Epilogue #2
And Dad, sitting at the head of the table like always, more observer than participant, but his eyes are warm as they move between Mia and me. There's an approval there that I've spent most of my life chasing, now freely given not for any achievement of mine, but simply because I found her.
After dinner, Ruthie shoos us all from the kitchen despite Mia's offers to help clean up. "Go on, all of you."
Outside, she settles beside me on the porch swing.
I wrap my arm around her shoulders, drawing her close as the swing gently sways beneath us.
The evening air carries the scent of pine and distant rain, cool enough that Mia nestles against me for warmth.
Dad takes his usual chair, cane propped against the railing, while Bradley and Hailey claim the steps.
Ruthie brings out coffee in mismatched mugs, steam rising into the darkening sky. For several minutes, we sit in comfortable silence, listening to the night sounds of the ranch.
"Nice, isn't it?" Dad says finally, looking out over his land. "Having both my boys home."
"Mmm," Bradley agrees, sipping his coffee. "Feels right."
Dad's gaze shifts to Mia, then to me, something knowing in his eyes. "Been thinking, you know. This place would make a fine wedding venue."
Beside me, Mia goes very still, her coffee mug frozen halfway to her lips.
"Is that so?" I manage, my heart suddenly hammering against my ribs.
Dad shrugs, the picture of innocence. "Good flat ground by the pond. Pretty view of the mountains. Just saying."
Mia's eyes find mine as a flush spreads across her cheeks. And in that moment, watching the Montana sunset turn her skin to gold, I know this is it. This is the moment I've been waiting for.
Setting my coffee mug on the small table beside the swing, I stand and turn to face her. The swing sways slightly with the shift in weight, and Mia steadies herself even as confusion flickers across her features.
"Sebastian?" Her voice is soft.
I take her mug from her hands and place it beside mine, then drop to one knee in front of her. Someone—Hailey, I think—gasps.
"I had a whole plan," I tell Mia, taking her hands in mine. "Dinner at that restaurant where we had our first real date. String quartet. The works." My voice catches slightly. "But this—right here, with my family, with you looking at me like that—this feels right."
Her eyes fill with tears, but she's smiling, that brilliant, beautiful smile that first cracked my carefully constructed walls.
"Mia Phillips," I continue, my thumb tracing circles on the back of her hand, "you crashed into my life like a force of nature, challenging everything I thought I knew about myself, about love, about what matters.
" I swallow hard against the emotion threatening to close my throat.
"You make me better, every single day. You make me laugh, you make me think, you make me feel things I spent years convincing myself I didn't need. "
A tear spills down her cheek, and I reach up to brush it away as my own vision blurs slightly.
"I love you. I love your brilliant mind and your wild heart.
I love how you fight for your patients, how you never back down when you believe in something.
" My voice grows stronger with each word.
"I love the way you look in the morning, all tangled curls and sleepy eyes.
I love how you talk to your plants and dance in the kitchen and steal the covers every single night. "
She laughs through her tears, hands gripping mine tightly.
"I want all of it, Mia. Every day, every argument, every celebration, every quiet moment in between." Reaching into my pocket, I pull out the small velvet box I've been carrying for weeks. "Will you marry me?"
I open the box, revealing the ring I spent months searching for—an emerald surrounded by small diamonds.
"Yes," she whispers, then louder, "Yes, of course yes!" She launches herself forward, nearly knocking me backward as her arms wrap around my neck. "A thousand times yes."
Around us, the porch erupts in cheers and whistles. I barely register them, focused entirely on the woman in my arms. When she pulls back, I take the ring from its box and slide it onto her finger.
"It's perfect," she breathes, admiring the way the stone seems to glow against her skin. "How long have you been planning this?"
"Months," I admit, rising to my feet and pulling her up with me. "I bought the ring after our last visit here."
"You mean you've been carrying that around for…" she calculates, eyes widening, "three months?"
"Waiting for the right moment," I confirm, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "Turns out I just needed my dad to meddle."
Dad harrumphs from his chair, but his eyes are suspiciously bright. "Wasn't meddling. Just making an observation."
"A very convenient observation," Bradley says dryly, but he's grinning as he stands to clap me on the shoulder. "About damn time, brother."
Ruthie appears from the kitchen, wiping her hands on her apron, face lit with joy. "Well, this calls for a proper celebration. I'll get the good whiskey and some glasses."
Mia turns to me, her eyes still shining with tears and a happiness so pure it takes my breath away.
Rising on her toes, she presses her lips to mine in a kiss that promises everything I've ever wanted. When she pulls away, her smile is soft and intimate, just for me.
"I love you," she whispers against my lips. "More than I ever thought possible."
"Enough to marry me on the ranch?" I ask, only half joking.
Her laugh vibrates against my chest. "With you? I'd get married anywhere." She glances at the darkening landscape and the mountains silhouetted against the twilight sky. "But this place... it feels like coming home."
My arms tighten around her, holding her close as our family returns with glasses and congratulations. She's right, I realize. This is home—not just the ranch with its familiar smells and sounds, but wherever she is.
And for a man who spent years believing he didn't need anyone, that's the most profound truth I've ever known.