Derailed

Epilogue

I looked out at the water, enjoying the way the wood of the dock felt under my bare feet. The water would be warm. It was almost fall. Ben and I had already been back for a few weeks. Our whirlwind trip out west had been just what we needed. The only dark cloud was the knowledge that the dock would soon belong to someone else. Out of nowhere, a buyer gave Mom an offer she couldn't refuse.

"You don't want to say goodbye to this place, do you?" Ben put an arm around my shoulder.

I tried to choke back a sob. "No. I don't want to let it go. But who knows, maybe it's better this way. Maybe it's time to move on."

"Have you ever thought about who the buyer is? Why he wanted the house?"

"No. Does it matter?"

"I don't know. Would it change anything if the buyer was a guy buying the house for the girlfriend he was about to propose to?"

"Ben?" I looked up at him through tear-dampened eyelashes.

"Maybe the guy wants to show this girl that they can make new memories that fit right in with the old ones."

He went down on one knee.

My heart fluttered. This was really happening.

"I know that life hasn't turned out exactly the way you wanted, and I can't change the past for you. But I can change your future, and you can change mine the way you changed my life right here so many years ago when we kissed for the first time. Marry me, Molly. Let's build our own life here." He took my hand, sliding a small solitaire ring onto my finger. I had no doubt it was the same ring he'd held onto for five years.

I nodded and fell to my knees next to him, crying, but for a different reason this time. "Yes."

His smile melted my heart, and I knew my expression mirrored his.

He helped me stand up before kissing me with an intensity that left me breathless. His hands caressed me like I was the most important thing in the world. After breaking the kiss, we just stood there watching one another for a moment.

He took my hands. "I took what you said about not wanting a long engagement seriously."

"What do you mean?"

He grinned. "Your family gets in tomorrow, and we're getting married right here Saturday followed by a small reception on the Serenity."

I let his words sink in. "That sounds... perfect. There's nothing else in the world I want more."

He wrapped his arms around me. "Welcome home, Molly." 

Want to extend your stay in Clayton Falls? Gavin's story, Veer is available on all major e-book retailers now!