Epilogue

The unveiling of the Ferguson-Rowe Discovery Center took place on September twenty-ninth with over a thousand people in attendance. The dedication took place in honor of Vin’s father. His mother and sister both attended, as did Reece’s father, mother, Candace, and her brothers.

“You’re a real role model, Mr. Rowe,” Tonia said to Reece’s father.

Her father smiled. “Thank you. I understand you’re a kindergarten teacher. Sounds like you’re a role model as well.”

They discussed the pitfalls of public education and the differences in the school boards for Collier and Miami-Dade. A pregnant Candace chimed in about private schools and the benefits of being a stay-at-home mother.

As Reece mingled with the guests, she took the time to appreciate all she and Amelie had accomplished in the months since they’d decided to collaborate. They had staff and volunteers eager to help any child who entered the center, and the local elementary schools accepted their invitation to plan free field trips to the center.

Everything seemed to have fallen into place.

“You look pleased.” Vin joined her from behind.

“I am.” She soaked in the sight of the center and the people in attendance. “Look at all the possibilities.” Already attendees were asking how they could get involved, and Amelie had a sign-up list for volunteers.

“You’re amazing, Reece. I always knew that.” He kissed the top of her head, a move that still caught her in the heart.

“I didn’t. Not until you.” She’d grown accustomed to doubting herself, but once she and Vin started hanging out, she saw more in life than just trying to prove her worth. “Thank you.”

“I should be thanking you. You’re the one who motivated me to build my own company.”

“And those company shares are what funded this discovery center.”

“But I never would have thought to open a center like this. You’re a genius. And to think earnings from my company will contribute to this”—he shook his head—“it’s incredible. You’re incredible.”

She touched the #justlivelife band on his wrist. “You’re the one who told me to dream. I didn’t have one then, but I do now.”

“If this center is your dream, it’s a great one.”

She hoped he didn’t take this the wrong way, but she never wanted there to be another misunderstanding between them. “Vin, I know we’re still figuring things out, but this center is not my whole dream. Working with you, like this, through the center, is my dream. You’re on the board of trustees, so it’s like we’re partners in this.”

His expression turned serious as he stared into her eyes. For a long moment, he just looked at her, and she wondered what he saw. Had she said too much? About being partners? Over the past month, they’d shared quite a bit about each other’s lives. He’d implied, when he’d told her he didn’t want to lose her, they had a future. But they’d never really come right out and said they’d be together forever, even if her new discovery center linked their names together in a major philanthropic way.

“Come with me. I have something for you.”

She followed him out the back of the building into the parking lot.

With a lavish gesture worthy of a game show host, he swept his arm and announced, “This is the Sierra 1500 Denali.”

“I have no idea what that means.”

He ticked off the amenities on his long fingers. “High safety rating. Quiet, upscale cabin. Spacious front seats.”

“It’s a truck.” Why was Vin looking at her like that?

Sounding a tad smug, he said, “It’s a truck with a full-sized air mattress in the back and a full tank of gas.”

She caught on then. Sex in the back of a pickup truck in an orange grove. She’d toured an orchard once, and the fresh scents and the greenery had implanted that fantasy. The pickup truck had been her way of having outdoor sex, sort of private, and off the ground. “You bought a truck so we could have sex in the back of it?”
He kissed her on the tip of her nose. “I did, and it fulfills a fantasy of mine.”

She calculated the closest orange grove and their chances of entering undetected. “Can we leave right now?”

He chuckled. “Given our track record for staying at events, I think no one would expect us to do otherwise.”

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