Epilogue

Harper

I glanced up from my phone as we pulled behind a building I didn’t recognize.

Although I preferred to drive, especially since I’d fallen in love with the SUV Kyle had gotten me, he had insisted that Cam pick me up from Boston Lights and drive me to meet him today.

“I thought we were going to lunch. Where are we?”

“Don’t worry.” Cam looked over his shoulder at me and smiled. “He’s inside.”

I sighed. “This seems like another harebrained scheme.”

Cam barked out a laugh. “You know our boy is full of them.”

After we’d returned from Florida, Cam had been a lot more relaxed around the kids and me, even when we were at Kyle’s place. Which was more often than not, these days.

I pulled the door to the Escalade open. And before I had both feet on the asphalt, the heavy metal door of the brick building opened, and Kyle stepped out.

“Hey, Crabby.” He moved to my side and greeted me with a kiss. “I missed you.”

“It’s been six hours.” The kids and I had stayed with him last night, and although he had crawled out of bed at six to get to practice, it was barely noon.

His hand found the small of my back. “Feels longer. I can’t wait for the season to be over.”

“You don’t mean that.” I laughed. The Revs were leading the division and would be heading into the playoffs as the top seed.

“I’m not saying I don’t want to win the World Series. Because we so are this year.”

Smiling, I nodded. The farther we got into September, the more important it became that I agreed with his assessment that the Revs were going to win it all.

“But I’m ready for more time with you and the kids. Baseball is a bitch when you have a family at home.”

I peered up at him and gave him a reassuring smile. “It hasn’t been that bad. We have a system.”

A lot of which revolved around FaceTime. Especially since Kyle spent a good 50 percent of his time outside of Boston. But we were making it work. And when he was home, he was all-in with the kids and with me.

“Come on. Coach only gave me an hour off.” He led me into the back door, where two armed security guards stood. Past them was what looked like a cage door.

“Where are we?” I asked, apprehension skittering through me.

“The back entrance to Tiffany’s.”

My heart stuttered. “What?” I breathed, peering over my shoulder. Tiffany’s didn’t have a restaurant inside, did it? There was that movie, Breakfast at Tiffany’s , but I always thought that was more of a joke about eating there.

“I’ll explain in a minute,” Kyle promised as we moved down a long hallway.

“Mr. Bosco.” A man in a dark gray suit stood by another door, dipping his chin as we approached. “Right this way.”

There was a love seat on one side of the room, and a chair on the other. Between them was a small table with two champagne flutes on top, along with pieces of silky black fabric.

Without a word, Kyle led me to the love seat and pulled me down beside him.

Heart thundering in my ears, I gripped his hand tight. “What is going on?”

He shifted on the cushion beside me and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “You know how we’ve talked about moving in together officially after this season?”

I inhaled deeply, willing my nerves to calm. “Yeah.”

“And you know how I love adding life points to my list.”

I snorted. He was ridiculous about that theory he had. Even retirement didn’t seem to upset him, because it would add to the life points.

“I’m shooting to be one hundred, and marriage definitely adds some.” His grin was teasing, but my eyes widened.

Forget teasing. That word, marriage , had my lungs seizing and my heart stopping. Marriage. Tiffany’s. Blinking, I scanned the items on the table and brought a hand to my mouth.

“Oh my gosh. Are you buying a ring?”

“We are buying a ring.” He tilted my chin so I was facing him again. “Because no matter what, I want you to have exactly what you want.”

I swallowed past the boulder in my throat and croaked, “I’m sure they’re all gorgeous.”

“Well…”

“Ready, Mr. Bosco?” The man in the suit settled in the chair across from us and set a tray with twelves rings on the first piece of black fabric.

My heart lurched at the sight. Each diamond was unique, but they were all huge and flashy. I blinked at the glittering diamonds, at a complete loss for words.

“Take your time.” The man smiled politely and then moved back to the door.

“Do you like any of them?” Kyle asked hesitantly, his hand shaking where it cupped mine.

“They are all beautiful.” Sleek and modern. Not necessarily what I would pick, but every single one was gorgeous.

“I have one more option.” He shifted forward and dug in his pocket.

When he pulled his hand out with a sparkly item pinched between his fingers, my breath caught. My grandmother’s ring. With my hands over my mouth, I blinked back tears.

I’d sold it almost a year ago. And every time marriage had come up, I’d wished I had it. After I deposited the checks from the inheritance, I’d gone back to the small jewelry store, only to find that they’d sold it. I’d hoped it would take longer than a couple of months to move an antique piece like that, but the jeweler had assured me that it had sold right away.

“How on earth did you get that ring?”

“I heard through the grapevine?—”

“Zara?”

He grinned. “Actually Asher.”

That was surprising after everything that had happened with them over the last several months. I was shocked she’d told him about it.

“But only that you’d sold it,” Kyle said. “He didn’t know where. So I went to every jewelry store in Boston, I swear, until I tracked it down.”

Heart aching and hands shaking, I finally let a tear slip free. “Oh my gosh.”

He lifted a hand and wiped it away, his expression soft.

I loved that ring.Inhaling, working to calm my emotions, I surveyed the others again. “But do you want?—”

He pressed his finger to my lips, stopping the words. “I spent two full days tracking this down because I want you to have it.”

“Will they be mad if you don’t buy one here?”

He shrugged, unconcerned, as always. “We can get our wedding bands here. Plus, I bought something else.”

“What?”

“Jonathan,” he called over his shoulder.

The man in the suit came back, this time holding a smaller tray.

On it was a silver bracelet. The chain looked like a thin sparkling rope, and in the center was a circular piece with an H stamped on it. But there were two extra lines coming up at odd angles. It took me a second to realize what I was looking at.

“It’s an H and a K.” Our initials.

Kyle nodded. “It’s a custom-made permanent bracelet. If you want, they’ll solder the ends together.”

“So it won’t come off.”

His lips tipped up in a shy smile that was so unlike this confident man.

“You’ll have my name on your arm.” I traced his tattoo with my finger, then moved that same finger to my wrist. “And I’ll have yours on mine.”

“That was the idea. We’ll both be permanently marked.” He brushed his index finger over my wrist in the same spot I’d just touched. “But only if you want it.”

“I love the idea, baby.” I held my wrist out.

Kyle nodded at Jonathan, who clasped the bracelet and secured it, then brought out a soldering tool and a shield to protect my skin. The heat was a little uncomfortable, but only for a moment.

Once it was in place, Kyle lifted my hand. The circle with our initials sat centered on my wrist. He kissed the spot and then dropped down to one knee.

“There is no one in this world I’d rather do life with. You’re my friend, my partner, my playmate, my challenge, and the love of my life. So will you do me the honor of adding one more title to that list? Wife .” He held up my grandmother’s ring. “Marry me, Harper?”

I nodded and held out my hand so he could slip the heirloom onto my finger.

“I will love you forever,” he promised. But his words meant more than just I love you . They were a promise to actively keep loving me, through all the good days and even on the bad days.

“I will love you too.”

Curious what is going on with Wren and why she is acting so unlike herself?

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