Epilogue

Grace stirred in bed, her leg catching on the warm lump near her feet under the covers. “Hope, move,” she said sleepily, rolling into the other, much larger warm body under her covers.

Jack.

Worried that she was only dreaming, she kept her eyes closed a moment longer, smiling as she scooted toward him.

“Hey, beautiful.”

She loved that deep, raspy edge to his voice in the mornings. Waking up just like this every morning for the rest of her life would be…well, her idea of heaven. Especially if she never actually had to leave the bed.

“Morning.” She finally cracked one eye and looked up into Jack’s blue eyes. Yeah, this was definitely heaven. “What time is it?”

“Five o’clock. We slept in. Up and at ’em.” He rolled onto his side and got up, as if rising before the sun wasn’t the most unnatural thing in the world.

Hope sprang off the bed with him. Traitor.

Grace pulled her body upright and yawned. “This is what I get for dating a fisherman.”

Jack walked around the bed, bent, and kissed her. “I’m a builder now. You only have to keep these hours sometimes. Besides, today is all your fault, so don’t go blaming me.”

A small smile lifted her mouth. “Yeah.” She hadn’t won the East Coast fishing tournament, but her visit to dear old Mr. Tomlin had softened his hard heart. Not long after Grace had gone to see him, he’d gone to see Pete. The two had sat down over a few beers and decided fighting over a girl after so many decades was foolish. Then Mr. Tomlin had offered to sell the Beatrice back to the Sawyer family for a fair price. He hadn’t given it back—his heart wasn’t that soft.

“I haven’t been out on the Beatrice since I was a kid. I can’t wait,” Jack said.

Excitement pushed Grace off the bed. She changed into a pair of shorts and a tank top, walked into the bathroom, and pulled her hair back into a ponytail. “It’s old, though, right? Is it going to sink while we’re out there?” she asked, walking back into the bedroom.

“No. Sam and Noah have been working on it. We’ll be fine. But I’ll be keeping a very close eye on you. No falling off the boat this time.”

Grace held up two fingers. “I promise. But if you want to anchor yourself to me, I’m game.”

Jack slid his arms around her. “That’s not a bad idea.”

She swatted him away. “Come on. Let’s go get a coffee from the Blushing Bay Café before we go. I need caffeine.”

“Or,” he said, voice dropping, “I could find a different way to wake you up.”

Grace laughed, but kept on walking. “We’ll never leave the house in that case.”

After grabbing two coffees and muffins to go at the café, they walked up the pier where the Beatrice was docked and climbed aboard. Sam, Noah, and Pete were already waiting. Krista and Joey headed up the pier behind Jack and Grace. They’d participated in the tournament to get the Beatrice back to the Sawyer family. It’d been a team effort and they deserved a seat on the boat’s first ride down the Blushing Bay Channel in far too long.

“I wish your mother could’ve come,” Pete said to Grace as she sat down along the side of the boat.

“She and boats don’t mesh these days, but thanks for saying so.”

Pete nodded.

The great thing was that Grace actually thought Pete wasn’t just talking. The Sawyers had accepted not only Grace, but her mother in some ways, too. They were amiable to one another, friendly even, and one day, if things continued the way they were, Grace could even envision them all being in the same room together when she and Jack said their vows.

As if reading her thoughts, Jack squeezed her hand. Then the engine roared to life on the Beatrice, propelling them forward and out onto the water. They rode along the channel and out into the deeper waters. The focus wasn’t on catching a fish today. Instead it was on new beginnings, maybe. At least that’s what Grace was focused on as she looked out on the group of people she now thought of as her family. Even Joey.

After anchoring thirty minutes later, they ate a picnic breakfast that Abby had made for everyone, laughed, and Noah even jumped in for a swim—pulling Krista into the water with him.

“If that girl didn’t love him so much, she’d probably kill him,” Jack said, leaning over and whispering in Grace’s ear. The sensation tickled as she turned to look into his eyes. “It seems I felt that exact same way about you just a couple of months ago.”

He used his index finger to pull her mouth to his, no longer needing to hide their kisses. “And look where we ended up.”

“I like where we’ve ended up so far,” Grace said, her lips still scraping against his.

“I don’t know.” Jack looked down at her hand in his.

Grace felt her stomach drop. “You don’t know?” she asked.

“I like where we’re going, don’t get me wrong. I’d just like to change a couple things.”

She swallowed nervously. “Oh?”

He nodded, running the pad of his thumb over her fingers, pausing at her left ring finger.

Everything inside her fluttered.

“Maybe just one thing,” he said.

“Oh?” she said again, unable to find any other words.

“Yeah.” Her gaze flicked up and held hers, and in that moment, she knew any changes would only add to their perfection. He dropped to one knee on the floor of the boat and Grace gasped with surprise and excitement. “I would change your last name. You were always meant to be a Sawyer, one way or another.”

Grace laughed even as the tears slid down her cheeks. She didn’t fight them. She welcomed them because they meant she was happy—so, so happy.

“I thought it might be a little too soon yet, but then I realized I’ve loved you for the better half of fifteen years. And if you’ll let me, I’ll love you another seventy, Grace Donner.”

Grace’s body vibrated with excitement and emotion. She nodded, worried that if she spoke she might succumb to the ugly cry.

“Is that a yes?” someone asked.

Not Jack.

Grace looked over her shoulder and saw her friends and family watching them. Looking back at Jack, she sank to her knees on the floor with him. “Yes. I’ll marry you, Jack,” she whispered.

He grinned like that teen boy she’d first fallen for. Then he pulled a box from his pocket and opened it to reveal a small, round glimmering diamond. “It was my grandmother’s. She was a beautiful woman with a beautiful soul. She loved simple things, a lot like you, I’d say. If you want something new—” he started, but Grace shook her head.

“This is exactly what I want. You are exactly what I want, Jack Sawyer.” Taking her hand, he slid the ring on as those behind them cheered. Then she wrapped her arms around his neck, anchoring herself to the man in front of her—forever.