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Epilogue
Cash
Two months later
Her fingers wraparound mine as we prepare for takeoff, the next stop home. In truth though, I’m already home in more ways than I can imagine, the beautiful woman beside me making everything just feel right.
“So you really think your mama’s going to like me?” she asks, leaning her head on my shoulder.
“Darling, she’s been calling me every few hours to make sure it’s for real and that you’re really coming with me.”
“Well, I can’t blame her. Look at you. Hard to believe someone would willingly settle down with Woodville’s biggest playboy.”
“Yeah, well, Mama doesn’t know that I’ve settled for Ocean City’s biggest playgirl. Guess there are some things just better left in the dark.”
Once we’re in the air, we both look out Sage’s window, studying the clouds. “I still can’t believe you’re coming with me.”
“You better not be regretting it. Because you’re stuck with me now,” she replies, and I lean in to kiss her cheek.
“No regrets here. But what about you? I still feel sort of bad you’re uprooting everything.”
She smiles. “I think it’s going to be an amazing adventure. A new boutique in Texas, bringing Evermore to an actual brick and mortar store. These are the things of my dreams, Cash. And more importantly, I get to do it with you.”
When Sage decided she wanted to move back home with me, I’d called in a few favors with some friends in real estate back home. I had the perfect storefront in mind for Evermore, and they made it happen. We’ve got a lot of work to do in order to get Evermore up and running, but it’s going to be perfect. Sage is going to take Texas fashion by storm, and I can’t wait.
She snuggles into me, and I lean on her head, thinking about how much things have changed. Thinking about how I headed to Ocean City not knowing who I was, not realizing what I was missing. And now I’m coming back with a whole new adventure ahead of me and a fiancée that makes me crazy in all the right ways.
“So I fully expect you to give me the entire Texan tour when we get there. I need to see this place, to experience it in its entirety. I have no doubt you can pull that off.”
She pulls back to look at me, giving me a wink. I kiss her on the cheek. “Don’t worry, I’ve already been thinking of tons of places to explore with you. In all sorts of ways.”
She raises an eyebrow. “And how are the women of Woodville going to take this? The most eligible bachelor off the market officially?” she asks, holding up her left hand, the diamond I put on it last month sparkling. When we play, we go all in, apparently. At least we do now that we’re playing a new game.
I shrug. “Well, it’s no secret there were a lot of… shall we say conquests? They might be a little upset. Who can blame them, really?” I tease. I love that we’re both open about who we were and that there’s no judgement.
Sage’s eyes sparkle. “Well, I’m not worried. Because I conquered the unconquerable in love, so I’m feeling pretty good about my ranking.”
I shake my head. “Unbelievable,” I say, teasing her with my eyes.
“What?”
“Well, Miss Everling, I just think you’ve got it all wrong. I’m pretty sure I was the one who conquered you.”
“Don’t you wish,” she says, leaning back against me, shaking her head.
I smile, resting back in the seat as we head off to our new life, the conquered and the conqueror.
And no matter which way the truth is, no matter who is in what role, I think the bottom line is this. We’ve both learned that lone hearts are overrated. This feeling, this connection right here, is what real life is all about.
