Epilogue

The producer of Bride at First Sight loved the idea of filming the reconciliation scene at Java by Brydie, which Lilith had conceived deliberately to give the owner a boost. Lilith personally helped Melanie get all the legal stuff in place, partly because Brydie was an awesome lady who deserved to have an in-demand coffee house, and partly because the condo Lilith shared with Dane had become sacred territory.

Sure, they’d filmed almost the entire series there. But that had been before it had become the place she’d fallen in love with Dane McClarren.

If they did it right, this would be the last episode of the show, and she sincerely hoped that meant she and Dane could spend some time off camera figuring out what their relationship looked like once all the fake parts were behind them.

She couldn’t wait to find out.

Lilith’s friends crowded into the coffee shop, clearly curious, but respectful enough of the process to stay near the back so they didn’t get in the way. She waved at them but didn’t move from her spot at a table by the window. A cameraman was working on the lighting and the angles for the shoot, and if she messed him up, they’d have to start all over.

Learned that the hard way.

“Okay,” the director said, rubbing his hands together gleefully. “McClarren is going to come in and tell you that he got your message that you wanted to talk. You take it from there.”

“Trusting me to get my own story, right?” she said blithely and stuck her tongue out at him. “What is the world coming to?”

“A place where you’re my star. I know,” he said with a wink. “It’s shocking. Who knew how much audiences were going to love the way you spun that reveal scene? They nearly beat my virtual door down to get the next episode. Make it count. And see Melanie about the idea we had for a new show. Pregnant at First Sight. Think about it.”

She rolled her eyes, but only to cover the sudden prick of tears as she thought about it. Pregnant with Dane’s child. It was something she’d never even considered as part of her story, but now she couldn’t erase the notion from her mind. That was as real as it got, and she’d have sworn the idea would give her hives, send her into a tailspin. It didn’t. She could picture perfectly the way his eyes would light up when she handed him a positive pregnancy test.

“That’s putting the cart way before the horse,” she murmured. “How about we wrap this show before we move on to the next.”

The director nodded and sprang into his typical flurry of motion, yelling, “Action.”

Dane strolled into the coffee shop. Hungrily, she soaked him in. Would she ever get tired of staring at his beautiful face? There was no way. Every once in a while, tiny bits of the boy she’d known would float to the surface but that only served as a reminder that he’d been carrying a torch for her for a long time.

She was more than enough for him. How amazing was that?

When Dane’s gaze caught hers, he smiled, and the distance between them was entirely too much. Without a single thought to the painstaking efforts the cameraman had gone to in order to set up the shot by the window, she launched out of her seat and flew into Dane’s arms.

He caught her easily, his embrace swallowing her. Warmth infused her entire body and she couldn’t imagine being an iota happier than she was right at this moment.

“Hey,” he said, his low voice rumbling in her ear as he nuzzled it. “We’re supposed to be saying some lines or something, aren’t we?”

“Can’t. Busy,” she muttered as she spread her fingers over his back, working to touch as much of him as she could. “I haven’t seen you in far too long.”

“Whose fault is that?” he teased. “I was going to make you coffee this morning, but you’d run off to Relâcher to take an early morning client.”

“It was my mom, so…” She shrugged, her shoulder pressing up against his. “She had to hear all about how things were going between us.”

“How are things going?” he asked, ever mindful of the cameras, which she appreciated.

“I guess I’m not done with you after all,” she said with a smile. It was the least she could get away with saying, but she tipped her head back to let him see that there was so much more inside she could never articulate.

“Good. Because there’s something important I need to ask you.” Dane locked gazes with her, and her breath caught in her throat at the gravity and heaviness that settled over them both. “Will you dance with me?”

Her throat tightened as she nodded because of course the answer was yes. Music flowed out from hidden speakers instantly. Apparently, he’d planned this out.

Dane swept her up into a spin, expertly keeping time to the song as he led her around the space in the center of the coffee shop. The extras weren’t even pretending to drink their coffee in favor of watching the impromptu scene unfolding.

Lilith was having a hard time doing much of anything other than hanging on to Dane. Which wasn’t a hardship. His shoulders felt divine under her fingers, and he moved like a dream. If dreams were real.

“You’re a much better dancer than I would have expected,” she murmured. “Is this what it would have been like at A Walk in the Clouds?”

“Not a chance.” He grinned. “I’ve taken lessons. Besides, back then, I never would have had the courage to do this.”

His mouth descended on hers before she could blink. Her heart nearly burst as he kissed her. If this was how life with Dane would be from now on, she was a fan.

All at once, they weren’t moving. He’d stopped in the dead center of the floor and pulled back to stare at her, his smile completely gone as something much more meaningful crowded into his gaze. “Nor could I have ever imagined I’d be doing this.”

And then he dropped to his knees right there in the middle of the coffee shop, took her hand in his and brought it to his lips. The entire crowd started murmuring but she scarcely heard them as everything melted away except for the man before her.

“Lilith,” he rumbled and shook his head. “I thought I was going to stumble over this, but I’ve never been more sure of what I wanted to say than in this moment. There has never been much between us that was fake. I love you and I want what we have right now to last the rest of our lives. Marry me and let me spend that long showing you that the fantasy is our reality.”

That was it. Her heart exploded in her chest and the earnestness in his gaze knit it all back together. She nodded because she didn’t trust her voice to work. Dane fished a box out of his pocket, then flipped the lid open with his teeth, plucked the circle of white gold from the interior and threw the box over his shoulder.

“This one I picked out,” he told her and took the fake ring off before sliding the real one onto her finger. The square cut diamond sparkled in the light. She curled her hand into a fist, capturing his hand, the ring and all the love flowing between them into her grip.

She was never letting go.

“Cut! That was fantastic,” the director shouted. “I don’t even have to edit it. You guys are pros.”

“No. We’re the real thing,” she corrected softly and fell into Dane’s arms.

As the camera crew began dismantling everything, Lilith’s friends rushed forward, hugging her, hugging Dane, babbling about the wedding plans. She let it all wash over her because how lucky was she?

“I told you this was a good plan,” Carolina said with an eyebrow waggle.

“Yes, you get a gold star,” Lilith told her, laughing as she noted Shiloh had been included in the group with Eliza, Katie and Nomi. Good. “Relâcher is on the rise.”

“Oh, I didn’t mean it was a good plan for your spa. I meant for you,” Carolina stressed. “You’re happier than I’ve ever seen you.”

“You can’t take credit for that.”

“I beg to differ.” Carolina sniffed righteously. “I’m a professional.”

Shiloh, who had recently moved into her new condo and was still trying to get her feet under her, let her gaze cut back and forth between the two of them. “If there’s a line, I’d like to get in it. Obviously, you have a knack for helping women find the love of their lives. What are you now, three for three?”

Carolina shifted her attention to the newcomer. “Oh, honey. You have no idea how good I am. Let’s talk.”