Epilogue
FOUR MONTHS LATER…
The lake was calm, the sun was shining, and the resort buzzed with laughter and familiar voices.
Evie leaned against Slater, watching their friends gathered on the lawn—Connor with his infant son in his arms talking to Jayce, Lexi sitting serenely in an Adirondack chair next to Kelsey and talking to her older children, Milo and Nora arguing playfully as they helped Walker and Harlow set the extra-long picnic table that was a new addition to the owners’ area, Axel and Maisie dancing barefoot in the grass, Axel’s hand placed lovingly on her pregnant belly.
This place had started it all for them.
And somehow, after everything, it still felt like the beginning.
A new beginning.
Years ago, a group of boys met at Lakeview Harbor Resort and became lifelong friends. Back then, their biggest worries had been scraped knees, late-night dares, and how long they could stay out on the lake before someone called them in.
None of them could have imagined the lives they would build or the women who would change everything.
A smile pulled at Slater’s lips as he looked toward the lawn where their friends were gathered, laughter wrapping around them even as the sounds of Mother Nature tried to blend in with them.
Lakeview Harbor had always been where their story began.
Somehow, it had become where all their best ones continued.
“Hey! You guys made it!” Walker called out when he spotted them. “We were afraid those storms that came through this morning were going to cause delays.”
Slater and Evie walked over to join everyone—shaking hands and hugging all of them—before accepting drinks from Harlow.
“We lucked out and somehow rode a pocket of airstream that was between the storms. It wasn’t exactly smooth, but it got us here.”
“Well, we’re glad you could make it,” Axel said. “This is a big weekend. The amphitheater is finally opening.”
Milo groaned loudly.
“Dude, relax. There were legitimate delays. The only one upset about it is you,” Walker said.
“I could have handled a brief delay, but two months? I feel like a failure.”
“You’re not a failure,” Nora assured him. “And I honestly can’t keep having this conversation. Between you and Reece and all the whining, I’ve run out of empathy.”
“And I think Reece took it harder than you did,” Axel added. “He’s bringing his whole family tonight for the concert. You better have included him in your big opening ceremony speech.”
“Don’t worry, I did.” Milo paused. “But I thought we were all contributing to the speech. This was a group effort.”
“No, we’re all going to say a few words, but this was your baby. It only seems fair that you’re the one doing the dedication.”
Lexi cleared her throat emphatically, making them all laugh.
Connor came over and wrapped his free arm around her. “And you did a lot of the work to book all the acts.”
“Even while I was ridiculously pregnant, I was still making calls,” she reminded them.
“And tonight’s band is a big deal. This is the first time they’ve played together in over five years.
We’re getting a lot of good press because of it.
And last I checked, the resort is booked to capacity, and we had to hire security to keep people from sneaking onto the property to see them. ”
“How did you even manage to get them?” Slater asked. “I was a Shaughnessy fan growing up, but I thought they were done touring.”
“Their manager used to come into my restaurant in Boston a lot, and we became friends over the years,” Connor explained.
“We’ve kept in touch, and when we were trying to think of who we wanted to perform at the opening here, it was just wishful thinking that we could get a big-name act for it.
I called Mick on the off chance he thought the band would be interested. ”
“That is insane!” Slater said with a laugh. “I feel so out of the damn loop!”
“Well, to be fair, you two have been kind of busy,” Harlow commented. “Between Evie’s brother’s wedding and your trip to Costa Rica, the new house, the sky tours…”
“Yeah, but even though I get weekly updates on things happening here, I guess I missed a few things. So what’s the plan for the weekend?”
“We have the inaugural concert tonight,” Lexi said. “And they’ll play again tomorrow night. Then we’re having a regional theater production of Beauty and the Beast on Sunday afternoon. They just finished their run in Albany, and we got them to come here for the next few weekends.”
Evie gasped and jumped up and down excitedly as she looked up at him. “We have to see it! Like…how perfect is that?”
“Did we miss something?” Maisie asked with amusement.
“Oh, my goodness! It’s one of my favorite movies, and Slater and I watched it together on that stormy night. It’s just got a special place in my heart.”
His arm went around her as he boldly admitted, “Mine too.”
“Aww…” Connor and Walker teased while laughing.
After that, the conversation branched off in several directions and everyone worked together as food was brought down from the resort kitchen.
“Did you set an opening date for your glamping resort?” Slater asked Walker. “And did you name it yet?”
“Canvas it gave us our future.” He paused. “So, here’s to all of you and to the Lakeview Harbor Resort! And here’s to all the wonderful years of guests to come!”
The afternoon sun was high in the sky. It had been great catching up with everyone all weekend, but right now, Slater wanted some time alone with Evie.
Even though they were kind of in the middle of a crowded amphitheater while everyone was singing along to “Be Our Guest.” Beside him, Evie was also singing, and it was the cutest thing. She had a terrible singing voice, but she was so passionate about it that he couldn’t help but smile.
The production was much better than he had imagined, and as much as he was enjoying it, he was eagerly awaiting the ending. Slowly, he reached into his pocket and checked for the tenth time that the ring was there.
He had known about the Beauty and the Beast production. Nora had mentioned it to him a bunch of times, and he took it as a sign that it would make the perfect setting for him to ask Evie to be his wife.
Life had been so good for them since settling in Snoqualmie.
The area was exactly the kind of place he’d been hoping for, and Evie had been enamored by it since the first time they visited.
He’d started his own air tour company after buying a plane.
It wasn’t quite the adrenaline rush he’d been chasing for years, but it was beyond satisfying.
Especially since he got to go home to Evie every night.
For several long minutes, he focused fully on the play. And as the finale was playing out and the Beast turned back into a prince, he knew it was time.
Gently, he squeezed Evie’s hand to get her attention. Turning her head, she smiled at him, her eyes bright and happy.
“It only seems right that I do this now,” he said, leaning in close so she could hear him over the music.
“Even though our story started long before we sat down to this movie, I feel like that was the night that everything changed. That was the night that I knew you were the woman I wanted to be with.”
Carefully, he dropped to one knee, grimacing at how tight the space was. Then he held up the ring to her.
“Evie, I once told you that you were my biggest rush and I meant it. I’ve enjoyed every adventure we’ve had, but I’m ready for the next one. Will you marry me?”
The music’s volume rose as the ending scene played out, and he couldn’t hear her words, but Evie nodded excitedly before reaching out and kissing him senseless.
And kept on kissing him even as people stood and applauded the performance.
Eventually they broke apart, and Slater slid the ring onto her finger before they stepped out of their row to let people exit the amphitheater.
He wasn’t ready for them to leave yet, though.
Instead, he walked them up toward the top row, where they watched everyone leave.
And when it was practically down to the two of them, a member of Connor’s kitchen staff showed up with a picnic basket.
“What the…?” Evie asked.
“Have a good night, and thanks,” Slater said before tipping the guy and watching him walk away.
“What is happening right now?”
“I wanted us to have a moment to ourselves, and I love that I got to propose to you during the show, but it also made me remember the day we came here while things were under construction. I was trying so hard to deny how I felt, and I thought it would be nice to take a few minutes and celebrate how far we’ve come. ”
Reaching into the basket, he pulled out a bottle of champagne, two glasses, and a plate of chocolate-covered strawberries.
“Oh, my goodness,” she said softly.
“I could have waited until this moment to ask you to marry me, but it felt right doing it while that scene was playing out.”
He poured the champagne and handed her the glass. Holding his up, he said, “I love you, Evie. And I love that we got to come back to where it all began to have this moment. Life with you is never boring, and I can’t wait for us to plan our next big adventure.”
She gave him an impish grin. “What do you think about Hawaii? You know I’ve always wanted to go there, and…”
Leaning in, he kissed her. “Consider it done. Whether it’s just for a vacation or you want to get married there, it’s yours.”
Reaching up, she ran her fingers lightly along his jaw. “What did I do to get this lucky?”
“That’s easy. You kissed me,” he said gruffly. “And it was one hell of a kiss.”