And Then Forever

by Shirley Jump

  “You’re idiots.”

  Whit chuckled. “Exactly. Then what’s he do? He goes back to the museum world, where all the women are perfect and demure. He comes back to you, and wham, you are real and strong and pig-headed—”

  “Hey!”

  He put a hand on her arm. “And I mean that in the nicest way, my dear. You know I think of you like a daughter.”

  Darcy smiled. She loved Whit and Grace, and felt so blessed to have them in her life. They were the parents she always wished she’d had. “I know you do. And I agree. I can be pig-headed. Sometimes.”

  Whit nodded. “Pair pig-headed with an idiot, and what do you get? A whole lot of missteps. Kincaid loves you, girl. I see it in his face every time he looks at you. He might take a while to realize that himself, and you gotta have patience.”

  “That’s not my strong suit.”

  Whit grinned. “Mine, either. It’s why I married Gracie the day after she said yes. And look at how many years we’ve been together.” He patted her hand. “Don’t worry, it’ll all work out. Besides, you put a bill on the wall. It has to work out.”

  Darcy shook her head. “Whit, that’s just a legend.”

  “Yeah, well, look at the very first bill in the top corner. Sometimes it takes a while to come true, but it always does.” He gave her a hug. “And with that, I’m going to go find my bride and share a plate with her before things get hectic again.”

  When Whit had gone into the kitchen, Darcy crossed to the dollar bill wall. She stared at the top left corner, and there she saw it, the one that Whit had talked about. Funny, she’d never noticed it before. Maybe because whenever she came over to this wall, her gaze had always strayed to her own dollar bill. But there it was, plain as day:

  Whit Loves Gracie

  Paired beside another bill that said: Gracie Loves Whit

  Now all these years later, the two bills and the two people were here, all blissfully happy. Darcy knew Whit had said she could have the same thing, but as her gaze dropped to D Will Love K 4-Eva, it was like sending a knife through her heart. Stupid legend. Stupid her.

  She fished her house key out of her pocket, and picked at the edges of the staples holding the bill in place. She pried up one, then another, and was just starting on the third when someone moved into place beside her.

  She knew it was him, without even turning. It was as if her entire body was attuned to one frequency—the one called Kincaid.

  Darcy’s heart leapt, but she didn’t let it show. She drew in the scent of his cologne, held it for a moment in her breath, then turned to him. “What are you doing here?”

  “Adding a bill to the wall.” He reached above her head, produced the stapler that was normally kept at the hostess station, then used it to tack a dollar bill onto the wall. “Legend has it that if you put your true love’s name on this wall, you two will be blissfully happy.”

  “It’s just a legend,” she said, repeating what she had said to Whit. Why was everyone so convinced this thing worked? It was silly and stupid. “I did it seven years ago and nothing happened.”

  “Really?” He finished stapling, then stepped back. “Well, maybe I’ll have better luck.”

  She raised her gaze to see what he had written on the dollar bill. Then she blinked. Looked again.

  Marry Me, Darcy

  Darcy swallowed hard. Marry him? Was he serious? Her heart started hammering and her breath caught. Was he making fun of the legend? “Kincaid, this isn’t funny.”

  “Good, because it’s not a joke.” He fished a box out of his pocket and turned to face her. The black velvet box seemed huge, its implied question even bigger. “I made the mistake of not doing this seven years ago. I got scared and I left, instead of staying and doing what my heart wanted. I didn’t tell you how I felt, didn’t show you how I felt, and maybe if I had, we’d be in a different place now.”

  She started to back up, away from that ring box, away from that dollar bill. Away from everything it meant. Trusting him, opening her life and heart to him. Pledging forever. “We are where we are today. Nothing’s going to change that.”

  “We can change it, Darcy.” He took her hand in his. His touch was comfortable, warm, sure. Something she wanted so badly to depend upon.

  “Kincaid, I don’t know if we can. A lot has happened.”

  “I quit the firm,” he said. “Gave up my apartment. And made an offer on a house here on Fortune’s Island. That little white one on Bayberry Lane.”

  “The one with the swing out back?”

  He nodded.

  She loved that house. She always had. Once, when they were young, she and Kincaid had walked past it, and she had told him it was her ideal house. The one that seemed to capture what a white picket fence life should really be. And now he was going to be living in it. Here. Oh, how she wanted to trust in what he was saying, in the dream he was presenting to her. “Why? Why would you do that?”

  “Because I want to be here, every single day, and watch my daughter grow up. I don’t want to be on the mainland or in New York or anywhere but right here.” He met her gaze with his own, and in his eyes, she saw honest intent.

  She wanted to trust in this, to believe him, but her heart still exercised caution. Maybe Jillian was right and Darcy was the one who was scared, the one who had put up all the walls over the years. “But what about your law practice?”

  “I can practice law here. I’m sure I’ll be mostly handling disputes about overgrown shrubs and cats wandering onto the neighbor’s property, but that’s okay. It’ll be nice and it will leave me time to write. I’ve got one novel done, another started. Who knows, maybe I can finally do that full-time, like I always wanted.” He reached forward, brushed a tendril of hair off her forehead. She wanted to lean into his touch, to trust that he would never let go. “You dared me to prove I could be an ordinary guy. And I’m doing it, Darcy.”

  “But what if—”

  He pressed a finger to her lips. “There are always going to be what-ifs. None of us can predict the future. All we have is right now.” His hazel eyes met hers, those unique, intoxicating, amazing eyes. “And right now, I love you and want to marry you and create a family with our daughter.”

  It was everything she’d always wanted, but oh, how the thought scared her. Made her worry that she’d be left alone again. For all her bravado and bluster, Darcy was, in fact, terrified of being hurt.

  “For seven years, I’ve been on my own,” she said, finally admitting the truth to herself, to him. “Taking care of just me. I haven’t had to rely on anyone else or count on anyone else to be there. I’m scared, Kincaid.”

  And she was. Scared to death of trusting him, of exposing her heart, of letting him fully into her life.

  “Hell, we’re both scared,” Kincaid said, “but that’s okay. We’ll figure it out together.”

  She glanced again at the ring box. It didn’t seem quite as enormous now, but still…“It’s a big step.”

  He nodded. “If you want, we can think about it. Take our time.”

  “I think…” She reached out and took his hand in hers. His palm felt right and good with hers, and she decided to hold onto that feeling for a little while. “That before we make this decision, we need to consult one more person.”

  *~*~*

  Kincaid walked alongside Darcy, covering the short distance from The Love Shack to her house in a few minutes. She’d told Gracie and Whit she’d be back soon, then taken Kincaid and led him out the door. He hadn’t even asked her where they were going. When she said she needed the approval of one more person, he knew she meant Emma. Marrying him would be a package deal—for him and for Emma, and it was only right to be sure their little girl was okay with that.

  Once they were on the porch, he paused. His throat felt tight, his stomach in knots. “What if she doesn’t want me to be her father?”

  Darcy took Kincaid’s hand and held it tight. Now it was her supporting him, their roles reversed. “You come
with a dog. You’re pretty much a done deal.”

  That made him laugh, and eased the nerves in his gut. Darcy opened the door and they walked inside, into the perfect little homey world that Darcy had created. Nona was sitting on the couch, Emma curled up against her, the two of them reading a book.

  Emma bounded off the sofa and ran toward Darcy. “Mommy! I got to stay up past my bedtime! Nona said we could read books till you got home.”

  “That’s awesome, monkey.” She bent down to Emma’s level, then took her daughter’s hands in her own. “I’m only home for a little bit, to tuck you in and talk to you. Then I’ve got to go back to work.”

  “Okay, Mommy.” Emma glanced up at Kincaid. “Hi, Mr. Foster. Did you bring your puppy?”

  Darcy shot him an I-told-you-so grin. “Not tonight,” he said. “But I will all the time from now on.”

  “I like that puppy.” Emma giggled. “She’s funny.”

  Darcy rose, and took Emma’s hand. “Come on, monkey. Let’s go sit on your bed. Mr. Foster and I have something to tell you.”

  Nona gave the two of them a knowing, approving grin, then busied herself in the kitchen to give the trio some privacy. Kincaid thought—but wasn’t sure—he saw Emma’s babysitter flash Darcy a thumbs-up.

  Emma skipped ahead, talking to Kincaid over her shoulder about her room, and her favorite pink blanket, and how Elsa got to sleep on her pillow. He could hardly keep up with the conversation, but that was okay. He just loved hearing his daughter chatter. Emma clambered into her bed and drew her covers up to her chin. She patted the bed. “Mommy, you can sit there. And Mr. Foster, you can sit here.”

  Kincaid took a seat on the end of the twin bed, a few inches away from Darcy. The bed squeaked with the additional bodies, but it held. True to her word, Emma had the stuffed dog sleeping on her pillow. Half of Emma’s room was decorated with dogs of one kind or another, in posters, drawings, toys. He made a mental note to see if they made little Barbie sized dogs. Emma would probably like something like that.

  “Remember how you asked me a question about your daddy?” Darcy said to Emma.

  Emma nodded. She hugged her knees to her chest. “It’s ’cause there’s a daddy-daughter picnic at my school on Friday. And Kayleigh has her daddy coming and Michelle has her daddy coming and I wanted to have a daddy come, too.”

  “Well, I think that can happen.” Darcy glanced at Kincaid, then reached over and took his hand. The two of them took a deep breath at the same time. “Mr. Foster is my very special friend because…” Darcy’s gaze went to Kincaid. She gave him a smile, then turned back to their daughter, “because he’s your daddy.”

  Emma looked at Kincaid, then looked at Darcy. Her brow furrowed in confusion. “He is? But you didn’t tell me.”

  “I know, honey, and I should have.” Darcy hesitated, clearly unsure how to explain that. She glanced at Kincaid.

  “I asked your mommy to wait to tell you who I was,” Kincaid said, “so we could make it a surprise. I wanted to be sure you liked me and my dog first.” Considering he kept calling Mooch his dog, he was clearly not giving the pup up for adoption. And that was a good thing, because his daughter loved dogs. And he was going to try his best to do whatever made his daughter happy.

  “I do. I like your dog a lot.” Emma nodded.

  Kincaid laughed. He’d take that. “Good. And I’d love to go to your daddy-daughter picnic.”

  “Really?” Emma’s eyes filled. Her smile wobbled on her face. “Because you’re gonna be my daddy?”

  Kincaid nodded. “I am. Forever. I promise, Emma.”

  Emma surged forward and into his arms. Kincaid hesitated only a second, then he wrapped his daughter in a hug. He leaned down, inhaled the strawberry scent of her shampoo, then looked up at Darcy. Tears fell from Darcy’s eyes, but they were tempered by the smile on her face. So Kincaid reached out and pulled Darcy into their hug, and held on tight, because for the first time in his life, he truly had a family.

  *~*~*

  Emma asked ten thousand questions, all about where Kincaid lived and what his dog was doing and if he was coming back tomorrow. When she finally fell asleep, Kincaid tucked her in while Darcy talked to Nona.

  A few minutes later, the two of them were back at The Love Shack. Business had picked up since Darcy had left, and even though Whit, Gracie and Jillian all insisted they had it under control, she could tell they needed her help. Kincaid disappeared into the kitchen to lend a hand in prep work and cleanup, while Darcy tended the tables.

  To be honest, she was glad for the distraction. It gave her time to think about all the changes in her life in the last few hours. Kincaid returning. Proposing to her. The two of them telling Emma the truth. The plans for the future, for this newly formed family of three.

  From time to time, her gaze would stray to the dollar bill Kincaid had stapled on the wall earlier. Marry Me, Darcy

  Then work would call, and she’d stop thinking about his proposal. Marry him. The thought scared her and thrilled her, all at once.

  Finally, shortly before one in the morning, only a couple of customers remained in the bar. The jukebox cycled through its last few songs. Kincaid came out of the kitchen and slipped in behind her. “Looks like the night is over. And you still owe me an answer, Cinderella.”

  She grinned. “I thought we were going to think about it.”

  “We did. All night. Now it’s after midnight, so it’s tomorrow.” He took the rag out of her hands, tossed it in the bucket, then led her over to the wall. “There’s a big question up there. And it needs an answer.”

  She fingered the loose edges of her own dollar bill. Only one staple held it in place now, and at any moment, it could fall to the floor. She worked her fingernail under the last staple, pried it out, then took down the dollar bill.

  Kincaid’s face fell. “Guess that’s my answer.”

  “Not so fast, smarty-pants.” She grinned, then reached over, picked up the stapler they had left there earlier, and re-tacked her dollar bill under Kincaid’s. Then she fished in her apron for a pen and rose on her tiptoes. She took a deep breath, then wrote the three letters that would change her life.

  She stared at those letters for a long time. “When I was a girl,” she said to Kincaid, her gaze on those bills, on the choice she had just made, “I would sit on the wall in Plymouth and look out at Fortune’s Island. I would dream about my life here, and how happy I would be. I thought everything I wanted was here, on this island, far from what I was leaving.”

  “And it is,” Kincaid said, wrapping his arms around her, turning her and drawing her into his chest. He placed a tender kiss on her cheek. “It’s right here, Darcy.”

  “No, it’s not.” She turned in his arms and cupped his face in her palms. She drew back until their eyes met, held. “Everything I ever wanted is in Emma, and you, and the friends and family we have here. It’s the people that I was looking for when I sat on that wall, not the island. The people I love.”

  A slow smile curved across his face. A smile she knew as well as her own, a smile she would never tire of seeing. “I love you, Darcy,” he said. “I always have.”

  She leaned against him and listened to his heartbeat. It was a sound as steady and dependable as the ocean, and Darcy thought she could get used to this sound, very, very used to it. “I love you, too, Kincaid. And like my dollar bill said, I always will.”

  He tipped her chin to kiss her. The last song came on the jukebox, and the gang joined in to sing along with the B-52s. Everyone except Darcy and Kincaid. They stayed where they were, holding each other beside the wall filled with hundreds of hopeful heartfelt messages.

  Darcy closed her eyes, and leaned into Kincaid. All those years ago, she had sat on the rocks and looked out over the ocean, searching for a dream. And now, she had finally found it, found everything she wanted, right here, in Kincaid Foster’s arms.

  Book Two in the Fortune’s Island Series: CAN’T GET OVER YOU

  Comin
g October 2015

  Jillian Matheson dumped her longtime boyfriend Zach Gifford after their engagement stalled. When a new man on Fortune’s Island catches Jillian’s eye, Zach finally ups his game and decides to win her back—but is he too late to capture the heart of the girl who got away?

  Other Books by Shirley Jump

  The Fortune’s Island Series:

  And Then Forever

  Can’t Get Over You (Coming October 2015)

  Collaborative Titles:

  Ask Me Why

  (with Marie Force, Virginia Kantra, and Jodi Thomas)

  The Sweetheart Sisters Series:

  The Sweetheart Bargain

  The Sweetheart Rules

  The Sweetheart Secret

  The Sweet and Savory Romances:

  The Bride Wore Chocolate

  The Devil Served Desire

  The Angel Tasted Temptation

  The Playboy Savored Seduction

  The Boss Courted Trouble

  That Thing You Do by Maria Geraci

  Special Excerpt:

  The horror of her current situation was not lost on her. For the first time in twelve years, Allie was completely alone (as clichéd as it sounded) with The One Who Got Away. Or rather, The One Who Ran Away, tossing pieces of her broken heart along the highway.

  Okay, so maybe that was a tad bit dramatic.

  She watched Tom Donalan out of the corner of her eye. His big hands gripped the steering wheel—strong, and masculine, and…lovely. It was an odd trio of words to describe a man, but there it was. Tom was gorgeous. Always had been. And probably always would be, no matter how much Ben and Jerry’s she overdosed on.

  Allie forced her attention to the road in front of them. She had no business thinking about his hands. Or any other part of him. He was a Class A jerk. Best not to forget that.