objects in motion.” He moved between my legs, grabbed my ass and yanked me to him. “Pulled together by fate.” He kissed me. “Stirring heat.” His tongue ran down my neck “And all that friction.” He laced his fingers through my hair. “And love, so much fucking love.” He dragged his thumb across my lips. “You crashed into me and gave me forever.” He lifted me from the counter, headed for our bedroom, and whispered, “Starting now.”
Epilogue
Molly...Three years later
Kade and I took the first year of our marriage to travel. We traveled to Egypt to see the pyramids, Europe to visit castles and Daytona where Kade got to drive the five hundred in a car he borrowed from William Bryon. We visited Montenegro a few times a year, but we didn’t stay in Kade’s hotel. We preferred an Inn, not far from where Kade grew up. He bought the land, offered them some capital, but the rest was handled by the employee-owned staff, an authentic taste of Montenegro. It was one of my favorite places to visit.
Mom and Dad finally got their European vacation, spending a month right after Kade and I got married in Montenegro, and now, they returned every year. We dove an old ship off the coast of Cancun, The Isabella, and learned that not only was there a beautiful but tragic love story about the captain and his wife, but that the two, who found it, had their own version of a fairy tale, a treasure hunter and real-life, modern day pirate. They lived in the Caribbean somewhere and locals say sometimes you see their ship, a massive sailing yacht with an honest-to-god Jolly Roger flag waving from the one mast. I scanned the horizon for them often. Maybe one day, I’d see them.
After that year, Kade and I realized we needed to work, and so, two years ago, we both found jobs on the island.
Kade walked into the bedroom, a mug of coffee in his hand. Salem was with him, jumping up on the bed to rub against my side. I scratched behind his ears.
“Time to get up, Baby. We’ve got work.” He settled on the bed, kissed me long and deep, then handed me my coffee. “Decaf,” he said, his hand moving to my flat stomach.
I was pregnant. We just found out. Kade was already working on the nursery.
He kissed me again, nipped at my lower lip, those gray eyes staring into mine. “Ten minutes.”
Ten minutes later, we were walking down our dock to the skiff. We motored to the mainland, docked. Kade helped me from the boat, kept my hand as we walked the pier to the shack called Molly’s. There were already fifteen little kids in their bathing suits and floatation devices waiting. I had commented that day on how I’d love to take little kids snorkeling, and my husband didn’t just remember, but made it happen. We were open four hours a day every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. We didn’t need the money, used what little we charged to put back into the business, it was the joy of seeing their happy faces as they explored the unknown that was so rewarding.
“Are you ready to see Nemo?” I asked.
A resounding cheer followed.
“This is Mr. Kade. He’s a great teacher, so let’s listen, as he shows you what you need to know about swimming with the fish.”
A hand flew into the air. “Yes, Sweetheart.”
“I heard my mommy talking, and she wanted to know if Mr. Kade gave private instruction.”
I bit my lip to hold back the laugh and looked at Kade. It wasn’t the first time. For a kids’ excursion, there were a lot of mommies who watched from the sidelines. Kade’s focus moved to those women when he said, “No.”
I lowered my head and chuckled.
I loved watching Kade with the kids, knew he was going to be an amazing father. He had so much patience, and he didn’t talk down to them. It was like they were his board of directors, just smaller and cuter. When he was comfortable that they were ready, we put our snorkels on, and for the next hour, enjoyed their faces as they got a glimpse into life under the sea. When the hour was over, our happy customers gifted us with smiles and waves.
After the last group finished, Kade and I were cleaning the equipment. I put the snorkel I’d just cleaned back in the shack, my eyes falling on Kade, whose back was to