Epilogue
MARNIE
Two Years Later
“This might be the best lobster roll I’ve ever had,” I mumble, stuffing my face. “I don’t know how it’s possible, but they just keep getting better.”
We are on our way to the beach to watch the sunset this evening and stopped at Logan’s for dinner to make a picnic of it, but we couldn’t wait a minute longer. It would be a crime to not enjoy it while the butter is fresh.
Caleb leads us down the road, prolonging our evening stroll, and we take the opportunity to people watch and be present in our surroundings—something we haven’t done in a while since his work schedule has picked up.
He finished the landscape architecture program this summer, and shortly thereafter, Rick formally announced the company’s rebrand: Hansen Construction & Landscaping.
Removing the second Hansen and transforming it into Caleb’s own personal touch to the family business was important to him, and it’s done wonders for their relationship.
There is still much to be done to repair an almost decade-long rift, but the fact that they can work together again and both enjoy it speaks volumes.
Since the rebrand was announced, business has been booming.
Caleb comes home each day, pants covered in dirt and grass stains, smelling of whatever shrubbery he’s been tending to that day with the most at-ease expression I’ve ever seen.
It’s refreshing to see him this happy and in his element.
Everything is finally falling into place.
“I think he’s done it,” Caleb responds mid-chew. “This lobster roll can never be topped. It’s only downhill from here.”
“Shame,” I say, muffled by another big bite. “Nothing good lasts forever.”
Caleb gives me a playful nudge and takes my wrapper when I finish my last bite, depositing them into the nearest trash can.
As we turn the corner, Wicked Brews comes up on our left and Caleb looks over to me. “Coffee for the road?”
“Mmm, yes please. I’m in desperate need of some caffeine. Is there such thing as an evening pick-me-up?”
“I think there’s room for one any time of the day.”
Two empty tip jars sit out on the counter in their usual spot, one labeled Yes and the other labeled No. But there’s no question listed with it. Perhaps Art has already taken it down for the night. I wonder what the question was. I make a mental note to ask him about it on Monday.
“Thanks, Art!” Caleb calls out.
Art waves at us from the back counter. “Have fun.”
I reach for the coffee cups on the counter, but Caleb beats me to them. “I’ve got them,” he smiles at me. He carries them the rest of the way to the beach, only handing them off once it’s time to set up our blanket.
Caleb got a pumpkin spice latte this time to see if he can understand the hype, so the cups look identical.
He ordered decaf but promised to indulge in all the other sugary goodness the drink has to offer.
I rotate them to see if Art made any notation for which cup belongs to who.
The one in my left hand is completely blank, but the one in my right has something written on it.
On the side, drawn in black marker, are two boxes. One with Yes written below it, the other with No. Just like the tip jars at the coffee shop. And just like the coffee shop, no question written above it.
“Caleb, there’s no question on here.” I twist the cup around in my hand to examine every inch of the cup, even the bottom in case it was hidden there for some reason. I still come up short.
When he doesn’t answer, I repeat myself. “Where’s?—”
Caleb is kneeling before me, small velvet box open in his hands, looking at me with a culmination of years of love, adoration, and reverence.
“Oh my god,” I say in disbelief, nearly dropping both coffees. I slowly bend down to place them in the sand, not trusting myself to hold onto them any longer.
“Marnie.” His voice begins to shake. “I’ve met a lot of people in my life, but I’ve never met anyone quite like you.
You are my rock in the storm, keeping me grounded when it feels like I am being swept away, always giving me a place to call home.
Thanks to you, I have a new purpose in life.
You make me a better person. You make me want to be a better man.
You are profound, and it’s an honor to be able to love you.
” He pauses, taking a deep breath to steady his next words. “Marnie Stevens, will you marry me?”
“Yes, yes, a thousand times ye?—”
He stands and cuts me off with a searing kiss, tilting my head back and molding his lips to mine. “I love you so much,” he breathes against my mouth.
When we break apart, I throw my arms around his neck, and he twirls me around in the air before placing me down to slide the ring over my finger.
A slim, silver band with a round diamond in the center, surrounded by an alternating pattern of smaller round diamonds and red stones of similar size on either side.
I tilt my hand, angling it so the sun casts its light onto the setting. The red stones don’t shine and reflect the way the diamonds do. Instead, they catch the light and hold on to it, making each red piece glow from the inside out.
There’s something oddly familiar about these red pieces. The more I study them, the more I am sure I’ve seen them before, and I realize they aren’t stones at all.
But that’s impossible. It can’t be.
My eyes flick over to his. “Is this . . . sea glass?”
I don’t need his response to know the answer. It’s written all over his face.
“Is this from the same piece of sea glass we found on our first date?” More tears come to my eyes.
“Parker carved what he needed out of the original piece to make your necklace, and there was some left over. He asked if I wanted it back, but the pieces were so small, I was afraid of losing them. So, I just decided to have it turned into a ring. Just in case.”
A single tear runs down my cheek, and I don’t bother to wipe it away. “You’ve been holding on to it all this time?”
Caleb smiles. “All this time.”
This is too much. The knowledge that he knew, even back then, that he was all in.
I wipe the tears from my eyes now. “Okay, in all seriousness, I’ll marry you on one condition,” I let out a breathy laugh.
“Name your price, I’ll agree to anything.”
“You need to change my contact name in your phone.”
“No. No way. Anything but that. I’ve loved you since I first knew you as Arnie, spy cover story and all. It will stay like that forever.”
I smile to myself, tilting my head to study the ring now adorning my finger. He brings his hand to meet mine and intertwines our fingers, tugging me in for a small, sweet kiss.
I pull back, looking up at the man I love. “Forever has a nice ring to it.”