Page 103 of The Pilot

“Uh-huh. It’s beautiful. We can get married on the coast overlooking Rockville Harbor, have the reception there as well, so no one has to drive from one venue to another. They can put up a huge tent, so if it’s raining it’ll still work out. And since it’s right by the Rockville Breakwater Lighthouse, our guests can walk the mile or so out to see it if they get bored. What really convinced me though was this one picture I saw on their website of a couple standing on the grounds at night, with the stars and Milky Way behind them. I thought Kash would love that.”

She was still staring at him, and Linc couldn’t read the look on her face.

“What? Too soon? You don’t want to get married there? It’s fine, I can still get the deposit back, I just thought—”

“No! It’s perfect. I love that place. I just . . . I’m so happy.”

“I’m glad.”

“Do you think your mom will want to help me plan things?”

“I think she’d love that,” Linc said, thrilled beyond belief. “She’s dreamed about planning our weddings almost as long as she’s yearned for grandkids.”

“And a year and a half is perfect. Thank you, Linc.”

“I’d marry you tomorrow if I could, but I want to give you a fairy-tale wedding, and in order to do that, we need time.”

Harper leaned forward and pressed her lips to his. For the first time in a week, Linc felt his Harper in the kiss. The one before Kash’s ordeal. She wasn’t simply going through the motions. He hoped that meant she was well and truly starting to heal from the trauma of her child being missing.

A loud honk sounded from outside, and Linc pulled back with a laugh. “Guess Kash is ready to go, huh?” he asked.

“Sounds like it. Thank you for including him in your proposal,” Harper said.

“Of course. This is as much his decision as it is yours. I realize he’ll only be here for another five-ish years before he heads off to college to live his life, but since we’ll be together the rest of our lives, I wanted him to be okay with everything.”

“He loves you. Thank you for stepping up. For loving us both.”

“He’s a part of you. I couldn’t love you and not love him. Now, let’s get going. Since Kash mentioned them, I have a hankering for Zach’s tacos as well. He does something to the meat that’s amazingly good. He refuses to say what seasoning he uses though. It’s so annoying.”

“Little brothers usually are,” Harper said with a chuckle. “Wait, should we talk about how this is going to go down? How you’re going to propose?”

“I already proposed,” Linc corrected her. “And you and Kash both said yes.”

“You know what I mean.”

“I’m going to get down on one knee, you’re going to cry, my mom is going to cry, probably the girls too, since they’ve got those pregnancy hormones going on, and you’re going to say yes. That’s how it’s going to go.”

Harper rolled her eyes again, and Linc couldn’t help but think about how much he loved that glimpse of sass. She would keep him on his toes for sure.

“I meant, when.”

“Whenever Zach breaks the news to Mom that he’s already married.”

“You’re hopeless. Should we tell Zach what we’re planning?”

“Nope. Let him sweat it. Serves him right for not letting Mom be there.”

“You’re mean.”

“Big brothers usually are,” Linc said, riffing off her earlier words.

The horn sounded again.

“Right, let’s get going before Kash wakes the dead,” Linc joked. He held Harper’s jacket as she shrugged it on, then kissed her once more. He’d never get tired of touching her, of seeing the joy in her eyes when he told her that he loved her.

This woman was his everything. He’d never thought he could be as happy as he was right this moment. His future looked brighter than ever, and he was excited to live every day with Harper and Kash at his side. They made him a better man, lover, friend, brother, son. He was determined to always be there for them both. He’d make mistakes, because he was human, but together they could get through anything. That had already been proved.

He was looking forward to today. To spending time with his family and friends. To sharing the news that he and Harper were getting married. To seeing the joy on his mom’s face when she realized she’d get to finally plan the big wedding she’d always wanted.