He smiled. “I needed to hear that from someone else. And you’re right. I’ll probably come right back to it. But for now, I think I want to make some mistakes. Get a few jobs I hate.” He laughed. “You know, discover the hard way that the grass isn’t always greener.”
“I think that sounds like a terrible idea and I fully support you.”
He smiled, but it was different this time. Not that playful smile but more like…awe?
“I love you, Isla. I really don’t know what I’d do without you. You’ve always been that person to me. The one who helps me through my struggles and listens even when I refuse to talk. You just have this way of helping me open up, and you always say the right things in response. I know I can be difficult, but you always try. I appreciate that more than you’ll ever know. And though I haven’t always lived up to it, I want you to know I’ve always tried my hardest to be that person to you.”
“You are that person. Why do you think I love you?” I smiled. “Talk to your dad. Tell him how you feel. He’ll understand. And, you know…there are lots of jobs you could hate in Clyne.”
“You’re right. There are.” He grinned.
“Maybe?”
He nodded. “It’s a real possibility.”
I grabbed his face in my palms and laid a kiss right on his lips. “You make me so happy.”
He grinned back. “C’mon, let’s go eat something at the kitchen table before we ruin it with all that sex.”
I laughed as he sat up, scooped my shirt up off the floor, then tossed it over to me.
“You should also probably mentally prepare for all the shit Landon’s about to give us. Two nights in a row, you know. If I know my brother, and I do, he’ll either ask you for rent or a wedding date.”
“Oh geez.” I covered my face with my hands. “He’s gonna love this.”
“Not as much as I will.”
I pulled my hands down and looked at him.
“I mean, let’s face it. I’m still a guy.” He shrugged with a grin tugging at his mouth. “And I totally won the girl.”
I shook my head. “You didn’t win me, Colby. You’ve always had me. There was no way to lose.”
“But you’re kind of wrong there.” He offered his super sexy half smirk. “See that day, back on the pier, I might have won the yellow bear, but the real prize was you. I’ll never forget the way you looked at me that day, and I might have been a real dumbass about everything over the last few years, but just so you know, it was always you. Always has been. Always will be.”
Epilogue
Colby
The worst part about Isla’s schedule was she was always busier than me. The best part about Isla’s schedule was we always appreciated the time we had together.
Thankfully, her first semester of nursing school had come to an end. She was taking her last exam at that very moment. I was ready to have more time with her and I think she was just ready to have more time.
Plus, I’d spent the last four months in Clyne working at a job that I had in fact hated, and was ready to get back to Port Lucia. Mom and Dad had been incredibly supportive of my move and now I knew why. They’d probably always anticipated I’d come right back. When it came down to it, my life was meant to be spent on the water.
I tossed the last of my things into a box, then did one more walk-through to ensure I hadn’t forgotten anything.
Isla would kill me if she saw the way I’d packed. But I was ready to get out of there. The guy I’d sublet my apartment from was scheduled to be back in the next few days, and I didn’t really have the time or patience to do anything more than throw everything in boxes.
I lifted the box and carried it out to my truck, shoved it in the back, then slammed the tailgate shut just as Isla pulled up.
She hopped out of her car, all smiles, which I’d hoped to see.
“I take it someone nailed their test.” I pulled her to me and kissed her before she could answer.
When she pulled back, she frowned slightly. “Oh. I don’t know.”
I laughed. “Well, what were you smiling about then?”
“You.”
She grinned up at me and, God, she was gorgeous. Like, really, how had I gotten so lucky?
“You’re all packed and ready. I was kind of worried I’d find you buried under a pile of boxes with no end in sight.”
“Hey, I packed just like I said I would.” Now hopefully she didn’t actually peek into any of the boxes.
“Good. I’m ready to go home.”
I smiled. “So Port Lucia is still home? Because call me crazy, but I think you love it here.”