Page 228 of The Havenport Collection

Bonus Epilogue

Nora

“Are you breathing?” I walked toward Luke, who was looking decidedly green in the gills. “Is that tie cutting off your oxygen supply?”

H e shook his head.

I cupped his face gently. “This is going to be a great day.” I gave him a peck on the cheek before smoothing my skirt over my hips. “I was worried it would rain.”

“It’s April in Massachusetts; it might snow,” he replied.

“Hey.” I grabbed his hand and pulled him close. “I’m so proud of you.” I wiped my lipstick off his cheek before adjusting his tie.

“I hate public speaking.”

“I know you do. But this is your day, Luke. And we practiced your speech last night.”

He smirked. “Really? That’s what we’re calling it? Speech practice?” He snaked his arms around my waist, giving my ass a squeeze in the process. “How about I was attempting to practice my speech but my sexy girlfriend decided instead to strip down to my favorite lingerie and distract me.”

I blushed. “Eh. It worked, didn’t it? You stopped stressing.”

“Then take me home and help me de-stress some more.” He raised one eyebrow, and I felt myself blush.

I swatted his chest. “Stop it. This is your big day. Let’s get this show on the road.”

“Fine,” he huffed. “But later I’m going to slide this dress up your hips and spank you for being so mean to me.”

My pulse quickened, and I gave him a saucy wink. “I look forward to it.”

“All right, gorgeous. Let’s do this.” He offered me his arm, and together we strode toward the chaos.

The entire estate was buzzing. This was the big day, the one everyone had been working toward for more than a year.

It was the grand opening of the Min-Ji Kim Family Crisis Center.

After Luke donated the entire property and Astrid worked her legal magic, we had spent the last year transforming this place from a rich person’s soulless estate into a thriving community devoted to helping people.

The mansion had been renovated into office space, classrooms, and a small day care center.

Some of the outbuildings now housed job training and therapeutic programs. They had volunteers leading riding lessons, yoga classes, and art for all ages.

The grounds looked beautiful; an orchard and community garden had been planted last year, and an entire area had been converted into a huge playground.

Today we celebrated the grand opening of the facility and also broke ground on twelve new sustainable, energy-efficient cottages that would house families in transition on the property.

We passed the large tent that was erected on the lawn, filled with volunteers setting up tables and chairs for the party later, and headed toward the stage.

After the ground-breaking ceremony, the party would start, with food, music, games and a silent auction fundraiser.

All of Havenport was coming, which meant the party would probably go all night long.

Liam and Cece had donated beer, my dad’s and brother’s restaurants were providing food, and so many other people and businesses had chipped in to make this happen.

We were intercepted by Erica, a tiny hurricane in a power suit and pearls, who was holding an official looking clipboard and barking orders in all directions.

“I’m so glad you’re both here. The reporters want a few quotes, and we need to do the photos before all the guests start arriving.”

She pulled us toward the stage area that had been set up right by the docks.

The sky was clear, and a gentle breeze rolled in from the ocean.

Luke looked incredibly handsome in his dark suit with a white shirt and pocket square.

I was just bursting with pride. In a short period of time, Luke had done so much for so many.

This new campus was a game changer for the crisis center.

Fundraising had been through the roof, so they’d been able to hire more employees and expand their coverage area even farther.

With the addition of housing units, this place would be a beacon of hope for many people.

I watched as poor Luke was moved around by the photographers into cheesy poses with his hardhat and shovel.

As silly as he looked, joy was radiating off him.

I whipped my phone out and snapped a few of him in his suit and hardhat.

It was only fair after he made me wear that atrocious elf outfit last year.

Now Luke only made me wear it at home, which I didn’t mind one bit.

“Nora.” I turned around and saw my friends, all early and ready to help. My heart burst, seeing them all together, even Cece with her infant son strapped to her chest. “What do you need us to do?” Astrid asked.

“Put us to work! I’m so ready,” Emily added.

“First of all, get in here.” I opened my arms and we all smushed together, tiny Violet getting caught in the middle of our group hug.

“We are so proud of you guys,” Cece said, her voice muffled by the hugs. “Nora and Astrid, you gals are total badasses.”

“It’s Luke’s day…” I demurred.

“Nope,” Astrid said, waving a hand at me. “Don’t do whatever you’re about to do. Luke did a lot but so did a ton of other people, including the two of us. So yes, we are badasses, and we are going to celebrate our badassery today.”

“A-women, sister.”

“Ooh. I’ll go find some champagne for us,” Emily added.

We posed for photos in our nice outfits, took turns holding the baby, and I gave them a quick tour before the event began.

I loved these women and owed them so much.

If they hadn’t kicked my ass more than a year ago I wouldn’t be here today, with the love of my life, sharing the joy of our community.

I had grown a lot in the past year, and I owed much of it to these fierce women.

“To the coven,” I said, raising my plastic champagne flute.

“To the coven,” they echoed.

Luke

It had been a long day, but I was energized.

It was late, but the party was still in full swing, the band playing cover after cover.

I had spent the day taking photos, shaking hands, and hitting rich friends up for donations to the crisis center.

My cheeks ached from smiling so much. But I was so happy.

How could I not be? I was surrounded by all the people I cared about, and I had the woman of my dreams in my arms, dancing with me.

Nora and I danced a lot these days. It was one of the only ways I could get her to stop yelling at me sometimes—well, at least one that could be done in public.

More often than not, we were in our kitchen, working on projects, drinking wine and dancing, giggling about our days and putting our heads together to solve problems. It was what I had always dreamed of—a partner, a confidante, and a woman that was all mine.

I wanted to marry her. But every time I brought it up she told me we should wait.

Last time I mentioned it, she said if I had time to think about getting married, I clearly wasn’t working hard enough because we had a world to conquer together first. I loved her drive and her passion, but I was ready to take this step.

Luckily, I had recruited Cece and Astrid to my cause, and they were helping me plan something special. Because I wanted to make it official.

“I couldn’t have done this without you, Nora. You made all of this possible.

“Not true. We did it together. You are the one with a spare mansion lying around.”

I leaned in and kissed her softly. “Because I moved in with my sexy spitfire and didn’t need it anymore.”

Nora had been essential, helping me with zoning, advising our plans, and getting the entire town of Havenport on board with the project.

She knew everyone and everything and never stopped working until we made this happen. Nora made me better. She pushed me when I needed it, supported me always, and never failed to tell me when I was wrong.

It had been a long road to get here, dealing with zoning and construction and the legal and tax implications of donating a property this size.

There had been tense moments, but the support of the Havenport community provided the momentum we needed. Converting the mansion was the easy part; getting approvals and state certifications for the various other pieces of the project took a lot longer.

But we got here—to the grand opening. To the start of Phase 2. To the promise of safe, quality housing for those who needed it the most. To a fresh start for families like mine, who lived through hell and deserved a helping hand.

After several dances, Nora sent me off to mingle, and I found myself with Declan and Astrid.

“This is quite an achievement, boss,” Astrid said, handing me a much-needed beer.

“It wasn’t possible without you, Astrid.”

“It was nothing.”

“Hardly,” Declan grunted. “How many people did you threaten to sue?” He raised an eyebrow at her, and she giggled. I had known Astrid for years and had never heard her giggle.

“Luke didn’t actually let me sue anyone. He never lets me have fun.” She pouted while Declan mouthed “thank you” above her head.

“Ooh, I see Cece. I’ll be right back.” She headed off in the direction of her friends.

“You did good, Kim,” Declan said.

“Thanks. But I meant what I said, it would not have been possible without Astrid’s help. She is indispensable.”

He chuckled and his face softened. “Oh, I know. My girl is a force to be reckoned with. I’m just the guy who is smart enough not to get in her way.” He gestured toward Nora, who was dancing with Cece and Liam’s son. “I think you might know something about that too.”

I lifted my beer in salute. “Trust me. I do.”

“Well congrats on all of this and everything. You’ve done good. But I have a favor to ask.”

“Sure.”

“My parents are here, and my mom is going to try and force you to let my dad teach sailing lessons here this summer. He’s been obsessing over your deep water dock and talking endlessly about wanting to teach kids.

Liam’s son is six months old, so he cannot sail a boat, and my mom is trying to get him out of the house. ”

I laughed. I could see Captain Quinn trying to teach an infant to sail. “I’m sure we can coordinate something. Our kids would love that.”

Declan clapped me on the back. “Good man. Now I’ve got to get Astrid home, I’m done peopling for the day.” He stalked off, and my eyes found Nora’s across the crowd. I nodded my head toward the ocean and she smiled.

Even surrounded by the entire town, media, and so many friends and colleagues, I couldn’t keep my eyes off Nora. She was hugging and greeting everyone, looking so proud and beautiful in her dark green dress. I was in awe of her.

She woke up every day wrapped in my arms and then jumped out of bed with a determination to take over the world.

Her business was booming and had recently moved into some office space in one of the restored mill buildings.

Although her team was spread all around the world, she wanted a local base of operations so she could employ as many local people as possible.

She was thriving. And I was just the lucky guy who was along for the ride.

In addition to her empire building, Nora threw herself into my projects, assisting every step along the way.

Together we had established the Kim Foundation, a more formal way to structure my philanthropy and make it easier for my money to do even more good in the world.

The crisis center was just the first step.

We had big plans to fund groundbreaking work to support women and girls all over the world.

She caught up to me, grabbing my hand as we walked. She had changed into flat shoes, and her hair was pulled back in a ponytail, but I was struck by how beautiful she looked. I pulled her close.

We paused, standing on the dock, looking out at the moon glistening over the tranquil ocean. I wrapped my arms around her and rested my chin on her head and exhaled.

“You did it, Luke,” she said quietly. “You did what your mom asked you to do. You are sharing your heart with the world.”

“I had to open my heart to you first, Nora. You cracked me wide open, and it was only then that I had the capacity to do more.”

“She’s out there, Luke. And I know she is so proud of you.” I looked out at the ocean and closed my eyes. Hoping that my mom saw all I had done. Hoping that I had made her proud.

I kissed the top of her head, squeezing her as we stood together in silence. “So you know that gaming company Astrid made me invest in last year?”

She nodded.

“They just got bought by Google.”

“Oh jeez. So now you have even more money?”

“Yup. And I’m going to need your help giving it all away.”

She turned and looked up at me, eyes shining. “It’s hard work, but I suppose I can help.”

“Good. Because Fireball, we’re just getting started.”