I turn my head over my shoulder, locking eyes with Eloise. Her arms tighten around my waist, her fingertips sliding beneath my shirt, toying with the waistband of my pants. I shake my head, giving her a look of warning—though it would probably feel incredible to have her hands on me like that while we're on the bike.
I can’t see her expression, though if I had to guess, Eloise is wearing a mischievous grin. She doesn’t move any lower, but keeps her fingers splayed over my abdomen, teasing and tempting me.
“Such a dirty girl.” I face forward once more, focusing on the road—no matter how difficult it is—and within a few minutes, we arrive at the entrance to the seagrape maze.
I park and help Eloise dismount, letting my hands linger on her waist as she pulls the helmet off. She shakes out her hair, andI’m blessed with the sight of sky-blue eyes and a gorgeous white smile.
I’m about to tell her justhowstunning she looks in this light when Eloise wiggles out of my grip, moving toward the entrance to the maze.
“Someone’s in a hurry.” I hurry to catch up to her, and Eloise turns her head over her shoulder with a meek grin.
“Sorry. I’m absolutely starving. And I’m really excited to see what you set up for me.”
A warm chuckle builds in my chest as Eloise grabs my hand, leading me through the maze to the secret beach on the other side of the vegetation.
Earlier today, I set up a little picnic of sorts so Eloise and I could have some time to ourselves. We’ve both been busy working and getting things ready for Christmas—where we’ll be staying with Viola and her wife. Viola has responded extremely well to her recent treatment, and she wanted to celebrate by having her remaining family over for the holidays.
It’s been a couple of months since Eloise and I last flew out to Moriton to visit and check in on her, and I’m excited to see her. Viola, though, isecstaticto see Eloise. The two have become great friends this past year, and Viola treats Eloise like the daughter she never had.
Our flight leaves tomorrow, but today is just about the two of us. About connecting and doing something I’ve wanted to do since the day I first laid my eyes on her.
As we step onto the beach, I absentmindedly tap my front pocket, assuring the little black box is in the same place it’s been all day. I’m filled with anxiety—what if she says no? But then Eloise turns her head, and the sight of her calms my pulse and allows my lungs to expand, filling them with wonderful, clean oxygen.
“It looks amazing, Riot! I can’t believe you did all this!”
I glance over her shoulder, taking in the elaborate picnic setup. Champagne chills on ice, and in the cooler, an assortment of fresh fruits, salad, and a to-go order from Eloise’s favorite Italian restaurant waits. Pink rose petals are spread out over the sand, outlining the picnic blanket in a giant heart, and twinkle lights hang from the exterior of her boat and the surrounding vegetation. With the light from the setting sun, it really does look quite nice. But all I care about—all I ever have—is the smile it brings to Eloise’s face.
I squeeze her hand tightly, leading her over to the blanket. “Have a seat, sweet girl. I’ll pop the champagne.”
Eloise sits crisscross applesauce on the blanket, her wide eyes shining with awe as she gazes around the space. “Riot… this is beautiful.” She looks up when I press a champagne glass into her hand, her eyes misting with tears. “Thank you,” she whispers.
I crouch down, brushing my thumb under her eye, catching the tear as it falls. I bring it to my lips, sucking off the moisture, the taste of her coating my tongue in explosive flavor. “Why are you crying, sweet girl?”
She shakes her head, her tears falling faster. “I’m just… so happy. I didn’t think I would ever be this happy, Riot. And it’s because of you.”
I sit next to her, wrapping my arm around her waist and tugging her in close. “My sweet, beautiful Eloise. You have made mejustas happy.” I turn my head, gazing down at her as my heart threatens to beat its way out of my chest. “You’re my everything.”
“You’re mine,” she whispers.
I just nod. “Yes, I fucking am.”
I pull out the food and cutlery, and we sit in comfortable silence for a long while, eating and staring out at the setting sun.
It’s been an entire year with Eloise, a year of bliss living together in Saltbloom. Yet it’s still hard to believe how different things are from just twelve months ago.
It was a lengthy and messy court battle, but now, Dave is in jail for his years of abuse, rotting behind bars like he should be. He can’t hurt her anymore and will never be able to as long as I draw breath. Now, Eloise is doing what she’s always dreamed of. She’s put her all into guitar this past year, and now she’s working on recording a joint album with me on the vocals and her on the guitar. If it goes well, we might just start a band together—but for now, we’re taking things slow and going at her pace.
When she’s not practicing, Eloise spends most of her time in the library—a space I had constructed in my childhood house as soon as I learned what Dave had done to her precious books. It’s a massive room—large enough to house all of the books she could ever desire and then some—with plenty of cozy seating and elevated platforms for Murten to hang out on.
As for me… I eventually completed my court-ordered community service—though, I still give Jane guitar lessons once a week for free. When I’m not teaching or working with Eloise on the album, I’ve been teaming up with several charities to aid people with substance abuse issues. I want to help individuals like Rush get the help they need and a space for them to heal without judgment or risk. It doesn’t take away the pain of losing him—nothing will—but it gives me a sense of purpose. It’s also given mesupport I didn’t know I needed, and because of Eloise and my new group of friends and colleagues, I’m no longer using drinking as a crutch to get over my trauma. It’s a big change, and one I’m better for.
“Shit!” Eloise curses, dragging me out of my thoughts.
“What’s wrong?” I ask, my heart pounding, ready to jump into action and murder anything that’s causing my Eloise grief. “What is it?”
“Nothing life-threatening.” Eloise brings a hand up to her forehead. “I just realized I forgot to feed Murten his wet food before we left.”
My pulse calms to a steady pace. “Murten has his entire bowl of dry food, sweet girl. He’ll be okay until we get home.” I side-eye her. “Plus… it might be good for him to go on a small diet.”
