EPILOGUE
LIAM
ONE YEAR LATER
“Coming!” I called out.
There was a knock at the door but I knew exactly who it was. I whipped it open and drew Paxton into my arms, slapping his back before I ushered him into the cabin.
“Come in, come in,” I said.
“You look good, Canter.”
“Thanks, I feel good,” I said. “What brings you around? When did you get back from your deployment?”
“About a month ago. I’m sorry I didn’t come by sooner, just been tossing around some things.”
“Like what?” I asked.
“Well, I’ve got five more years until I can retire, so I’m trying to stick it out. But they’re wanting to station me somewhere else for the last five years and I’m just not sure if I’m up for something like that.”
“Where do they wanna put you?” I asked. “Any clue?”
“It’s a toss-up between Okinawa and Pearl Harbor-Hickam.”
“If you can deal with the travel, Okinawa’s beautiful,” I said. “But there’s nothing wrong with a little bit of Hawaii.”
“Anyway, enough about me. I know it’s a big night for you, so I wanted to stop in and see how you were doing with everything. How’s the practice coming along?”
“I’ve gotten a good bit of progress done on it,” I said. “I’m just glad to be done with that residency rotation. That shit kicked my ass.”
“What specialization did you end up going into?” he asked.
“Pediatrics,” I said. “There aren’t many in this area and I figured, with it being a high tourist area that attracts families, having an emergency pediatrician in the area would do this town some good.”
“Nice! Way to go, man. I knew you’d finally come around to the whole doctor thing again. You were too good at it in the Navy. How’s Whitney doing with her stuff?”
“Well, she decided to stay with her original specialization and it paid off. Apparently, a lot of the tourist attractions around here couldn’t afford the regular salary for an in-house lawyer. But because I got the buildings at such a good price, Whitney was able to really bottom out her rates and still turn a profit with basic hourly work. She marketed her services to some of the tourist attractions in town and she’s got most of them on her roster.”
“Yes,” he said. “That’s some fucking awesome shit right there. She’s not, like, in an office on the grounds or something, right?”
“No, no. She’s at her office in the building next to mine. If they need her, she travels to them. She’s not completely in-house counsel because they don’t employ her full-time. But when they need something, she bills them hours and she gets it done. I’m really proud of her.”
“She settling into the cabin nicely?” he asked.
“For a little while there, we were talking about moving, but the cabin’s enough for us for now,” I said.
“It won’t be if you guys wanna have kids.”
“Let’s get through tonight and see how that goes,” I said, grinning. “Got any advice for me?”
“Hell no, man. I’ve never done this shit before. I just wanted to come hug your neck and check in on you before you try to pull this off tonight.”
“You think it’ll go okay?” I asked.
“I think the two of you have been through enough this past year. If she can tolerate you that long, you don’t have a problem.”
“Thanks. I think.”
I clapped Paxton on the back one last time and held him a little longer than I’d intended. He was the best friend I’d ever known and, the moment I knew I wanted to do this, he was the first person I contacted. It took me traveling into town during all sorts of odd hours to get a video call out to him on the ship he had been stationed on, but I knew I couldn’t do this without his approval.
“Go get her,” he said.
“I will.”
“Call me when she says yes,” he said. “So, I can tell you that I told you so.”
“You’re a dick,” I said, chuckling.
“And you’re gonna be amazing tonight.”
I saw Paxton out, then began setting everything out for tonight. I cooked up a wonderful dinner she could come home to because I knew it would be a long day for her today. Even though the winter months were the slowest for tourism, there was always paperwork to be done with some of the smaller businesses she’d taken on. She ran a full schedule Monday through Friday and, while I knew she could get overwhelmed at times, I knew she loved every second of it.
I set the sizzling filet mignon onto the table along with a bottle of wine. Then I lit the candles and waited for her to get home.
When she pulled up into the driveway, I was waiting on the doorstep with her glass of wine in my hand. She took it from me and kissed me, allowing her taste to linger on the tip of my tongue. I could feel her melting into me, which was always her reaction after she’d put in long hours at her office.
I ushered her in with my arm around her and carried her over to the table.
“It smells wonderful in here,” she said.
“I made us dinner. Filet mignon, medium rare, with garlic green beans and buttered mashed potatoes. There’s also a cherry pie I got from the store because I can’t bake.”
“And glorious red wine to wash it all down with,” she said. “These candles smell phenomenal. Sweetheart, you really outdid yourself tonight.”
“Just you wait,” I said. “There’s another surprise coming.”
I pulled out her chair so she could sit down but I didn’t make my way back to my seat. She closed her eyes and downed her first glass of wine so I filled it up before I placed the bottle back on the table.
Then, I got down on one knee and took her hand in mine.
“Liam, what are you doing?” she asked.
“I’ve been waiting for you all day and I can’t stand it any longer,” I said.
I rummaged around in my pocket for the ring I’d picked out for her months ago. I held it up for her to see as a gasp fell from her lips. Her eyes glazed over with tears and I could see her body beginning to tremble. All at once, the words came tumbling from my lips.
“Whitney, you came into my life tumbling down a hill and practically breaking your ankle. You were clumsy, you were talkative, and you knew just how to press all the right buttons.”
She giggled breathlessly as her watery eyes met my stare.
“You found me when I was broken and battered. I’d convinced myself that the world was better off without me. I convinced myself that I had betrayed my country and somehow done wrong by those I swore to protect and defend, but you changed all that. With your smile and your touch and your honesty. You blew into my life on the outskirts of a winter storm and, by the time the storm was finished, I didn’t want you to leave. And now you’ve built this incredible business and I’ve finally finished my last year of rotation. We’ve accomplished so much together and it’s been an honor standing by your side through it all.”
“Oh, Liam,” she whispered.
“I was trying to figure out how in the hell I was going to show you how much I loved you. I racked my brain trying to come up with a way to prove to you that I was in this for the long haul. And as I was walking by a jewelry store three months ago, this ring was staring back at me and I knew. I knew then and there that I wanted to ask you to be my wife.”
Tears were streaming down her face and I had to admit that I was trying to control mine as well.
“Whitney Hollis, professional businesswoman and love of my life, will you do me the honor of allowing me to bask in the light of your life for the rest of mine?”
Throwing her arms around me, she tackled me to the ground. Her lips pressed kiss after kiss into mine, her arms threading around my neck as I slowly sat us up. I smiled into her skin and she plucked the ring from my fingers, sliding it onto her hand while it glistened in the wintry sun.
“Yes,” she said. “It would be an honor to marry you, Liam Canter.”
I wrapped my arms around her and smiled into her skin. I planted kisses into the crook of her neck while her silken tresses covered my face. I breathed in the scent of her, taking in the moment that would be forever etched in my memory.
“I love you so much, Liam,” she said.
“And I love you, Whitney.”
The End