Epilogue

Maggie triple-checked her planner. Her Sunset Sail was moving right along without a hitch. A fantastic display of Finn’s work lined the dock, ready to disembark with the couples who had reserved them for the ride over to Blanket Fort Island. The caterers, the waitstaff, the musicians… Everyone was prepped and ready to go. All she needed were the guests. And Tess, who wasn’t answering her phone.

Boats filled and disembarked for the island as townspeople meandered down to the lake, eager to showcase Finn’s outstanding talent. Her contacts from New York, Boston, and even some from California had made good on their word, and Finn had personally rowed them over to the island. Even Mr. Tyler from Boston had brought an entourage with him. Everything was falling perfectly into place. With such an overwhelming response from the New England community, orders for custom crafts would be falling into Finn’s lap by the weekend.

When the last few guests pushed off from the dock, Finn returned, towing a tarp-covered boat on a trailer. He backed it up into the water, then pulled the tarp off, revealing the most stunning work of art she’d ever seen.

The Maggie Rose.

“You finished it,” she gasped.

“I couldn’t let my girl show up to her Sunset Sail in a borrowed boat, could I?” Once he had it in the water and tied to the dock, he parked his Jeep, then returned to Maggie with a bouquet of wildflowers wrapped in satin ribbon. “These are for you.”

“Thank you, they’re beautiful.” She planted a kiss on his lips. “I still can’t believe you went through with this. How did you get everyone back on board after I cancelled?”

“That answer I’m taking to the grave,” he chuckled.

“Wanna see if she floats?” Maggie asked him, pointing to the boat.

“After you, darlin’.” He untied from the dock and pushed off. The Maggie Rose cut through the water with little effort.

She ran her fingers over the fancy, hand-carved etchings along the inside of the hull.

To Maggie from Finn, who never stopped loving her

Her heart leaped from her chest right into her throat. “Finn,” she croaked. “It’s perfect.”

He smiled, continuing to row quietly across the lake.

They made small talk during the short ride, and Finn’s one-word answers unsettled her. “Are you okay?” she asked him.

“Yeah.” He continued to row. Beads of sweat gathered on his brow.

She wanted to believe him, but his nervousness upset her stomach. The night had gone perfectly so far, and she was worried something was about to go terribly wrong. “Are you having a heart attack right now? I can hear your heart pounding over here.” When they rounded the bend to where he’d built a temporary dock on the island, everything suddenly made sense.

Soft lights lit up the walking path. Opaque fabric panels billowed overhead. People lined the walkway three and four heads deep. Even his Nana was there, holding a…veil? What was going on? Finn took her arm in his, leading her to Nana, who smiled and kissed Maggie’s cheek. The antique lace veil was placed on Maggie before their walk down the aisle continued.

Flowers, check. Veil, check. Handsome groom, check. She was getting married. Again. Her knees buckled as a band played a soft wedding march in the background. Familiar friends waved to her from the crowd. She spied Jo hanging off the arm of a rather dashing man and gave her friend a quick thumbs-up. Even Edythe from the diner was there, clapping in the background with more townspeople Maggie hadn’t had the chance to meet yet. They were all there. For them.

Next to Nana stood Tess, who smiled uncontrollably. Little Colin threw rose petals from his wheelchair from the front row as Maggie stood between family and friends.

“Mahalo,” said a familiar voice from the end of the isle. Kai, in all his Hawaiian glory, grinned back at them. “I’d give you both leis, but Finn said he was the one who wanted to do the laying.”

“See? I told you we’d have babies in no time! I’d say in about nine months!” Nana cackled to those standing nearby.

“Nana. Eww.” Tess scrunched up her nose.

Maggie dabbed at her eyes, hoping her mascara was as waterproof as the packaging claimed it to be. Overwhelmed, she let out a cry that morphed into a hysterical laugh. “Did you plan all of this?” She beamed at Finn—her husband. Her future.

“I did. I do. Maggie, the love of my life. Today, in front of the many witnesses here, I promise you this.” He took her hands in his. “I promise to never let you forget this day, like you did the first wedding. I’ll never let you live that one down.” Finn gave her a subtle wink, and the crowd chuckled. “I promise to support your unhealthy coffee addiction. I promise to love you unconditionally, even when you ruin my favorite classic rock songs by singing way out of tune. I promise to agree to disagree that your pancakes look like boobs. But most of all, I promise to never ever feed you veggie-con bacon again for as long as we both shall live. If you, you know, wanna.”

Maggie placed her palm over his heart. Its erratic beat matched her own. “I promise to always kiss you good morning and goodnight. I know what love is because of you. And I promise you, some things are worth doing twice. And yeah… Hell yeah, I wanna.”

…

Eighteen months later

Maggie sighed softly, content to soak up the summer sun on her rooftop garden. Golden beams filtered through leafy palms, splashing shadows over the bench Finn and she rested on. Her head lay in his lap while he lazily stroked her hair.

Finn glanced at his watch, then closed the book he’d been reading. “We need to get going.”

“Mmm, ten more minutes,” she groaned, covering her eyes with the back of her palm as the clouds moved, allowing the sun to poke through.

“Emily’s flight lands in an hour. You should probably get there before she does.” He chuckled, setting his book beside him. He placed his lips close to her belly and spoke softly. “Tell your momma it’s time to go.”

Maggie pulled her knees up. “You’re horrible,” she joked, placing her palms on her belly. “She just kicked me in the bladder, and now I have to pee.”

He helped Maggie to a sitting position. “Good girl, Andersen.”

She stood, arching her back and stretching out the kinks. “We’ve talked about this. We are not naming our daughter after sail rigging.”

He grinned, grabbing his book. “I’ll wear you down eventually, just give it time.”

“Well, you’ve got about three months to figure it out.”

“Plenty of time!” He slapped her backside lightly, then playfully darted through the door in front of her.

“You’re lucky you’re cute!” she shouted after him, following him through the door. She waddled down one set of stairs and one more door through the entrance to their California apartment. By the time she reached the bedroom, Finn was already shirtless and changing into a pair of fitted trousers for the ribbon cutting. She stopped to stare for a moment, wondering just how she got so lucky. If only she didn’t feel like a beached whale.

Grabbing her dress from the hanger on her closet door, she undressed and slipped into it. “Can you zip me?” she asked Finn, unable to reach it herself.

“You look stunning.” He kissed the delicate skin on her collarbone while pulling up the zipper.

Maggie gave herself a once-over in the wall mirror next to the closet. “Look what you did to me,” she half-heartedly whined, adjusting the fabric over her baby bump.

“When a mommy and a daddy love each other very much—”

While hanging on to the bedframe for balance, she waved one shoe at him, then slipped it on her foot. “I should throw these at you.”

“Keep it up, Red, and we’re going to miss the opening altogether, because right now all I want to do is ravish you.” He straightened his tie and sauntered toward her with his hands in his pockets, like some buff model straight off the runway.

His pseudo threat was pretty tempting, and pregnancy did have its perks as of late, but, in all seriousness, they did need to get over to the medical center soon. Today was her ribbon cutting. The Moira Garrity Family Wing was ready for its big debut. “Mmm,” she hummed against his mouth, kissing him deeply. “Don’t tempt me. Not today.”

Maggie touched up her makeup while Finn called for a car, and then they were off to the heart of the city to finally see the completion of Maggie’s dream come true. She’d invited young Emily to help with the cutting.

…

Maggie’s speech was on fire. Finn admired the way she had with words. Her smile, her charisma—she lit up the room. The press surrounded her in the atrium of the hospital, their flashes bouncing off the walls with every shutter click. Emily stood beside her, up front and center—she’d been cancer free for almost a year and was the first person Maggie had thought of when it came time to schedule the grand opening. Finn had been happy to arrange the flights for her and her mother and pay for all expenses. The pure joy on Maggie’s face was worth every penny, and when Emily and Maggie both held the giant scissors to ceremoniously cut the ribbon, his heart swelled with pride.

Maggie glanced over at him briefly and he smiled back. She’d done it. After answering a few questions, she made her way over to him, and he enveloped her in a hug. He inhaled her scent, the smell of the rooftop garden flowers lingering in her hair. “Congratulations,” he whispered.

She looked up at him and smiled. “Thank you. For everything.”

The side of his mouth twitched up into a half smile. “You ready to do this all over again next week in Maine?” He wrapped her in his arms, pulling her close.

She nodded. “Absolutely. And I can’t wait to see my cat.”

“I’m sure Tess is ready for you to see your cat. That thing hates her.” Somehow, Maggie had talked his sister into cat-sitting whenever they were away. The thing loved Colin. Tess…not so much.

“Hate is such a strong word,” she whispered, cringing.

He kissed her forehead. “We need to go pack for the flight. And don’t forget about the surprise baby shower you don’t know about, the one Nana and Tess have planned for Sunday.” He’d let the surprise slip a few weeks ago on a lazy summer morning in bed, and Maggie hadn’t let him live it down since. All jokes aside, he was looking forward to it. Everyone was coming over to the farm for a barbecue and baseball game in true Garrity tradition.

“Have you thought of any real names yet?” she asked.

“Hmm,” he said, smiling. He laced his fingers in hers. “I was thinking… How do you feel about naming her Emily?”

Maggie rose up on her tippy-toes and planted a kiss on his lips. “I think it’s perfect.”

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