Epilogue

EPILOGUE

EIGHT MONTHS LATER…

Brooks

I pulled our aquamarine Jeep Wrangler into the circular drive that wound around Swallow's Nest on The Lake. Skylar had traded in his garish convertible for something a little more practical, and had insisted that it was ours , not just his, but I was still getting used to this whole what is yours is mine thing.

I shifted into park, cut the engine, and turned to Grandma.

"Ready to go home?"

Grandma leaned forward to peer past me through the window of the driver's-side door. "Oh my," she said. "This place looks so different. Nice."

The resort, previously a faded puke yellow color, now blended into the landscape with earthy shades of brown, green, and faux rock accents.

I grinned. "Wait until you see the outdoor bar overlooking the lake. That was my idea."

She beamed. "I always knew you could do better than that pub."

I chuckled. "My job is essentially the same, Grandma. I manage the bar and restaurant."

"Bah." She waved it away. "You work at a fancy resort now with your wonderful man friend."

I smirked. Grandma never quite knew how to refer to Skylar, but I understood. Boyfriend seemed juvenile, and partner sounded impersonal. I was looking forward to the day I could just call him husband, but there was plenty of time to get to that stage. I was enjoying my live-in man friend for now.

Grandma's eyes grew moist. "I'm so happy to see you building a real future."

"All right, enough mush," I said. "Ready to see your future?"

She laughed. "Who knew I had one at this ripe old age?"

"There's plenty of good times to come," I said with a wink. "I'm just sorry you had to wait so long."

When we broke the news to Grandma that we wanted her to move into the resort, she was thrilled. Why wouldn't she want to live closer to her favorite grandson, she'd asked. She'd have access to easy meals, housekeeping, and assistance 24/7—not to mention she could pop by the bar and see me anytime she liked.

When I'd hesitantly asked about the invitation to live with Mom, she'd shaken her head with a tsk. "I never wanted to live with your mother. She's unreliable. We both know that. I just didn't want to be such a burden to you. Silver Cove is so expensive."

In the end, we'd convinced her that living at the resort would be a win-win for everyone, but we'd all decided it was best to wait until renovations were complete.

The resort was ramping up for a soft opening ahead of the busy summer season, so there was still plenty of chaos, but the painters, electricians, plumbers, and interior designers that Skylar and I had been living with for months were no longer underfoot.

I got Grandma's bags from the back of the Jeep while she levered herself out of the passenger seat with the help of a cane. She wasn't ever going to walk perfectly again, but she'd recovered more mobility than either of us ever expected.

Skylar pushed a luggage cart out the front entrance. "Hey, I hope you haven't been waiting long. We had a linens emergency."

"Do I want to know?"

"Definitely not!" Skylar grinned and swooped in to hug Grandma while I loaded her luggage and few boxes of belongings onto the cart. "I'm so excited you finally get to move in!"

"Me too, though I expect you have better things to do than roll out the welcome mat for me."

"There's nothing better," he said. "You're a VIP here, so get ready to be spoiled. We're having a dinner tonight to welcome you to the Swallow's Nest family."

"The family?" She glanced between us, a playful sparkle in her eye. "Have they made it so men can get pregnant now? I really have missed a lot in Silver Cove!"

"Preg—" I choked on a laugh. "No, Grandma. He means the Riggins, our friends, some of the people who have helped us get the resort ready for business."

"Ahhh." She smiled. "That sounds just lovely. I can't wait to see everyone! I'll miss the ladies at Silver Cove, but I'm looking forward to more time with you two."

I brushed a kiss over her temple. "You can visit your friends at Silver Cove anytime. Or they can take a field trip here and use the hot tub."

Grandma brightened. "I've definitely traded up, haven't I? A pool, a hot tub, fine dining…"

"Nothing but the best for Grandma," Skylar teased.

Something about him calling her Grandma, like she wasn't just mine but his too, made my heart soften and throb. Okay, maybe this what's mine is yours thing was nice.

We walked Grandma to her suite of rooms on the first floor. The resort was sprawling, but not overly tall at two stories. Positioned on a point of land that curved, it had lakefront views on three sides. Even though the balcony views were gorgeous, we decided it would be best if Grandma never had to take stairs in case the elevators ever went out of service. She'd also be closer to the restaurant, front desk, and business office—where Skylar and I would be most of the time.

We left her to freshen up and rest. She assured us she didn't need any help unpacking.

"You don't want to see some of the going away gifts those old gals sent with me," she said with a laugh. "You'll be scarred for life."

After we closed the door, Skylar turned to me. "What do you think they gave her? Sex toys?"

I shuddered. "I really don't want to know. I mean, she's my grandma."

Skylar laughed. "Well, hey, as long as she's happy." He paused. "You know, Chester is single. Maybe we should set them—"

I slapped a hand over his mouth. "Don't even think about matchmaking my grandma with that old coot."

He laughed at me, eyes twinkling. I had a feeling I hadn't dissuaded him in the slightest.

I brushed a thumb over his mouth, snuck a quick kiss, then turned to head back down the hall.

"Let's go make sure the restaurant is ready. This is our first night serving a big group."

"Vera is a rockstar. She'll handle it fine," Skylar said, falling into step beside me. "Besides, this is a perfect opportunity to troubleshoot before we're packed with guests."

Vera was a rockstar, and I think Sky's dad was still a little miffed we'd poached her from The Rusty Hook. My bartender, Felix, had been promoted to manage the place, but they'd already gone through two short-order cooks since she left to prepare the resort kitchen for business. The food standard had gone down.

Suffice to say, everyone was excited for the dinner tonight, and for the prospect of regular meals here. Skylar and I had decided that for the resort to be most successful year-round, we needed to attract locals to the restaurant and bar. We planned to offer off-season pricing, as well as weekly specials for Swallowers.

Cash intercepted us in the lobby. "Hey, Sky, I've got a call about group rates, and Kay isn't here."

Skylar shot me a look, and I leaned in to kiss his cheek, knowing this was my dismissal. "See you in a bit."

"Looking forward to it." Sky turned to Cash. "Send the call to my office. Do you want to listen in? We haven't had a chance to go over all the specialty rates yet."

"Yeah, please," Cash said. "I want to know how to do anything you need."

Cash had shown more enthusiasm for this job than I ever expected from him. If Kay wasn't careful, he might have her hotel management job before long.

While Sky and Cash took care of the call, I headed toward the kitchen to hover over Vera until she banished me. By the time Aunt Melinda and Uncle Boone pulled into the front parking lot, I was jittery with nerves. I'd attended family meals with them, but I'd never extended an invitation of my own before now.

This was a soft opening of our restaurant, yes, but it was also like hosting a dinner party. We'd pushed a few tables together in the center of the dining room. A wall of windows gave us a view of the lake and boats bobbing at the commercial docks that housed both the Swallow Adventure touring boats, as well as slips for guests.

While I watched, Hudson and Fisher pulled up in their bowrider. Sawyer was already down at the dock. The boat touring company had already moved in and set up shop.

Skylar leaned in through the doorway. "Shall we go see if Grandma is ready?"

"I'm coming," Grandma called from behind us.

We turned to see her making her way across the lobby.

Aunt Melinda swooped in to greet her with a warm hug, and then the two ladies began chatting like old friends as they headed toward the dining room.

Uncle Boone stopped next to me. "Your aunt was sure excited to get your invite. She misses having you around the place. Make sure you both come to family breakfast this Saturday."

"We will," I said. "Sorry we've been so busy with work."

"We'll have to start hosting a regular Swallow's Nest family dinner," Skylar said with a smile.

Boone chuckled. "Melinda would sure like that."

"And what about you?" Skylar asked, wise to Uncle Boone's way of sublimating his feelings beneath his wife's. Not that it was surprising. I'd come to realize my uncle and I were cut from a similar cloth.

"I'd like that too," he said, voice a little gruff.

"Me too," I added, knowing I needed to work on my tendency to guard my heart with a family that had been nothing but good to me.

Moving into Fisher's place had opened my eyes a little. Aunt Melinda was so loving, how could it not? They didn't feel sorry for me. I wasn't a charity case. They genuinely cared about me and enjoyed spending time with me, something I wasn't used to anyone but Grandma—and then Skylar—doing.

Skylar and I greeted Hudson, Fisher, Sawyer, and Poppy as they entered as a group. Cash finally detached himself from the front desk and joined us.

"This will be like old times, huh?" Fisher said with a grin. "We're all together again."

"The setting has changed a bit," Sawyer said.

Poppy smiled. "It's different, but good."

We ushered everyone into the dining room and took our seats. A server filled crystal glasses with water. Swallow's Nest offered more formal dining in the evening, and more casual meals for breakfast and lunch.

"I'm glad you all could make it," Skylar said. "We're doing a dry run for dinner service, so please be honest with how everything goes tonight."

"This is my favorite way to be a guinea pig," Sawyer said. "Bring on the food."

"Yes," Cash agreed emphatically. "I'm starving."

"We're waiting on one more guest," Skylar said.

All our eyes went to the empty seat at the table across from Sawyer. Who was missing anyway? I turned to ask Skylar, but Sawyer spoke before I could get the words out.

"What the hell is he doing here?"

I glanced toward the doorway and winced. Ashton Dixon entered the room, dressed in designer jeans and a fitted button-down that fit his body like a glove.

"Am I late?" he asked. "It took longer to get over here from Swallow Beach than I thought it would."

"No, don't worry," Skylar said. "We've only just sat down."

Ash flashed a relieved smile and rounded the table to sit across from Sawyer.

"Hey, man," he said.

Sawyer shifted his glare to me, his eyes full of questions. I cleared my throat and shifted.

"I thought you were going to tell him," Skylar murmured.

"Well, yeah…"

I'd fully intended to give Sawyer some warning before we opened officially, but I didn't realize Skylar invited Ash to join this dinner.

"Ash is going to be running a food boat for the resort," I told Sawyer.

"He had this great business idea to serve people right on the lake, and I thought, what a fun way to reach more people and get our name out there," Sky added.

"Oh. So he's not working for Swallow Adventures."

"Nope," Ash said. "I'm an entrepreneur. If this food boat is a success, I'll launch a whole line of them."

Sawyer rolled his eyes. "I bet."

Cassie, our server, brought out two bottles of wine and began pouring glasses. "Tonight, we have goat cheese crostini for appetizers. They'll be out shortly."

"Goat cheese? Wow, this is swanky," Grandma said with a chuckle.

"It's so delicious you'll be addicted in no time," Cash warned. "Vera threatened to castrate me if I snuck into the kitchen to steal any more before everyone arrived."

Skylar laughed. "We're so lucky to have Vera." He raised his glass of wine. "And Grandma. We're so happy to have you officially here as part of the Swallow's Nest family."

"Oh, you're so sweet." Grandma's eyes gleamed. "Thank you, Skylar. It's a lovely hotel. My room is very nice, and the bed is so comfortable. I can't wait to meet all the new people who come through. Every day will be an adventure!"

"Yes, it will."

I looked at the table, full of some family and a lot of friends. I thought of how Skylar kept calling them all family, and I realized he was right.

Now that Grandma was here, my family was complete.

Skylar knew he'd needed to heal when we first met, but I was just beginning to realize that I needed to heal, too. That I'd closed myself off from the people who loved me out of fear that they would neglect and abandon me as my parents had done.

When Sky cracked my heart open, he wasn't the only one who got in. Bit by bit, I learned to open myself to all the people who loved me.

I stood and raised my glass. "I'd like to make a toast."

All eyes turned to me, and most looked surprised. I'd never been a speech kind of guy. I still wasn't.

"To family," I said, then reached down to clasp my hand around the back of Skylar's neck. "And to the man who helped me open my heart."

I love you, he mouthed up at me.

I smiled down at him, knowing I didn't have to say the words back. He already knew.

Skylar was the love of my life. He was my future. My home. Just the same as I was his.

Want more Brooks and Skylar? Read their bonus epilogue, Friendcation ! You'll also get a chance to see a bit more of Sky's friends from Seattle! (You can find all their stories in the Rom-Com Reboot series).

Up Next:

Knockin' Boats !

There was a time Ash and I were unseparable.

When I moved high schools, we went from friends to rivals. I could deal with that. But when my girlfriend dropped me for him? We became enemies overnight.

The Ozarks is a big lake, but somehow he's always in my way. First at a flashy rival boat company, where we're always knockin' boats on booze cruises. Sometimes literally.

Now at the newly redeveloped Swallow Cove resort where I'm based.

Ash has got some hair-brained idea to run a food boat for the resort. It's a silly fad that will never last. All flash and no substance, like him.

But now there's no avoiding the guy. Or his annoyingly perfect hair and cocky smile.

Ash has always gotten whatever he wanted. My sports trophies. My ex-girlfriend. A job with *my* friends.

But when the tension mounts between us and the heat of our anger threatens to boil over into something else, something surprising and unexpected, I start to wonder:

Will he get me too?