Total pages in book: 111
Estimated words: 105708 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 529(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 352(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 105708 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 529(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 352(@300wpm)
“Kasey set the fire?” Faith gasps.
“You didn’t know?” I ask.
“He said he had a surprise for me and ran downstairs. He told me to wait in the art studio. The next thing I knew, the place was on fire. I don’t know how it didn’t get to me sooner. The stairs were on fire from the beginning.” She covers her face. “I can’t believe this.” She drops her hands. “Did he kill my mother?”
“Bill says Nick’s father was controlling your mother. He wanted the winery, too, and I assume he knew about the mercury. Per Bill, they both became a problem. Like you did, Faith. And that’s all for now. I need to go hand off Jess to those who shall not be named.” In typical Beck form, he just stands and leaves without another word.
I turn to Faith. “Your house—”
“Doesn’t matter.”
I cup her face. “I can’t lose you.”
Her lips curve. “Then you won’t.”
I reach in my pocket and retrieve the ring. “Marry me. Be my wife.”
She breathes a heavy breath. “Your hair and skin are scorched, and you’re proposing?”
“I’d propose if my entire body was scorched. Marry me. The ring is—”
“Gorgeous. Stunning. Huge. I’ll need a bodyguard.”
“Does that mean you’ll marry me?”
“Yes. Yes, I will marry you.”
I pull her lips to mine and kiss her like I might never kiss her again. And I plan to kiss her that way every day for the rest of her life.
Epilogue
Faith
Three months later…
It’s our first morning at our new apartment. Nick and I sit down at a table on the patio with plates of pancakes in front of us—made, of course, from a mix, because that’s my specialty. I’m still in his T-shirt that I slept in last night, while he’s in his pajama bottoms and another T-shirt that fits nice and snug across his chest. That snug fit is exactly why I haven’t stolen that particular shirt just yet. His hair is loose, longer now again, though he tested out the shorter style for all of about a month. Nick just doesn’t do conventional.
He fills our glasses with fresh mimosas. “How does the new place feel?” he asks.
“Exciting,” I say. “I’m dying for the studio to be done next week. I have orders and shows and painting to do.”
His phone buzzes with a text, and he glances down at it. “Rita made it down to the winery to help Carrie this morning. Rita says that she is impressed. And we both know that Rita is not easy to impress.”
Carrie being Kasey’s longtime second-in-charge who is now running the winery. “I like Carrie, too,” I say. “I always liked her, but she was just overshadowed by Kasey. And now that the government came in and claimed the mercury, we don’t have to fear another problem. I can’t believe Bill and Kasey went to jail so quickly.”
“A plea deal works that way, but he’s still going to be inside a long time, while Kasey will be out in a year.”
“I still can’t believe he was involved. And Jess Wild. We’ll never know what happened to him, right?”
“The CIA deal with their own.” He changes the subject. “Back to the winery. No regrets over keeping it?”
“No regrets at all. You know how the fire affected me. I gave myself the freedom to live and to let it go.”
“But you didn’t let it go.
“No. We’ve made it possible to maintain my father’s legacy while I’m creating my own—at least I hope that I am.”
He holds up the card from my father. “Then you’re ready for this.”
I swallow hard. “Oh.”
“No?”
“Yes.” I firm my voice. “Yes I am.” I stand up and take it from him, walking to a small sofa seat a few feet away. Nick joins me, and I slowly peel open the seal and remove the handwritten note. Just seeing my father’s script steals my breath. I start reading out loud: