doesn’t love to cook.”
She grinned.
“Plenty of room, though, in case that roommate were ever to be crazy enough to, say, marry me and make babies.”
Her eyes sparkled, reflecting the joy he felt in every cell. “You might have a deal with the marriage thing,” she said slowly, “but the babies... I would have to work up to that. It would require practice. Lots of it. And the other thing? I’m not about to get into this home thing sight unseen.” Her tone was teasing now.
“Hold up. Was that a yes to marriage?”
“Was that a real proposal?”
“Yes.”
“Then yes.”
“If we hurry, we could probably catch the sun setting over the bay from the very-soon-to-be-ours deck.”
“Sunsets are pretty good...if you have the right person to enjoy them with.”
Cale stared into her eyes, all kidding aside. “It’s taken me a while, but I definitely have the right person.”
EPILOGUE
RACHEL SUDDENLY APPEARED in the back doorway of their home that led to the small yard between the house and the bay itself. Dressed chest-to-ankles in white. Looking...stupendously gorgeous.
Cale’s eyes teared up and he wouldn’t have been able to utter a word at that moment if he’d had to. She stood twenty feet away from him, with forty-some people between them, but when she lifted her chin at last and met his gaze with her beautiful blue one, the rest of the world faded away. Her strapless dress showed off her narrow shoulders and muscular arms. It hugged her breasts—revealing a hint of her luscious cleavage—gathered beneath, then billowed down in a fitted but not tight cut that showed off her curves and suited her more than a ruffly, flowy number ever could. The simple, silky material reflected the bright, midday sun. It would probably be difficult to look at it for long, but Cale wasn’t proof of that because he couldn’t take his eyes from her face.
Her once-again blond hair, which had grown out to her chin, was pulled back from her face. Her lips glistened with light pink gloss, and he couldn’t wait to taste them, to seal the promise they were about to make to each other.
She was the perfect woman for him. She made her way down the white carpet with slow, sure steps in time with the tempo of the music. He knew how nervous she was at the prospect of being the center of attention, but, not surprisingly, she showed nothing of it on the outside. In fact, she couldn’t seem to keep the smile off her face. For that matter, neither could he.
Sawyer, his best man, nudged him with his elbow and said, “You’re a lucky man. And if you ever hurt her, you’ll be an unlucky man....” Both men chuckled, having had the friendly discussion of what Sawyer would do to him if Cale ever let his sister down.
Rachel had almost reached him when Cale belatedly noticed Buck at her side. The old geezer had been beside himself when they’d asked him to give Rachel away, and he looked proud as a father now. When Cale stepped up beside Rachel to have Buck hand her over, so to speak, Buck’s eyes sparkled, and he held on to her an extra two seconds, just to mess with Cale. Everyone who had gathered to share their moment laughed, and Cale pointed his finger at Buck as if to say he’d get him back. Then, as Rachel handed her bouquet to Mariah, the maid of honor, and entwined her arm with his, Cale’s attention zeroed in on the woman he loved, and he lost all awareness of anything around them.
* * *
RACHEL HAD WAITED for about as long as she could—she couldn’t stand it anymore.
“You,” she said, pulling on Cale’s hand. “Husband of mine.”
The most amazing man in the world bent down and kissed her in reply, which started yet another round of howling from the raucous group of firefighters and spouses, all of whom had become so important to them both.
“Get a room!” Evan hollered when Rachel turned to face Cale full-on and put both her arms around him.
“It’s not a bad idea, you know,” Cale said privately to her with the biggest, most boyish grin on his face. “It’s what married people do.”
Rachel laughed, feeling her cheeks warm under the bright sun. “True, but it’s two in the afternoon. You’ll have to wait.”
He nipped at her nose and squeezed her side affectionately. “For you, I’ll wait. But only for a few hours.”
Now was the time, at last. “Come with me,”