Epilogue #2
“Are we having our first fight?” he asks, glancing over and grinning. “Can we have makeup sex when we get home?”
“I wonder what she’ll do while we’re having sex!”
“Don’t they just lie down and watch?”
I make a face. “I’d hate to defile her.”
“Well, she’s gonna be defiled because we are not protecting her sweet puppy eyes at the expense of orgasms.”
I giggle. “Cover your ears, buttercup,” I say, kissing her nose.
“Buttercup!” he says. “That’s perfect. I love it.”
“I was just…giving her a little sweet nickname, not naming her that!”
“I can’t unhear it,” he says with a smirk and a shrug.
“Fine.” I grin down at her. “She does look like a Buttercup,” I admit.
When we get home, we laugh at everything she does. She goes potty in our little yard, she stumbles over her paws as she runs, she runs around in circles and then wants to be held, she falls asleep while she’s sitting up—everything she does is adorable.
“Maybe now would be a good time to make up for our name argument,” he whispers.
Buttercup’s eyes pop open, and I wince.
“Better give her some time to settle in first,” I say.
He takes her from me and places her on a big pillow we’ve set out for her on our floor.
“I think it’s best that we show her how it’s gonna be right away,” he says, kissing my hand.
I laugh and give him a playful shove. He comes right back, kissing his way down my body. I’m moaning his name within minutes, and when he gives me a gentle shove, I fall back on the bed. Something catches my eye, and I turn to see Buttercup staring at us with rapt attention.
“Tully,” I whisper.
He pauses in taking his pants off. “What?” he whispers back.
I point at Buttercup, and Tully looks over and laughs.
“Get ready to enjoy the show,” he tells her.
“Tully! We cannot!” I hiss. “We should either wait until it’s dark or take this to the bathroom.”
“Trouble, she’ll be okay, I promise.”
“I’d really feel a lot better if we didn’t let her see.”
“Tell you what,” he says, advancing over me, now fully naked, “we’ll do it under the covers. Right? That’s what covers are for.”
I sigh in relief. “Right.”
He laughs against my skin. “Thank goodness I pulled that one out of my ass.”
“What did you say?”
“I said, ‘Thank goodness I can put up with your sass.’”
“Hey!”
“Love you, Trouble.”
“I love you.”
“Now close your eyes and let me fuck you. You know if you can’t see her, she can’t see you…”
“Shut up.”
He laughs. “How about you shut me up,” he says.
I pull his mouth down to mine and do just that.
TULLY
The next afternoon, we’re back in Windy Harbor, and I nuzzle Lola’s neck while she’s standing at the kitchen counter.
“Do you have time for me to show you a surprise?” I ask, kissing her ear.
“Um, always.”
“I think Buttercup’s good to go.” I grin, getting her leash.
She already gets excited when she sees it, and she bolts toward me, ready to go. We walk outside and make a few little stops on the way to the car, Buttercup’s nose going crazy with the snow gone.
The Cozy Palette is closed when we get there, but Percy gave me a key.
This old building is one of my favorites in town, and Percy and their family have had an art shop in here for as long as I can remember.
I didn’t know until looking at retail properties in Windy Harbor that there was a part of the building available that isn’t being used.
I assumed it was part of The Cozy Palette.
“This is cute,” Lola says, looking at the storefront.
I take her to the blue door, unlock it, and open it up.
“What’s this?” she asks, looking up at me.
“Want to take a look?”
Her eyes are wide as she nods. We walk inside, and she takes in the space. The high ceilings, the hardwood floor, and the cute little arched window in the back. She crosses to the window and looks out at the lake. When she turns to look at me again, her eyes are all lit up.
“There’s great light in here,” she says.
“I thought so too.”
“I can imagine the cutest little tattoo shop right here,” she says softly.
“I hoped you might love it for that.”
“It’s available?”
“If you want it, it’s all yours.”
“It’s perfect, Tully.”
She kisses me.
“Thank you,” she says, pulling back. She looks around, her smile growing. “I love it. How soon can I get in?”
“As soon as you want. Percy owns The Cozy Palette but wants to sell this side of the building to cushion their love for travel.”
She lifts her eyebrows. “Okay! Sounds like a good setup for both of us.”
“We can finalize it tomorrow, if you want, tonight even…but I have one more thing I wanted to show you.”
“Well, you’re on a great roll, so lead the way,” she says, laughing.
We get back in the car. It’s a gorgeous day. Spring has decided to come early. Around here, it could change its mind and snow a foot—you just never know what March through May will do in Minnesota. But for today, it’s spring.
I turn on the road to my plot of lakeshore, and Lola looks at me and grins. I’ve brought her out here before, and she loves it, but she hasn’t seen the new addition.
We come through the tree line, and she gasps when she sees it.
“Tully! It’s gorgeous!”
We get out and walk toward the dock, which leads to a beautiful new gazebo. Noah’s worked on it for the past three weekends, and I’m thrilled with how it turned out. His craftsmanship blows my mind.
We walk down the wooden dock, and when we reach the gazebo, we move to the railing and look at the vast expanse of water.
“Noah built it for us,” I tell her.
“It’s so pretty,” she says. Us? is on her lips as she turns and smiles at me.
I’m down on one knee.
She gasps. The ring catches the light. She glances at it, her mouth parting, and then she looks at me, her face going through a multitude of expressions that I will try to remember for the rest of my life.
“I’ve been in love with you,” I say, “since our first dance. Probably before that even…when I first saw you.” I smile up at her.
“I love you completely, Lola. I know what life is like without you, and I never want to face that again. I’m done going anywhere that isn’t toward you.
” I take a deep breath. “Lola Donavan, will you marry me?”
She doesn’t hesitate for a single second. She leans down within an inch of my face and puts her hands in my hair.
“Yes,” she says. “Yes, yes, yes.”
We’re both laughing, and I put the ring on her finger and kiss her hand before standing and kissing her mouth.
“I love you so much,” she whispers when we break apart.
“I love you.”
“We’re going to have such a beautiful life here. I can see it. Family get-togethers, bundling up before walking to your dad’s house, shopping at Cox Trading Post and getting grilled by Erin, laughing at Papa Hector and Uncle Hal’s antics, a cute, fluffy dog—” She leaves it hanging, and I laugh.
“Absolutely,” I say.
“Endless summer nights out here looking at the stars, making love until the sun comes up…and if we’re lucky, our kids growing up with their cousins.”
“I love it all,” I tell her. “I can see it too, and it’s everything I want. You are everything I want.”
We watch the sun set and then go tell the family the good news before going back to our apartment and making love until the sun comes up.
With some plans, there’s no need to wait.
Tully has a big surprise for Lola! And it’s probably not what you’re thinking.
Get the bonus scene here!
Noah Whitman isn't looking for love—he's too busy raising his son.
But when the beautiful woman from London that he met in Vegas shows up at the resort, he's knocked sideways.
Imogen Edwards is sassy and a bit of a princess, but there's just something about her he can't resist. Find out what happens in Now and Forever, Coming soon!