Kyle continued to play Daughtry’s “Life After You,” a song Drea had enjoyed when it was on the radio but hadn’t heard in years. A slow smile crept across Kyle’s face as he sang, slowly and slightly off-key.
After the first couple lyrics, Drea couldn’t hold in her laughter. Kyle was a horrible singer. This wasn’t really news—she’d listened to him butcher so many songs over the years. But it was certainly highlighted now that it was just him and a guitar.
Tears started to prickle in the corner of her eyes as she listened. She couldn’t believe he was here. A quick glance around let her know they were alone, and this was a private show just for her. Kyle was such a classic rock guy, she had no idea he even knew this song, much less would have had the time to learn to play it. The tears that had simply been prickles started to slither down her cheeks now. Was this really happening? She wanted to run over to him, pull the guitar from his hands, and throw her arms around him. Almost as much as she wanted to bash him over the head with that same guitar.
“Kyle,” she gasped.
He stopped playing and leaned the guitar up against the railing. Standing up slowly, he walked a couple of steps, closing the gap in between them. “Drea, I’m sorry.”
“What the hell is all this?”
“This is me trying to grovel and beg and apologize for being a first-rate jackass. Just like the guy in the song.”
“I don’t follow,” she said.
“It’s literally a song about a guy who’s a jackass and gets into a fight with his girl, leaves, realizes he was wrong, and comes crawling back. Because he realizes he doesn't have a life without her.”
“Oh.”
He recited the lyrics, this time more like poetry rather than attempting to sing. They told the story of a guy who was obviously regretting his choices, reliving the argument and kicking himself for all the things he’d said. That he knew that the woman he loves was more important, and that without her, he had nothing.
“Kyle, I don’t know what to say.”
“Then don’t say anything, just listen. I know that I made a mistake. The biggest mistake of my life. I need you to know that I’m serious, that I don’t have a life without you. And I know you must think I’m crazy, out here trying to sing, but I needed to make sure I had your attention. I actually considered standing at the edge of the dock, holding a boombox over my head, as your tour came in today, playing that song on repeat,” he started.
“I hate that movie.”
“I know you do,” he said, stepping closer to her. “Which is why I reconsidered. Because I know you hate that movie, and that you can’t stand John Cusack, but you adore his sister and how quirky she is. Because I know you, Drea. Sometimes I think I know you better than I know myself. Which is how I know just how badly I hurt you.”
“But you were right,” she whispered, looking away from him and out over the porch railing at the beach. She quickly wiped away some of the tears from her cheeks, trying to pull herself together.
He stepped closer, cupping her face in his hands and looking her straight in the eye. “No, sweetness, I wasn’t. I was so, so wrong. I thought I was doing the right thing by letting you go, telling myself that I would just hold you back. But it doesn’t work like that. We’re in this together.”
“You said this place is my life, and you were right about that,” she said, smiling a little. “I can’t leave here—I belong at the Indigo Royal. The resort is my life.”
“And you’re mine, Drea,” he said, leaning in so their foreheads touched. “No part of me handled things properly that morning. I should have stood up to your uncles and told them just how much I love you and that you are my entire world.”
“You love me?” she asked, pulling away to look at him. Her heart sped up and her stomach tensed, her whole body seeming to hang on every beat of the moment, waiting for him to confirm.
“Oh, did I not mention that?” he smirked. “Yes, Andrea Lorraine Miller, I love you. It’s been on the tip of my tongue for what feels like forever and I should have said it a long time ago. I love you more than anything, and you are my forever.”
The moment he said those words, Kyle felt himself relax and tense all at the same time. It felt so freeing to finally say them out loud—he just hoped he wasn’t too late. The tears that were now streaming down Drea’s cheeks gave him hope, as long as he was reading her right.
“I love you too, Kyle,” she finally managed to say through her tears.
He grabbed her around the waist and lifted her up, spinning her around as she giggled, holding on to him for dear life. When he put her down he wasted no time in leaning in and capturing her lips in a deep kiss. When they finally parted, Drea looked at him with a quizzical look on her face.
“But what about my uncles?” she asked.
“I have spoken to all of them. You were right, Miller was on our side the whole time. Turns out Grayson was too. And Vaughn, well, he and I have made our peace.”
“So, are you coming back to the Indigo Royal? At least long enough to save up the rest of the money for your own charter business?”
“That’s the one piece of the puzzle that isn’t in place yet.”
“Oh no. Grayson sent me a text telling me that he found a new marina manager. Do you have to wait for his approval? Because I have to vote on whether we hire him and I’ll say he has to hire you if he wants the job,” she offered up.
“I’ve met the guy your uncle mentioned and I think you’ll like him, actually. Maybe even love him,” he commented, smirking at her.
“Love? Why would you think that I’d...wait...you? It’s you?”
“If you’ll have me,” he answered.
“What about being your own boss?”
“Turns out Grayson and I were very much on the same page about a lot of the things I wanted to do with my own boat. He agreed to let me bring in my own vessel to run however I want, as long as I also manage all the other boats in the same manner we’ve been running them. So we can do tours that are Indigo Royal only, plus some that are open to the public and/or contracted with cruise ships. It’ll be a lot of work, but I think it’ll be worth it. It’ll be the best of both worlds; I can run things the way I want, while having the financial backing of the Indigo Royal. Of course, I do have to get the vote of the fourth partner before I can officially take over.” He looked at her knowingly.
“Hmmm, I’ll have to think about it. Talk it over with my uncles. We wouldn’t want to just take the first candidate that comes along,” she teased.
“Oh, really?” he asked, teasing her right back. Grabbing her by the waist again, he tickled her sides until she squirmed and giggled in his arms.
“Okay, okay! You’re hired!” she said, gasping for air in between laughing fits.
“Good, I was starting to get worried we might not live happily ever after,” he joked, stopping the tickling and pulling her in so their bodies were flush.
“Loved ever after,” Drea said, correcting him.
“Huh?”
“Loved ever after,” she repeated. “Kinda like in that song. But it was what my mom wrote in her journal under the photo of her and my dad at their wedding—‘and they loved happily ever after.’”