“I can’t imagine staying here without you. I don’t want the hotel. I want you, Claire. I want every bit of you, and if you leave, I’ll have no choice but to follow.”

She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “I thought I was imagining things.”

He shook his head, inching closer. “No.”

Her heart was singing. She couldn’t bear it any longer. “I guess, for your sake, I’ll stay.”

His smile reached his eyes. “You will?”

She nodded, and in the next second his lips were on hers, pulling her in. She threw her arms around his neck as her spirit soared, flying past all that she had ever dreamed and beyond.

Epilogue

It wasn’t until March that Marty got to meet his other cousins, Lillian and Rose. They came to Orcas Island to see the hotel and to finally hear the truth about Claire’s inheritance.

They were shocked by Claire’s news, but they both handled it well. Lucy had already told them all about Marty’s FBI escapades, so there wasn’t much for him to explain there, which was nice.

The visit was short, but they made the time to commemorate the twenty-ninth anniversary of the plane crash, as well as Claire’s birthday. The twins also got Marty a gift – a shirt that read “FBI’s Most Wanted.”

He tried to act annoyed when he opened it, but it was too hard. The girls were giggling like fools. Marty ended up holding it up to his chest and telling them dryly, “Thanks. I’ll cherish this forever.”

They weren’t able to visit for very long, but they both promised to return soon. Marty sincerely hoped they would. He wanted to get to know them better.

Lucy cleared off not long after that, taking a new job in Seattle. “It’s about time I had an income again,” she reasoned. “Besides, maybe this job will be The One?”

Marty sorely missed her after she left. He’d never had a sibling growing up, but he’d always wanted one. As a kid, he’d imagined having a little brother, of course, but Lucy was like the big sister he never knew he needed.

Marty had decisions to make, too. The CEO of SureFired had been named in a lawsuit by Steel and Steal, then fired by the board.

A new CEO, Blaise Krentz, was brought in to clean things up. He reinstated Marty to his old position with a raise, and even offered to let him work remotely.

It was too good of a deal to turn down. Marty still believed in SureFired, and he wanted to see the program through. He accepted the offer, and when he swung by the office to pick up his things, his coworkers had a little welcome back party set up.