Lara

Epilogue

"Sloan, can you grab my coffee on your way? I left it on the counter."

Picking up his coffee as well as my own, I go to the living room and find a comfy position on the couch snuggled right up against Jake's chest.

"Are you always going to call me Sloan?" I ask teasingly.

"What? That's your name, isn't it?" Jake puts his arm around me, pulling me closer against him.

Looking up at him from under my lashes, I say quietly, "Yes, but I meant a name of endearment."

"When you look at me like that, I'll call you anything you like." He leans down to nuzzle my neck, his hand moving under my shirt.

"Jake, careful, the coffee!" I giggle while trying to keep my cup from careening onto the floor.

"Here, I can help with that." In one swift movement, he sets my cup on the coffee table and moves me onto his lap.

"Thanks," I laugh, wrapping my arms around his neck.

"Anything for my snookums," he answers with a twinkle in his eye.

"No Jake, not snookums!"

"What, you don't like that one? Hmmm... I'll think of something." He smiles and moves both hands under my shirt, undoing my bra while continuing his kisses down my neck.

Placing my hands on either side of his face I make him look at me. "I'm onto you. Now that I've brought it up, you're going to start calling me something weird in front of our families just to get a rise out of me."

"Who, me?" He grins while innocently batting his eyelashes.

His hands continue their exploration under my top, and I move my legs so I'm straddling his lap.

"You're ready to go again? This morning wasn't enough for you?" I tease, with a kiss to his lips.

"Nope, I'm still making up for lost time." He kisses me and moves his hands to my hips, pressing me against him.

I wiggle my ass, eliciting a groan. "A year later and you're still making up for lost time?" I tease.

"Yep. And if you don't stop talking, I'm going to put you over my shoulder and carry you off to my lair."

I burst out laughing. "Your lair? Should I be worried you're secretly a supervillain? How did I end up with such a nerd?"

"Ok, that's it!" He picks me up off his lap and easily swings me over his shoulder.

"Jake wait no!" My protests barely make it out over my burst of laughter.

My phone starts vibrating on the couch beside us, and I crane my head to see who it is.

"Ah shit, that's the gallery! I forgot I still need to drop off that painting before we leave."

With a sigh, Jake plops me back on the couch. Planting a solid kiss on his lips I say, "We're going to have to drop it off on our way now."

"We can do that, but we'd better get going. I should check in with work too."

I've still been showing my art at the gallery when I have new pieces, and between that and going back to school, life has been busy. Busy, but good. I finally took the plunge and decided to go back to school, this time for art education.

After calling the gallery back, I hang up and look out the window of our Paris apartment. Never in a million years did I think I'd be living in the same city Mémé did. Nor did I think Jake would want to live here with me, but he didn't hesitate once he knew I wanted us to move in together.

And now he's the successful manager at a restaurant in the St. Germain district, something Juliette was able to help with due to her connections. It's not his forever job, but it's a great step. He still wants to own his own bar someday but we're still working out the details. Paris is good for now, but we both love Locquirec, and it feels like home to both of us.

But like this trip this weekend, we go there often. The cottage is an oasis for us just as it was for Mémé.

~*~

"I'll never grow tired of that first smell of ocean air," I announce as we come to a stop in front of the cottage.

We start to unpack the car, and I grab Minette in her carrier.

"With your obsession with the ocean, I'm convinced you're a siren. Which means I've been under a spell this whole time," Jake says with a twinkle in his eye.

I laugh. "So, this whole time you've been bewitched, huh?"

"Bewitched, bothered, and bewildered."

I roll my eyes as I unlock the front door. "Sinatra, really?"

Jake laughs as he passes me, weighed down with our luggage. "Walk on the beach sound good? It's tradition."

"I don't know if we have time. We have to be at Juliette and Philippe's engagement dinner in an hour. And even though it's walking distance I'd like to shower after the drive."

I look suggestively at Jake as he sets down the luggage in the bedroom. "Care to join me?"

He rubs the back of his neck not meeting my eyes. "I'd like to stretch my legs after that long drive."

I narrow my eyes - did he just turn down the possibility of shower sex? That's never happened before. "Ok, whatever you want, but let's make it quick."

Jake grabs my hand as we make our way down to the beach. We kick off our shoes before we reach the end of the lawn. That's also a tradition - no shoes on our beach walks. Reaching the water, my feet relish the coldness of the damp sand, the listless tide lapping slowly towards my toes before retreating. I take a deep breath, the salty air doing more for my soul than meditation ever has.

Glancing over at Jake, I want to tell him this revelation but realize he's not beside me. Turning around, I see him kneeling in the sand before me, a small box in one hand. And in the box is a....

It takes me a long minute to figure out what's happening. And even then, I think my mind is playing tricks on me. It isn't until he speaks that I realize this is real, and the tears come uninhibited.

"Lara Sloan, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

The sudden rise of emotions overpowers, and I find myself ugly crying into my hands.

He gets up and brings me into his arms. "Hey sweetheart, it's ok. I love you." He murmurs into my hair.

Choking back a sob, I look at him while wiping my face. "These are happy tears."

"So, you still haven't said..."

"Oh! Yes, Jake. Yes, yes, yes!" I exclaim, more tears threatening to overspill.

As he smiles down at me I see it then, the look of pure love, vulnerability, and exultant joy shining from his eyes. That look erases in a moment the memories of pain that existed between us in the past.

He slips the ring on my finger and pulls me into another embrace.

Mumbling into his shirt I say, "Thank you for showing me how to hope again. How to hope for the future - hope for our future. I love you."

He kisses me as our arms entwine, walking together as one down our strip of beach.

~*~