Epilogue
Shane and Katie were married on the beach outside the Surf at sunset, exchanging vows under an arbor Finn had helped build as one of the last official tasks on the Wayfarer job site.
He and Riley had brought it over to the Surf the day before so Shane and Katie could use it to be married in the place where he saved her life.
As he watched his cousin get married, Finn wondered how many brides and grooms would stand under that arbor in the years to come.
He took pride in what they’d built together.
The Wayfarer and that arbor would provide a lasting legacy to the McCarthy family, which had rallied around him and Chloe after they were injured.
Riley and Nikki had taken them both home to Eastward Look to recover, and the others had kept them in food and entertainment for a week, until they insisted on returning home to Chloe’s so they could have some much-needed time alone.
She’d asked him to move in with her rather than going to the apartment Nikki had offered, and Finn had jumped at the chance to live with Chloe.
It had taken him two hours to move his stuff from the rental house to her place, which already felt like home to him.
As long as she and Ranger were there, he had what he needed.
Katie’s sister Cindy had filled in for Chloe at the salon and had liked it so much, she’d asked to be considered for a position when the spa opened.
Mac had agreed to renovate the building on the hotel property over the winter as part of the hotel renovation, with a goal of opening the spa by next May.
After consulting with Big Mac and Linda, it had been decided to offer only a spa at the hotel and keep the Curl Up and Dye salon open in town to attract the walk-in traffic that had been so critical.
Cindy had been thrilled to be asked to work there.
She’d be moving to the island next spring.
Chloe would manage both businesses and would no longer be cutting hair as of the spring.
As an official employee of the McCarthy family business, she’d been offered full benefits, relieving another of her most pressing concerns.
With plenty of work lined up over the next year, Finn was eager to get started, to throw himself into life as a full-time island resident.
Next week, he and Chloe were traveling to the mainland to meet with an RA specialist in Boston that David had recommended and planned to attend a conference on the topic in Florida over the winter, taking some vacation time in the sun while they were there.
Finn still hoped to talk Chloe into marrying him at some point, but he wasn’t in any rush.
Missy had been charged with multiple felonies after stabbing him and Chloe and had been denied bail. He still couldn’t believe that she’d actually stabbed him—and Chloe—or that Chloe had tackled Missy and possibly saved him from a life-threatening injury.
He’d started calling Chloe Wonder Woman.
His Wonder Woman. His love. As he watched Shane and Katie commit their lives to each other, he grinned at Chloe, who was standing next to Katie on the other side of the proceedings, to let her know he was thinking of her. Hell, when was he not thinking of her?
She returned his smile, her eyes watery from the emotion of watching two people who’d survived life’s storms and come out whole and happy on the other side as they took the next step in their journey together.
After the newly married couple had made their way down the aisle, Finn offered his arm to Chloe, and whispered in her ear. “Maybe someday?”
She looked at him with her heart in those dazzling violet eyes. “Maybe.”
He could live with maybe—as long as he got to live with her.
Shane held Katie in his arms for their first dance as husband and wife, waiting to see what their best man had decided to play for them. They’d left it up to Owen, certain that he’d find the right song for them.
Standing on the stage at the front of the big room at the Wayfarer, with his sleeves rolled up and guitar in hand, Owen barely resembled the sharply dressed man he’d been half an hour ago as he gave away the bride and then stood by Shane’s side as the best man.
Now, he looked more like the rumpled Owen they knew and loved.
“I can’t wait to hear what he picked,” Katie whispered to Shane.
He couldn’t stop staring at his new wife. She was the most beautiful bride he’d ever seen.
Owen began to strum his guitar, his gaze fixed on the two of them.
“As the best man, it’s my job to toast the bride and groom, and I also got assigned the added task of finding the right song for them, something that summed them up as a couple.
So first I want to welcome Shane to the Lawry family.
My mom, my brothers and sisters and I all agree—we’re made better by having you as one of us, Shane.
And Katie… What can I say about my sweet sister Katie, who has been right by my side through the best and the worst moments of my life, except that I love you and I’m so happy for you and Shane.
Laura and I have been blessed to have a front-row seat to Shane and Katie’s love story, which began at our wedding, after Shane saved Katie’s life when she got caught in a riptide. ”
“And right after that,” Shane whispered to his wife, “she saved my life.”
She beamed up at him, her smile lighting up her entire face. “We saved each other.”
“I finally decided on ‘Lucky’ by Colbie Caillat and Jason Mraz. I think Shane and Katie would agree that the day he saved her life was the same day their luck changed forever. I love you both and wish you the best of everything. To Shane and Katie.”
While the other guests raised their glasses in toast, Owen played the opening notes of the song.
Holding Katie in his arms, with the weight of the ring she’d given him on his finger and their whole life ahead of them, Shane was thankful for the second chance he’d gotten with her.
He still thought of Courtney often and mourned her premature death.
But she was firmly in the past now. His present and his future were with Katie, the best thing to ever happen to him.
“Love you, Mrs. McCarthy,” he said as he kissed her.
“Love you, too, Mr. McCarthy.”
Julia stood in the back of the room, watching her sister dance with her new husband, trying not to be a jealous cow and failing miserably. Katie had never had a boyfriend until Shane, while Julia had dated every man in Texas. And Katie was getting married first?
How was that fair? She’d done the legwork—literally—and had absolutely nothing to show for it but three maxed-out credit cards, an empty bank account, an eviction notice and a newfound reliance on Maker’s Mark bourbon.
She’d used the last of her savings to bring the cowboy strippers to Gansett, wanting to do something spectacular for Katie, and now she had to figure out how she was going to get home to Texas.
She’d have to hit up Owen for a loan, and the thought of that made her sick.
Julia took a deep drink from her glass of bourbon, straight up, while giving thanks to the inventor of the open bar.
“What’s up?”
The voice startled and intrigued her. Deep and scratchy and a bit dirty sounding. Then she made the mistake of looking his way and realized who he was. That guy Deacon from the other night, the police chief’s brother, who’d been at the clinic when she arrived with Katie to check on Chloe and Finn.
He’d given her a long, obvious once-over then.
She’d been unimpressed, even if he was hotter than the sun. In her experience, hot guys were most often world-class douchebags, and she’d had more than enough of his type.
“Usually when someone asks you what’s up, you would say ‘nothing’ or ‘not much.’ It’s kinda rude to not respond at all.”
“It’s also kinda rude to tell someone you’ve never talked to that they’re rude.”
“If the shoe fits, baby.”
“Go away. I’m watching my sister and her husband dance.”
“Weddings are boring. Let’s get out of here and go find some trouble.”
Julia stared at him as if he was insane. “It’s my sister’s wedding. My twin sister’s wedding. I’m not leaving. I’m the maid of honor, for crying out loud.”
“You two are twins?” He looked at Katie and then at her. “I don’t see the resemblance.”
“That’s because we’re fraternal twins.”
“Huh. Interesting. So that’s a no to getting out of here?”
“A hard no. I’m sure that’s a word you don’t hear often, but I’m happy to repeat it for you if you didn’t understand the first time.”
He flashed a grin that was so sexy, her panties melted, and her ovaries stood up for a better look at him. “You’re a feisty little thing, aren’t ya?”
“What’re you even doing here? You’re not friends with Shane or Katie.”
Shrugging, he said, “I was bored, so I crashed.”
“You did not.”
“Did so. Are you going to tattle on me? Are you that kind of girl? The one who was always up the teacher’s ass in school?”
“I’ve never been up a teacher’s ass in my life.”
His eyes grew very wide in the second before he lost his shit laughing. “Bet you’ve never said that sentence before.”
She leaned in close to him. “Go. Away.”
He leaned in closer, so close his nose nearly touched hers. “Make. Me.”
Curling her lip in distaste, she backed away from him.
“Tell me this—if she’s your twin and you’re the maid of whatever, why don’t you seem happy for her?”
“Not that it’s any of your business, but I am happy for her. No one is happier for her than I am.”
“Coulda fooled me. You were staring at them like you wanted to stab them.” He caught himself. “Sorry. Poor choice of words after the recent outbreak of stabbings.”
“Will you please leave me alone to enjoy my sister’s wedding? You shouldn’t even be here.”
“I’d be happy to leave you alone if I thought you were actually enjoying your sister’s wedding.”
Julia wanted to smack him—and she wanted to kiss him, which infuriated her because he was obnoxious and entitled and everything she disliked about men in general.
So she decided to ignore him, returning her focus to Shane and Katie, who were gazing into each other’s eyes and kissing as Owen sang to them.
They were so damned sweet, her teeth ached.
“You really ought to take off with me. I could show you a good time.”
God, she was tempted. So bloody tempted. Anything was better than pretending everything was fine when it wasn’t. It wasn’t fine at all, and it might never be again.
She sighed deeply.
“Darlin’,” he said in a softer tone, “I don't know who you think you’re fooling, but you’re not fooling me. You’re miserable. And what I don’t understand is why someone who’s so beautiful she makes me want to beg would ever want to be miserable if she had a choice not to be?”
He made a good point. In fact, it was an excellent point.
She was miserable, and Katie was so happy, she’d never even notice that Julia was gone.
And as far as compliments went, he’d quite outdone himself.
She stared into the golden-brown eyes of the devil himself, feeling the pull of temptation so great, she couldn’t resist. “Let’s go. ”
Thanks for reading Yours After Dark. Turn the page to read Trouble After Dark, Deacon and Julia’s story.