Page 52 of Destined For Forever

“Of course I trust you,” he replied. “You have a big heart. You… you helped me to see that I had stalled my life.”

“What do you mean?”

“You’re not the only one making a career change.”

She gasped. “You quit Riptide?”

“I did. Gave two weeks’ notice and then I will be officially employed by the Patterson’s Bluff Surfing Club. I’ll start at the bottom of the ladder there, but I’m signed up to get my Bronze Medallion and hopefully by next summer I’ll be keeping these beaches safe.”

“I’m so proud of you.” Her eyes gleamed, and she laughed, brushing a tear away with the back of her hand. “Can I blame the emotions on jetlag? I just… oh Sean. That’s wonderful.”

But he couldn’t let this conversation finish without being clear about what he wanted. The life he’d never thought possible—the life he’d only ever felt existed in the movies—it was within his grasp.

And he would no longer settle.

“But I have to say something.” He let out a breath. “I don’t want to be a layover on your journey, okay? I don’t want this to be a ‘let’s see where it goes’ deal with plenty of ripcords along the way. Because I know what this is.”

“I know what it is, too,” she said, gazing up into his eyes. “It’s real.”

“I want everything with you, Lily. Because I knew we had something special when we were young. And I knew, the second I saw you in that airport, that it hadn’t gone away.”

Lily pushed up onto her tiptoes and wrapped her arms around his neck. Water splashed their legs as the wind picked up, and her dress flapped against her thighs. “I’m home now. I mean, I have a few things to finish up in LA but I’m cancelling my lease and packing my things and…”

He could scarcely breathe.

“I’m coming home for good.” She looked up at him and his heart felt like it was about to burst, like the stars reflected in her eyes. “And I want to come home to you. I love you, Sean.”

He bundled Lily up in his arms and held her tight, crushing his lips to hers. Their kiss was heaven. Sweet, comforting, familiar heaven. And all the regrets he’d held—about their missed connections and him taking so long to do something with his life—all vanished into dust.

She’d woken him up in a way he’d never expected. She’d helped him to see that he was capable of more than the easy path. She’d helped him come alive.

And he would help her value the pleasures in life, not just the work.

They made one another a heightened version of themselves. Reaching toward their full potential.

“I love you, too,” he whispered, planting kisses along the edge of her jaw and sliding his hands into her hair. “I have always loved you.”

“Thank you for helping me see I was almost throwing away the most important thing in life.” She tipped back her head, staring up at him with eyes open and full of love. “And thank you for helping me believe in myself, in my talent. I’m going to come home and work on my novel and… I’m going to get it published.”

“You can do it, Lily. I believe in you.” He leaned in to kiss her again.

As his lips brushed hers, the sky above them exploded. Fireworks rippled and popped all the way along the coast. The inky sky was ablaze with shimmering red, silver, green, and purple. Every boom echoed against the ocean waves, and he felt it resonate through him. It was like his life was truly beginning. A life that was full, finally.

And as they entered the New Year, and their new lives, Sean knew that anything was possible with Lily by his side.

EPILOGUE

Three months later…

It had been a whirlwind day. The previous evening Sean had driven two hours into the city and crashed with a friend of Jasper’s so he could be at Melbourne Airport bright and early to greet Lily. Seeing her again was like having fresh air breathed into his lungs or like catching the perfect wave.

They’d piled her luggage into his car and had driven back to Patterson’s Bluff. She was moving into his place, and he’d spent the previous week getting the house ready for her arrival—including making her the perfect writing studio in what used to be his spare room.

“I still can’t believe you did all this without telling me.” She looked around the room in wonder.

It was several hours later, and the sun was getting low. They were having dinner at her parents’ house and had to leave in a few minutes, but Lily was still lingering over the room she would call her own. He’d painted the walls a calming, pale blue and bought her a desk and chair that faced the window overlooking the backyard. Zoey had helped him pick out a cute reading chair for the corner, and he’d hung a photo on the wall that Jasper had taken of the local beach.

“Every little detail is perfect.” She grabbed his hand and looked up at him with her warm brown eyes. “Thank you. You’ve really made this feel like home.”

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