“And I’m happiest when you’re happy.” She entwined her fingers in his hair, yanking him down until his lips touched hers. “So boots it is.”
“Mm.” He kissed her sweetly, right outside of the church on the steps. When he pulled back from her, he nuzzled her ear and whispered, “I f**king love you.”
She smiled and buried her face in his neck. “I f**king love you, too.”
Epilogue
Five years later
Mike leaned back in the beach chair and breathed in the smell of sandy beach and suntan lotion. Hot sun. Blue ocean waters crashing on golden sand, kicking up a spray of salt water every so often. A cold Corona in one hand, and his gorgeous wife’s hand in his other. And his wife? She wore a skimpy red bikini and nothing else.
What more could a guy like him ask for?
Morgan rolled over and smiled at him, the brim of her hat shading her blue eyes. But he knew they would be sparkling away, almost as bright as her smile. “I can’t believe how perfect this island is. Why did we wait so long to come here?”
“I don’t know but I agree. It’s a slice of heaven.” He yanked her onto his lap and nibbled on her throat, toying with the knot she’d tied at the back of her bikini top. “But I can think of a few ways to make it better.”
“Hm.” She dug her nails into his shoulders and swayed closer. “I’m intrigued. Wanna go—?”
“Knock it off over there.” Garrett dropped down into the chair next to them. “If I’m not allowed to grope my wife in front of you, then you can’t do it in front of me, either.”
Mike traced the line of Morgan’s hip with his hand. She shivered, and he bit back a grin. “It’s not the same. My wife isn’t your sister.”
“She’s my sister-in-law.” Garrett took a swig of his beer. “That counts.”
Kiersten came up and sat in Garrett’s lap. Her belly was slightly swollen with another baby and she’d never looked more gorgeous. “What are you two fighting about now?”
“Nothing,” Mike said.
“Nothing,” Garrett said at the same time. Garrett winked at him, then hugged Kiersten close. “We’re just discussing sisters. One of which Amy and Chris are about to get.”
Kiersten laughed. “It might be a boy this time.”
“It might be.” Garrett kissed Kiersten on the nose. “But it might not be.”
Mike looked down at Morgan’s own perfectly flat stomach, and for a second he wished that she was the one with the swollen stomach. She’d just come off of a year-long tour with Wicked and was scheduled to be home for the next year. It would be the perfect time…
“Did you two pick names yet?” Morgan asked, her voice soft.
“If it’s a boy, Gabriel.”
Garrett grinned. “And when it’s a girl, she’ll be called Emmy.”
“You’re so stubborn,” Kiersten said sternly, but her smile ruined the effect.
Garrett played with Kiersten’s hair. “You wouldn’t have me any other way.”
“You two are way too fu—” Mike broke off and looked over his shoulder. The kids were too close for comfort. “—Funtastically cute.”
Garrett laughed. “Funtastic? Really?”
“Hey, you gotta roll with what ya got,” Mike said. “And we’ve got a lot of kids running around here. We could start a fu—” He slammed his mouth shut. Shit. It was probably a good thing he and Morgan wouldn’t have kids. “Uh, fun basketball team here.”
Garrett rolled his eyes. “If you two are ever going to have kids, you’ll need to learn how to watch your mouth.”
“I don’t think I have to worry about that,” Mike said. He raised his beer and took a swig to hide the pang of bittersweet irony.
Morgan relaxed and leaned against him, closing her eyes and snuggling close. “Hm. This is so peaceful.”
“Yeah.” He rested his cheek on her head, his eyes on the kids. “It is.”
Thomas and Brianna came out of the ocean, hand in hand. Thomas wore black swim trunks and a pair of shades, while Brianna wore her long blond hair in a ponytail and sported a bikini as well. His hand rested perilously close to Brianna’s ass.
“Knock it off.” Erica, wearing a one-piece swimsuit, and Jeremy, heavily inked and sporting a pair of shades, said from behind them. “I don’t need to see that.”
“Fine.” Thomas brushed against Brianna’s ass as he wrapped an arm around her waist, and Mike looked away. He didn’t need to see that shit. His sister could be happy if she wanted but he didn’t need to know how or why.
Brianna headed for the empty spot next to Garrett and Kiersten. Thomas sat at her feet and rested his head on her legs.
Mike grinned. “Go ahead. Sit at her feet like a puppy.”
“Oh, stop it!” Morgan smacked his arm. “You love seeing your sisters happy and you know it.”
“I love knowing they’re happy. Not seeing it. And also—”
Morgan kissed Mike into silence, and damned if he cared. She could do that any time, any day. She pulled back and cupped his cheek before slapping it lightly. Damn, he liked it when she played rough. “Behave yourself.”
He cocked a brow. “Make me.”
Erica sat down on their other side and Jeremy sat in between her feet, like Thomas. Mike looked around him, watching all the men at the beck and call of their women—including himself. If he’d seen this image five years ago, he would have made a sarcastic comment about men being pu**y whipped. Hell, he probably still would today.
But he was happy. Really, truly happy.
And so was everyone else he loved.
Erica played with Jeremy’s hair. Jeremy leaned in to her touch. “We could get stationed out here, you know. In Hawaii. Live in the sunset and tropical breeze all year long. How’s that sound?”
“I think we should stay in Camp Pendleton. We just got back there from Camp Lejeune, and we’ve only got six years left.” She cocked her head and watched her kids playing in the sand. “Then again, six years in Hawaii might not be too shabby.”
Thomas leaned forward. “You’re not moving to Hawaii. I’d never see you again.”
“You could come visit, Tommy,” Jeremy said, stressing the nickname Thomas hated. “We’ll always have room for you.”
Mike grinned at them and closed his eyes. He was so f**king happy it hurt. It was official. He’d gone soft. He couldn’t help it. Morgan kissed Mike’s shoulder and he considered the idea of a little bit of PDA. He gripped her thigh and squeezed tight when she nibbled on his skin. “Watch yourself, woman.”