Dino by Jaime Lewis
EPILOGUE
Arianna smiled as the sand squished between her toes and the cool breeze blew across her face. She tilted her face up towards the sky and closed her eyes. She loved the beach and was glad she had decided to come home for good where she was surrounded by her family, friends, and most of all, the love of her life.
A couple of weeks had gone by since her kidnapping ordeal. Luckily, she had only suffered a concussion from the hit she sustained while trying to escape. The good news was that with the flash drive she had found, the FBI could decode all of the transactions in the file and were working with law enforcement all over the world to help bring home all of the missing women who Demitri had taken.
Paul was released from the hospital while Arianna was in Greece. He was starting to get back into his usual routine, but he did make room for one more person in his life. He and Brianna had started dating. So far, the doctors hadn’t seen any signs of any long-term effects from the cyanide. She herself had started her new job for Tink’s company, and she loved it. As for her and Dino, things were perfect. They were happy, content, and in love.
A deep, loud bark in the distance caught her attention, and when she turned, she saw Nigel galloping down the beach, kicking up the sand in his wake. As he got closer, she knelt, and he ran right into her, almost knocking her over. She chuckled, seeing how excited he was to see her. His tail swished back and forth a mile a minute, and he wouldn’t stop licking her. She hugged him and scratched his favorite spot—behind his ears.
She went to adjust his collar when her fingers felt something soft. She spun the collar around so she could see the fastener clip. There was a tiny purple bag attached to it. It had no markings on it. She got Nigel to sit while she untied the string. As she opened the bag and peered into it, she lost her breath when the diamond ring came into view. Her eyes welled with tears as she looked down the beach in the direction that Nigel had come from, but nobody was there.
She turned around to look in the other direction and gasped when she saw Dino standing there. He looked calm and relaxed, and of course, he was wearing that signature, sexy smirk of his.
With the ring in her trembling hand, she took the two steps forward and stood in front of him. His eyes shined with love and happiness.
He reached out and took her left hand, and it was only then she could tell by the slight tremble of his hand that he was nervous.
“I never thought I would ever be able to open my heart up to love someone again until the day I met you. You changed me in ways that I never thought were possible. You showed me what love is. That when you truly love your partner, you see them as part of your life and your future.” He paused, then lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it. His eyes never left hers as he lowered himself to one knee. “I want you as a part of my life forever. Arianna Roland, will you marry me?”
Arianna was filled with so much joy and happiness that she thought she was going to burst. She cried silent tears as her emotions had stolen her voice.
“Yes.” She managed to whisper out. “Yes, I’ll marry you.”
Dino’s smile couldn’t have gotten any bigger as he stood and pulled her into his arms and lifted her into the air. He spun her around as he held her tight. She laughed, and Nigel barked playfully. Still holding her, he looked deep into her eyes.
“I love you.” He told her.
“I love you, too.”
He set her down on her feet, took the ring that she was holding, and slowly slid it on her left hand. He then leaned forward and sealed it with a heart-stopping kiss. As they embraced each other, in the distance, they could hear the cheers from their family and friends as they all had gathered on the patio deck of Bayside to watch as two hearts became one.
◆◆◆
Arianna helped Alex tie balloons to the chairs while Tenley brought the cake out from the back and placed it on the table.
It had taken a lot of convincing, but Mia and Arianna finally got Grace to agree to come to Bayside and celebrate her birthday with them.
The only person that Arianna could see who was missing was Skittles. She walked over to where Dino was standing, talking to her dad. He smiled and placed his arm around her shoulder. She looked at her dad, and he smiled.
“The place looks nice,” Dino told her.
“Thanks. I haven’t seen Skittles yet. Is everything okay with him?” She asked. She was a little concerned since he had told her that he’d be there.
“I think it has to do with that friend of his who went missing. Skittles is good for his word, though. If he said he’d be here, then he’ll show up.”
“Hmmm…I wish there was something we could do to help him.”
Dino gave a somber expression. “Closure is the only thing that is going to help him.”
Movement outside of one of the windows caught Arianna’s attention. It was Grace riding her bike up the sidewalk. She looked up at Dino and could tell that Dino was upset that Grace was still riding her bike around town at night. And especially the distance that she travels.
“I’ll talk to her later about it.” She assured Dino, and together they went to greet her.
◆◆◆
Skittles pulled his pick-up truck into the parking lot and found a spot right near the front door. He exhaled and closed his eyes. He wasn’t up for company tonight. All he wanted to do was sit in his apartment and sulk.
Over the last few days, he’d been beating himself up over whether he should continue to seek answers in A.G.’s disappearance or just leave it be. He had pretty much exhausted all of his leads, and any new information was few and far between.
But giving up made him feel as if he was giving up on her. What would happen if she was still out there somewhere and in need of help. Sure, it’s been ten years since she vanished without a trace, but there have been cases of people in the same situation, and gone even longer, who were eventually found.
He ran his hand down his face. What made matters worse was that today would’ve been her twenty-fifth birthday.
He made a decision the day he was told about A.G.’s disappearance, and he was going to stick to it. She was out there somewhere, and he was determined to find her and bring her home.
As he got out of the truck and walked towards the door, he saw a girl riding her bicycle through the parking lot. He watched her park it at the bike rack that Paul had installed last summer.
Realization hit him that she must be Grace, the person’s birthday they were all there to celebrate. He remembered that Arianna mentioned she rode a bike. That made him wonder where she lived, considering Arianna and Dino had seen her near the airbase watching the jets. If she lived over that way, she had to have ridden miles along some pretty dark roads. That didn’t sit right with him. Not that the town was bustling with crime, but certain areas, as with any other town, had their problems. She didn’t need to be around those places, especially when darkness fell.
He walked behind her; her platinum blonde hair was visible under the ballcap she wore. She reached for the door handle but being the gentleman, he was taught to be, he reached around her and grabbed hold of the door.
“Here, let me get that for you.” He offered.
She turned her head and looked up into his eyes, and Skittles thought he felt the earth shake. There was no mistaking those violet-colored eyes that haunted his dreams almost every night he fell asleep.
“A.G.?” He whispered and tried to touch her face. She recoiled and slowly started to back away from him.
Her gasp and wide eyes told him all he needed to know. Then without any word or warning, she spun around and took off through the parking lot.
Skittles couldn’t move. His feet felt like cement blocks, and his body was numb.
The front door flew open, and Arianna and Dino were there.
“Was that Grace that just took off running? We saw her through the window.” Arianna asked, looking concerned.
Dino stood in front of him. “Skittles, what the fuck happened? You look like you just saw a ghost.”
He looked Dino in the eye. “I think I just did.”
Skittles and Anna Grace’s story now available!
