Total pages in book: 44
Estimated words: 41687 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 208(@200wpm)___ 167(@250wpm)___ 139(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 41687 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 208(@200wpm)___ 167(@250wpm)___ 139(@300wpm)
“More than okay,” I said honestly.
He lifted his head to smile at me, and the expression on his face was so full of love and contentment that it made my heart skip. “I believe I’ve already made this clear, but I need you to know I’m not leaving. My plan is to sleep wrapped around you like a fantastical sea creature and then wake up to make your coffee in the morning before you have to go to work.”
I reached up to trace the line of his jaw, marveling at the fact that I could do that now. That I could touch him whenever I wanted, love him openly without fear or shame.
Nerves tried to sneak into my belly, but I fought them off. “You’re going to be here when I get home, though, right?”
He reached out and placed a fingertip on the tip of his nose before moving it to the bridge of mine and dragging it slowly down. The familiar calming gesture that he did only for me was like an unexpected hit of sedative. “I will be here when you get home. I promise. My plan is to go to my house only to use my office for the shareholder meeting call, but I will be back here in plenty of time to greet you after work, go for a walk on the beach, and then make you dinner.”
My breathing slowed as I realized he was truly mine. That he was staying. If there was one thing I knew about Kittredge Evers, it was that he would not make me a promise he didn’t intend to keep.
“I used to think love was a whirlwind you braced for,” I murmured. “With you, it’s the tide. Steady. I can breathe with it. Count on it.”
“Always.”
I pulled him down for another kiss, soft and sweet and full of promise. “I want to be that for you too.”
Kit’s answering smile was radiant. “Baby,” he said, settling more comfortably beside me and pulling me against his chest. “I never needed you to be the tide. You were already every star in my sky. Full of wonder, sparkle, and a little bit of mystery. Never quite the same and sometimes out of reach, but always there.”
As I drifted off to sleep in his arms, surrounded by his warmth and the sound of the ocean outside my window, I finally understood what home was supposed to feel like.
It felt like this. Like him. Like us. Like the sun and the moon, the tides and the ocean, and a giant, endless sky of twinkling light.
EPILOGUE
KIT - SIX-ISH MONTHS LATER
“You’re joking, right?” Nadine asked. “You know he hates flash mobs.”
“For the last time, it’s not a flash mob,” I muttered. “And trust me, he’s going to like this.”
She sighed and stood up from the sofa, moving to the sliding doors and finally closing them to stop the frigid ocean breeze from coming in over the dunes. Now that it was late October, the days we could leave the porch doors open were fewer and further between.
“I like it better now that the house is Robbie’s,” she said, glancing at the large open living space that was now less opulent and way more lived-in.
“Same here. Who wouldn’t? Can we go now? Rajiv and Morris are probably already there.”
She slipped into her leather sneakers. “How are they settling into island life? You never said. I assume Rajiv is still wearing suits every day despite working from home?”
I shrugged, tugging at the furry Paw Patrol costume I had on. “Morris swapped Rajiv’s suits out for a selection of sweater vests and cardigans. Says Rajiv complains about looking like Mr. Rogers. I can’t disagree.” I stretched my neck from side to side, trying to release some of the tension there. “And they love the cottage. I wouldn’t be surprised if they make the owner an offer.”
“Do they know the owner is you?”
I shook my head. “No. And since I only bought it off Robbie’s landlord a few months ago, there’s no rush to tell them.”
Nadine’s pink Skye costume looked ten times better on her than the Marshall costume looked on me. I was already fifty shades of red from pre-embarrassment. “Your ear is inside out,” she muttered, reaching up to adjust the ears sticking out from my red fire hat. “Okay, let’s go.”
We hopped in the SUV and drove the short distance to the elementary school. Along the way, we saw blow-up Halloween creatures waving in several front yards, along with the little white paper bags lined up along every driveway, the luminaries our neighborhood would use for trick-or-treaters tonight. Robbie was so excited to have trick-or-treaters for the first time, he’d bought out the Costco in Charleston of all their candy.
“Remember the rule,” I reminded my sister with as stern a voice I could muster while wearing dog ears. “No posting to social media. You can share the photos and videos with Robbie, but that’s it. He decides who to share it with.”