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She started to take a step closer to get a better look, but Grant stuck his arm out to stop her. He was focused on the vicinity of where the flurry had been and a look of wonder lit his face.
She was used to nature causing this reaction in the man who had a heart bigger than any she’d ever known. He had a passion for the outdoors that she found inspiring. But this look was different. It was bigger, full of admiration with a hint of something she wanted to call pride.
“There it is.” His tone echoed the wonderous look on his face and he crouched down, taking four slow, deliberate steps. He motioned for Molly to follow. She did, although no matter how hard she concentrated on the dark sand, she couldn’t find the source of the movement. Or what had caught Grant’s attention. “Do you see it? Right there.” He pointed at a spot in front of them.
Molly searched again, willing her eyes to adjust. “Is that…” Her breath caught as it came into focus.
“A turtle hatchling? Yep,” Grant confirmed. As the clouds moved and the moon became brighter, she could just make out the tiny turtle hatchling clumsily making his way through the sand to the water.
Molly was captivated. As much time as she’d spent working with turtles, she had yet to see brand-new hatchlings emerge from their nest and make their way to the ocean. “Wow,” she breathed out. “What a treat.”
“Exactly. But it gets better,” Grant whispered, his grin widening with anticipation. “He isn’t just any turtle. That little guy is one of Hope’s babies.”
It took a second for the words to register, then Molly’s jaw almost hit the sand. “Hope? As in, our Hope?”
He nodded. “Our Hope.”
The wonder that had lit up Grant’s face now welled up inside her, leaving her speechless. She was staring at one of Hope’s hatchlings? “How do you know?”
“Do you remember us talking about how we thought she might nest somewhere around here?”
“Maybe.” It sounded vaguely familiar, but a lot of life had happened between now and that passing conversation. Plus, it was hard to recall year-old details on three hours of sleep.
“Well, about two months ago, her tracker showed her making her way this direction, so I started watching.” Grant took a seat on the sand, looking like he was settling in to watch the hatchlings from a safe distance for as long as time would allow. Molly sank to her knees next to him, still wonder-struck. “One day, her tracker had her unusually close to the beach. In fact, it looked to me like she came on shore. I had a couple buddies of mine check it out. Sure enough, there was a brand-new loggerhead nest right where her coordinates had been.” He pointed at the dunes in front of them, where a second tiny, dark figure flopped its way through the soft sand. “Look. There’s another one.”
Pride bubbled inside her as a third and then a fourth hatchling emerged and followed the other two. “Her legacy lives on.” An overpowering combination of joy mixed with pride flooded her as she watched the offspring of the one turtle that had touched her more than any other.
“Not only her legacy. Your legacy. You played a part in this.”
“We,” Molly corrected. “We played a part in this.”
They watched for a few more minutes until the first turtle toddled into the waves and was carried out into the inky sea.
“Well done, Hope,” she whispered, doing her best to burn the scene into her memory. “Looks like this story got its happy ending.”
“Actually…” Grant cleared his throat, and she could sense his movement. “I was kind of hoping this was just the beginning.” She turned to find him on one knee, holding out a ring. “Molly Grace Lawrence, will you marry me?”
Both hands flew to her mouth as, for the second time before the sun had even risen, she found herself stunned speechless.
“There’s no one I’d rather tackle adventures with. No one I’d rather be great friends with. No one I’d rather spend my forever with. I love you, Molly.”
Molly’s gaze flickered from the ring to the face of the man holding it.
The man who believed in her when she had trouble believing in herself.
The man who showed her how to trust and reminded her how to hope.
The man who loved her.
The man she loved with her whole heart.
“Did she say yes? I didn’t hear her answer.” Ellyn’s loud whisper came from the darkness behind them.
“I don’t know. I can’t see,” Claire responded in a hushed voice. “We should move closer.”
“Seriously, let the man propose already,” Mateo jumped in.
Grant grinned, his eyes still locked with Molly’s, and nodded in the direction of the motley crew. “Sorry, a few people tagged along. They insisted I couldn’t do this without them.”
