One year later

“How did we not know she was pregnant?” Derek asked.

Pepper shrugged, eyes on their newly adopted cat—now surrounded by a half dozen kittens of various colors and patterns. “They said she was just fat.”

They’d obviously made a rookie mistake.

And, speaking of patterns, his shirts had new ones.

He winced, and Pepper’s cheeks flashed red. “I’m sorry I forgot to drop your dry cleaning.”

“I gathered,” he said dryly, studying the nest the mama cat had made out of his dress shirts.

Not T-shirts, of course. But expensive button downs.

“I love you,” he said and kissed Pepper’s cheek. She was covered in paint and sand and glue, her hair disheveled, her clothes torn and stained.

She was beautiful.

She was his . . . as much as he was hers.

“How’s the piece?”

Her mouth split into a wide smile. “Done.” A pause. “How was the meeting?”

“Over.” He grinned. “They’re going to distribute it.”

Pepper’s shriek made the mama cat hiss.

“Sorry,” she whispered to it, standing up and backing away carefully from the angry feline. “How many theaters?”

He told her.

This time her shriek was muffled by her hand. “That’s amazing!”

Derek was puffed up with pride, full on peacock, and he didn’t even care. His film, his dream was complete and would be in theaters. It was unbelievable.

The process had been so much harder than he’d anticipated.

But he’d done it.

On his own.

No. With Pepper by his side.

“Come outside and celebrate?” he asked. “I ordered in.”

“Of course,” she said. “Let me just change.”

Derek put his hands on her hips and tugged her close. “I like you just like this.”

“I’m not wearing a bra,” she protested, though her body was already melting, brushing against his.

His fingers slipped beneath the hem of her T-shirt. “Even better.”

She smacked them down. “You’re impossible.”

“You love me.”

Her hand brushed his jaw. “I do.”

“Good.” He tugged her to the front of the house. “Come on.”

The cottage’s windows were open, the soft sound of the ocean drifting inside. He held the door for Pepper, smiled when Samantha and Rylie waved from their own deck.

Rylie was practically jumping with glee.

“She’s in a good mood,” Pepper said. “I wonder—”

“Dessert first,” Derek said and handed her a skewer with a marshmallow on it. The fire was already going. He’d started it before going into the house, leaving Samantha and Rylie on fire-watch duty.

“Really?” Pepper asked. “You don’t usually do sweets.”

“It’s summer,” he said. “What’s summer without s’mores?”

“Good point.” She put her skewer into the flames.

Derek waited, holding his own with sweaty palms. It wouldn’t take long, Pepper liked her marshmallows barely toasted and then—

“Want to come over?” she called to Rylie and Samantha, marshmallow still in the flames.

It was turning from white to slightly brown. Derek swallowed. That was fine, everything was good.

“No!” Samantha called back. “We’re good!”

At the same time Rylie shouted, “Yes!”

“Sweetheart,” Derek began.

The marshmallow was turning gray. Nope. Now it was black.

He started to reach for the skewer.

Pepper pulled back. “Mine,” she scolded.

“It’s—”

And there it went.

The blackened ball of sugar caught on fire.

Derek lurched to his feet, grabbed for the stick.

“Hey!” Pepper protested. “That’s mine—”

She jerked backwards and . . . there it went.

A little inferno of gelatin and sugar, spinning through the air and landing in the sand with a soft plunk.

Pepper huffed out a breath and glared. “Really?”

“It was on fire.”

“I had it under control.” When he started for the stairs, she said, “Just leave it, the birds.”

Yeah that was what he was worried about. Already, the pesky seagulls were heading for the marshmallow.

He beat them to it, swiped up the sticky, sandy mess.

This was not well thought out.

At least it was so thoroughly torched that he didn’t have trouble finding the ring inside.

Proposal by s’mores.

It had seemed so romantic in theory.

In actuality . . .

Not so much.

Pepper came down the steps and stopped before him.

Since he was already kneeling, he didn’t bother to get up.

“What in the blazes—” She stopped, plunked her hands on her hips and finally took a good look at him. “Are you all right?”

He grinned. This woman.

“I love you,” he said and held up the ring.

She stared at the sticky, dirty diamond for a long moment. Then her lips twitched. “You didn’t?”

He nodded. “I did.”

“Oh, Lord,” she said.

“I know.” He raised a brow. “So how about it? Make an honest man out of me?”

“Clean it first, and then we’ll talk.”

But she’d dropped to her knees in front of him and was throwing her arms around his neck.

They were laughing as they kissed.

And laughter, Derek thought, wasn’t a bad way to start a future.