by Amy Brent
He perked up immediately and waved at me, smiling sweetly. He slowly lowered his hand and stuck it in his pocket, looking down at the ground and kicking at something. I sat there for a minute looking around me for some sort of support, but there was no one I knew. I took another drink of my coffee and set it down on the table next to my book. I didn’t really have any choice but to go out there and face him. I knew he would stand there waiting to talk to me all day until they kicked me out of the shop. Every emotion I had that night after leaving his resort room came flooding back to me, and I could feel myself turning my hurt into anger. Not only was I afraid to talk to him, but I was now afraid that when I went outside, I was going to completely blow up on him. I tried to take several deep breaths to calm myself, but with him standing there waiting for me, it was no use. I forced my resolve and stood up, walking over to the doors and stepping outside. I nodded for him to walk away from the door, and he followed me over. I turned to him and shook my head.
“Seriously? You come here now? You didn’t call me, you didn’t say a word to me for the last two weeks, and you come here now? Why didn’t you just walk over to that Eliza girl’s place? She was a hell of a lot closer than Camden. You are a real piece of—”
He shushed me, and I stood upright surprised by his response. No one ever told me to be quiet.
“I need you to be quiet,” he said. “I know that’s hard for you, but just try for a minute. I want to start by saying I think you’re the most interesting and amazing woman I have ever met. You light up the room everywhere you go. You bring something to the table that no one in my life ever has, and I cannot just walk away from that. My time with you in Hawaii was the best thing that has ever happened to me. It was one of those moments I will carry with me when I take my last breath. It is the wild that you talk about, the wandering, except you were there by my side, and it never felt more real. As far as the texts, Eliza is a girl who as a single guy I slept with one night. I never promised anything or led her on in any way. She found my information and then started to stalk me. When I got back to New York, she showed up at my apartment, and I had her arrested. I now have a restraining order against her. I brought it if you would like to see it.”
I stood there wide-eyed, listening to him talking, watching the way his face curled up in anger as he talked about Eliza. He pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to me. It was a court-ordered restraining order against that girl, signed by a judge and stamped by the state of New York. I realized in that moment that I’d made a mistake. I’d jumped to conclusions without giving him time to explain.
“If you still don’t believe me, scroll through these messages,” he said, handing me his phone.
I looked at him for a moment and then down at the phone. I scrolled through, shocked at what I was reading. There were hundreds of unanswered texts ranging from her sweetly asking him to come over, to her freaking out in the next five minutes when he didn’t respond. The texts were all hours of the day and night. I handed the phone back to him and sighed, knowing that even if he wasn’t a player, none of it was going to work, not with the way I lived my life.
“I’m sorry I jumped to conclusions,” I said. “But that doesn’t take away from the fact that you live in a different world than I do. I love to travel. I cannot sit still, and that is my life. It has always been the straw that broke the camel’s back, and I get that, but I love my life. I can’t be Emma, living in some high-rise in New York City, waiting for you to get home, taking care of babies. Maybe one day, I’ll have a family, but for now, I want to live my life from country to country. I want to see the world, and I—”
He put his fingers over my lips and stepped forward. “Just be quiet for once,” he whispered. “I love you, Caroline.”
I froze again, feeling his fingertips sliding down my lips. I looked at him with wide eyes, unable to even comprehend what he just said. I was supposed to be angry at him, pushing him out of my life because it would never work. Then I thought about that dance under the stars, the love we made on the rocks, and the way he made me laugh until I cried. I thought about the butterflies in my stomach when he kissed me that first night, and even how excited I was when he was the one sitting on the beach in front of my bungalow. I thought about the dolphins, swimming together, connected as they traveled through life. I realized that I was angry and scared for one reason and one reason only. I was in love with him too.
“Dammit, Trevor,” I whispered. “I love you too.”
“Look,” he said, pulling me over to a bench and sitting down next to me, taking my hands. “I know you’re a wanderer through and through. I saw how much that life brought you to your peak. I saw the excitement and lust you had in your eyes at every turn. I saw the relationships you built with everyone around you, and I know that you can’t do without that,” he said. “I don’t want to change you, to make you a housewife in New York. The spark in you is what I love the most about you. That spark is what brings me to life, what makes me want to dance to Fleetwood Mac, jump on a plane and fly to Hawaii at the last second, and do a dance to the gods with the native Hawaiians at a luau. I know you cannot commit to an everyday life with me in New York, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a place for you in my home. That doesn’t mean there isn’t a relationship that can’t be stoked by that wanderlust.”
“Really?”
“Yes, you fool.” Trevor laughed. “Yes, a million times over. I would rather travel with you, have you in New York sometimes, and video message with you a million times than not have you at all.”
I sat there staring at him, completely ecstatic to hear those words. I never thought in a million years that someone would ever feel that way about me. I never thought that someone would love me enough to let me be the woman I was, to not try to change me and mold me into something they really wanted. I leaned forward and kissed him hard because I had no words to say back to him to tell him how happy I was. He chuckled and pulled me close to him, making me feel more at home than I had ever before in any place I had ever gone. I couldn’t believe I was going to have my own happy ending.
Epilogue
One Year Later
Trevor
I was more than excited to be back in Hawaii, and it was going to be one of those trips that neither of us ever forgot. Caroline had flown into New York a week before from a trip to Cambodia, and I surprised her with a trip to Hawaii for our one-year anniversary. It was a strange feeling being in a relationship like ours, but in the end, it really worked for us. We talked all the time, more than anyone I had ever dated before, and when we were together, it was like fireworks. We really cherished our time and didn’t take advantage of the fact that it was not as often as other couples.
I sat there on my surfboard floating in the water, watching a pair of dolphins swimming through the reefs. I wondered if it was the same two from the year before, returning after raising their child and coming back for some fresh fish and relaxation. I really loved being out there on the water, watching Caroline kill it on her board. I turned and smiled, seeing her pull herself up and raise her arms high in the air in celebration. She wobbled back and forth and then fell off, sliding through the waves and up onto the beach. She turned over on her back and looked up at the sun, a smile moving across her lips. She shot one hand in the air and gave me a thumbs-up.
We both burst into laughter, her lying on the sand holding her stomach and me balancing on the board as I tried to paddle back to shore with tears in my eyes. When my board hit the sand, I rolled off of it and landed next to Caroline, still laughing. I turned over and looked deeply into her eyes, pushing the hair out of her face. She smiled up at me and lifted her head, kissing me sweetly. At that moment, a wave crashed into us, spiraling us into another laughing fit. I had so much damn fun with this woman, it was unbelievable. She got up and dragged her board onto the sand, wiping her hair with her towel.
I watched her as she closed her eyes and let the sun warm her body. I couldn’t believe how amazing
she was and that she had actually fallen in love with my dumb ass. After all of that, our lives just went right into motion, and we hadn’t had a single fight since then. I stopped going to the bars and, instead, went home and worked on my financial plan to get to the point to where I could stop working and travel with her. I never thought anyone could settle me down like that, but she had done it, and I had no problem with it at all. She kept me on my toes at all times, and Brandt thought it was good for me. I had to agree with him, even if I did so reluctantly.
I pulled myself up and pulled my board to shore, taking a towel from her to dry off. I smiled as she started to wax her board, most likely planning on getting one last surf before dinnertime. I sat down on the blanket and watched her go out there, catching one really good wave and riding it all the way in. I clapped my hands and bowed to her, making her laugh. I looked down at my watch and realized the sun was about to set, and I wanted to make that the beginning of our evening. I waved her in, and she jogged up, tossing her board on top of mine and plopping down next to me.
“That was a good one,” I said.
“Yes, yes it was.” She giggled. “And I smashed it.”
“My little surfing queen,” I said, pulling her sweater over shoulders and pulling her in close.
We sat on the blanket watching the sunset together, her head leaning on my shoulder. The smell of her shampoo wafted into my nose, and I thought about right before she took me to the luau a year before. It had been the best scent in the whole world, and a year later, I still felt the same exact way. She was the girl of my dreams. We had driven out to a different beach that day, so we packed up our things and made our way to the Jeep that I had bought for when I was in Hawaii. We stacked the boards in the back and hit the road, riding with the top off, feeling the warm, salty air blowing around us as we drove.
I glanced over at her and smiled, watching her wave her hand out the side of the Jeep catching the wind. She turned and smiled at me, and my heart skipped a beat. I had never been with a woman who made my heart do that and especially not after a year of being together. It was going to make that night even more special than it already was going to be.
“The waves were perfect today,” she said as we slowed down, approaching the bungalow. “I’m really glad you suggested we go out there. I wasn’t sure why since we have our own beach, but the way the waves broke out there was completely different than on our beach.”
“I figured you would really like it.” I chuckled, pulling up and parking. “We’ll have to go back out there before we leave.”
“Yeah, especially with that storm blowing in on Thursday,” she said excitedly as she pulled her bag out of the back. “The waves will be amazing, and I can finally see if you can survive a bigger crash.”
“And if I don’t?”
“Then I’ll find a new boyfriend,” she teased, kissing me on the cheek.
“Good plan.” I laughed.
I stood to the side and let her walk up the stairs first, listening to her talking about the waves more. She was so cute when she got excited about something. There was no talking her down from it. I would be hearing about those waves until the next big wave came along. I walked slowly behind her, watching as she turned the corner and stopped. The entire deck was lit up with candles, and the table was spread with all kinds of foods and champagne. She looked back at me and then to the table. She put down her bag and walked over, smiling and shaking her head.
“How did you do all of this?” she asked, glancing over at me. “I’m speechless.”
“Finally.” I joked.
“Seriously, Trevor, this is beautiful.” She leaned over and smelled the flowers in the center of the table.
I reached into my bag and pulled out a small black box and lowered myself down on one knee. She stood there with her back to me gawking at the candles flickering in the ocean breeze. I cleared my throat to catch her attention, and she looked back at me, covering her mouth and turning to face me. I smiled big at her, reaching my hand out and waving her forward toward me. She walked slowly, her hands trembling as she reached out and took mine.
“Caroline,” I said. “I have been thinking about what to say at this moment since the day I met you, I think. I can still remember you that Valentine’s Day a couple of years ago, standing there in your Bohemian evening gown, your perfect waves of hair cascading over your shoulders. Until that moment, I didn’t think anyone could look elegant and wild at the same time. That was the day you turned me down, and it took another year or more to get you to go out with me. Then it took a trip to Hawaii and a trip to Maine to make you mine. Every single moment of that was worth it. Every single need, lust, and want was worth it, now that I have you in my life. You’re the light that shines my way. Please, please, make me the happiest man in the world and be my wife.”
“Trevor,” she said with tears in her eyes. “How will that work?”
“I finished my financial plan early with the help of Brandt, who gifted me enough shares of the company to be considered his partner,” I said. “He’s going to keep me on the board, so I have to be in New York a few times a year, but I’m now financially stable enough to do whatever I want with the rest of my life.”
“Really?”
“Yep.” I smiled. “And I want to be with you.”
“Then yes,” she exclaimed. “Of course, I’ll marry you!”
I stood up and took her in my arms, hugging her tightly. I set her back down on her feet and slid the ring on her finger, kissing her sweetly on the lips. Just then, Emma, Brandt, Gillian and her boyfriend, walked around the corner, clapping and cheering. Caroline gasped and turned around, clapping her hands over her mouth and squealing. She ran forward and hugged her two best friends tightly and then turned to Brandt and threw herself onto him, thanking him profusely. Everyone laughed, listening to Brandt assure Caroline that I still had my work cut out for me being part of the board.
“We’re going to miss him as Vice President,” Brandt said. “But where I lost my VP, I gained a partner, something well worth the hassle, especially with it being Trevor.”
“Thanks, man,” I said, shaking his hand.
“What are you guys doing here? This is so great,” Caroline screamed.
“Your fiancé invited us all out, set it all up, put us up at the resort,” Gillian said.
“And your friends from down the beach picked us up and brought us over here tonight,” Emma said. “They wanted to stay, but they said they would see you and congratulate you tomorrow at the luau.”
“Aw,” Caroline cooed. “I love them. They are the best. Okay, well let’s get this party started!”
We turned up the music and popped the champagne, laughing and talking about the surprise. Caroline and the girls immediately started to discuss wedding plans, and of course, Caroline said she wanted to get married in Hawaii. I personally couldn’t think of a better place to do it, and with my new partnership, we could afford to fly anyone we wanted out there. All I really cared about, though, was being with Caroline and starting our lives together. She was the love of my life, the light in the dark, and there hadn’t been a day that had even come close to that one. We partied through the night until all of us were so exhausted that I had to call a service to come pick everyone up and take them to the resort.
We stood in the driveway saying goodbye and making plans for breakfast the next morning. Caroline held my hand tightly as we watched the cars pull out of the driveway and back toward Oahu. When they were out of sight, I kissed Caroline sweetly, and we walked out onto the beach, sitting down in the sand. The sky was already starting to lighten in the distance, and we could see the ocean crashing against the shore. Caroline put her head on my shoulder and sighed, looking at her ring.
“This was an amazing day,” she said. “You are full of surprises.”
“You’re the love of my life, I had to make you one of those moments for your metal scrapbook.” I laughed.
“You did a good job, mis
ter,” she said.
“I love you, Caroline,” I said, looking into her eyes.
“I love you, too, Trevor,” she said. “Forever.”
I finally got my own happily ever after.
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Prologue
He picked me up in his arms and I held on tight to him, our mouths never separating as he laid me back down on a nearby patch of grass. I barely noticed the overgrown wildflowers surrounding us. Every atom in my body was only focused on him. There wasn’t room for anything else.