21. TROY

Chapter twenty-one

TROY

The months pass by in a whirlwind. I’ve opened my office in an old building just off Main Street. The renovations took quite a while, but I was adamant that the facade of the building remained unchanged.

So, Bellamy Hotels and Inns, Southeast Division, looks from without like it’s been here for decades. Inside is another story. Sleek and modern, it has all the flavor and efficiency of the New York office. In fact, my executive assistant and several other key employees decided to move and make their new homes in Seaside Cove. That was purely voluntary, of course.

But truth be told, their decisions have made my life a hundred percent more efficient and organized. Their demeanors have slowly changed, and I see them all looking so much happier than before when they dealt with the stresses of city life and huge commutes. My company helped with their moves financially, so each has been able to purchase a home and begin a totally new lifestyle.

I have the opportunity to fly to the city now and then, but for the most part I work here in Seaside Cove.

Seriously! Why would I want to leave? I can walk the beach with lunch from a certain food truck I know about. I sure can’t do that in New York City!

Along with Skye, I’ve gotten to know various locals, enjoying game nights, concerts, and lots more. Meg and Drew often have us over for his “famous” BBQ nights. Meg’s sister Mia and her husband Adrian frequently join in with other couples from town.

Luckily, I rarely run into Lizaard with two a’s . I know in my head that she is a “total sweety” as Meg and Mia continue to drive into my brain. But still, she just isn’t a poodle.

I’m also enjoying a men’s tennis group along with a rare poker night where I typically and consistently lose the entire fifty-dollar limit.

I feel like this is home now – fully and completely. The only thing missing would be our two sisters, who have consistently told Drew and me that it would be a cold day in h-e-double l before they would give up Bloomingdales for T-shirts and bare feet. But who knows? We can hope.

I’ve given a lot of thought to what I want my future to look like. Bottom line it includes Skye, always.

***

It’s on a day that is full of Skye-on-my-brain when I stare at the sun-dappled beach. My fingers nervously tug at the collar of my button-down shirt. Who knew proposing would be this complicated?

It’s Seaside Cove, after all. Not a five-star Manhattan venue or a glamorous estate. This place - this town - has a charm, a warmth, that no boardroom or skyscraper ever could.

There is crisp salt air, an endless stretch of sand, and Skye, standing just a few feet away, watching me with her usual blend of curiosity and skepticism. I can’t blame her for the skepticism. After all, I’m the guy who showed up here with every intention of buying this town out from under its feet.

But now, I’m trying to figure out how to pull off the most important moment of my life. And Skye? She deserves something truly special, something uniquely us.

I glance at my phone. Drew’s text message from last night pops up on the screen: You sure about this? I’m pretty sure food trucks and wedding proposals don’t usually mix. Just saying.

I read the message again. Drew’s right. A food truck proposal isn’t exactly what I imagined for my future wife. But that’s the point. Skye isn’t about perfection. She’s about real —real food, real moments, real connection. And if I’ve learned anything over the past few months, it’s that being real is exactly what she likes and what we need.

The plan is simple: a community food truck festival that’s not so much about the food (though, for Skye, it always is) and more about the quirky charm of this town. But of course, nothing ever goes as smoothly as I expect.

I push my sunglasses up on my nose and walk toward Skye. She’s standing near her truck, glancing over the rows of fresh ingredients chopped and laid out on the counter. Her dark curls are pulled back, but a few strands escape in the sea breeze. Even when she’s focused, she has this radiance —like she belongs here, in this town, in my world, and more importantly, in my life.

“Troy,” she says, raising an eyebrow. “You look like you’re about to ask me to take over your empire.”

I chuckle and give her my best “CEO” smile, the one that’s more of a defense mechanism than anything else. “Something like that. Got everything prepped for tonight?”

She narrows her eyes. “It’s a food truck festival. Of course, everything’s prepped. Why are you being so weird?”

“Me? Weird?” I raise one eyebrow. “I’m always perfectly normal.”

She rolls her eyes, but there’s a glint of amusement in them. “Right. So, when’s the festival supposed to kick off? I think Meg’s about to put the local shrimp vendor into a headlock.”

I glance around the bustling crowd, pretending to check the event’s logistics. “Uh… in about an hour,” I say, and then, pulling my phone from my pocket, I shoot Drew a quick message: Ready for the next part?

As if on cue, Drew strolls over with a very large banner, much too large to be considered subtle.

Skye looks over at the still rolled up banner, her eyes widening in confusion. “What the heck is that?”

Before I can explain, she’s already marching toward Drew, arms crossed. “You didn’t tell me we were having a parade .”

“I didn’t tell you because it’s a surprise,” Drew says with a grin that says he’s up to no good.

I tap my foot nervously, looking at the clock. Skye’s expression shifts between confused and suspicious. It’s only a matter of time before she figures out that I’ve been hiding something from her. But I can’t exactly drop down on one knee in the middle of a food truck festival without making a spectacle of it, right?

I watch as she turns back to me, arms still crossed. “Troy, what’s going on?”

And that’s when it hits me. My heart races. I can’t hide this anymore.

I step forward, my pulse quickening. “Skye, there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you… something big. And I thought I’d make it as big a spectacle as possible.”

She stares at me, waiting for more, and for once in my life, I can’t find the right words. Instead, I reach for the small, navy velvet box I’ve had hidden in my jacket pocket since this morning. I drop down onto one knee, feeling every eye in the place turn toward us.

“Skye Martinez,” I say, the words coming easier now. “I know this isn’t the grandest of gestures, but I’m asking you to be a part of the biggest, most important thing I could ever ask for. Will you marry me?”

For a moment, she just stares at me. Then, with a laugh that rings through the beach air, she shakes her head. “Troy Bellamy, you absolute dork.”

I can’t help but grin. “So, is that a yes?”

She throws her arms around me, laughing again, her voice trembling with emotion. “Yes. Yes! Of course, yes!”

I slide the ring onto her finger, and the crowd that’s gathered around us erupts in applause. The entire town—Seaside Cove, my future, my everything—is right here, surrounding us. And I’m not thinking about the business empire I left behind. I’m thinking only about Skye, and how she’s made me want to be a better version of myself.

I pull her into a kiss, not caring that everyone is watching.

In that moment, it feels like we’ve already won. I don’t even see that Drew and Meg have unfurled the huge banner announcing that “Skye has lost her mind and said yes.”