Living outside the lines.
EPILOGUE
Ben
A year later
Sunlight streams through the large windows in the kitchen, the ones that give a magnificent view of the water behind the house. There’s hardly a cloud in the sky, and the day is already hot. It’s going to be perfect for boating, perfect for going out to that little alcove, the spot that’s become ours. I take my eyes away from the water and pick up my fork, stomach grumbling with hunger but nerves making it hard to eat.
“If you don’t want the rest of your bacon, I’ll eat it,” Felicity says, eyeballing my plate.
I can’t help but smile at her, moving my gaze to her face. We’ve been staying in Cabin 18 again, oversleeping and arriving late for breakfast at her parents again, like usual. Her hair is in a messy braid, her cheeks are slightly sunburned, and her sundress shows off her large tits that are hardly covered in a red and blue bikini top.
She’s beautiful. She’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me, and today, I’m going to propose and make her mine for the rest of our lives.
If she says yes, that is.
I don’t know why she wouldn’t. We’ve talked about weddings and getting married and having kids. We’ve even walked through jewelry stores, looking at rings so I would know what she likes. I combined a few of her favorites and came up with the design myself.
I hope she likes it.
“When have I ever not finished bacon?” I ask, raising and eyebrow.
“Hey, there’s a first for everything,” she says and cuts into her pancakes. “Still tired?” she asks, lowering her voice. “I mean, I know I wore you out and all last night…”
“I wore you out,” I shoot back. “How many times did you come?”
She kicks me under the table. “Shush! My mom’s right over there!”
I laugh and look behind me. Her mom is busy washing dishes, unable to hear us talking. Besides, I think I can say anything right now and she wouldn’t care. Being old fashioned, I asked her parents’ permission for their daughter’s hand in marriage.
They gave me their blessing and her mom has been on the verge of ruining the surprise all weekend. And now I’m on the verge of asking her over pancakes, because I want to see that ring on her finger, I want her to know that she’s the one, that I’m never going to let one day go by without her in my life.
I want her to know that I love her more than anything in the entire world.
And yeah, I want to make sure she says yes and feels the same. There’s always a chance when it comes to her. Felicity is full of surprises, which is one of the many things I fucking love about her.
“Ready to get wet?” I ask when we finish eating. She gives me another shut-the-hell-up glare then wiggles her eyebrows and nods. Over a year of being together and the passionate sex hasn’t slowed down. I hope it never does.
“On the water. What did you think I mean? You have such a dirty mind.”
“Oh please, and you don’t.”
We put our dishes in the dishwasher, spend a few minutes talking with her mom. I cringe at how obvious she is, and feel relief when just the two of us finally go outside. The morning is spent riding the jet skis around on the water, not stopping until we’re hungry and ready for lunch.
We’ve gone a few miles from the house, and dock the watercrafts at a lakeside restaurant and eat outside along the water. Then we ride around for another hour before going back to her parent’s house to shower, change, and nap.
We spend the rest of the day on the beach, being lazy and just enjoying each other’s company. Dinner is served late on purpose, and Felicity’s mom asks her to stay inside and help clean up, giving me time to set stuff up by the water.
I move about frantically, getting the bonfire started, and setting up the blankets, wine, and candles. When it’s finally how I want it, I panic and realize I left the ring in my bag back in Cabin 18. I run like a lunatic up the boardwalk, grab it, and run back down before Felicity comes out. I’m panting and out of breath, but not from the short run.
My phone buzzes in my pocket. It’s Felicity’s mom, letting me know Felicity is on her way.
I swallow my pounding heart and wait, watching her dark figure draw closer and closer, until firelight flickers off her beautiful face. She slows as she draws near, taking everything in. She’s smiling and looks slightly terrified at the same time. Not terrified of what’s to come, but terrified she’s getting it wrong.
“Ben?” she asks, voice shaking. “What is all this?”
I go to her, taking her hands and leading her closer to the water. I kiss her, drinking her in and pulling her to me. I can’t help but get turned on the moment our lips touch and I feel her body against mine. I never want to let her go.