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SIX MONTHS LATER, KATIE and Logan were back in Wrightsville Beach to visit Sloan and Maria’s newborn son.
They’d gotten in the day before, and they’d spent the afternoon and evening oohing and aahing over the baby and visiting with Maria and Sloan in the hospital. They’d spent the night at Logan’s parents’ house, and Katie woke up before dawn and slipped out of bed quietly so she wouldn’t wake up Logan.
She grabbed some clothes in the dark, hoping they basically matched, and then closed the door of the bathroom before she turned on the light. She pulled on the capris, T-shirt, and hoodie, and then quickly pulled her hair into two braids.
She tiptoed back through the room and sighed in relief when she made it into the hallway without waking up Logan.
She was perfectly happy walking on the beach by herself. Logan didn’t have to wake up at an ungodly hour just to come with her.
She’d made it downstairs and was focused on the stream of coffee pouring into her travel mug when an arm slipped around her waist without warning.
She gave a little squeal of surprise and whirled around, only to discover it was Logan.
“Damn it,” she gasped, swatting him on the chest. “You scared the hell out of me.”
“You’re the one sneaking around like a cat burglar.” He was rumpled and unshaven but fully dressed. He was grinning and absolutely adorable.
“I didn’t want to wake you up.”
“Well, that was stupid. Maybe I wanted to go with you.”
“But it’s so early.”
“I don’t care if it’s early.”
“You normally care. Just last week you called maledictions down on my head because I turned on the bathroom light.”
He chuckled. “That was different. The light was blinding me, and it was only four thirty in the morning.”
She wrapped her arms around him in a soft hug as she giggled. When she pulled away, she admitted, “I’m glad you got up. I like it better to watch the sunrise with you.”
“I’m glad to hear that because you’re stuck with me for many, many more sunrises.”
The words would have terrified her a year ago—because she wouldn’t have believed they were true. She wouldn’t have believed that any man would stick with her for an entire future.
She did believe it now though.
Their time together hadn’t all been perfect. They’d argued and been annoyed with each other more often than they had when they’d just been friends, and sometimes Katie still got scared. But she was part of a couple now, and that wasn’t going to change.
When they’d both gotten their coffee and were starting to leave the house, Katie nearly collided with an unexpected man who was pulling open the front door.
They all blinked at each other in surprise until Katie recognized Logan’s brother Wyatt, big and dark and handsome.
Wyatt was the middle brother, a year or two younger than Logan. He always seemed to be on the move, so Katie had seen him less than the others.
“You look very schoolgirl hot this morning,” Wyatt told Katie, giving one of her braids a little flick after he and Logan had shared a brief hug.
She smiled and rolled her eyes in amusement. “Thanks, I guess.”
Logan gave a half-hearted grumble. “Find yourself your own girl.”
Wyatt just ignored this piece of advice and asked instead, “Why are you leaving so early?”
“We’re going to watch the sunrise on the beach,” Katie explained.
Wyatt arched his eyebrows in a way that made it clear he wouldn’t be caught dead doing such a thing.
“This is a strange time for you to be arriving,” Logan said, overlooking his brother’s reaction. “Did you drive all night?”
“Pretty much. I was cliff diving down in Mexico. But I wanted to make it back to see the kid. Have you seen him yet?”
Katie’s eyes had widened at the idea of cliff diving. She knew Wyatt was the daring sort—he was always involved in some sort of adventure sport or crazy stunt. But cliff diving sounded scarier than normal.
She was really glad Logan wasn’t into such things.
“Yeah,” Logan said. “We got here yesterday. You might try to get a couple of hours of sleep now. Mom and Dad won’t be up for a little while. Sloan was asking about you yesterday. I’m glad you made it.”
“I made it. Sloan shouldn’t have doubted me.”
They said their goodbyes, and Katie and Logan were finally on their way. As they drove over to the beach, Katie hoped they weren’t going to be too late.
The sun was just starting to rise as they walked down onto the sand, so they’d made it after all. It wasn’t summer anymore, and the air was crisp and chilly. They kept their shoes on instead of walking in the tide the way they did in warmer weather.
But Katie loved breathing it in as much as she loved watching the golden light glint and then spread across the horizon, across the water, transforming the darkness completely.
It just took a moment to turn the night into day, and it happened in a splendor of light and color. There was something about the moment of sunrise that felt true about the whole world.
Things could change. People could change. She could be someone she never thought she would be.
And she could be with Logan.
She held his arm as they walked, wanting to be close to him.
There was no one else on the beach this morning, so it felt like they were alone in the world.
The streaks of color in the sky were at their most vivid when Logan cleared his throat and stopped walking.
She stopped too, staring up at him in surprise.
Then she saw him reach into his pocket and pull something out. He cleared his throat again and he reached for her left hand.
Her entire body was pulsing as her mind caught up. She knew what was going to happen. She knew. She knew.
“Oh.” she gasped. “Oh!”
He’s eyes were slightly amused, slightly ironic, and slightly sheepish as he glanced from her hand to her face. “Shh,” he murmured. “You’re going to distract me.”
“Do you have a speech planned out?” She was filled with a rush of giddiness, which might explain her inappropriate question.
“Of course. I just have to try to remember it.”
“Are you going to get down on one knee?”
“Yes. Yes. I should, I guess.” Logan’s expression was exactly him—laughing and self-deprecating both—as he lowered himself to his knee in the sand and lifted a little box in which was set the most beautiful ring she’d ever seen—platinum band with a princess-cut stone that must have been crazy expensive.
She was starting to shake now as she stared down at him.
“Katie Ross,” he said. “You’re my best friend and then you became the love of my life, and now I really hope you’ll be my wife.”
She was nearly hugging herself, trying to keep from shaking.
He kept looking at her, and his eyebrows went up a little more.
“Was that it?” she whispered, quite stupidly. But she really didn’t know if he was finished with his speech or not.
“Yes. That was it. It took me long enough to plan it out. Was that not enough?”
“It was perfect!” She reached down and pulled him up to his feet, and then she threw herself into his arms. “I loved it!”
He hugged her back, more tightly than she was expecting. She could feel the emotion, the need, the love in his grip. It spoke just as deeply as words.
“So was that a yes?” he murmured after a minute.
“Yes, it was a yes. I want to be your wife more than anything.”
“Oh good.” He was grinning now, obviously too happy to contain it with his normal composure. He lifted her left hand and slipped the ring on her finger. “Thank God that’s over.”
She tried to huff, but it came out as more of a laugh. “Proposing isn’t supposed to be an ordeal.”
“It wasn’t an ordeal. It was utterly terrifying.” He took her face in his hands. “Thank God this is the only time I’ll ever do it—since I get to be your husband now for the rest of my life.”
And Katie thought that sounded just about right. It meant she got to be his wife.