Then he finally, finally, kissed her. It was a kiss that Gwen could feel from the top of her head all the way to her toes. It was a kiss that calmed all her fears, explained away all her doubts.
When Jack broke the kiss, he pressed his forehead to hers. "Luke is helping me find a job."
"You can't return to fishing?"
"I want to, but it won't pay the bills. Not like it did."
"I hate that you sold your boat. I know you did it for me. You shouldn't have. I could've found the money somewhere else."
"I promised you that money. I want you to open your restaurant. I'd do anything to make you happy." His eyes were dark now. "Anything."
Gwen had to kiss him again for that remark. They were so wrapped up in each other that they didn't hear Jocelyn enter the room. She finally had to clear her throat loudly at them.
"I take it you two made up?" she said, a smile on her face.
Gwen's cheeks were red. "Yes. Jack's back for good."
"Excellent. He can help us clean." Jocelyn shoved a bucket of supplies into Jack's hands. "Make yourself useful, Benson."
After Jocelyn left, he laughed a little. "She's terrifying," he said.
"Oh, I know it."
"Did I mention that she was at Luke's earlier today?"
Gwen's eyes widened. "What? Tell me everything. Right now."
And because he loved her and would do anything for her, Jack did as he was asked.
Epilogue
The grand opening of Lyn's Eatery brought the entire island, tourists, and media together to celebrate. Shortly after Gwen had gotten funding, she, Jocelyn, Jack, and a handful of hired contractors began renovating the house next door. They'd worked rain or shine, aiming to have the diner open by summertime for tourist season.
Standing outside the restaurant, Gwen felt such immense pride that she felt near to bursting.
Jack slung an arm around her. "Amazing job, baby," he murmured in her ear. "It looks like a real restaurant."
Gwen laughed. "Don't look too closely. Pretty sure the paper towel holder in the restroom is about to fall off the wall."
"Nobody cares about those things. I don't. They just see that you've worked your ass off." He then squeezed her ass, which made her roll her eyes.
Jocelyn was inside, cooking away, probably barking out orders to her sous chef, a young culinary graduate named Kelly. Kelly, though, had quickly figured out how best to handle Jocelyn. The girl had balls, that was for sure. Gwen was just thankful they'd found her and convinced her to take a job on the island when she could've gotten a job anywhere.
"Don't you want to go inside?" asked Jack, cutting through Gwen's thoughts.
"I will. I just want to admire it some more. This is the first time it's been filled with customers." She sighed happily then turned to Jack. "I couldn't have done this without you. Thank you, for everything."
He kissed her forehead. "I feel the exact same way."
She and Jack went inside Lyn's eventually, going from table to table, talking to customers. The reviews so far had been glowing. Despite her initial resistance to changing the menu, Jocelyn had eventually realized that Jack's suggestions had been prudent ones.
"Elliot!" Gwen found her older brother, his wife Bekah, and their two-year-old daughter Lola at one of the booths. "How is everything?"
"Awesome job, Sis." He grinned up at her. "Can I get a discount for being the brother of the owner?"
"God, you're so cheap." Bekah shook her head. "Don't listen to him. He's just trying to save a buck."
"Yeah, because we're going to have another mouth to feed soon!"
Gwen's eyes widened. "What? You guys are having a second one?"
"I just found out last week," said Bekah. Then she watched as Lola began throwing her French fries, then a dish of ketchup, onto the floor, laughing at her own antics. "Not sure we thought this through, to be honest," added Bekah as she began to clean up Lola's mess.
Elliot looked a little pale now, which just made Gwen laugh at him. She squeezed his shoulder. "Good luck."
"Thanks," he muttered.
After Gwen and Jack had done the rounds and eaten their own meals, Jack asked Gwen to go for a walk. A clear summer evening, they found themselves down at the beach to watch the sunset. Gwen snuggled up to him, neither of them needing to say anything.
The past year had been sheer bliss for the two of them. They'd found a small house to rent—courtesy of Luke—and moved in together earlier that year. Jack, for his part, had decided to gain more experience as a general contractor as he'd helped with the renovation. He'd recently gotten his license and, with help from Luke, had begun work on a variety of projects on the island. Hazel Island was growing, and there was high demand to build more houses, offices, and stores.
"I heard from my mom today," said Jack quietly.
Gwen looked up at him. As far as she knew, he hadn't spoken to Debra in months. "And?"
"She wants to see me. And meet you. She says she's finished a ninety-day program and is now in sober living."
"Oh, Jack, that's amazing. I'm so happy for you and her."
His expression remained serious, though. "I'm not sure about you meeting her, yet. Besides, she could relapse again. She's never stayed sober for very long."
"That's true, but celebrate the good that's happening right now. Your mom clearly wants to have a relationship with you."
"Or she just wants more money," he said darkly.
"Maybe. But give her a chance. Maybe she'll prove you wrong."
"You always like to see the good in people."
"You mean I'm not a grumpy old man like you?"
He growled, tickling her, which made her start laughing like a crazy woman. Soon enough, the tickling turned into kissing. It was only the lack of privacy that kept them from going further.
Jack shook his head. "You drive me crazy, woman," he said, even as he squeezed her ass for the second time that night. "I can't believe you're really mine."
"Believe it."
She was now staring out onto the horizon, and she didn't see Jack reach inside his pocket. He had to clear his throat to regain her attention.
In the palm of his hand was a ring box. Gwen stared at it, her brain taking a long moment to understand what she was looking at.
"Jack," she whispered.
"Gwen Parker," he said, slowly going down on one knee as he opened the ring box. "The first day I met you, I knew you were special. I also knew that no matter what, I’d watch over you. I just never thought you could love me as much as I love you."
Gwen was crying now. She was sniffling and trying to wipe away the tears as Jack took her hand.
"Will you marry me? I'll never stop trying to make you happy," he said.
She was nodding because her voice didn't seem to be working anymore.
"Is that a yes?" he asked.
"Yes—yes!" She nearly shouted the word. "Of course I'll marry you!"
He grinned. "No need to yell, sweetheart. I think the entire island heard you." He placed the ring on her left hand.