“You haven’t seen them both reach for the same sand shovel yet. You might change your tune.”
Gunny disappeared to retrieve more freshly cut fruit, and Dallas began to stir. “I told you not to let me fall asleep,” he groaned. “I don’t want to miss a minute with you guys.”
“You have some sleep to catch up on. Plus, what will we laugh at if not your ridiculously loud snoring in a beach chair?”
“Are you relaxed?” he asked, reaching a hand across and touching her arm gently. “I really want to make sure you have everything you need to recharge.”
“I am so relaxed,” she assured him. “I’m at that tipping point of relaxed mom where I start to feel guilty. Should I cancel my massage later? It feels like it’s over the top. A three-hour spa treatment? That’s a little too much.”
“None of that,” he ordered playfully. “You deserve of every single second of this. There is no stress here. Listen to that island music and try to have any worries. It’s just not possible.”
“How did you pay for all this? It’s too much?”
“Emmitt insisted that I take payment. I tried a thousand times to tell him I owed him not the other way around. You know how he is.”
Harlan nodded, imaging this was exactly what her brother had in mind when he wrote the check. “This week is going by way too fast. I’m going to want to stay here forever.”
“The good thing is you don’t have to leave forever. We can come back. We can make a tradition of it.”
“Are you sure you’re ready to be tradition guy? Are you ready to be doing this?”
“I’m looking forward to it,” he said, trying to convince her. “I’ll be the guy sitting in the dance recital cheering too loudly. I’ll be the guy telling the stories that are a little too scary because I don’t know better. Junk food will be my go-to gift.”
“So basically you’re going to make my life harder?” she teased, leaning across the lounge chair and kissing him.
“Probably.” He shrugged. “I do have a habit of doing that to people. I do have some good news though.”
“What’s that?” Harlan asked, a nervous smile lighting her face. “News scares me these days.”
“I might have an opportunity to get my job back. It’ll take some paperwork, a lot of work with my old police chief, and some help from Melissa, but now that Tim is on a path to freedom, I’ve got my head straight again. I think it’s time to start putting the pieces back together.”
“And now there’s three more pieces to squeeze into the puzzle. It might be pretty crowded.”
“I’m going to find the right words at some point to convince you that I’m all in. Something is going to make it completely clear to you sooner or later that I’m not going anywhere. You are exactly what I’ve been looking for. You, Anna, and Logan are what my life has been missing.”
“I look forward to that day,” she sighed. “I can’t wait to believe in something again. To completely trust that nothing bad will ever happen again.”
“That I can’t promise you. There will be bad times. More Pain. Some loss. There will be life. But it’ll be our life, and together we’ll get through it. It won’t be perfect, but it will never be lonely.”
“Hmm.” Harlan smirked, nodding her head in agreement. “It happened sooner than I thought.”
“That was easy!” he cheered with mocked excitement.
She grabbed her coconut drink and handed him his. “Here’s to an imperfect life together.”
“Cheers,” he said, leaning across and kissing her passionately. “I’m ready for this. I love you.”
Rather than just repeat the words back to him she shared something far more special, more real. “I believe you,” she whispered, their lips just centimeters apart. “I really believe you.”
The End
Books in the Barrington Billionaire World
By Ruth Cardello:
Always Mine
Stolen Kisses
Trade It All
Let It Burn
By Jeannette Winters:
One White Lie
Table For Two
You & Me Make Three
Virgin For The Fourth Time - Pre-Order
By Danielle Stewart:
Fierce Love
Fierce Love - Sweet
Wild Eyes
Wild Eyes - Sweet
Crazy Nights
Books by Danielle Stewart
Piper Anderson Series:
Book 1: Chasing Justice
Book 2: Cutting Ties
Book 3: Changing Fate
Book 4: Finding Freedom
Book 5: Settling Scores
Book 6: Battling Destiny
Book 7: Chris & Sydney Collection – Choosing Christmas & Saving Love
Betty's Journal - Bonus Material (suggested to be read after Book 4 to avoid spoilers)
Edenville Series – A Piper Anderson Spin Off:
Book 1: Flowers in the Snow
Book 2: Kiss in the Wind
Book 3: Stars in a Bottle
Piper Anderson Legacy Mystery:
Book 1: Three Seconds To Rush
Book 2: Just for a Heartbeat
Book 3: Not Just an Echo
The Clover Series:
Hearts of Clover - Novella & Book 2: (Half My Heart & Change My Heart)
Book 3: All My Heart
Book 4: Facing Home
Midnight Magic Series:
Amelia
Rough Waters Series:
Book 1: The Goodbye Storm
Book 2: The Runaway Storm
Book 3: The Rising Storm
Running From Shadows: Novella
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