Epilogue Tracy

Eight Months Later

As I leaned on the railing at the edge of the deck and listened to the waves crashing on the shore, the most wonderful feeling of calm settled over me.

The last few months had been hectic, no doubt about it, between the fitness center, my job at the shelter, and the two classes I'd just completed as I continued working toward my degree. But I was proud of us for all we were accomplishing.

Now that my semester was done and EverFit was running smoothly, we were on our first vacation. We hadn't wanted to spend a lot of time traveling since we were only taking four days off, so we'd found a beautiful, secluded beach house just a couple of hours north of San Francisco. It was pure bliss.

I shut my eyes and took a deep breath, turning my face toward the crisp ocean breeze. Since it was early December, it wasn't exactly warm, so I pulled the cuffs of my new fisherman's sweater over my hands.

A few moments later, Ever came up behind me and draped a wool blanket over my shoulders. I turned to face him and grinned when I saw what he was wearing. "Oh, no. We're turning into one of those cutesy couples with matching outfits." He was wearing a very similar chunky, off-white sweater.

"Yup, and we're adorable." He kissed me and said, "You've been out here so long that your lips are cold."

"Can you blame me? It's gorgeous here. Plus, I wanted to make sure I didn't interrupt your video call. How'd it go?"

"Great, but I'm sorry about working during our vacation."

I shook my head. "Don't apologize. When a national health and fitness magazine asks to do an interview and wants to put you on their cover, you say yes."

He smiled at me, which made his eyes sparkle. "It's definitely exciting, and next level in terms of my career. But that's the last time I'm going to mention anything work-related for the rest of our long weekend."

"I don't mind you talking about work. I also wouldn't complain if you called to see how things are going at EverFit. It feels like leaving our baby with a sitter for the first time."

"Actually, I shot Pete a quick text after the interview, and he assured me everything's running like clockwork. He also promised to call if there's some sort of emergency, and then he ordered me to stop worrying and go enjoy some downtime with my boyfriend."

Pete Howard had proven to be a wonderful asset to the business, as well as a good friend. Having him onboard had allowed Ever to dial his hours back to a normal work week, and I thought he'd been doing great with finding a work-life balance. Of course, he was still very invested in the fitness center and its members, as he should be, and I said, "I'm glad you checked in for your own peace of mind."

"Me, too."

"Speaking of checking in, I got a text from Vee while you were doing the interview. You'll never guess what he's doing this weekend."

"No, I probably won't."

"He's on his way to Las Vegas. Apparently Embry is fake-marrying some guy he just met, and Hal and Vee are going along as chaperones."

"Embry is doing what?"

"He met some guy who needed to get married right away, for some reason. I don't know the details, but apparently they made some sort of financial arrangement."

"Wow. Are you worried?"

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't concerned, but Embry's a grown man. If he feels good about this decision, who am I to judge?"

"That's true." Ever took my hands in his and said, "These are even colder than your lips. Let's go inside, so I can build a fire and warm you up."

I let him lead me into the living room, which had huge windows that offered the same sweeping view of the Pacific. The couch was positioned right in front of the fireplace, and I got comfortable while he got a fire going.

"This is the perfect vacation," I said, as he sat down beside me and draped a blanket over both of us. "Can we come back every year at this time?"

"Absolutely."

Ever gently grasped my chin and tilted my head up. When he kissed me, I felt it all the way down to my toes.

I asked, "Do I still feel cold to you?"

"You're getting warmer." He took my hands in his and rubbed them to warm them up.

"I love the way you take care of me."

"Nothing makes me happier." He searched my eyes and murmured, "Do you know how much I love you?"

That made me grin. "I have some idea."

"Let me make it perfectly clear." My jaw dropped when he slipped a gold ring onto my finger. "I adore you, Tracy, and I want to spend forever with you. Will you marry me?"

"Of course!" I grabbed him in an embrace, and a laugh of pure joy burst from me. "I can't believe you just sprung that on me out of the blue!"

"I was going to give you the ring on Christmas, but that's still two weeks away. I would have exploded if I'd tried to wait that long."

We kissed again, and I rested my forehead against his and whispered, "I love you more than anything in this world, Ever."

"I love you, too, and I can't wait to be your husband. Let's get married soon, okay?"

"Absolutely. And let's keep it simple, just you and me and our closest friends."

"And Phil," Ever added.

"Obviously. He's the best man."

As if on cue, the cat jumped onto my lap. We'd made a point of finding a vacation rental that allowed pets, so we could bring him along.

I was still looking at Ever as I reached out and rested a hand on our cat. The texture of whatever he was wearing felt odd, so I glanced down and pretended to be horrified. "Oh, no." Ever had dressed him in a tiny, off-white fisherman's sweater that matched what both of us were wearing. "As if dressing alike wasn't bad enough, now this?"

He chuckled and produced his phone, and I held up Phil so Ever could snap a photo of the three of us. Then I asked, "Are you going to post that?"

"No. Not everything needs to be shared on social media."

"True. It might make a cute holiday card for our friends, though."

"I like that idea." I put my head on his shoulder, and he joked, "You know, this is what you're signing up for by agreeing to marry me—a lifetime as my husband, as a cat dad, and as a dork who dresses in matching outfits with your family."

I meant it when I said, "That's the very best future I can possibly imagine."

The End