Page 99 of Chasing Sunsets

Anson and I stand, hand in hand, watching them drive away.

He turns to me and cups my face in his hands. “I shouldn’t have talked to you like I did tonight. And I shouldn’t have stormed off on you,” he says.

I lift my hand to clasp his wrist. “It’s okay,” I whisper.

He shakes his head. “No, it wasn’t okay. I was confused and angry, but that didn’t give me the right to treat you that way. I’m so sorry, baby. I promise I’ll never walk away from you in anger again. When things get tough or we irritate each other, we’ll stay and talk it out. No more running.”

“No more running,” I repeat.

He lifts me off my feet, and our mouths collide as he carries me back to the RV. I share all the events of the night—from their arrival at my doorstep to our discussion, during which they reluctantly relented. He then tells me about Parker giving him a reality check.

We spend one more night making love and sleeping snugly like sardines in my little tin can by the sea.

Whispering promises and making plans.

Plans for a beautiful life together.

Anson

Three Months Later

The RV looks fantastic in the backyard, as if it was always meant to be there. I stand beside Sebastian and Parker, watching as we carefully maneuver it into place. Wade completed the kitchen renovations in the house last month, and Tabby officially moved in three weeks ago. However, we had to wait for the town’s approval to dig a new septic tank and add an RV hookup to bring the Shasta home. Tabby didn’t want to just store it in a facility; she envisioned turning it into a she-shed—a peaceful place where she could paint or write.

And I agreed. It should be here with us.

“Keep it straight,” Sebastian calls, one hand on the truck’s tailgate while the other waves instructions at Parker, who’s behind the wheel.

“Yeah, yeah,” Parker grumbles, though there’s a grin on his face. “If you don’t like my backing-in skills, you’re welcome to do it yourself.”

“Just don’t dent the damn thing,” I add, crossing my arms.

Sebastian snorts. “It’s old as dirt. Dents add character.”

“Hey!” Tabby calls from the back porch, hands on her hips. “I heard that, Sebastian.”

I turn toward her and can’t help but smile. She’s got a glass of iced tea in one hand, her long blonde hair loose around her shoulders, and she’s wearing one of my old T-shirts, tied at her waist over a pair of cutoff shorts. She looks at home here, the same way she always looked at home in that RV. Only now, she has it all—the house, the yard, and a place that’s truly hers. Ours.

Parker finally gets the Shasta into place, cutting the engine with a satisfied sigh. “Perfect.”

Sebastian claps me on the shoulder. “You sure about this? Letting her keep that thing is a gamble. She might end up rolling out on you one day,” he teases.

I glance over at Tabby, who’s now making her way toward us, barefoot in the grass. The idea of her leaving—of her needing to—feels like a different life, one that doesn’t exist anymore.

“She’s not going anywhere,” I say simply.

She reaches us just as Parker jumps out of the truck, stretching. “If you’re done insulting my home,” she teases, nudging Sebastian, “someone needs to help me level it out.”

“Yeah, yeah.” He grins, tossing his arm around her shoulders before she shrugs him off.

An hour later, the RV is settled. The sun is dipping lower, streaking the sky in orange and pink, and the four of us sit on the back porch, drinking beer, watching the water. It feels right. Like everything’s finally in place.

Eventually, Sebastian and Parker head out, leaving just me and Tabby under the soft glow of string lights draped between the trees. I lead her toward the wooden swing I set up near the RV, the one with the best view of the ocean.

She sighs as she sinks into it, pulling her legs up under her. “I think I could sit here forever, chasing sunsets with you.”

I sit beside her, stretching an arm across the back of the swing. “That’s the idea.”

She smiles, resting her head against my shoulder. For a while, we just sit there, listening to the waves, letting the night settle in.

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