placing the candle back to where it was.
This room is full of so many incredible memories.
Noah and I had our second-first kiss in here and had sex for the first time. I remember the time when he licked peach juice off my ass and the residual dribble that dripped down my neck.
Note to self: remind Noah about peach foreplay.
We’ve been staying here since my mom forced him to stay with me two years ago because she was terrified to leave me alone. At the time, I hated her for doing that.
Looking back on it, I’m so happy she did because I don’t know if we’d be together right now. I’ve thanked her for her service more times than I count on two hands.
When I whip my head around, I see Noah sinking one knee on the cold, tile floor which brings me back to reality and makes me feel like I’m flying in a dream.
Oh my God, I can’t believe what I’m seeing.
My eyes grow wide. “What the hell are you doing?”
“What does it look like I’m doing?” He pulls out a velvet box from his back pocket, opening it to reveal a ring.
Stumbling backward, I bury my face in my shaking hands. Every part of my body is vibrating. Tears line the rims of my inner eyelids, waiting to pour out.
I manage to smile, sucking my lips in.
“Are you okay?” he asks, his eyes growing wider by the minute.
Does it look like I’m okay?
I shake my head.
“You’re going to have to try and bear with me because this is going to take a little while.”
Nervous laughter comes out of my mouth as I’m violently nodding my head.
Noah grabs my hand and threads his into mine, smiling at me. “Dani, the last two years I’ve spent with you have been the best and craziest years of my life. I’ve dreamt for so long to be with someone who loves the damaged parts of me, but is willing to help me put those parts back together.” He clears his throat. “We’ve known each other since we were born. Our mothers tried so damn hard to get us to be inseparable like they are, but it didn’t work. We spent so many years competing with each other using words. It got so bad you stopped talking to me which broke my heart.”
Fuck, cue the tears.
“But, look at us now. We’re published authors. I mean, we’re writing for a living. It’s insane.” He breathes out as his eyes begin to have a glassy sheen to them. “We’re living the dream together, and I wouldn’t want to live this dream with anyone else but you.”
My lips quiver, dropping my head down and lifting back up, so I can look at his handsome face.
He lets go of my hand, so I have the freedom to freak the hell out if I want to.
“You’re incredibly driven. Look at what you’ve built over the last few years. Tens of thousands of readers and authors who see your talent for words. Your ability to connect with them on a personal level is special. Not many people have that gift. Hell, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to do that. You should be proud of yourself because I am.” He inhales and exhales. “God, you’re brilliant. You’re never afraid to say what’s on your mind. You’re resilient. You care so deeply about the people you love. And you’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”
Wetting my lips with my tongue, I blink my eyes in rapid motion as a smile slowly appears on my face.
“You’ve always been in my corner, and I’m never going to let you go. There isn’t a world or alternative universe I could be a part of that doesn’t exist without you in it. I want to spend the rest of my life with you.” He raises the ring closer to my face. “Danielle Hope Solomon, will you marry me?”
Frozen like an ice sculpture, I’m standing here and blinking my eyes like I can’t believe what I’m hearing.
This doesn’t feel real.
“Are you going to answer my question?” He laughs nervously.
“Give me a minute.”
“Please take all the time you need. It’s okay if my knee becomes permanently numb after this.” Sarcasm embeds itself into his tone.
He’s studying me as I break out into laughter which echoes throughout the bedroom, bouncing off the walls.
“Why are you laughing?”
My laughter gradually dies down. “I can’t believe this is actually happening.”
Ah shit, the tears have returned.
“Well believe it, baby.”
“I love you, Moonlight.”
“Is that a yes?”
“Yes,” I breathe out.
He hoists himself up and crashes into me, one arm enveloping around my waist and one hand working its way through my hair. When he releases me, he cups my face and plants a tender kiss on my lips.
He slides the ring on my finger and I take a moment to admire it.
It’s a round half-carat diamond with four prongs and single mounting, dripping in white gold.
Oh my God, it’s perfect. He’s perfect.
“I love you so much, Sunshine.” He walks away from me, whipping his phone out of his back pocket and placing it on the bed. He’s on a mission to do something, but I can’t figure out what it is.
He taps a button and Brain Damage by Pink Floyd floods out of the phone speakers.
I grin at the floor.
Noah tilts my head up, so I can meet his gaze.
Sticking his arm out in my direction, he smiles at me. “Dance with me.”
Sliding my hand into his, he brings me closer to his chest which presses gently against mine. I place my head into the nape of his neck. Our arms are bent with our hands intertwined. His other hand is resting on my back.
We’re dancing to our song. A song we first listened to together in his childhood bedroom and almost shared our first kiss because of it.
This moment will be one I will never forget and one I will cherish for the rest of my life.
God, I’m the luckiest woman in the world because I fell in love with a handsome, tall, dirty blonde, and blue-eyed mystery and thriller author named Noah Kaplan. A guy who happens to be my former childhood rival. A guy who makes me feel seen and validated. He makes me feel like I”m the most beautiful woman in the world.
He’s the kind of guy who belongs in a romance novel, one specifically written by a woman.
He has this incredibly dirty mouth which makes me lose my mind every time we’re intimate. I can say with utmost certainty I don’t want to be anyone else’s Sweet Peach, but his.
After all this time, we found our way back to each other and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with him and I can’t wait to see what the future has in store for us.