Epilogue
AVERY
Fourteen months later
Taking the coffee shop on the road isn’t easy, but for the Founder’s Day parade and celebration, I couldn’t say no.
Second Tide Coffee is up to fourteen employees now, and every one of them is helping today in some capacity.
We’re set up at North Penrose Beach, and while the heat is relentless, I still can’t get over the view. The varying blues of the ocean against the bright afternoon sun, the breeze rolling in off the water—it reminds me all over again why I love living here.
And then there’s the man carrying folding chairs across the sand while somehow managing a work call at the same time.
Most people would probably think he was talking to himself, but Max has mastered the art of running a billion-dollar company from practically anywhere. Considering where he started a year ago, I think Penrose Beach might actually be good for him.
I glance up as Earl and Laura Lynn walk toward the stand, her hand tucked in his.
“You two make a great pair,” I say as I start their drinks.
“That’s what I’ve always told Laura Lynn,” Earl says with a grin.
She rolls her eyes fondly. “It took me a little longer to realize it.”
I hand over their coffees. “You’d better find a good spot before the parade starts.”
“We already claimed one,” Laura Lynn says. “What about you? Do you get any time off today?”
Laughing, I nod. “Eventually. You two enjoy yourselves.”
They wander off together, and before I can stop myself, my attention drifts back to Max.
He’s halfway down the beach now, sleeves rolled up, sunglasses on, somehow looking completely at home carrying chairs through the sand while discussing market expansions. I still don’t know how I got this lucky.
I help several more customers before Max finally appears behind me and wraps his arms around my waist.
“How’s it going over here?” he asks against my temple.
“It’s busy,” I say with a laugh, trying to escape his grip.
He only tightens his arms for another second before finally letting me go.
“But Sarah’s coming over now, which means I’m officially off duty.”
“How about a walk before the program starts?” Max asks, sliding his hands into his pockets like he hasn’t just completely distracted me.
It’s been over a year, and somehow I’m still just as gone for him.
Maybe that never changes.
Before we leave the boardwalk for the sand, Lila waves us down.
“Where do you want to sit?” she asks. “Mom said to save spots since she’ll barely make it out of work in time.”
“You pick,” I tell her. “Use blankets or chairs or whatever you can find. We’ll be back soon.”
Not long after Max and I officially got together last year, Cora mysteriously received notice that her debts had been erased through a government relief program.
Max still insists he had nothing to do with it.
None of us believe him.
Cora started working for the town doctor soon after, and she and Lila moved into their own apartment upstairs. I ended up taking over the apartment Max had rented, while he stayed at Aiden’s beach house until our old place was fixed.
Living across the hall from my boyfriend turned out to be a dangerous level of convenient.
Lila narrows her eyes at Max with exaggerated suspicion. “Just so you know, I know every place from here to the edge of town. If Avery disappears, we’ll know who to blame.”
Max presses a hand to his chest. “After all this time, I’m still the prime suspect?”
“You give mysterious rich-guy energy,” she says seriously.
I laugh as Max groans under his breath.
“Save us seats,” I call as he takes my hand and leads me toward the shoreline.
The sand is warm beneath our feet as we walk.
“How are you?” Max asks, squeezing my hand twice.
“Good,” I answer honestly. “Really good. How was your meeting?”
His grin appears instantly. “We finally got approval for an Alder Haus market on the other side of town.”
“That’s amazing.”
“It only took a year to convince city council.”
I laugh. “So you won the bet with Aiden?”
“Unfortunately not. I was a week over my estimate, which means I’m paying the next time all the guys go to dinner.”
“That doesn’t sound so terrible.”
“It is if Aiden chooses the restaurant.”
I laugh again, loving the sound of his voice mixing with the ocean breeze.
And then I look up.
Huge letters covered in flowers stand farther down the beach.
MARRY ME
I stop short, immediately glancing around for the couple this is obviously meant for.
Max gently tugs me forward.
My heart starts pounding.
We stop a few feet in front of the flowers, the ocean stretching endlessly behind them.
“I’ve spent most of my life chasing expectations,” Max says quietly. “Trying to become the person everyone else needed me to be.”
He looks at me then, hesitant in a way that still undoes me.
“But you…” He lets out a breath. “You made me feel like I could just be myself.”
Emotion climbs into my throat instantly.
“Avery, when everything in my life felt like it was falling apart, you were the person who reminded me what mattered. You showed me that it’s okay to change direction. That letting go of something doesn’t mean you failed.”
His thumb brushes across my hand.
“You stood up to my parents. You stood up for us. And somehow, you made Penrose Beach feel more like home than anywhere else ever has.”
My eyes sting.
“I want to wake up beside you every morning,” he says softly. “I want to kiss you goodnight every night for the rest of our lives. And maybe…” His mouth curves slightly. “Maybe earn permanent text-message privileges.”
I laugh through the tears already forming.
“Avery Parker, will you marry me?”
“Yes,” I whisper.
Then louder: “Absolutely yes.”
The relief that crosses his face makes my chest ache.
He reaches into his pocket and slides a ring onto my finger.
The sapphire catches the sunlight instantly, blue one second and green the next, changing with every movement like the ocean itself.
Not cold perfection.
Something alive.
Something chosen with intention.
“Do you like it?” he asks quietly.
I stare at the ring before looking back up at him. “It’s beautiful. But honestly, I would’ve said yes to a piece of string.”
He laughs softly before leaning down to kiss me.
“That,” he murmurs against my lips, “is one of the many reasons I want to marry you.”
“Will we live in your apartment or mine?” I ask once we pull apart.
His eyes warm immediately. “I think we find one that’s ours.”
I smile before kissing him again, the kind that still makes my heart race no matter how much time passes.
This man who makes sure I’m standing in the sun instead of the shadows.
This man who never hesitates to show up when it matters.
This man who somehow became home.
We both had pasts that brought us here.
From here on out, we’re in it together.
Thank you for hanging out in Penrose Beach with Max and Avery! I would love it if you left a review on your favorite book platform.
Aiden and Talia’s story is up next!