Page 186 of The Havenport Collection

Wyatt

T his was it. It was the big night. I wiped my sweaty palms on my pants as I waited outside Sylvie’s house. I was taking her out, and I was going to lay my cards on the table. Tell her how I felt and how I was committed to making this relationship work even after she moved.

My heart was in my throat, but I knew I had to do it.

A real man owns his feelings and expresses them.

And I couldn’t pretend I hadn’t fallen in love with Sylvie.

Hell, I fell in love with her watching her play that first night at the brewery.

These past couple of weeks had just confirmed what I knew the moment I laid eyes on her—she was the one.

So of course I needed to plan an epic date. I turned to the guys at the brewery for help. They had been teasing me endlessly about my goofy smile and knew before I did that I was head over heels for Sylvie.

The brewery was family, that was for sure. Liam and Trent were the stern parents, and Karl, Kyle, Marc, Luis, and Shane…well, we were the unruly children, goofing around, playing our music too loud, and generally having fun all day.

It was the best place I had ever worked.

I spent some full days with Liam and Karl, brewing, testing, and doing quality control. Trent walked me through the canning machinery and patiently answered all of my dumb questions.

I had never been this close to the action before—to the science of brewing—and I was addicted.

I started coming in most afternoons, even when I wasn’t scheduled, to observe and learn as much as I could.

I thought I loved beer before, but now my appreciation for the art and science of brewing continued to grow every single day.

The entire crew came together to help me plan the most epically romantic date.

Liam asked his dad to call in a favor with the harbormaster, and Trent hooked me up with one of the best restaurants in town and even offered to help me get things set up.

Karl’s wife was a florist, and Kyle advised on my outfit.

It was a team effort, and I felt so lucky to be part of this team.

After parking my truck downtown, I led Sylvie up the cobblestone path. “Where are we going?” she asked, looking around at the rocky coastline and sand dunes.

“Here,” I said, gesturing to the structure in front of us.

“The old lighthouse?”

“Yes.”

“I don’t understand.”

“You’ll see.”

A single bulb hung over the door. I shivered with excitement as I wrenched it open.

“We’re going up?” Her brow scrunched with confusion.

“Yup. Start climbing, cutie.” I swatted her gently on the ass, and she looked back at me, her eyes glistening in the moonlight, and winked.

We climbed the stairs, seventy-six in total, before coming to a small platform. In front of us was a vertical wooden ladder.

“Ladies first.”

She carefully maneuvered the rungs in her heels up through the hatch door in the floor, gracefully pulling herself up into the Lantern Room, where the beacon lights were once lit.

I followed her, gasping when I reached the top and saw the view. The coastline stretched out for miles, and the choppy ocean waves crashed on the rocks below. The sun was just starting to dip below the horizon.

The interior was lit with a soft glow, an elegant table set up in the center with a large bouquet of roses wrapped intricately with cascading ribbons. An ice bucket stood nearby, with a large bottle of champagne resting in it.

Sylvie walked around, looking at the incredible views. “What is this?”

“I rented it for us. A special girl deserves a special night. And if this is our last weekend together in Havenport, I am going to make it extra fucking special for you.”

“But how?”

“The guys at the brewery helped me out. Apparently Liam’s mom is chair of the historical preservation committee that owns this building. They occasionally rent it out, and local restaurants will bring you food up here.”

“Wait. Is that my guitar?” She looked at the battered case propped up against the far wall.

I shrugged. “I brought it over this afternoon in case you wanted to play something while we were up here.”

She threw her arms around me, and I felt every cell in my body light up with pleasure. Making Sylvie happy made me feel whole.

I pulled the chair out at the table for two set in the middle of the round room.

I popped the cork on the champagne and poured us each a glass.

We sipped quietly while watching the sun set.

Moments later, I heard footsteps on the ladder.

A friendly looking guy wearing a uniform came up.

“Hello, I’m Dan. I will be your server and historical guide tonight.

Welcome to the Havenport Harbor Lighthouse.

It was built in 1870 and is what is called a harbor range light.

Which means it served as a navigational beacon to help ships enter the narrow Havenport harbor. ”

Sylvie looked at him with amazement. “I have lived here since birth, and I had no idea.”

Dan topped off our glasses and handed each of us a thick piece of paper. “Here is your menu for this evening. As you can see, your date chose very wisely.”

She looked down.

“Oysters?”

I nodded as she scanned the rest of the menu, reading each course aloud.

“And osso buco?” she squeaked.

“I heard it was your favorite.”

“Trattoria Saporti is my favorite restaurant ever. We only ever went there on special occasions growing up.”

“Well, this is a special occasion.”

Dan served us efficiently, keeping the champagne flowing and bringing plate after delicious plate up the creaky old ladder. By the time we finished a plate of mini profiteroles, I was stuffed, a bit buzzed, and bursting with love for this woman.

“That was incredible,” she said, carefully folding her linen napkin. “I am feeling so inspired right now. This is the most incredible view. Do you mind if I play?”

“I would love it. I figured you’d come up here and want your guitar.”

She threw the strap around her neck with gusto, and her cheeks were flushed pink with pleasure.

She started to tune and strum while Dan cleaned up our plates. I simply watched her.

Her hair fell into her face, and the neckline of her dress slipped down, revealing a black bra strap that tantalized me. As much as I wanted to carry her down all seventy-six of those stairs and back to my bed, I wanted to give her this moment.

So I sat and listened, mesmerized as she played and sang.

She began with some covers but then began to play some of the songs I recognized as her originals.

I tapped my feet as she played “Compromise,” an upbeat, folksy song she said she’d written about her complicated relationship with her parents.

Her voice filled the space as she walked around the lighthouse and played, staring out the windows as though she were singing to the town.

She then moved to some ballads. Her voice was aching, soulful, and so beautiful. It was like all the emotion she felt was expressed through each note.

She walked over to me and cupped my cheek. “I still haven’t finished the song we wrote together.”

“It’s okay,” I whispered. I grasped her hand and held eye contact with her, trying to find my moment to tell her I had fallen in love with her.

She pulled her hand away. “I just don’t know how it ends yet.”

I stared at her beautiful face. “I’ll wait.”

She carefully placed her guitar against the wall and threw her arms around me, straddling me on the chair.

“This was incredible.” She kissed me gently. “I got to sing my songs to the whole town, the whole coast really.”

“How did it feel?”

“Incredible.”

“You were mesmerizing.”

“Take me home,” she said, shifting her hips over my growing erection. “Now.”