Epilogue

As I jogged to the elevator, I saw a flash of auburn hair ahead. My hand caught the doors just before they closed, and I stepped in quickly. I knew that hair.

“Rosie?”

Rosie Alder was looking down at her phone. Her head whipped up. “Wyatt? What are you doing here?”

“Probably the same thing as you. I’m here for a family vacation. Does McKenna know you’re here?” I asked, referring to my sister who happened to be Rosie’s close friend.

Rosie’s mossy-green eyes studied me before she nodded. I hadn’t even tapped the floor number, but I glanced over to see the elevator was, logically, stopping on the floor to the main lobby.

As we stepped out together, I added, “Vegas is certainly a change of pace from Fireweed Harbor.”

Rosie’s laughter was soft. When I glanced down at her, she was looking across the lobby. In addition to being one of my sister’s best friends, she was close with the various sisters-in-law who had joined my family in the past few years.

Rosie and I had been doing a little dance around each other. I’d had a thing for her for years, yet she kept me and every guy at arm’s length. Then we’d had a week that was seared into my memory. She had been in Fireweed Harbor for a week after graduating from college and before leaving for nursing school. I had to force those memories away often. The one time I’d said anything to her about it, she’d told me to forget it ever happened.

“Where are you headed?” I asked.

Rosie stopped, looking up at me. When I glanced down, my eyes dipped even further. She wore a fitted silky blouse that flared around the sweet curves of her hips. Rosie had the hot tomboy vibe going strong. She was independent, opinionated, and impossible for me to forget.

It had been easier before I’d moved back to Fireweed Harbor a year ago. Now, our social circles collided all the time. Our shared hometown was small, and we had almost all of our friends in common.

“I was going —”

Rosie was cut off when my sister’s voice rang out. “Rosie!”

“Wyatt,” McKenna added as she hurried over to us through the crowd. “Oh my gosh, I’m so glad you’re here!” my sister exclaimed when she stopped beside us.

I glanced over at my sister. “You knew I was here. We’re all here,” I pointed out.

McKenna had insisted we needed to go on a vacation together, and she got some package deal for a trip to Vegas for the family and some friends.

“I know, but I didn’t know Rosie had made it yet, and Tessa and Adam are getting married! They’re eloping! We can go to the wedding,” McKenna explained.

“Married?” Rosie’s tone was decidedly skeptical.

McKenna nodded, her smile wide. “Wyatt can be your date.”

Rosie’s cheeks went a little pink, and I wanted to kiss her. Hell, every time I saw her, I remembered what it was like to kiss her. I liked to have fun as much as any guy, but what I’d had with Rosie during our brief fling had been beyond memorable. I’d been too young to genuinely appreciate it. Now that I was older, wiser, and even a little bitter, I knew what we’d had was good.

None of us were surprised Adam and Tessa were actually getting married. The only surprise was the details.

Later, as we were having dinner at a nearby casino, I made a toast with a quick smile around the table. “To the amazing couple and to weddings in Vegas. They’re efficient and easy.”

When I glanced over, I noticed Adam looking down at Tessa. The bitterness and cold that encased my heart thawed a little. Adam had always been one to love easily. The only two left unmarried in our sibling group at this point were my twin brother, Griffin, and me.

If I ever got married, it might as well be Vegas. I wasn’t much for pomp and circumstance. Hours later, we had all thrown ourselves into the Vegas vibe with lots of laughs and even a little gambling. I won a good round, so I was feeling more joyful than usual.

Even Rosie loosened up, although she and I had only enjoyed one round of drinks. She was laughing at something Blake said as he got up to leave the table. He had his hand firmly curled around Fiona’s. “All right, you two are the last ones standing. Make it good.” He tapped his knuckles on the table before he strolled away with Fiona. He slipped his arm around his wife’s waist, pulling her close as they walked.

I pondered our now almost empty table, save Rosie and me. She sat directly across from me. I was sure that had to be pure chance. “So,” she began. “Who will it be next?”

“What do you mean?”

“You or Griffin? You’re the last two Cannon siblings who aren’t married.”

I studied her, feeling a little reckless and restless to act on the desire that had never stopped simmering since our fling.

I shrugged. “I don’t know. What do you say we send this night out with a bang?”

She eyed me for a long moment before standing. “Let’s.”

The following morning, I woke slowly, cataloging a pounding headache and a warm, silky soft body curled beside me. My hand was curled over the lush curve of Rosie’s bottom.

I didn’t remember much, but I did remember a wild kiss in the elevator and then tumbling through the door into this room. There were other flashes of memory. I didn’t want to wake Rosie up. I wanted her to stay exactly where she was.

Maybe I didn’t remember all the details, but I knew last night had been amazing.

I rolled my bad shoulder slightly. I’d injured it a few too many times while firefighting. As I moved, I became aware of a sensation on my hand. I dragged my eyes open and lifted my left hand to see a wedding ring on my ring finger.

What the actual fuck?

Rosie shifted beside me just as I started to panic. Her eyes blinked open, and she raised her head. We stared at each other for a few beats before she shifted again and lifted her left hand. She also wore a wedding ring.

“Oh. I remember coming into your room and?—”

“Oh is one way to put it.”

Her cheeks flushed a deep shade of pink. “What happened after that?”

Thank you for reading Adam Tessa’s story!