Chapter 26

Chapter

Twenty-Six

I can’t believetoday is ending so much better than it started. In fact, I’d be hard-pressed to remember when I started my morning any worse… or when I finished the day any better.

There’s nowhere I’d rather be than right here, wrapped up in Gage’s arms. My first Canadian beach bonfire is finally dwindling to embers. The mainlanders have left, and most of our neighbours, and we’re down to the last few of us.

The conversation has finally died down alongside the embers, and everyone’s starting to yawn and rub their eyes.

It’s just us Sunrise Island Brothers left. And Gage and I are in that group now—it’s WhatsApp-official.

I can’t stop running my fingertips over the simple, hand-carved wooden ring. I’ve never been so touched as when I learned that he’s spent the last week making it.

The first thing Gage did was promise me that I’ll have a real ring for the wedding. I don’t think he expected me to tell him that I’m going to damn well wear this one right alongside it, then.

I knew I was right to trust my heart… and to trust him with it.

Gage presses his lips against the top of my hair again as I snuggle up to him, my spine against his front. His arm is casually slung around my waist, keeping me in place on his lap.

The world goes a little bit blurry again, and I clear my throat.

“Smoke?” Gage murmurs, looking over my shoulder at the bonfire.

“Yeah,” I snort. My voice is a little bit raw from the last few hours of bonfire smoke drifting my way whenever the breeze changes. But this time, that’s not it. “Among other things.”

This is home.I found what I was always looking for.

Gage rests his cheek against my temple, leaning down over me to tuck me even more tightly up against his chest.

“I guess we should head out now,” Felix finally says, standing up and smiling over at Carter. “We’ve all gotta be up in the morning.” Then he winks at me.

Alph grumbles at his little brother. “Not all of us have to—ow! I mean… yeah. We should,” he changes his tune in a hurry as Ronan innocently bats his lashes.

I giggle as we all stand up and stretch and trade our parting thoughts over hugs, back slaps, and arm squeezes. And I even beckon Murph over when he tries to slip away, making sure that he can’t get away without a hug.

Murph sighs and gives in, and when he pulls away, I smile just to him and murmur, “Thank you. For everything.”

Murph just nods like he doesn’t want anyone to know what he’s done, and I roll my eyes at him.

Fine, fine. I’ll save that story for the wedding.

After a few more hugs, everyone’s gone, and—at last—I’m all alone with my fiancé.

“Did you like that?”

He’s watching me with a look I’ve never quite seen on anyone’s face before.

It’s the same thing that’s in my face on all the posters plastered all around the island. There’s just no way I’ll ever catch Gage’s version of it on camera. He looks like the moon, filled with this kind of endless faith that comes from knowing that the sun will always return.

“Yes,” I breathe out, and I fling both my arms around his neck to hold on tight as he chuckles softly. “All of it, yes,” I add, though I can’t say it to his face—or even his neck, at my height. “God. You really are inconveniently tall sometimes,” I grumble.

Gage pauses. Then, a surprised laugh vibrates through his chest and my face. “Sorry? I’m that tall all the time. I don’t think I can help it, though.”

“Mmm,” I shake my head. “I’ll just have to learn how to deal with it. Now, get down here so I can kiss you.”

“Oooh,” he whispers, lighting up with a smile. “Bossy.” But he leans down obediently.

At last, I can plant a kiss right on his lips. It’s kind of hard to make much of the kiss when he’s smiling so much, though, so I pout at him.

“Less smile.”

“Ohhh,” Gage groans playfully. “Now he wants less smile?—”

I reach right for Gage’s nipple and tweak it through his shirt. He gasps and makes a sharp little noise, straightening up for a moment—but the smile melts away. “Hey!”

“Hey.” I grab Gage’s cheeks again and pull his face down toward me, and sure enough… this time, there’s much more of his mouth to kiss.

“Cheeky little bugger,” he gasps when I finally let him take a breath. “Did I say that right?”

I smirk. “You did very well, baby,” I tease him. “I’m impressed.”

Gage pretends to wipe the sweat off his forehead in relief. “I’m sure I can find at least one more way to impress you. What say I take you home and we find out?”

I snicker at him. “Look at you!” Honestly, I’m even more impressed that he can come up with a line like that.

“I’m hoping you will.”

I burst out laughing as Gage grins proudly at me.

The tasting cabin is a mess right now, after the biggest party of my life—and I’m Irish, so I know parties. Gage must mean my place. Which… well, it’s feeling less and less like my place, I have to admit.

I’m not a country boy. I never thought I’d want to wake up in a little wood cabin by the ocean. But this isn’t really the country, is it? It’s a small town. With a big, big heart.

And that’s not the only big thing around here.

I’m glowing with excitement already. “You know, it’s been such a long day,” I tease him, playfully stretching and yawning. “I don’t know if I have anything more in me…”

“That’s what I’m here for,” Gage says, without missing a beat. And then, before I can even laugh, he sweeps me right up off my feet and over his shoulder as I squeak in shock.

“Gage!” I squirm against his shoulder.

“What?” I just know he’s grinning, even though I can’t see his face. “I’ve finally got you right where you belong.”

And then he slaps my ass.

A shower of sparks bursts all throughout me, even though I gasp indignantly and squirm against his shoulder. “Hey!” I protest, but that’s all I can get out before I dissolve into laughter. “I can walk!”

Gage just effortlessly carries me up the orchard to the road. “You can,” he finally agrees, and the world lurches again as he sets me down carefully on the gravel road. “Just as long as you don’t run.”

I smirk at him and grab his hand. “Oh, nobody can stop me running,” I tell him. “But you can keep up with me. Come on. Let’s go!”

Gravel flying, I set off in to sprint down the road, towing Gage behind me as he laughs, stumbles, recovers… and then he catches up.

For a moment, I feel like I’m a little kid again, running as fast as I can to try to escape right over the horizon, into the distant sunset and over the edge of the world.

But on this road, Gage and I are hand-in-hand every step of the way.