by Elks, Carrie
With that, he was gone, leaving Lucas and Jackson laughing.
“He’s never gonna grow up, is he?” Jackson murmured.
“Nope. And we wouldn’t have it any other way.”
* * *
The sun was almost below the horizon by the time the last guests had left, and they’d cleared the debris from the beach. Lucas stacked the final table inside Ally’s café, then walked out and turned the key, slipping it into his pocket.
He could see Ember standing at the water’s edge, her body silhouetted against the burnt orange sunset. She was as still as a statue, staring out at the ocean as the water lapped against her feet. Even with her back turned to him she took his breath away.
He grabbed the bottle of champagne and two glasses he’d stashed away earlier and walked down the beach to where she was standing, feeling the grains of sand slip between his toes.
“Would you like a drink?” he asked her.
She turned to look at him, her skin lit by the setting sun. “I thought all the champagne was gone,” she said, looking confused as he held the bottle up.
“I saved this one for us. I figured it’s my birthday, nobody’s gonna complain.”
She smiled. “Well I’m not going to. Although I’ll only have a glass, somebody’s got to drive you home.”
He led her back to a dry spot on the sand, and she sat down as he poured out the champagne and passed her a glass. Lucas sat behind her, his muscled legs on either side of hers. She leaned back into his chest, her head resting against his shoulder.
A sense of peace washed over him, and it had nothing to do with the champagne. It was the same way he always felt whenever she was around. She was oil on troubled water, soothing him in a way nobody else could. He wanted to feel this way forever.
“Thank you for my party,” he said, closing his eyes as he breathed in the floral aroma of her shampoo.
“I hope you liked it,” she said, turning her head to look at him. “We like to celebrate birthdays in style in my family, so you should probably get used to it.”
“Sounds good to me.” He was going to have to work hard to beat this, but he was determined to do it when her birthday arrived. “As long as you’re there, I’ll celebrate anywhere.”
Her expression softened. “It was our first party, well the first one I haven’t had a meltdown at anyway.”
He grinned. “Long may it continue.” He took a sip of champagne, letting the bubbles tickle his mouth. “And it was our first party. I’ll always remember it like that.”
“Not our last though,” she said.
“Definitely not. We’ve got a lifetime of celebrations ahead of us.” Lucas slid his free hand down the side of her arm, his fingers brushing against her soft skin. “And speaking of celebrations, I had a meeting with the chief yesterday.”
“You did?” Ember gave him a half-smile. “What about?”
“Mitch Lakin told her he’s definitely retiring next year. She wanted to see if I’d be willing to lead the Volunteer Force here in Angel Sands. She wants me to upgrade it, possibly recruit some full time firefighters.”
“And what did you say?” Ember asked him.
“I told her I’m ready to be captain.”
“Are you sure?” She twisted around until her whole body was facing his. “I know how much you love working at White City, won’t you find Angel Sands dull in comparison?”
“Once upon a time I thought I would,” he agreed. “But not anymore. I met this girl who made me fall in love with this town all over again, and with all the people living in it.” He smiled at her. “And now the thought of being the captain of the local fire department makes me very happy indeed.”
“It makes me happy, too,” she told him, her eyes filling with tears. “It really does.”
Strange how quickly things changed once love came into the equation. He loved the idea of working locally, of coming home to Ember every night. Not that being captain of the ASFD was going to be easy – far from it – but it was going to be a different kind of challenge to the one he’d had in White City.
The kind of challenge that was compatible with a relationship, maybe even with a family. The thought filled him with joy.
Ember reached for his hand, weaving her fingers into his. “I wish my dad could have been here. He was always crazy about birthdays. He would have loved to meet you, too.”
“Are you sure about that?” Lucas asked her.
“Yes I am. He would have loved you,” Ember told him. “He was a simple kind of guy, you know? He called a spade a spade. He liked people who were straight with him, people who lived good lives. I know he would have been so happy to see us together.”
Was it possible for his heart to feel any fuller? “Not as happy as I am,” he whispered. Then he lifted his glass up in the air, pointing it to the sky. “We should toast him. To absent friends and those we’ve lost.”
“And to those we’ve found, too,” Ember said, raising her glass and taking a mouthful of champagne. He followed suit, swallowing it down, then leaned down to brush his lips against her cheek.
“Shall we go home?” he asked her, his voice a whisper.
“Yeah, let’s go.”
It was time to unwrap the last of his gifts, to show her exactly how much he appreciated her hard work. And maybe tomorrow – his day off – they’d sleep late, their bodies curled around each other until hunger made them get out of bed.
The future was looking bright; in fact, it was looking as golden as the sands they were walking on. And he was more than ready for it to begin.
Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed this story, be sure to look out for She’s Like the Wind, the second book in the Angel Sands series, releasing May 16, 2019.
CLICK HERE TO PRE-ORDER NOW!
Dear Reader
Thank you so much for reading Lucas and Ember’s story. If you enjoyed it and you get a chance, I’d be so grateful if you can leave a review. And don’t forget to keep an eye out for SHE’S LIKE THE WIND, the next book in the Angel Sands series, coming in May.
To learn more, you can sign up for my newsletter here: http://www.subscribepage.com/e4u8i8
I can’t wait to share more stories with you.
Yours,
Carrie xx
About the Author
Carrie Elks writes contemporary romance with a sizzling edge. Her first book, Fix You, has been translated into eight languages and made a surprise appearance on Big Brother in Brazil. Luckily for her, it wasn’t voted out.
Carrie lives with her husband, two lovely children and a larger-than-life black pug called Plato. When she isn’t writing or reading, she can be found baking, drinking an occasional (!) glass of wine, or chatting on social media.
You can find Carrie in all these places
www.carrieelks.com
[email protected]
Also by Carrie Elks
STANDALONE
Fix You
ANGEL SANDS SERIES
Let Me Burn
She’s Like the Wind
THE SHAKESPEARE SISTERS SERIES
Summer’s Lease (The Shakespeare Sisters #1)
A Winter’s Tale (The Shakespeare Sisters #2)
Absent in the Spring (The Shakespeare Sisters #3)
By Virtue Fall (The Shakespeare Sisters #4)
THE LOVE IN LONDON SERIES
Coming Down (Love in London #1)
Broken Chords (Love in London #2)
Canada Square (Love in London #3)
If you’d like to get an email when I release a new book, please sign up here:
CARRIE ELKS’ NEWSLETTER
Acknowledgments
My first, last and always thanks go to my family. Ash, Ella and Olly – you guys are my reason, and I’m so grateful for your love and support.
Much love and thanks to Meire Dias – you’re more than an agent, you’re a friend and I love our conversations so much. To Flavia, Hannah and Jackie at the Bookcase Agency, thank you for
all you do. I’m so proud to be represented by you.
To Rose David – thank you for holding my hand through the editing process and making my work shine. It’s always a pleasure to talk with you. Mich – your comments as you proofread are golden, thank you for always making me smile.
To Melanie Moreland, thank you for all your support, kind words and most of all for writing kick ass books I love to read. To Lianne Cotton and all the Indie Girl Authors – I couldn’t think of a better group to be part of. You guys are always such fun.
Bloggers have always been such an important part of my book journey. Thanks to each and every one of you who shows me support in so many ways – sharing covers and release days, promoting sales, reading and reviewing books. You’re the engine that keeps the book world going, and I appreciate you so much.
Finally, to my lovely Water Coolers. I love the way you are all so much fun – you make Facebook a great place to be. You help with ideas, inspiration and most of all you put a smile on my face. Never change, okay?