Fifteen Years Later

"It feels good to be home," Isabella said, opening the door to Peaches.

Kelsey chuckled and walked inside. "Yeah, it does."

"Hey!" Riley exclaimed when she saw them. "You didn't tell us you were coming in."

"How long do you get to stay this time?" Alex asked, coming around from behind the bar to hug them both.

Kelsey grinned at Isabella. "We're here for good."

Riley gasped. "Really?"

"Yep." Isabella smiled. "The rest of our things will arrive next week."

"Grab a table," Alex said. "I'll bring the beer. We're celebrating!"

They chuckled and went to their favorite table on the patio. Alex brought the beer and once they'd all sat down, Riley held up her glass.

"To our dear friends who are finally home," she said.

They clinked their glasses and everyone drank.

"Oh, that's so good," Kelsey said. "I swear you serve the best beer."

Alex chuckled. "You say that nearly every time you come here."

"It's true!" Isabella exclaimed.

"Where's Liz?" Kelsey asked, looking around the bar.

"She'll be here a little later," Alex replied. "She doesn't stay here all day like she used to."

"Did you know she'll be eighty this year?" Riley said.

"Wow," Isabella said. "I knew she was getting close."

"We're all in our sixties, except for my young bride," Kelsey said, winking at Isabella. "I have a thing for younger women," she teased.

"Your thing had better be with this younger woman only," Isabella warned.

Kelsey chuckled. "You know it is."

"Catch us up," Riley said. "I didn't think you were making the move until next year."

"Well," Kelsey began. "Our son just happens to be a financial genius."

Isabella chuckled. "Wyatt may have followed in his father's footsteps as far as going into finance, but he has a gift for finding great investments."

"When I moved to Charlotte and we found our new home, I sold my house in Colorado and we saved a good chunk of that money. We invested it, but while Wyatt was in college he found a couple of opportunities and we gave him a sum to invest for us," Kelsey explained.

"Let's just say that it did quite well," Isabella said.

"Anyway, we were able to buy our sweet little bungalow near yours," Kelsey said.

"Without stairs," Liz said, walking onto the patio.

"Liz!" Isabella exclaimed and hugged the older woman.

Alex hurried to the bar to get Liz a beer while Kelsey pulled up another chair.

"I remember Riley and Alex buying their house down the beach because they were tired of climbing those stairs above the bar several times a day," Liz said.

"We appreciate you keeping an eye out for us," Isabella said. "We couldn't believe it when the place next door to you became available."

"There are some perks to owning a bar." Riley winked. "People like to talk, especially after they've had a drink or two."

"I told Riley we needed to call you immediately when we heard the couple who had it was moving back to the states," Alex said.

"It all worked out perfectly," Kelsey said. She looked over at Isabella and smiled. "Like our lives have since we came here all those years ago."

Isabella grinned and squeezed her hand.

"I saw your oldest daughter today," Liz said.

"You did?" Kelsey raised her eyebrows. "Were you at the hospital?"

"I had to go in for a routine scan," Liz said. "I'll tell you, since she became Director of Nursing, that hospital runs smoothly."

Isabella smiled. "We are very proud of Dana. It still amazes us that she and Mia got married and moved back here."

"That was another reason we came back sooner than expected," Kelsey said. "Carmen and Sylvie get to spoil our grandkids more than we do!"

Liz chuckled. "That family is good for the islands. As principal, Mia has turned the elementary school around."

"Have you talked to Ellie and Allie lately?" Alex asked. "They want to take over the bar when they get to high school."

Kelsey and Isabella laughed. "I'm not surprised," Kelsey said. "Whenever we talk to them they have to tell us about going to see the aunts."

"They come over just about every week," Riley said. "Dana and Mia are raising two very smart young girls."

Kelsey beamed a smile at Isabella. Not long after Kelsey and Isabella got married, Dana and Mia began dating. They fell in love, got married, and had twins. When the girls were old enough to start school they decided to move to St. Thomas because Mia's parents were already there and Kelsey and Isabella had plans to move there eventually.

"What about Emma and Gus?" Riley asked.

"Emma has decided to run for Congress," Kelsey said with a proud smile.

"Really?" Alex said. "She will be wonderful. I'm guessing her focus is on equal rights."

"It is," Isabella said. "You'll never guess who is helping run her campaign."

They all shrugged then Riley said, "Wait a minute. Could it be the young civil rights attorney, Augustus Burns?"

Isabella chuckled. "That's right. Her baby brother, Gus, is her biggest supporter and does that man have ideas."

Kelsey chuckled. "Believe me, they are a force!"

"I know you're proud of them," Liz said. "So are we."

"What about you two? Are you officially retired?" Alex asked.

"We have kept a few clients," Isabella said.

"That monthly thing you did with Carmen made you the vacation queens of the Caribbean." Liz chuckled. "What a genius marketing play."

"There were times when it didn't look so genius," Isabella replied.

"But it all worked out," Kelsey said and smiled at Isabella.

"Yeah it did." Isabella leaned over and gave Kelsey a sweet kiss. "Besides, we won't need to vacation ever again. We are finally where we've wanted to be since the first time we came here."

"That's right," Kelsey said. "We're surrounded by love and magic all the time."

Isabella finished her beer and turned to Kelsey. "Are you ready?"

Kelsey nodded. "We're going to do one of our new favorite things."

"What's that?" Riley asked.

Isabella grinned at Kelsey and took her hand. "We can walk home along the beach."

"Let's go," Kelsey said with a smile.

They hugged everyone, promising to see them tomorrow, then walked off the patio onto the beach. Isabella turned to grasp Kelsey's hand as they walked towards their new home.

"Can you believe that fifteen years ago we came to this place to simply meet with a client?" Kelsey said.

"If we've learned anything, it's that those simple things are the ones that matter most," Isabella said.

Tears stung Kelsey's eyes as emotion washed over her. She reached up to brush away a tear and Isabella stopped them.

"Baby," she said with concern, taking Kelsey's other hand. "What is it?"

Kelsey smiled as another tear rolled down her cheek. "Simple things like these." Kelsey held up her left hand and wiggled her ring finger. She wore a simple silver band inlaid with coral gemstones.

"These were supposed to be fun little rings that day I proposed," Isabella said, looking at her matching ring. "We were going to get better rings, but neither one of us could take these off."

"I remember the day I got off the plane I sarcastically muttered, welcome to paradise. I had no idea moments later paradise would embrace me and change my life forever."

"Oh, my love," Isabella said, kissing Kelsey tenderly.

"And here we are again—this time, living in paradise."

"I don't think that's quite accurate," Isabella said, starting down the beach again. "We've been living in paradise since that day fifteen years ago. It may not have always felt like it, but…"

Kelsey chuckled. "It did to me. There were sad times and hard times, but at night when I laid down with you and we held each other, I knew everything would be better in the morning."

"And then there were those nights when everything was paradise." Isabella giggled as they neared the stretch of beach in front of their humble bungalow.

Kelsey stopped them once again, looked into those familiar blue eyes, and ran her hand along Isabella's hair. "My Bella," she whispered. She softly touched her lips to Isabella's and thought, this is paradise.

The softest moan from Isabella caused Kelsey to deepen the kiss and warmth spread through her. This woman was everything and Kelsey knew this next phase of their life would be even better than the last.

Isabella pulled away slightly and began to softly sing the song they first danced to fifteen years ago. "I hear strings play, every time you look my way…"

"Don't you know that's what you do, feels like ooh," Kelsey sang along.

Isabella pressed their lips together again in a passionate kiss and Kelsey lost her breath.

"Take me inside," Isabella whispered as she pulled away.

Kelsey grabbed Isabella's hand and they walked onto their back deck, both humming their song.