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I shook my head. It was so much to take in. “Thanks, Theo.”

“Of course, El.” He got up and left for work, and Sara cleared the table, insisting that neither of us lift a finger.

I felt Raf’s arm come around my shoulders, and I snuggled into him.

“Promise you’ll always wear that GPS necklace?” He asked.

I laughed. “Yes, I promise. But I really hope we never need to use it again.”

“No kidding.”

“Hey, thanks for coming to save me.”

“We saved each other. Over and over. My life was so dark before you.”

I grabbed his hand and held it tight. “I love you.”

He tilted his head down and captured my lips in the most tender kiss. The kind that sweeps you off your feet, that makes every thought in your head go silent. I made a wish at that moment, that I’d never go a day without this kind of kiss.

And I knew Raf would make it come true.

epilogue

RAFAEL

The sun’srays made the water shine like sapphires. I looked over to where Ellie sat, but her sapphire eyes were closed as she basked in the sun. I steered the little deck boat I’d borrowed from Roger out toward a secret cove on the northern coast of Moon Harbor. It was one of my favorite spots, and I knew it was perfect for today.

“Angel, don’t fall asleep, we’ll be there in a minute.” She laughed, and my heart melted. I didn’t think I’d ever get over her laugh.

“I’m not,” she said. “I’m just enjoying the warm weather.” Which was exactly what I wanted. I’d waited throughout the frigid winter for the first warm day so I could take her out on the water.

She got up and came to stand next to me, nuzzling against my side. I wrapped my arm around her and held her close. This was one of the most perfect days of my life. I just needed it to stay that way.

“I think I could get used to this,” Ellie said, watching the waves crash against the cliffs. “Maybe we should get a boat.”

I liked that she said “we” so casually. As if it were just a plain fact that we’d do everything together.

“Well that’s what I actually wanted to talk to you about.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah, see, I told you I borrowed this boat from Roger, but that wasn’t quite the truth.”

“Oh it wasn’t? Are you lying to me now, Marroquin?”

“Well, I wanted to see what you thought about it. If you liked being out here on the water with me.”

“I do.” She looked around again, taking in the view. I stopped the engine and let us float in the cove.

“Good. Because this was sort of a test drive. I put an offer down and if you liked it, I thought I would buy it for us.”

Her head snapped back toward me.

“Are you serious?”

I nodded. “This one is only a year old, but Roger wants to upgrade. He offered me a good deal if I wanted it.”

“Wow.”