Epilogue

It's early. The beach is deserted. She is sitting on the warm sand and lets the wind caress her skin. The horizon fills with the deep orange and red of a new sunrise. She lets her thoughts flow into the clear morning breeze. It is just her and the beach and the light that is slowly changing now the night is slowly moving into a new day.

It has been two years since she watched the waves on this beach. The war is finally over. People are rebuilding their lives again. Miles and her mother had tried to live their lives together. But there were too many broken moments from the past in their present to make it work. Her mother lives alone the Porter' house now her grandfather has passed away. Miles has met someone. They seem happier this way.

Aaron and Priscilla found a new house ten miles outside Willoughby. They enjoy their quiet and slow life. Connor came back. She will never forget the emotions in Monroe's eyes when he saw his son again. It's another piece of their family that found a way back to them.

And when another sunrise had touched the roofs of Willoughby on a clear autumn morning, she had known it was time to go. She needed to be on her own for a while to adjust to everything that had forever changed in her life. Her heart filled with the sound of the waves and the memory of ocean salt on her lips had brought her back to the endless waves in front of her.

It has been two years since she watched the blue of the ocean for the first time on this same beach. But she never forgot how she found more than war and loss here. She remembers finding a part of herself she hadn't discovered before. She can still remember what if felt like to be kissed by Bass in the shadow of a rock alcove on a late afternoon. She still remembers what they had started here.

The small wooden house was still there and had been waiting for her. It had been dark but the light of the moon had been all the light she needed. She had slept for a couple of hours. When sunrise had been close and the colors in her room had changed into a deep pastel grey, she had walked outside . She had been unable to stay away.

And now she is sitting here. She soaks up the way the daylight is changing all the different kinds of blue in the water in front of her. A smile appears around her lips when she hears him behind her. She knows Bass had been following her from the moment she had left Willoughby. He was right behind her when it was her and the road. She knows that if Bass wants to find her, he always will. And that used to piss her off, but now it just adds more warmth to her sunrise.

She told herself they needed him when she asked her mother to save his life when Texas was about to execute him. She told herself they would never beat the patriots without him. Miles needed him. Time and a world forever changed by a blackout had not been able to break their decades of friendship, no matter how hard they had tried.

And now she is finally able to admit she needs him. She can take care of herself. She can survive. But he adds so much more to her life. She knows she loves him, but it's hard to say those words out loud. But she knows he knows. He never pushes her, he never wants her to be someone she is not. She feels less lonely when his eyes tell her stories about his loneliness. And there is no other man who could give what he gives her.

Bass swallows. He has left his crap close to bed she slept in last night. The bed was empty but he had known where he would find her. He is standing on the beach and just looks at her. She is fucking beautiful in the first morning light. She is wearing a deep blue jeans and tank, but it is all she needs. When she had left Willoughby he gave her the space she needed. But he had also grabbed his stuff. He had known where she was going. He knows how much this place means to her.

He had followed her all the way to this beach. Because he knows he can't stay away. He can't stay away from what they had found in each other. He knows he fucking loves her. She loves him. He knows that too. But she has been through hell and back. He has been through hell and back. They both understand the sharp edges of having to talk about love. But it's right there in her eyes. It's right there in his eyes when he looks at her. He can't hide it. And he doesn't know why and he doesn't deserve it, but Charlie sees all the man he is and she is still there.

He walks towards her, unable to keep his eyes away from her. He sits down behind her. Charlie feels the inside of his wide thighs around her legs. She can feel the leather of the black jacket he was never able to part with, against her shirt. She slowly turns around in his arm. Her clear eyes meet his.

'Hey..' Her voice is strong and relaxed.

His eyes light up and move from her eyes to her lush lips before he finds the blue of her eyes again. 'Hey…'

His hoarse, low voice is warmth inside of her. She leans against his chest and turns her head to kiss him. She breathes in his familiar scent. He covers her mouth with his. He moves his fingers through her hair. It's slow and deep and he takes her time kissing her until she softly whimpers against his lips. He grins while his chest swells with how much he still loves being the one who makes her softly moan against his damn mouth. He isn't sure if he is going to take her here on this damn beach or drag her back to the house so he can feel her warmth and body under him in the same bed they had shared before. Both. He's going to do both. There is a smug grin on his face while he looks at her.

Charlie expects to feel his firm lips against her neck. She expects him to say something smug. But he doesn't talk. He doesn't move. He just sits there and watches the sunrise with her. His wide thighs encircle her and she leans into him, comfortable between his thighs and with his scruff against her temple. His chest is wide and warmth behind her. Bass presses a kiss against the bare skin of her shoulder. The warmth of her skin touches his lips. The slow sunrise fills the beach with a golden glow. And when he moves his arms around her to pull her closer against his chest, he soaks up the scent of the ocean in her hair.

Author's Note: I am really going to miss this story because I loved working on this. I'm so grateful for all of your comments, follows and favourites. Knowing you enjoyed this story means the world to me. With love and a lot of gratitude, Love