“I can’t believe we just did that,” she said as he returned the laptop to the desk and got back in bed.

“What will your parents say?” he asked, accustomed now to how unsupportive they could be of their only daughter when she didn’t fall in line with their idea of how her life should unfold.

“They won’t approve, but who cares? It’s not their wedding.”

“Will they come?”

“I hope so.”

“And if they don’t?”

“Then they’ll miss the best day of my life. Their loss.”

“I wouldn’t want anything to spoil it for you, Gracie.”

“I’ll be marrying you, right?”

“Damn straight.”

“Then nothing, and I do mean nothing, could spoil it for me.”

“You’re the best thing that ever happened to me. I can’t wait to put another ring on your finger and make it official.”

“I can’t wait either. January eighteenth.”

“Be there or be square.”

“I wouldn’t be anywhere else.”

Evan stifled a yawn. He didn’t want to sleep yet. Running two thriving businesses, they got so little time to spend together, especially this time of year when the island was so busy. He hated to waste a minute of their time sleeping, especially now that they’d taken this huge step toward the next stage in their life together.

“You can’t get out of it now that we’ve got it booked,” she said in a teasing tone.

“Getting out of it isn’t the goal.”

“I really can’t wait.” Her arms tightened around him, keeping him close as she drifted off to sleep.

“Me either, baby.” Evan lay awake for a long time, thinking about the news Jack had relayed earlier. What the hell was he going to do about that?

***

Before six o’clock the next morning, Alex was back at work, driving one of the company trucks to the new home of Island Breeze Studios. The idea of a recording studio on Gansett Island had struck Alex as odd at first, until he heard his old friend Evan McCarthy was behind it. From the time they were in middle school, Evan had been obsessed with music, and Alex firmly believed the studio would be a huge success in Evan’s hands.

Evan had called the office weeks ago asking for someone to come deal with the overgrown vegetation on both sides of the driveway that led to the studio. As he pulled up to the address Evan had given them, Alex groaned at the sight of the jungle that needed to be tamed.

“That’ll take all damned day,” he muttered, sending a text to Paul to let him know that the job was bigger than they’d thought.

Sorry, Paul replied. I’m already fucking roasting.