I laugh. “Well, yes, I think I would prefer that this time.”
“Okay, I’m filing it all away in here.” He taps his head. “But…can I tell Goldie you proposed?”
I snort. “She’ll throw a party, and Juju will make a theme cake.”
“A kayak cake,” he says. “With strawberry filling.”
“That actually sounds pretty good.”
“Yeah? So it’s on? We’re doing this?”
I groan, but I’m laughing.
He leans forward. “Come here.”
I meet him in the middle, and we kiss. Just a gentle brush at first. And then he deepens it. His hand cups my jaw, and his thumb sweeps across my cheek. His lips part mine, and I feel every promise wrapped inside this moment.
By the time we paddle back, thanking the loon family for hanging out with us, the sky is a deep purple, and the water is a mirror of stars. He helps me out of the kayak, hands warm on my waist, steady and sure. He keeps touching me like he needs the contact.
We step onto the dock, both slightly damp and wobbly.
He brushes a strand of hair from my cheek. “Just for the record…I won’t push you with all those things. I’m patient. I’ll wait until you’re ready for it all.”
“Thank you,” I say softly. “I do want it all and maybe even soon…”
His eyes soften. “Yay,” he says softly.
I swat his chest. “I can’t believe you brought up babies in a kayak.”
“I know,” he says, grinning. “Trapped audience. No escape.”
“So evil.”
“In love,” he says emphatically.
I step closer, sliding my hands up his arms.
“Yeah,” I whisper. “Me too.”
This kiss is deep and slow…reverent. With promises of the future.
When we finally break apart, I rest my forehead against his. “Backwards wouldn’t be the worst thing.”
He laughs softly. “I think backwards would look pretty damn great on us. Either way, I love you.”
And with his arms around me, I believe him.
“I love you too.”
EPILOGUE
OPERATION TRY, TRY, AND TRY
DYLAN
I’m losing my mind, and it’s the best kind of losing it.
Dahlia is sprawled across my bed in Malibu, sunlight striping her bare back like tiger marks, and she’s laughing at me because I literally just sprinted from the bathroom with a towel still around my waist, tripped over my own sneakers, and face-planted next to her.
