I wiggle my nose against his and giggle, remembering when we were young and careless. “And I was so mesmerized by you, I would have said yes. But would we have gone on to experience all we needed to in life to get where we are today?”
“I didn’t need any of it,” he murmurs. “I would have given you all of me.”
“No what-ifs.” I kiss him. “We are right where we need to be.”
He kisses me back. “Fate brought us to this moment in time, but Adelaide is not where we need to stay.” He touches my heart. “Here. It’s the one place no one can take from us. We live here in each other’s hearts.”
Running my fingertip on my name inked over his heart, I look up into his blue eyes. Eyes yearning for my love. “For infinity.”
EPILOGUE
CHARLOTTE
Five years later…
The perfect happinessI have come to know is the state of your heart.
Money cannot buy it, nor can it be forced.
It is nurtured through pure love and being exactly where you are meant to be.
Leaning closer to the vase, I inhale the sweet scent of the roses before arranging the gypsophila and lavender between each bloom, all picked from our gardens. Fragrant and calming, it reflects my heart, as I have never been at peace as much as I am here. The moment I step outside, quiet surrounds me. The rolling green hills of the countryside wrap around our little home set amongst the vines. It took almost two years to open the winery as not all went to plan.But it was part of the adventure of living my new life beside Brandon.
We postponed the wedding and put all our energy into creating a home on the winery premises and until his mom was in remission. If her prognosis declined, we would have rushed the wedding, but she is well and helping us with our new venture.
“Mommy.” A sweet little voice calls out. I turn and open my arms wide as our daughter runs into my arms, wearing the cutest floral pajamas. The pregnancy was a surprise and the reason to push the opening of the winery. It also gave us time to remodel our home.
“You’re up early, princess.” I squish her in my arms and pat her blonde curls.
“Tell me about it.” Brandon stretches out his arms. “I thought I’d find you here.” He looks around the main function room in the winery, where I have everything ready for tonight’s celebration. “Why are you up so early?”
I smile at him. “I need time to ensure everything goes to plan.”
He frowns at me. “Why wouldn’t it?”
I giggle. “Because you’re not the businessman. You’re a people person, and I’ll leave it to you to charm our guests.” I scoop Nadine into my arms and kiss her cheek. “Are you tiring Daddy out?”
She nods, her big blue eyes wide and innocent. “He was snoring.”
I grin at Brandon since it is only five-thirty in the morning.
“And she pinched my nose,” he moans.
Nadine and I giggle at him.
“Since I’m up, I thought I might head to the beach and catch some waves before it gets crazy,” he says, but at the same time, he asks my permission.
“As long as you’re ready by nine.”
He plants a kiss on my lips and heads out the door toward the house.
We also bought a beachside home close to his parents’ house so we can stay there for some days and I can watch my man surf. I have even taken to a stand-up paddle board and understand why Brandon loves the serenity of being close to the water. It’s a relationship between you and the ocean that offers a calm in your mind, different from anything else.
I place a flowered stand in the shape of the number three near the doorway.
“I’m almost four,” Nadine sings.
I smile at my beautiful daughter as she climbs onto a chair to watch me add the finishing touches to the room. “Yes, you are, honey. Such a big girl.” She smiles proudly as though I gave her the best compliment. A wave of nausea hits me, and I place a hand over my stomach. “Mommy needs to eat some breakfast. Shall we go back to the house now?”
