“What do you think about getting our own place?” I asked with eyebrows raised. I had a feeling she would agree, but I needed to hear the words to ease my nervousness.
Her face lit up with a dazzling smile. “I would love that.”
I hugged her again, treasuring the warmth of her skin and feeling excited about our future.
Epilogue
2Years Later
My feet sank deeper into the sand as the tide crashed into my feet and retreated to the ocean. The wind was blowing my hair into my face, obstructing my view. I’d been out here so long, it was starting to get chilly. The sun was setting as I watched the blues turn to purple and orange.
“Happy birthday, baby sister. There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think of you. I miss you so much it hurts sometimes. I hope you’re proud of me. I did it, Cellie.”
CeCe’s Corner was doing incredibly well. I was booked out for a year for various projects and campaigns. The first year was grueling, getting everything together to start operating. The days were long and hard. I’d grown a lot, but unfortunately, I hadn’t grown out of my stubborn streak. Despite several offers to help, I declined and did everything on my own. It was a rite of passage. I wanted to say I did it all on my own. Once I got a few clients, things really started to take off.
Looking up at the sky, I searched for anything, a sign she was with me right now.
I wept as the sun set until I felt the soft, warm material of a cardigan slipping over my shoulders.
“You okay?” Parker said as he wrapped his arms around me from behind.
“Yeah,” I answered as I turned to look up at him. “She would have loved everything about this day. Thank you.”
This morning, a wave of grief hit me as I noted today’s date. It was Celeste’s birthday. I had planned to put my phone on Do Not Disturb and tuck into bed with my e-reader. But when I stepped outside of our bedroom, Parker had our bags packed and food ready to go.
He refused to tell me where we were going the whole way there. When we finally arrived at our destination, it was a mid-sized white house on the beach. Parker led me through the doors, and I found Aja, Janae, Danny, Mr. Morales, and Mrs. Woods all chatting in the kitchen. When I asked what was going on, they all just looked at Parker.
“I knew today would be tough for you and I didn’t want you to be alone in remembering who Celeste was. I thought we’d celebrate her life together. Ma looked up a couple of recipes and made Pollo Guisado, the twins went to the craft store and bought some paint supplies, and I’ve got your favorite playlist ready to go.” He explained.
When I broke away, I immediately went to hug the three most important women in my life. My life was filled with joy and wonder because of them. We were all adjusting and rediscovering ourselves. Aja was killing it in her position as CEO of Gentry, and Janae was writing music again. Mrs. Woods was the most surprising. One day over breakfast, she asked us how to start a podcast. After she explained what she wanted to do, we all got to work to make it happen. Every week, she hosted someone in her garden who she found to be influential, and they spoke about life, the good, bad, and the ugly. The three of them inspired me to keep reaching for the stars.
Danny and Eric had become frequent flyers to Oakland Ridge, visiting often. I was constantly trying to persuade them to make the move here. I think I’m finally beginning to wear them down. The fact that they were here for a celebration of my sister’s life meant the world to me.
I cried tears of gratitude. We ate, drank, and danced, enjoying each other's company. When the morning bled into the late afternoon, Mrs. Woods lit the candles on the cake, and we all sang Happy Birthday. This day would always be sad, but I found myself happy to have not been alone.
After a while, I excused myself and walked down to the beach, needing the quiet. If Parker came to find me, then everyone must be gone. I turned in his arms and pressed my lips to his.
Parker pressed his forehead to mine. “Want to stay here tonight?”
“I’d like that. Breakfast on the beach sounds nice.” I said, tightening my arms around him.
“Hmm, it does. It would be even nicer if you wore that blue bikini again.”
I snorted out a laugh, pushing him away from me. His eyes were playful, and I suspected he was up to something.
“How about a race?”
Before I could even answer, Parker was booking it to the house. Our laughter echoed in the night as we raced to the deck.
“Hey, you cheated,” I remarked, pushing him up against the sliding door.
He smirked, his eyes still full of mischief. Bending down, he picked me up. I wrapped my legs around him as he opened the sliding door and led us to the bedroom. Placing me on the bed, he leaned down over me and whispered in my ear.
“What are you going to do about it?”
My heart raced like it always did when Parker Woods was in the room. My core tightened as his breath fanned over my neck.
“Maybe I’ll punish you.”
