“Aye,” Killian adds. “Maybe it’s about time you think about moving in.”
Anna’s spine straightens as she glances at the enormous house. “Alone?”
“Well, I’ll be here to keep you company,” Blaire adds from beside me. I glance over at her and notice the way she’s gazing softly at Anna, who doesn’t even seem to notice.
“I guess,” Anna stammers nervously. She’s chewing on her bottom lip, and I realize that Anna has probably never had no one to take care of. She’s been the parental figure for her brothers since her parents died, and now that two of them have officially flown the nest, in theirthirties, Anna is finally free to live her own life.
“Again, I’m still here,” Lachy says, as if no one even notices him standing there.
“But you’re not a mess like we were,” Declan adds, shoving his little brother on the arm. “Anna prefers to clean up messes.”
“I’m a mess,” Blaire adds quietly, but again…Anna doesn’t seem to notice.
After a few more minutes of small talk with his family, Declan grows restless and starts pulling me toward the car. We take a few minutes to hug everyone goodbye. His sister sobs as she hugs him, like he’s going off to war instead of a cozy beachfront estate in California.
Before he leaves her, he passes her a manila envelope from the side of his jacket. Quietly, I hear him say, “You’re welcome.” With that, he kisses her on the cheek and walks away.
As the two of us climb into the back seat of the car, with a hired driver in the front, I glance over at the man sitting next to me.
It dawns on me that this really isn’t another eight-day summer spent with the man I love. This is real. Having him is my life now, and it’s everything I’ve ever wanted.
Scooting across the back seat, I rest my head on his shoulder as we watch the manor disappear in the distance. “So you did what she said? You put the manor in Lachy’s name?”
He nods. “Aye. It’s his turn to step up. He’s been the baby of the family long enough, and it’s time he took on a little responsibility. Besides, maybe it’ll have the same luck for him it did for me and Kill.”
Turning toward him, I press my lips to his cheek. “I’m proud of you.”
He kisses my forehead, and our eyes close at the same time. It may have taken us fifteen years to get here, but we got here in the end. What started as best friends turned into lovers, and now we are both of those wrapped into one. He is my soul mate. The person I want to build a life with.
And I want to start living it immediately.
Epilogue
Colin
One year later
Los Angeles
“Colin!”
“Colin, over here!”
“Colin, who are you wearing?”
Lights flash from the crowd as I stand in front of the banner plastered with the name of my latest release. Moving between poses, I hold the smirk on my face that photographs the best.
Both hands in my pockets. Left foot forward. Right foot forward. Now one hand in my pocket.
Away they snap.
In my periphery, I see him waiting, his eyes on me. And when I feel like the photographers have everything they need of me alone, I reach out for him.
His eyes narrow with an expression that tells me I will have to pay for this later, but I only smile as he joins my side.
He can try to complain about this, but he’s too good at it for me to believe it. The broody expression he holds as the cameras snap makes him look like a seasoned pro. Not to mention howdamn good he looks in this tux. His dark hair is slicked back, and I find myself grinning at him as he holds me against his side, the cameras snapping away.
That’s going to be a good one.
