Epilogue
Andrew
November
The man was a romantic. Worse than me, it turned out. Hell, all Lamont needed for inspiration for his next romance novel was to watch Joel Rhodes for a week. In our months together, his touches never stopped; his constant assurances that I was better than he’d ever dreamed never ceased. But this, this might have topped them all.
I stared up at the sign above the little shop on the corner and squeezed Joel’s hand. “I knew you wouldn’t pick a name with Lavender in it, but…” I looked over at him, a little overwhelmed by the gesture.
He grinned. “Well, for a bit I considered Sandy’s Lavender Memorabilia, but then I thought maybe people would think I’d painted all the sports stuff purple. And that would for sure hurt the value. So just Sandy’s seemed best.” He walked toward the front door, pulling me with him. “There’s one more thing.”
I followed, Morris nearly tripping me in his excitement to follow Joel. Of course, we’d yet to find one thing that didn’t excite Morris; the dog even loved baths. Now that he was at the gangly teenage stage, though, he was always tripping me, or Joel, or himself. As we walked into the store, I let go of his leash so he could scamper around free. “Don’t chew up anything.”
Joel rolled his eyes in Morris’s direction. “I sprayed the lower shelves with that bitter apple spray, but knowing him, he’ll just think it’s an appetizer. But they’re mostly empty anyway.” He walked behind the counter and pointed at the wall. “What do you think?”
I followed his motion, let out a little gasp, and felt my eyes sting. The man had a damned habit of making me teary. It was almost embarrassing. I took a step closer and fell impossibly more in love with Joel as I looked at the card on the wall. Sandy Koufax, in all his tattered, big-eared glory, was now framed behind glass, multiple mats layered around him and surrounded by a frame better suited for a Rembrandt than a small rectangle of nearly ruined paper anyone else would throw away. I looked back at Joel and started to speak, but my voice caught, not that it mattered. As he constantly reminded me, he was always able to see what I was thinking written all over my face.
“I’m glad you like it.” Joel sighed happily and rejoined me on the outside of the counter. “You gave me back myself, Andrew. You’re only the second person in my entire life to do that, and the first one left me behind.”
I cupped his face, stroking the beard I loved so much. “I’ll never leave you behind, baby.”
He nodded, giving his lower lip a quick lick. He cleared his throat and looked around. “You really don’t think it’s silly to open the store next week? Even after all these months, I barely have a third of the inventory I need.”
“About that.” I glanced around, even though Sandy’s was clearly lacking merchandise, the space was already coming together, looking classic and clean, nothing like the cluttered mess of the store in Olema. “I asked Regina to give me Monday and Tuesday off, and Lamont is babysitting our piranha with fur. I thought we’d take a long weekend and drive to LA and maybe San Diego, visit some sports shops and flea markets down there. I think we’ve worn out all the ones in San Francisco the past few weekends.”
Joel beamed. “That would be perfect! I know of a little place in San Diego, in Old Town, that has a killer selection and doesn’t mark up the prices as much as we can here in Lavender Shores.” His smile altered to the one he got when he was scheming. “Actually, there’s one more thing we might pick up in San Diego that I’ve been looking at. Well, two more things, to be precise.”
“I can tell whatever you’re thinking is trouble. How worried should I be?”
“Hold on.” He walked away and retrieved his laptop. “You’re more likely to be excited about them if you see their picture.”
“Them?”
He narrowed his eyes. “I said hold on.” He kept the computer facing away from me as his fingers flew over the keyboard. Then he swiveled it around so I could see the screen. “What do you think?”
I barked out a laugh. A picture of two of the most ridiculously cute doxens I’d ever seen looked back at me. One was missing an ear; the other seemed to have a droopy tongue issue. But both of them seemed like they were about to jump up and down in pure joy over something. I glanced at Joel. “You want two more dogs? Two? You know that adds up to three, right?”
“Well, they’re small. To add up to how big Morris is going to be, we’d need to get seven at least, so I figure two is probably the minimum we should consider.” He tapped each of the computer-screened noses. “Plus, they’re stuck in a shelter. And I know what that’s like, being stuck somewhere.” He cast his version of puppy-dog eyes on me.
I laughed again as I shook my head. “Could you possibly use any more emotional manipulation if you tried?”
He stuck out his lower lip.
God, I loved him. “Fine, yes. Yes, to all the doxens you want.”
Later that night, as dinner was in the oven, Joel brought me my coat and scarf. “Are we going somewhere?”
“I thought we’d watch the sunset on your palisade. It’s still gorgeous, even if the lavender is gone.”
How did I get this lucky? “That sounds perfect. Let me get Morris’s leash. I know he’s doing better, but if he sees a bobcat or something, dinner will be burnt before we’d find him.”
“Actually, can he stay here?”
I started to argue, knowing that Morris would sit by the door and whine the entire time we were gone, but then a thought hit me. One that made my heart leap into my throat. I nodded.
Joel’s head tilted, and he let out a sigh. “Really? Do you have to figure out everything?”
“What?” I tried to mask my reaction.
“Nice try.” He rolled his eyes. He reached a hand into his pocket. “Well, since you already know, I—”
“Nope. Not here.” I gripped his hand before he could pull anything out of his pocket. “The palisade. Please.”
He grinned, some of his disappointment fading. He took out his hand, his empty hand, and grabbed mine. “Okay. Let’s go watch the sunset.”
We left the house, patting Morris and giving him our apologies before we shut the door, and then strolled to the cliffs, taking the more direct route from the cottage instead of through the trees.
The sunset was a deep purple and red, fading to yellow at the edges, the wind little more than a crisp breeze. As we walked, I glanced back at the house, the windows glowing softly in the gloom of gathering dusk.
Though I knew what was about to happen, I couldn’t get my pulse to slow, and I was already trembling. As we neared the edge of the cliff, my thoughts flew back over the years. The times I’d been right where we were and I’d dreamed, wished, and hoped. The times I sat there and cried with a broken heart. Then I flew into the future. Envisioning years by this place, building a home, a life, a family.
Then Lamont’s admonitions came to me once more. “Make sure, when your dreams finally start to come true, you notice. Don’t let it pass without noticing. Most people do.”
I pushed the past and future aside and focused on the gorgeous man in front me. On Joel as he came to a stop, just a few yards away from the edge, and knelt on one knee.
The entire universe narrowed to him. His green eyes bright with hope and glistening with the beginning of tears. I focused on the love that poured from him. How his long fingers trembled slightly when he pulled out the small black box. Even noticed the nearly silent creak as he opened it, revealing the silver ring inside.
He held the box up to me and then his brows furrowed. He pulled the ring free and shoved the box back in his pocket. Joel held the ring between us once more as he smiled up at me. His lips moved silently for a second, and then his tongue darted out in that nervous way he had. “I had a speech prepared.” He grinned again, though he seemed partly terrified. “But…” He shook his head, stood, and took my hands in his, the ring cold against my skin. He took a breath and then started again. “I love you, Andrew. I
want to be yours for my entire life, and I need you to be mine. Will you marry me?”
“Yes.” I barely got the word out before I fell into him, losing myself to the kiss.
When my dreams came true, I noticed.
About the Author
Rosalind Abel grew up tending chickens alongside her sweet and faithful Chow, Lord Elgin. While her fantasy of writing novels was born during her teen years, she never would have dreamed she’d one day publish steamy romances about gorgeous men. However, sometimes life turns out better than planned.
In between crafting scorching sex scenes and helping her men find their soul mates, Rosalind enjoys cooking, collecting toys, and making the best damn scrapbooks in the world (this claim hasn’t been proven, but she’s willing to put good money on it).
She adores MM Romance, the power it has to sweep the reader away into worlds filled with passion, steam, and love. Rosalind also enjoys her collection of plot bunnies and welcomes new fuzzy ones into her home all the time, so feel free to send any adorable ones her way.
Website: RosalindAbel.com
Website: LavenderShores.com
Author Note
Dear Reader:
I hope you’ve enjoyed Andrew and Joel’s journey to love as much as I did when they shared their story with me. There’s much more romance and beauty to be found in Lavender Shores. Next month, Gilbert gets his shot at love and redemption, if he’ll grasp it, in The Garden.
Thank you so much for taking a chance on The Palisade. If you got swept away with sighs of longing and tears of joy, and were transported to somewhere beautiful for a little while, I would greatly appreciate a review on Amazon and Goodreads. Please drop me a note on Facebook or on my website (RosalindAbel.com) whenever you like. I’d love to hear from you. Also for fun, hop on over to LavenderShores.com to have a behind the scenes peek at what the town looks like, read its rich history, and get to know the characters just a little better.
Much love,
Rosalind
Acknowledgments
A special thanks to Denise, who breathed life into this idea. So much gratitude to Lucy Lennox, Devon McCormack, Poppy Dennison, and Ashley McLoughlin for their grace and patience around all the ins and outs of self-publishing and talking me down from ledges.
Janie, thank you for the hours and hours you gave to beta reading and for the love you show my men.
Desi, you make me brave.
AngstyG, you make me beautiful.
A huge, huge thank you to all of the lovely souls who proofread the ARC versions of The Palisade and helped me look somewhat literate (in completely random order): Melissa Brus, Cinnamon, Kristell Harmse, Ron Perry, Rob Andresen-Tenace, Terri Grooms, Michael Bailey, Kelly Miller, Margie Martinez, Gini Sue, Corrine Harris, Cristina Manole, Lucy Campbell, Kelli Gordon, and Patrice. Thank you all, so very, very much!
A further and special thanks to some of my dear readers and friends who support my passion: Andrea Johnson, Fiona Wilson, Katie Pizzolato, Maggie Johnson, Marcia Gleason, Rob Andresen-Tenace, Robert Winter, and those of you who wanted to remain anonymous. You make a huge, huge difference in my life and in my ability to continue to write. I’m humbled and grateful beyond belief! So much love to you all!
Love, R.A.
Also by Rosalind Abel
The Palisade, Book 1
The Garden, Book 2 (July 2017)
The Veranda, Book 3 (August 2017)
The Shipwreck, Book 4 (September 2017)
The Hideaway, Book 5 (October 2017)
Preview of The Garden
The Garden
Lavender Shores Book 2
(Available July 2017)
Beautiful Gilbert Bryant designs jewelry for the rich and famous, and he made his escape from his gossipy little hometown of Lavender Shores. However, with so many friends and family, he keeps getting pulled back. When he attends his best friend’s engagement party, Gilbert can’t help but sample one of the new men in town. It’s just some innocent—or not so innocent—fun. Nothing that will even cross his mind once he gets back to his everyday life.
Walden Thompson dreamed about living in Lavender Shores since he visited as a child. He finally gets his chance, and he embraces the opportunity to start over, to become someone new. He leaves both hurts and dangerous habits in the past, where they belong. When Gilbert crosses his path, Walden gives in to his baser instincts. He can indulge in the carnal pleasures this once and still be okay.
Their few hours together haunt Gilbert, the two-hundred-mile buffer from home no longer shutting out the past or the sexy man he left behind. Walden is just beginning to recover from the smoldering encounter with Gilbert when they are thrust together once more. This time, neither of them can walk away, no matter how hard they try. But when their pasts crash into each other as surely as the magnetism that pulls them together, walking away may be the only option.
Read an Excerpt from The Garden
Gilbert
Fresh meat. Whoever designed the gym so the Stairmasters were directly in front of the treadmills needed a raise. Like, for real. Every step the guy took made that ass clench, flex, and relax with the tiniest bounce. I wanted to fling myself off the running torture device and dive in.
He had to be a bottom. Simply had to be, with an ass like that. If not, well, then the world was broken.
Considering that the world actually was broken, he was probably a top. Or straight, God forbid. Nah, not with an ass like that. Even God couldn’t be that cruel. Although, that outfit. Cutoff sweatpants right at his knees, a paint-stained T-shirt with both sleeves ripped off, and not stylishly either, more likely the guy had too many drinks while watching Project Runway and attacked his closet. That outfit screamed straight or an absence of mirrors.
At the thought, my gaze flicked to the wall of mirrors, and our eyes met.
Again.
The ass wasn’t the only fine thing about the man. Well-proportioned face, angled enough to be masculine but round enough to give off a boyish air. Wavy dark blond hair bouncing around his cheeks and nearly hitting the nape of his neck in the back. Handsome, but unassumingly so.
We’d been playing the “I’m looking, I’m flirting, no, I’m not really” game for the past hour. I thought I’d been imagining it while we did weights, me on the incline press, him doing squats, and again, I have to point out, that ass! But, our mutual staring competition in the mirror had gotten longer with each round.
He wanted me.
And I was totally fine with that. I could get him out of those horrid clothes and see exactly how much perfection waited underneath. He looked thick, corn-fed. God, I loved Midwestern boys, visiting the West Coast, feeling free to let their gay freak flag fly for the first time. I had this guy pegged; those nervous heated glances told the tale.
I hated being back home in Lavender Shores, but the gay tourists were always a sure thing, even in the off-season like it was.
Not attempting to be subtle, I broke eye contact, tilted my head, and tried to inspect his crotch. Hard to see through the reflected maze of equipment, but thanks to those shameful sweats, the amount of flopping around was impressive.
Even if he wasn’t a bottom, he would be a good time. Not my position of choice, but for the right guy, I could flip. Well, not that kind of right guy, but for one who looked like sweaty straight boy over there? Hell, yeah.
He was blushing when I looked back up. And again, I say, hell yeah.
Something lightly smacked my shoulder, and I nearly stumbled in my stride on the treadmill. I gripped the handhold and looked over. One of the most handsome men in Lavender Shores shook his head in judgment at me. When I’d first met Donovan, his close-cropped hair had been jet black, but fourteen years later, nearly half had gone to silver, and he was even hotter than before. It had been nearly five months since I’d seen him in person, and I swore the amount of silver had nearly doubled. I pulled out one of my earbuds and hit Pause on the screen of my iPad. “Dr. Carlisle, billing me for m
y biweekly therapist sessions not enough? Is the hospital giving you kickbacks if you cause physical injury and send people their way?” I glowered at him. Even after all these years, it took effort not to flirt. “Should I be calling your brother-in-law, since he handles malpractice litigation?”
Donovan Carlisle ignored the prod and cast a glance toward sweet ass over there. “You looked like you’re preparing to attack.”
“You know me well. And you should. I pay you enough to.” I shrugged and dipped my chin to the iPad. “I’m catching up on The Walking Dead. Do I look hungry?”
He grimaced. “I swear; you’re enough to make me hang up my hat. No progress at all.”
I flashed him a grin, making sure to expose my canine teeth, which I supposed was more vampire than zombie, but whatever. “I’d say you’re doing just fine, Doc. Maintaining homeostasis is what I’d call success. At least I’m not going backward.” I held up my finger. “And don’t bring up last year’s episode.”
Furrowed brows. “You know I’d never discuss such things in public, Gilbert.”
“Always so serious, Doctor.”
He rolled his eyes.
God, I loved getting under his skin. He’d been my therapist since I was sixteen. We’d been on a first-name basis since day one. He was one of my longest running friends at this point, or relationships, or something. Though I’m not certain what he’d say at thoughts like that.
“I almost called you yesterday.”
“Yeah?” Another teeth flash. “Missed me?”
Donovan sighed. Apparently, I wasn’t worth the effort of a second eye roll. “You scheduled our phone session for this coming Tuesday, but I figured you’d be in town for Andrew’s engagement party tomorrow. And we both know you won’t be in any shape to drive. Why don’t we have a face-to-face session before you head back home on Monday? It’s been too long.”
The Palisade (Lavender Shores) Page 21
