“I don’t know, Ives. I love Connor so much, but I feel like I’ve been left in the dark about important things. I don’t want to be coddled and put in a bubble. I need complete honesty and disclosure if things are going to move forward.”
The thought of Con and Lilith not being together shakes me to my core. A reckoning is on the horizon.
Epilogue
LEVI
SIX WEEKS LATER
“Is it really necessary for me to be blindfolded?” Ives asks while griping my hands. “Especially the entire two-hour trip to wherever this is?”
“Yes, it is,” I answer.
Griff, Dad, and Lilith did an amazing job setting everything up. We each spent several weekends fixing up the trail to lake and the dock at the camp. Lilith lined it with lanterns lit with tiny candles. There’s a bowl of gummy bears and a bottle of champagne ready for us on the blanket at the end of the dock.
Mother nature is cooperating with us tonight, with a full moon overhead and stars lighting up the night sky. There are even some fireflies buzzing around the shore. My mom’s ring sits in my pocket, ready to slide on Ivy’s finger.
“You know, wherever this place is smells like Foster’s. That’s funny.” She smiles softly.
“It’s not Foster’s,” I say. That’s not a lie, I’m changing the name to Lockwood Lake Athletic Camp. It’s no longer going to be for elite athletes, I’ve brought Zion on to help with low-income outreach, and eventually I want to add camp sessions for disabled athletes.
As soon as we pass the pool and get down to the trail, I pull off her blindfold. It only takes her a second to realize where we are. She looks around with a huge smile lighting up her beautiful face.
“Levi!” She squeezes my hands and looks up at me. “It is Foster’s!”
“It’s not anymore. It’s Lockwood Lake Athletic Camp now, and we own it.”
“What?” she yells. “When did you buy this?”
“Last month.”
“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me!”
“Come on,” I start walking her down the path. “I have a surprise.”
“Okay,” her head swivels around, taking it all in. When we get to the dock, she gasps in surprise. “This is beautiful, Levi.”
“This is where I realized I loved you the first time.”
We walk hand in hand down the softly lit dock, cicadas in the background and the gentle waves lapping at the shore. We get to the blanket ,and she looks at me.
“This is so sweet and romantic.” She turns to look back toward the camp. “I want to see everything. The buildings look a little run down.”
I drop to one knee while she continues talking, completely oblivious to what I’m about to do. After a minute, I get impatient.
“Ives,” I wait for her to turn around, loving the surprise that flits across her face when she realizes what’s happening. “This is where we started. You and this dock were my first safe space, the first place I could go to when I needed a quiet, gentle peace. Remember all the nights we’d just sit here in silence? I never had that with anyone but you. I never want that with anyone but you. I loved you then, I love you now, I’ll love you forever.” I pull the ring out and hold it up, “Will you marry me?”
“Oh my God! Yes! A thousand times yes!” Her hand shakes as she holds it out for me for slide the ring on.
I stand up and she jumps into my arms. Her hands weave into my hair and her mouth fuses to mine. She’s never tasted sweeter than she does in this moment. We kiss until we run out of breath. Then she drops her legs.
“I had no idea you were planning this.” She holds her ring up to inspect it. “It’s beautiful. This was perfect. I love you,” she lifts up onto her tiptoes to kiss me again.
We sit down and share a bowl of gummy bears, a full circle moment for us.
Acknowledgments
There are so many people I want to thank. The first are my book fam. Hina, Alex, Miranda, Sophie, Beck, Kelsey, Nikki, Claire, Karley, Amber, Darby, Gabe (especially being the only man and subjected to all our rants), Jennifer, Ginny, and Annie. I would not have made it through writing and publishing a novel during quarantine without you. I love our bookish debates and the support we give each other.
Rachel, Sherry, and Valerie you three are my OG betas and I will never write something without getting your opinions. Thank you for always being honest and hyping me up.
Lastly, I have to thank my readers. I love that you have welcomed these characters into your hearts and minds. I love when you reach out to me to talk about them. Thank you for rating and reviewing my work. I read each and every one and welcome all your opinions, even when it hurts. Ha! I hope you will continue to follow me as hone my craft and continue telling the stories that live in my mind.
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Coming Soon
Titans of Founder’s Ridge Release Schedule
Cold and Broken: Titans of Founder’s Ridge Book 1 now available
Relentless: Titans of Founder’s Ridge Book 2 now available
Absolution: Titans of Founder’s Ridge Book 2.5 coming soon November 2020
Untitled: Titans of Founder’s Ridge Book 3 coming soon February 2021
Untitled Titans Spinoff- Dark Reverse Harem coming Spring 2021
Relentless (Titans of Founder's Ridge Book 2) Page 25