After All (Cape Harbor #1)(102)

“Me, of course,” Brystol yelled as she came out of the shed. She hugged her dad and then turned to her mom. “I helped him pick it out,” she said, pointing to the ring.

“What do you say, B? Wanna share your life with me? With us?”

“Without a doubt, yes. God, yes I do.” Bowie pulled her into his arms and swung her around. When he set her down, he fumbled with the box until he could get the ring out. She held her hand out and cried as he slipped the three-gemstone ring onto her finger, one stone to represent each of them. “It’s beautiful,” she said, holding her hand up to catch the light of the moon.

“I love you, B.”

“I love you too, Bowie.”

“What about me?” Brystol asked, holding her hands up. She laughed as her parents pulled her into a hug. “Hey, what do you think about me changing my last name? I’m already using Holmes at school; might as well make it official.”

Bowie leaned back so he could look at his daughter and then stared at Brooklyn. She could see it in his eyes, wondering how he . . . no, how they . . . got so lucky.

Deep down, they both knew. Time. It was time they had needed to grow up and accept themselves for who they were all along.





AUTHOR’S NOTE

I hope you enjoyed your visit to Cape Harbor. Some of you may recognize a few similarities to La Conner, Washington, which was the basis for the setting of this series, along with Skagit Valley and the tulips! Naturally, I took some . . . okay, a lot of creative liberties with the details since Cape Harbor is a fictionalized location. However, Washingtonians and Oregonians will find a lot of well-known and fun facts related to the Pacific Northwest, the coast, and the lovely, lush Olympic forest. Some of the shops I mention do exist, just not in La Conner. Susie’s Sweet Shoppe (made-up name) was a cute little ice cream parlor that recently closed in Stowe, Vermont. O’Maddi’s is a family-owned deli where I write sometimes in Northfield, Vermont. Ellie’s is a roadside farm stand where I buy my flowers, vegetables, and pumpkins. The memorial wall of past fishermen you’ll find in Gloucester, Massachusetts.





ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Thank you to Lauren Plude for this opportunity and for giving me Holly Ingraham. I’m so eager about our teamwork, partnership, and this adventure. I’m excited for everything our future together holds. Thank you to Marisa Corvisiero for pounding the keyboard and networking like crazy to make this book happen.