It’s been hectic, considering Landon has been busy launching his own e-commerce empire. With Theo’s business guidance and Landon’s innate tech-savviness, he’s forayed into the online world of digital marketing with hardly a hiccup. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that he’s got millions in his bank account to play with, and those numbers are growing by the day.
I never stop being in awe of him. I remember telling him once I didn’t think he could fail at anything, and he seemed to take it as a personal challenge. He’s been steamrolling ahead ever since, laying down a solid foundation for our future. He knows the money isn’t important to me, but it’s important to him that I’m proud of his work. I still shiver when I think about the look in his eye when he told me he wanted to be settled and ready for our children when the time comes.
There are three of them, apparently. Two girls and a boy. He’s already got names in mind, which we’ve squabbled over until we ultimately agreed. The same goes for the nursery colors. It’s fun to imagine, but we aren’t in a hurry for babies. Practicing is the fun part. And we have all the time in the world.
Whatever happens with our careers, friends, or outside circumstances, there’s one certainty that won’t ever change. Our futures are entwined together. We will always be magnets, drawn back to each other, never too far apart.
When we decided to come back to Black Mountain, it was the easiest decision in the world. This is home to us. This is where our family is. My mother, Theo, Miles, they belong to him now too. And if you ask them, he’s already their son and brother. Not to mention Courtney, Jared, and Carson. Family isn’t always blood. Sometimes, it’s just the people you love the most.
Landon sold his mansion next door and bought us one a few houses down instead. Somewhere we could start fresh together. We still come over here for dinner almost every night, though. It might seem strange to some people, but I can’t imagine having it any other way.
He reaches beneath the table and drags his fingertips along my inner thigh, reminding me he’s feeling pretty amorous this morning. I close my eyes and melt into him like I always do.
“I’ll never get sick of seeing that,” he tells me.
“I’ll never get sick of feeling it.” I smile.
“So, Mykonos?” he asks again.
“Another vacation?” I turn to study him and still somehow manage to get lost in those eyes.
He cocks his head to the side, his lips tilting up at the corners. “I was thinking more like a… honeymoon.”
The room around us stills, and it occurs to me that everyone else heard it too. It wasn’t just my imagination. And it’s not a hallucination when he plucks a ring from his pocket and looks at me with an intensity only Landon could ever possess.
Everyone is watching. I’m not breathing, and I don’t think they are either. I’m preparing myself for what he might say in front of them, but first, he leans in to whisper in my ear. The words that still make me feel lightning in my veins.
“I love you, Kail. More than anything.”
I can feel his smile against my skin. His love for me still feels like a confession even after all this time. Landon doesn’t say anything else the way he says these words to me. It’s so raw I could never doubt the magnitude of his feelings.
“So, my little pineapple.” He leans back to take my hands in his. “Can I keep you forever?”
“No take-backs,” I murmur with tears in my eyes.
“Never,” he agrees.
He slides the ring onto my finger. A black pearl with diamond accents set into a rose gold band. Nobody could ever know me better. Nothing has ever felt more significant than his ring on my finger. And I cannot wait to spend the rest of my life with this man.
We kiss, and howls of excitement erupt around us. My mom is already grabbing the champagne. Jared and Carson are arguing over who gets to be the best man. Court and Miles are sneaking kisses of their own. And everything is crazy but so, so perfect.