Epilogue
QUYNH
ONE YEAR LATER…
Q uynh stood up from her crouched position.
She had been cleaning the house all day to distract herself from checking the rankings of her debut novel she just released.
It took her most of the past year to work on putting her mother’s journals and her father’s stories together to form a love story she was proud of.
She kept most of their history but rewrote their ending, giving her parents the happily ever after they never got in life.
She hoped where they were now, they were able to find each other.
Her father died nearly six months ago now. He lived longer than the doctors predicted, which was a miracle. She suspected it had to do with being able to make amends with his past that gave him a few extra months of life. But in the end, cancer took him, too.
Luckily, Quynh was able to experience having her father walk her down the aisle a month before he passed. Though she never thought it was possible, she was thrilled when Griffin proposed to her a couple of months after she moved back to town.
Most people would probably say they were rushing things, but they knew what they wanted out of life. There was no other man for her but Griffin. She knew deep in her bones he was the only man she wanted by her side as she navigated life.
Griffin was a major supporter of her dreams of becoming a writer.
During the day, she worked at the auto shop to help manage the office, taking care of the administrative side of things.
During the downtime, she would work on her book.
It took the better part of the last year to finish the first draft of her book.
Then came the arduous task of finding an editor.
Several rounds of editing later, her manuscript was ready to publish.
Though, instead of trying to find a publisher to take a chance on her, she decided to self-publish.
This book was important to her. She wanted it to be her work that was published rather than bending over backwards to make a publisher happy.
So, after her book went live this morning, Quynh started cleaning the house like a madwoman.
Every surface in the house sparkled with how fervently she wiped everything down.
There was not even a single dust bunny or fur ball to be found.
She vacuumed at least three times between this morning and lunchtime.
Her stomach gurgled, reminding her she needed to eat just as her phone rang.
Quynh dropped the feather duster she had in her hand and ran to find her phone.
She pushed away the disappointment when she realized it wasn’t Griffin who was calling, though she smiled brightly as Meg’s name flashed across the screen.
She hit the answer button, but before she could finish her greeting, she was met with a pterodactyl scream so loud it made her ears ring.
“GUESS WHO MADE THE AMAZON BESTSELLERS LIST!?”
“Who?” she questioned, though she sensed it was a rhetorical question.
“YOU DID! Oh my god, my best friend is a bestselling author!”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa. What are you talking about? It just came out today!”
“Yeah, I know, and between all of my social media marketing skills and my connections, I was able to launch that bad boy into every corner of every platform. You’re a best-selling author, baby!”
Quynh pulled the phone away from her ear as Meg continued to yell excitedly.
Her heart was racing. She couldn’t believe it.
She put Meg on speakerphone and ran to the back of the house where Griffin helped her set up her office so she could write.
The best part about her office was the view of the lake through the large double-pane windows.
It was a relaxing view when she was stuck on finding the right words or when she had writer’s block.
She turned on the laptop as she listened to Meg continue talking about all the reels she made and content pulls, which probably helped sell her book.
Quynh didn’t know what she was going on about since she didn’t manage her social media accounts.
Technically, Meg was the one who handled all the nitty-gritty details she couldn’t be bothered with, preferring to spend her time writing or with Griffin in the home they made together.
Quynh even made a routine to meet up with Ruth at least once a month at the coffee shop to talk.
It took the younger woman some time to warm up to her.
Their father left the giant mansion to Ruth and split the rest of his money evenly between the sisters.
A fact that was a bitter pill for Ruth to swallow.
Unfortunately, they were forever bound together by losing their parents. They only had each other left.
Most evenings, she would sit on the back porch and enjoy the sun as it set across the lake, the beautiful colors making the most majestic canvas of vibrant colors.
She’d become friendly with their new neighbors, Ben, Emily, and their six-month-old daughter, Charlotte.
On one of their walks around the lake, Griffin and Quynh bumped into the couple as they were pushing Charlotte in the stroller.
She discovered Emily was also a nurse, although she was currently staying at home to care for Charlotte.
Quynh and Emily bonded over their shared professions and try to meet up for dinner at least once a month. Though Quynh had no plans to return to her work as a nurse practitioner, she wouldn’t completely rule it out. Right now, though, she was happy.
The happiest she had ever been in all of her adult life.
“Quynh, are you even listening to me?” Meg’s voice brought her back to reality.
“I’m listening.”
“Did you see it yet?”
“I’m pulling it up right now.”
With trembling fingers, she typed in the title of her book and sat on her hands as it loaded. Her mouth dropped open in shock at the orange banner listed next to her book.
“Holy. Shit,” she gasped out in disbelief.
“I know, right! Congrats, babe! I knew you could do it! Where’s that grumpy man of yours?”
“Griffin had to drive into the city to pick up some parts for a car he’s working on. He should be back soon.”
“Make sure you tell him, or I will,” Meg threatened, knowing Quynh would probably try to not make a big deal out of her achievements. “Seriously, babe, you deserve this. I’m so happy for you. ”
Meg continued her happy chatter as Quynh sat speechless at her book.
Bestselling author. I’m a bestselling author.
It seemed so impossible.
She sat there long after Meg hung up. She needed to make more calls to share the good news.
The sound of Rover barking as he ran into the house brought her back to the present.
She got up from her chair and closed the office door behind her.
One time, she left the door open only to find Rover had chewed up her office chair.
Griffin replaced it, and she got an upgrade.
Her new chair had all the bells and whistles, which allowed her to write and fold down the armrest, giving Pickles space to snuggle up next to her.
She even had a leg rest if she wanted to sit back and write.
“Hey, you’re back early!” she shouted from the hallway. She stopped short when she almost ran into Griffin’s hard chest.
Griffin, who was standing with his hands behind his back and a guilty look on his face.
“What’s going on…?” she asked her suspicious husband, worry seeping into her voice.
“I know you didn’t want to make a big deal about it, but…” He grimaced as his words trailed off.
“But what?”
“Here.”
From behind his back, he handed her two things. A bouquet of fresh lilies and orchids, her favorite flowers, and a gift-wrapped bag.
“What is this?” she asked as she reached for the items in his hands. She bent her head to smell the fresh floral scent with a small smile.
“Open it,” he prompted and gently grabbed the bouquet from her.
Hesitantly, she reached into the heavy bag and found several gift-wrapped items. The first one she opened was a fountain pen with her name engraved on the handle.
“So you have a pen for all the autographs you’ll be signing.”
The next gift was bigger and heavier. When she opened the package, she gasped.
“Griffin, I can’t take this!” Quynh gestured at the brand new laptop she had been drooling over for the past few months.
“As a bestselling author, I think it was time for an upgrade.” Griffin’s tone was matter-of-fact.
She had been complaining about how outdated her laptop was, which meant she couldn’t install the latest programs for writing or formatting.
It would have made her self-publishing journey so much easier if she had upgraded it, but it was not a necessity.
She could get by without it, though it probably took her double the time necessary.
Her eyes watered at his thoughtful gestures .
“There’s one more.” He pointed to the bag impatiently.
“I don’t know if I can handle any more of your surprises,” she joked.
“Open it.”
At his urging, she placed the laptop down on the nearby counter and grabbed the last item.
It was much smaller than the laptop but was elegantly wrapped.
She tore the wrapping paper to reveal a leather-bound journal similar to that of her mother’s.
Across the top was her name, which was hand-sewn into the leather. Her fingers traced the stitching.
Quynh looked up at Griffin with confusion.
“So you can write our story for our kids one day.”
She smiled at her husband, touched by his thoughtful gestures and his unwavering support.
Though they talked about the possibility of having children, neither was ready yet.
They also talked about adopting, which was most likely what would make the most sense for them, given their family history of cancer and addiction.
Neither of them wanted to pass on the genes for either affliction, and there were so many children in need of a loving home.
She hugged the journal to her chest before placing it on top of the laptop. Griffin opened his arms. She flew into his chest.
She squeezed him tightly as she cried, tears of happiness at the life they built together. She rejoiced in the fact that fate brought the unlikely pair together under unlucky circumstances. His arms squeezed her tightly. She leaned back to look up at her husband.
“I love you, husband,” she whispered. The words failed to convey the depth of her feelings, but it was the closest she could manage.
“I love you, wife.” Griffin leaned down and kissed her softly. She leaned into the kiss and sighed with happiness.
She was no longer down on her luck. Not anymore. She now had everything she could ever hope for. All it took was a string of bad luck to lead her right where she belonged—in the arms of a grumpy mechanic.