Page 178 of Beyond the Stroke

He brushes a hand into my hair, his huge grin softening with quiet sincerity.

“Let me keep you, Wildflower.” He kisses my cheek, then my temple. “We could give Edgar some siblings. I’m thinking a sister named Edwina.”

I burst out laughing.

“You want to name our dogEdwina?”

Rory shrugs, only half serious. “It’s dignified. Regal. She’ll wear little bowties on her ears and glare at tourists from the porch.”

“I don’t know if Edgar could share the spotlight.”

“He needs a sibling. Someone to keep him humble.”

I laugh again, my heart thudding wildly. I glance back at the wall—the blank space belowCovey: A Collection by—and feel something shift. The part of me that always feared commitment, feared names and labels and permanence…stills.

I turn to Hadley. “Do you have a thinner brush?”

Her eyes brighten like she’s been waiting for this.

She pulls one from her tote, and hands it over. Rory passes me the paint.

The brush is light in my hand. Familiar.

Like something I was always meant to hold.

And then I sign it.

Summer Shields.

It’s small. But it’s mine.

Rory slides an arm around my waist and tugs me close, his lips brushing my temple. “You did it,” he murmurs. “You let the world see what I’ve seen all along.”

“I did,” I whisper back. Then add, “But I’m still not letting Edgar and Edwina sleep in the bed.”

“Fair,” he says. “But she gets the fancy food. It’s only right.”

I stand there in the middle of a gallery filled with art I once gave away in secret, and a love I never thought I’d trust.

And just like that, I know.

We’re just getting started.

THE END

epilogue part 2

Pro Swim Series Meet – Indianapolis, IN

Roger Selby:“And we’re back with coverage of the Pro Swim Series sponsored by Hydra-Fuel. Coming up we’ve got the men’s four-by-one-hundred-meter medley relay. The team from the Carolina Current is favored in this event. They’ve had a strong season, and they’re in a great position to take home the win.”

Jim Koster:“That’s right, Roger. Do you want to eat your words from a few months ago when you said Rory Shields was done? He’s been putting up his fastest times.”

Roger Selby:“As long as he can last. And Jim, you know, the interesting piece has been Connor Fisk stepping into this world championship relay. After Charlie Wallace’s career-ending injury, Fisk took over the freestyle leg—and honestly, he’s breathed new life into the lineup.”

Jim Koster:“You’re right, with the addition of Connor Fisk, this relay has been chasing their own world record. Can you believe Fisk had never been part of a relay team before this year? It’s amazing to see how quickly he’s jelled with this group.”

Roger Selby:“I’d say he’s flourished under Rory Shields’ leadership. Whatever tension existed between them in the past, it looks like they’ve been able to put it behind them.”

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