Page 400 of Saving Forever with the Hockey Captain

Her fingertips smooth the front of my shirt, lingering for just a heartbeat over my chest.

"I've been waiting all day to have you to myself."

My pulse stumbles. "So have I."

She rises onto her toes.

This kiss is different from every other one we've shared today.

It begins gently...

...then lingers.

Deeper, as though neither of us is in any hurry for it to end.

When we finally part, our foreheads remain together.

I smile.

"Goodnight, Mrs. Walker."

Her answering smile is warm enough to light the entire room.

"Goodnight, Mr. Walker."

Without looking away from her, I reach behind me.

The bedroom door clicks softly shut.

EPILOGUE

Found

Jamie

It’s been just over a year since our wedding. I still occasionally stay in the city, but only when it’s necessary due to back-to-back road trips. My life, our life, is here on this lake.

Morning settles over Briar Cove as quietly as a prayer. Mist drifts across the lake beyond the cabin while the first rays of sunlight spill through the towering pines. The lake lies perfectly still, reflecting the cabin, the pines, and the life we've built here as though it never wants the morning to end.

Most people would probably still be asleep.

But old habits die hard. Coffee mug in hand, I step off the back deck and study the collection of lumber spread across the grass.

Pressure-treated posts. A stack of cedar boards. Two unopened boxes of hardware.

One instruction manual that's already lying face down exactly where I left it yesterday.

Naturally.

I pick up the cordless drill instead. Some things are simply more enjoyable when you pretend the instructions don't exist.

The first support beam is almost in place when I hear the screen door open behind me.

"I wondered where you disappeared to."

I glance over my shoulder as Annette steps onto the deck carrying a glass of orange juice.

She pauses at the top of the steps, closing her eyes for a moment as the morning sun warms her face.