Page 69 of The Story of Us
His Jamie.
His home.
His one true love.
“Always,” he whispered.
Then, at long last, an adult Sawyer O’Dell kissed a grown-up Jamie Vaughn, and the moment their lips met, the years they’d spent apart seemed to melt away.
It was a kiss steeped in fairy tales and history and faded Valentines written long ago. A kiss born of literature and love stories, but better because it was real…true.
And somewhere beneath the pounding of his heart, Sawyer could have sworn he heard fate whispering in his ear, like the narrator of a story.
And they lived happily ever after.
Epilogue
One year later…
The only way Valentine’s Daycould possibly top the previous year was if the grand re-opening of the Waterford business district happened to fall on February 14, which also happened to be the same exact day as the launch party for Jamie’s first published novel,The Story of Us. By some miracle, all three events perfectly coincided—the book launch, the unveiling of the newly restored business district and Valentine’s Day, which had long been Jamie’s favorite holiday. This year it carried special meaning, of course, because it also marked the one-year anniversary of Sawyer’s official, permanent homecoming.
So much had happened since that night he’d kissed her in the courtyard of True Love Books & Cafe. Sawyer had purchased a little cottage, just one street over from the house she’d bought from her parents. He’d celebrated the occasion with a housewarming party—catered by Rick, naturally—that had included a backyard bonfire where he’d set his suitcase aflame. The following morning, he’d broken ground on the Ridley project, and life for both of them had been a whirlwind ever since.
Jamie had been forced to close True Love Books, but only temporarily while the block was under construction. The timing was most convenient, because only a month prior, she’d sold her manuscript to a publisher—a longstanding publishing company in New York City that had put out books she’d adored since childhood. When the call came, she’d had to pinch herself, because the good news had felt more like a dream than real life. Then she’d been buried in line edits and copyedits and proofreading, and the temporary closure of her bookshop had felt like a blessing in disguise.
She couldn’t wait to open back up again, though. She missed spending her days working side-by-side with Lucy, who’d recently begun rocking a glittering diamond ring on a very important finger. She missed being surrounded by the scents of ink on paper, crystal bowls filled with Anita’s flowers and the sweet aroma of Rick’s buttercream cupcakes in the café. Mostly, she missed the feeling she’d always gotten that True Love was a very real part of the glue that held the community together—the beautiful beating heart of Waterford.
She hoped it wasn’t weird that the front display table would be piled high with copies of her very own novel for the grand reopening. She couldn’t resist, because in addition to being a love story about two lost soulmates finding their way back to each other, her book was also a tribute to the community. Beyond the romance and the poetic language, she’d written a love letter to Waterford itself, setting her story on the very streets where Mary and Harrison had walked so long ago and where she and Sawyer had fallen in love.
Twice.
She had a sneaking suspicion that the unveiling of the Ridley enterprise falling on Valentine’s Day was more than just a coincidence. After all, Sawyer had acted as the lead architect on the project, so the scheduled completion date had definitely been his doing. He was also well aware that Jamie’s book was scheduled to be released that day, “the most romantic day of the year” according to her editor. But restructuring the landscape of a town as old as Waterford hadn’t exactly been an easy task. There had been plenty of surprises along the way, including rusted-out pipes, foundations requiring extensive repair, and permits necessitating the approval of the state’s historical preservation office. Sawyer had navigated it all like a pro, even surprising Jamie with a brand-new plaque for True Love’s front door, proclaiming the bookshop an official Oregon State Historical Landmark.
Never again would she have to worry about True Love Books & Cafe closing its doors. It was a permanent part of Waterford’s story now—past, present and future.
“I still can’t believe you did this,” she said, polishing the gilded border of the plaque as Sawyer approached.
Instead of his ever-present messenger bag, Eliot’s purple cat carrier swung from his shoulder. Since Jamie had been up with the dawn getting the store ready for her book party, he’d volunteered to stop by Jamie’s house to feed the kitty breakfast at his preferred wake-up time and then bring the furry beast to True Love in time for the action. Eliot and Sawyer had become as thick as thieves in the past few months. In fact, as of Christmas morning, Sawyer had become the proud owner of a coffee mug that saidCat Dad…much to Rick’s amusement.
Sawyer gave Jamie a gentle kiss when he reached the threshold of the store, and then tilted his head. “Can’t believe I did what?”
She’d been talking about the plaque—and the store’s designation as a landmark—but looking at him standing there in the center of the business district that he’d worked so hard to save, she realized she meant something else. Something bigger.
“All of this,” she said, her voice dropping to aching whisper. “Waterford owes you so much. So do I.”
“Hey, now. You don’t owe me a thing.” He reached for her hand, lifted it to his lips and covered it with a tender kiss. “I adore you. You know that, but can we go inside? Your cat has gotten significantly heavier recently. Someone must be feeding him too many treats.”
Jamie rolled her eyes as she pushed the door open. “Gee, I wonder who that could be.”
“No idea,” Sawyer deadpanned as he deposited the cat carrier on the countertop by the register.
“Seriously, Hometown Boy.” It had become a term of endearment that Jamie had no intention of retiring anytime soon. “You’ve set a new bar for Valentine’s Day. This day couldn’t possibly get any better.”
She unzipped Eliot’s carrier, and he popped out of the opening in a flurry of ginger fur and an unmistakable flash of sparkle.
“You sure about that?” Sawyer murmured, brushing Jamie’s hair aside to press his lips to the curve of her neck.
It was then that Jamie saw it—the source of the glittering light coming from Eliot’s collar. Alongside his heart-shaped pet tag, an antique engagement ring had been tied to his collar with pink satin ribbon, the same kind she’d used to affix the old Valentines from TheStory of Usbox to True Love’s cherry tree for the second year in a row, a tradition in the making.
