“He’s got strong feelings about family,” Sophie defended.

“Mmm.” Or, more specifically, strong feelings against denying family the chance to know each other. Logan respected that, but he was counting the days until Cloe left.

Biyen came out a minute later, scrubbed shiny, hair every which way, wearing his jammie shorts with a short-sleeved shirt with the Spiderman logo on it.

“Teeth brushed?” Sophie asked.

“Uh-huh. Hah.” He offered a breath for her to check.

“Minty fresh. Wonderful. Sleep tight. I love you.” She hugged him.

“I love you, too.”

He looked at Logan.

Until now, it had always been a cheerful, “Good night.” Now Logan felt the significance of his decision sinking into him.

“What’s your preference? Hug? Fist bump?” Logan crouched down on one knee.

Biyen held out his fist. They bumped and exploded it.

“Good night, bud.”

“G’night.” Biyen started to turn toward the stairs then spun back. “Wait. Are you—” He rushed up to Logan again.

Logan bent and listened while Biyen’s hot breath tickled his ear.

“Yeah, I’m going to do that right now.” His heart started hammering with nervous excitement. “I just have to go up to my room for a sec. Do you want to stay?”

Biyen looked between Logan and Sophie, then nodded shyly.

Logan went through the door. The stairs creaked under his weight as he climbed them, then thudded as he came back.

“What are you two up to?” Sophie asked as he reappeared.

“I wanted to do this right,” Logan said.

He went down on one knee again.

*

“Oh my God.” Sophie genuinely nearly fainted. She stacked her hands over her heart, but it was going to fall out anyway.

“Mom gave this to me before she left last time.” Logan’s hands were shaking along with his voice. “She said you were the only person she could imagine wearing it so if I ever wanted to give it to you, I could.”

He showed her the ring. It was a simple gold band with a single, pretty round diamond set in four gold claws. She recognized it as one Glenda had worn for a solid twenty years. Wilf had given it to her.

“Will you marry me, Sophie?”

Every part of her was tingling as though swirling in a whirlwind of sparkling thrill. Skin, scalp, blood, bones, they were all filling with pure joy. Her throat was tight, her heart battering, her eyes growing hot and wet.

She looked to Biyen. He was watching closely, grinning ear to ear. He nodded enthusiastically and the tears in her eyes grew so thick, she couldn’t see him.

Her chest expanded with happiness. Her breath was forgotten, her voice nonexistent, but somehow she conjured the words she had practiced every night for her entire childhood.

“Yes, Logan. I will marry you.”

Epilogue

February, the following year…

The howler monkeys were greeting the day as Sophie came on deck with mugs of coffee for Logan and his crew—Tyrone, Emil, and Lionel, who had all signed on as line handlers, wanting the experience of traversing the Panama Canal before they brought their own vessels through.

They had slept aboard last night, everyone retiring early so they leapt on the coffee due to the dawn start, not because they were nursing hangovers. All three men were known to throw lavish parties on their luxury yachts, but they were keeping it tight, wanting to take good care of Logan’s sailboat.

Two of them were previous clients of Logan, and Lionel was an experienced boater who was in talks with Logan to design something new for his growing family.

Logan was still in the process of rejigging his company to work out of Canada, but aside from a small going-away party with a handful of friends, he didn’t seem to have any strong feelings about leaving Florida for good. Dario, the advisor who would help guide them through the canal, was aboard as well. He accepted a coffee with a happy nod.

“We got a one-day pass,” Logan said, catching her up.

Sophie wasn’t sure if she was happy or disappointed, since it was common to spend the night tied up outside the channel in Lake Gatun.

“We’re going to raft up with that cruiser and—there. That cat.” He pointed to the catamaran that was motoring toward them.

“What’s my job, Logan?” Biyen asked.

“You have three important jobs. The first one is to stay on the bow. Things could get busy and I need to know you’re in a safe spot.”

“You got it.” Biyen gave him an enthusiastic thumbs-up. “What else?”

“Take lots of pictures. We’re all going to be working, so we can’t be looking around at the scenery.”

Sophie had initially planned to be a line handler, but Logan had persuaded her to be a spare in case there were injuries. Things could get hairy if anyone lost their focus and failed to maintain tension or relieve it. Boats could swivel and cause the raft to shift. Hands could get caught. He also wanted her eyes on Biyen and needed her to prepare meals and keep everyone hydrated. It was going to be a long day. “Should I use my iPad or the camera?” Biyen asked.

“Both.”

“Consider it done.”

Tyrone, a linebacker, sent Sophie a perplexed look.

I know, she conveyed with a shrug.

“And the third one?” Biyen asked.

“Keep being awesome,” Logan told him.

“You, too, Logan. That goes for everyone. Let’s have fun today.” Biyen gave a big, straight-armed clap of his hands. “I’m going to put a few things in my backpack so I’m ready for a day in the bow.”