Right now I had other priorities.
I turned to face him, and he kept his arms wrapped around me, holding me close. “I do think that’s a direction we should definitely go in. But I’m not sure I want to tackle another project just yet. Especially since there are a few other things I want to do first.”
James raised his eyebrows. “Really?”
I trailed a finger down his chest, taking a moment to steady my nerves. “Well, I’ve had a few ideas about some changes I’d like to make to the house plans.”
He seemed surprised, which made sense. We’d spent quite a while working on the renovation plans for the house and were set to begin work in a couple of weeks once things with the Sea Sprite settled into place. “Like what?”
“Well, first I thought we should add a fence.”
It wasn’t a suggestion he’d been expecting. “Sure, that should be easy.”
“A white picket one,” I added. “And the guest room upstairs, I think we should use that room for something else.”
“You mean like an office?”
“I mean like a nursery.”
He thought about it for a second. “That makes sense, especially since Karlie’s over here so often. I’m sure she would appreciate it.”
I smiled. As smart as James was, sometimes he could be a little slow to catch on. It was one of the things I loved about him.
“No,” I said, pressing my palm flat against his chest, over his heart. “I mean for us.”
He blinked. Then his eyes went wide. “You mean—”
I stepped back and slid down to one knee, taking his hand in mine. “I mean, James Kennedy Allen, will you do me the honor of joining your life with mine forever? I want the picket fence. I want to have children with you and raise them here on our bluff with Brant, Karlie, Davey, and my uncles surrounding us. I want—”
James fell to his knees in the sand in front of me, gathering my hands against his chest. “Yes,” he said in a breathy whisper. “God, yes. Yes to all of it.”
We stared at each other for a long moment, not needing words or action or anything else to convey our love to each other. It was a force that existed between us, as dependable and steady as gravity. Tears glistened in his eyes as he cupped my cheeks and pulled me toward him for a soft kiss. His taste was as familiar as the feel of the Cape Cod sun on my skin. His touch was as welcome as the tide. James was now a part of McBride and the Sea Sprite as much as I ever was.
I pulled back, breathless. My heart was racing, every nerve on fire. I couldn’t help but laugh, I was so full of joy.
James’s grin was huge and contagious. “Did we just get engaged?”
I reached in the back pocket of my shorts and pulled out two platinum bands, holding them up so they glinted in the setting sun. “Need proof?”
James’s hands went to his mouth, and his eyes darted between me and the wedding bands. Suddenly, his eyes filled with tears. “Really? This is really real? You really want to marry me?”
I took one of his hands and pulled it away from his mouth so I could slide the cool band in place. “I think I’ve wanted to marry you since you snuck a pervy glance at my ass in the bar that first night.”
“Shut up,” he said with a laugh, half-heartedly slapping my chest. The ring caught the sinking sun again, and he gazed at it. “Holy shit.”
We were interrupted by the unmistakable sound of a cork popping. I turned to see Karlie, Wells, Conor, Ana Lucia, my uncles, and several close friends from town coming down the steps to the beach, champagne flutes in hand. Even Brantley was there with his camera, snapping away. I realized the Lovejoys hadn’t been the ones with the sunset portraits scheduled after all.
“Did he say yes?” Karlie asked, raising a freshly opened bottle of champagne overhead.
I grinned and held up our hands, showing off the new bands. “He said yes!”
“Smart man!” she shouted as the crowd let out a raucous cheer.
James seemed to realize something then. “Wait, Conor and Wells making up an excuse to leave the beach, and Karlie protesting when I offered to help—that was all a ploy, wasn’t it? You had this planned in advance and they were leaving us alone so you could pop the question?”
I grinned widely. “It would have been really awkward if you’d said no.”
He leaned toward me, brushing his mouth against mine. “I would never say no to you.”
I stood and held out a hand, helping him to his feet. Karlie approached and threw her arms around James, nearly knocking him from his feet. “Welcome to the family,” she said, just loud enough that I overheard. His eyes turned misty.
“Thank you,” he said earnestly, his voice cracking. Though he didn’t often talk about his life as an only child, I knew how much he’d dreamed about being part of a large, loving family. So I knew how much Karlie’s words meant to him.
I slipped my hand into his, and he squeezed tight.
Karlie noticed and smiled. Then she shot us a mock frown, wagging her finger between us. “No sneaking off to the honeymoon suite just yet. I busted my ass baking a cake to celebrate your engagement, and you’re damn well going to enjoy it!” She turned and started back toward the steps leading up to the inn, herding folks along with her.
“Honeymoon suite?” James asked, a mischievous grin on his face.
“Hmm, well… I happened to book us the best room at the newest beach resort in McBride for the night.”
He slipped his arms around me, pulling me close. “That’s no small feat, given that I’ve heard that place is booked out three solid months straight.”
“Good thing I happen to have an in with the owner.”
He chuckled and bent his head toward mine, deepening the kiss. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed the sun had almost finished setting, only a tiny strip of light left to be swallowed by the sea. I pulled from his kiss long enough to say, “We’ll miss the green flash.”
His eyes met mine. “We’ll have plenty of sunsets in the future to look for it,” he said, brushing his lips against mine. “Besides,” he added, “I already have everything I could ever wish for right here.”
“Me too,” I told him. And he kissed me again before we turned and walked hand in hand back toward our friends and family, back toward the new and improved Sea Sprite, and back toward the exact life we wanted.