Page 83 of Spotted at Lighthouse Bay
She looked up. He was wearing a black T-shirt, his muscles staring at her.
She looked back down. “I thought you had to return the car?”
Rick shook his head. “I had to do something else first.”
He pulled an envelope from his back pocket and slid it across the kitchen counter.
“For me?” she joked, pulling up the flap.
Inside were two sheets of paper, both folded into thirds. Addy opened the first slowly, trying to process the words on the page.
A plane ticket to Naples. “Wow,” she said softly, folding the paper back up. “You’re going to Italy. You’re going to love it.”
“I hope so.” He sucked in a breath. “There’s another one there, actually.”
Her eyes flashed to him, then to the second page. Another ticket, this one for Adelaide Ashbourne. Spots danced in her vision. The paper crinkled in her grip.
“I don’t understand,” Addy finally said.
Rick cleared his throat. “I have a confession. Last night, before I got to the tea party, your mom paid me a visit.”
“My mom?” She shut her eyes. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have told her you found her money.”
“I’m glad you did. She gave me the wine bottle you had the first day we met. I’m not proud of this, but she said some things that led me to look inside. At the, ah, message. In the bottle.”
Addy’s hand flew to her mouth.How had she forgotten about that note?“That was a whole thing about this book I was reading, and it’s really embarrassing –”
“It’s not embarrassing. Nothing about it is embarrassing.” He smiled that adorable half smile. “You kept talking about how amazing I am. What about how amazingyouare? You’re intelligent, beautiful. Brave.”
She laughed. “Brave, or –”
“Brave,” he said firmly. “You spent so many years not being seen by your ex-husband. Well, Addy, I see you. All of you, and I’m crazy about every part. I don’t ever want to be away from you, and not in the bodyguard way. In the you-make-me-happy-to-wake-up way. In the you-inspire-me-to-become-a-better-person way.” He paused. “The you-make-life-worth-living way.”
Her vision clouded with tears. “I feel like I’m hallucinating.”
He laughed, and Addy did too, tears spilling down her cheeks.
“I get that. I can’t feel my limbs,” Rick said. “I would guess it’s a panic attack, but I know it isn’t, because you’re here.”
She grabbed his hand. “Rick…”
“It doesn’t have to be Italy. It can be anywhere. Anywhere with you.”
A ball formed in her throat and she could barely speak past it. “I’d like that very much.”
A smile spread across his face. “Really?”
She jumped, wrapping her arms around his neck. “Yes!”
He caught her, lifting her up, pulling back to look at her face. “I’m so glad I asked.”
Then he kissed her. She closed her eyes, and she wasn’t sure if it was the lack of oxygen to her brain, or if there really were stars exploding in every inch of her chest.
Epilogue
After a week, Mia couldn’t take it anymore. She broke down and called her dad.
He answered with a far too bright tone. “Hey, Mia!”
