Kane
It felt unbelievably good—the wind in our faces, the scent of the sea and of Tea, her laugh as the boat skipped over the small swells of the ocean. I could feel her happiness from my spot next to her. It almost rivaled my own. We were having a baby. Tea was carrying my child. The day I’d hoped for had finally come. We were going to be a family.
I couldn’t wait for her to see what I had done to our home—she was going to be thrilled with the changes.
“This is amazing,” she called to me. “Do you want the wheel?”
I did, but I wasn’t going to risk her, my child, or Zeus. “No, I’m okay. It’s almost as good being the passenger.”
“She’s beautiful, Kane, you did an amazing job on her.”
I didn’t answer, knew I didn’t need to.
“We’re almost there. Do you want me to dock at the island or on the beach?”
“Beach.”
Thirty minutes later, she was tying us off. “Do you want to take the path or the stairs?” she asked.
“Path—you’re pregnant.”
“Okay.”
As soon as Raven’s Peak came into view, I heard her exhale. “Oh my God, Kane, it’s beautiful.”
I knew what she was seeing, had walked around the gardens with Mrs. Marks, repeatedly, familiarizing myself with what had been done. The gardens now wrapped around the house, bursting with color. A fountain sat in the middle of the circular drive, the water cascading down the sides. Tables and umbrellas dotted the green grass, little clusters elegantly arranged and perfect for staring at the view beyond. Vans, with Raven’s Peak Inn painted on them, sat parked near the front door ready to take guests into town.
A section of the yard, farther from the cliffs, had lawn games and additional sitting areas right off the terrace, so people could dine outside and play games. Everything had been planned to accommodate additional people, without looking crowded.
“You’ve been very busy,” she said, and I heard admiration and love.
“Let’s walk down the lane. You need to see the sign.”
It was familiar, walking the lane like we used to as kids. I missed this, missed having her at my side. I could tell when we’d reached the sign, because she not only stopped walking but her body pressed into mine in contentment.
“You couldn’t have picked a more perfect sign as the introduction.”
“Describe it to me.”
“It’s deep green, with gold letters, a bare tree branch rises up along the right side of the sign and over the name ‘Raven’s Peak Inn.’ Perched on the highest branch are two ravens. Mrs. Marks must love this.”
“She does. She cried when we unveiled it. Ready to see our house?”
“You made changes to the house?”
“Yeah.”
“I thought it was perfect just the way it was.” She sounded a bit miffed now.
“Trust me.”
“I do, but I still don’t think you needed to change the house.”
A half an hour later, we were walking up the beach toward home. “Looks the same from here,” she muttered. But then I heard her intake of breath, and I knew it was for the gardens, namely the window boxes I’d had the gardener fill with plants. I knew how much Tea loved what had been done with them last summer, and the gardener assured me it was stunning.
“It’s beautiful. The colors are exquisite—hot pink, purple, yellow, white against the green of the house—it’s a picture.”
“Come inside,” I said, eager now for her to see the rest. Pushing the door open for her, she jolted to a stop. I’d had the living space changed. We’d fashioned the library in Raven’s Peak on a smaller scale and the sofa, our sofa, was right smack in the middle of it.
Her exhale sounded harsh in surprise. “Our sofa.” Her voice was soft, tenderness edging her words.
“Seemed only right that it be in our house.”
“But you’ve changed the floor plan. You’re going to have to memorize it all over.” Concern—how like her to be more concerned for me.
“Babe, I rule the dark. Remember?”
Her next words dripped with humor. “You’re a clown.”
I grinned and said, “Let’s go to the bedroom.” Her hand tightened on mine as she led me to our room, where most of the work had been done. The back of the house had been moved out, and the bedroom had been expanded so her bedroom furniture from Raven’s Peak would fit. The walls were done in blue, just like her old room.
She was so quiet I almost said her name to make sure she was still with me, and then I heard soft crying, deep as if from her soul. “Tea?”
“You brought our room to our house.”
It was our room. I’d always thought of it that way too. I felt my own eyes stinging. “Did you see the terrace door?” I asked softly.
A small deck had been added to the back with a little sofa, so we could continue to watch the sunrise together.
She threw herself into my arms, buried her face in my neck. “It’s perfect, Kane, it’s absolutely perfect.”
“I want to marry you.”
“I know, me too.”
Pushing her back, I cradled her face in my hands. “No, I mean now, in two days.”
“What? I don’t have a dress, and there’s no pastor.”
“I can get the pastor, and does the rest matter?”
I felt her answer in the way her body relaxed into mine. “No, it doesn’t. You look happy. I’m guessing you found what you needed to.”
“Who I really am didn’t go very far. It was just lost for a while. The satisfaction of making Raven’s Peak come together, to know I managed it, helped me to understand that needing help doesn’t mean being helpless. You were right. I had to learn that lesson.”
“And you’ve learned it?”
“Yes. And now I want my life with you, the life we talked about as kids. You, me, the family on the beach—here, in two days, we say our I dos.” I couldn’t stop touching her stomach, loved that what we felt for each other had created life. Humbling and oddly a major turn-on. “I need to make an honest woman out of you.”
“Finally.”
“Seems a crime our bed is just sitting there empty. It’s been too long. I’ve a need, woman.”
“Oh, I just bet,” she said, but she was pulling me toward the bed.
“What are you wearing?”
“Does it matter? It’s going to be off in a minute.”
And then she was pulling me down on top of her, my body cradled in hers. Exactly my favorite place to be.
Teagan
I don’t know how we pulled it off in two days, but we did. Kane was even now standing on the beach with Mrs. Marks and the family, waiting for me. The O’Malleys were there too, as was Kane’s mom and her husband and Mr. Miller. Simon was with me, helping me dress, since I was so nervous my fingers weren’t working.
I was wearing a simple white sundress and my hair was down, a ring of daisies around my crown. I was holding a cluster of hot pink peonies, and my feet were bare.
“You have his ring?” Simon asked.
“Yes, no. Oh shit, what did I do with it?” Frantic, since I was already running late, I starting digging into my jewelry box.
“Oh, wait, I have it,” Simon said, which earned him a growl. “Relax, Teagan, you’re just getting married.”
“Just?”
“To the boy you’ve been in love with since you were . . . what? Ten? Seriously, this was a foregone conclusion, so take a deep breath and chill.”
He was right, of course, but I couldn’t believe we were actually here, finally. It was eleven years after he’d first proposed, but we were here.
Remembering the first time I’d seen him, when he’d come into my room to comfort me, I think I knew then that he was going to be a very important person in my life—the most important. A knock at the door brought me back to the present. Mrs. Marks entered, dressed in one of her vintage gowns in a pale pink. She looked beautiful, except for her feet and the hot-pink Crocs. It really didn’t work, but I didn’t have the heart to tell her that.
“You look beautiful, Teagan. You wanted to see me?”
“Yes. I was hoping that you would walk me down the aisle, so to speak.”
Tears smarted in her eyes, her hand coming to her mouth. “I thought Simon was going to walk you down the aisle.”
“I’ve two left feet. I’d probably take her out long before we ever reached the beach. Nothing says ‘here comes the bride’ like a face full of sand.”
“He babbles when he’s feeling emotional,” I said helpfully.
“It’s true.” Leaning over, he pressed a kiss on my forehead. “See you out there.”
I grabbed his hand before he could leave. “Thank you, for everything. I wouldn’t be here if not for you.”
“My pleasure, Teagan, truly.”
Passing Mrs. Marks, he squeezed her arm before he pulled the door closed behind him.
“There was never any question that I wanted you to walk with me, Mrs. Marks. My life could have gone so differently, but you took me in, gave me a home and a family. The night I arrived, I was so sure I wouldn’t know happiness or joy again. How wrong I was. Not only did I find love and family, I found Kane. And he is to me, well, everything. I owe that, all of it, to you, for reaching out to a young girl you didn’t even know and offering her a hand when she so needed one.”
“Oh dear, you’ve made me cry.”
“You still look beautiful. Will you?”
“Like you need to ask.”
She stepped up next to me, her hand reaching for mine. “I love you, dear.” Her shoulders squared and her chin lifted. “Here comes the bride, finally.”
Kane looked beautiful in his linen suit, his white shirt open at the collar, his pants rolled up, and his feet bare. Zeus was on his one side and Mr. O’Malley, his best man, was on the other. As I neared, his head turned in my direction and a smile curved his lips up on the one side. Reaching him, Mrs. Marks kissed my cheeks and then Kane’s before placing my hand in his. We turned together to face the pastor.
“You look beautiful.”
“You can’t see me.”
“I’m seeing you with my heart, Tea, so yeah, I can.”
“You’re going to make me cry.”
“You’re crying a lot these days.”
“Hormones.”
His face tilted to mine. “You sure it’s just hormones?”
“I’m finally marrying the boy I’ve wanted to marry since I was ten, so that may play a small role in my feeling emotional.”
“I still want my life with you, want to wake up next to you every morning and go to sleep next to you every night. We’re gonna finally make that real.”
“So it’s real for you?” I asked.
“Very fucking real, and I want it, all of it.”
“Good.”
The pastor cleared his throat. I had completely forgotten he was there. “Are you both ready now?”
Kane leaned over and whispered in my ear, “He sounds annoyed.”
“He looks it too. We’re ready,” I said.
“More than ready,” Kane said, “so get on with it.”