Epilogue
BIANCA
One year later
The lobby of the spa is already packed with people and the opening party has barely begun. Kaitlyn and I have been meeting on video calls in between to get all the details right, and in between when I fly up from Jepsen.
My stomach churns. What if it all fails? I’m still doing freelance social media work for Stryker Liquors, but —
“It’ll be great,” Waylon says, coming up behind me. Do I really look that tense? He rests a hand on my lower back and kisses my temple. “Look at all these people.”
“But —”
“Shh.” Waylon kisses me on the lips to quiet me. “Even if it doesn’t work — which it will — you can at least celebrate all the hard work you’ve done to get this place open. It looks great and you’re going to help a lot of people.”
I smile and step closer to him, letting myself get wrapped up in his arms.
“Thank you.” I run my hands up and down his arms. “And are you ready to meet my parents?”
Waylon goes a little pale this time. “Um…yes.”
“You sound so sure,” I tease.
“I’m terrified but can you blame me? I want them to like me,” he says.
“They’ll love you because I do,” I say, kissing him. “I need to go greet a few people, but I’ll find you, okay?”
“Okay. Good luck.” He kisses me again and lets me go into the crowd.
I saved up all the mental energy to network tonight, and I work the crowd as the event starts, saying hello to so many people that I get dizzy.
“Hold on, now,” my mom says, catching me by the arm. “We’ve been trying to catch you all night but you’ve been so busy.”
I throw my arms around her, then my dad, who’s standing behind her. I’ve seen them a few times since I moved to Jepsen, but seeing them in person always lifts my mood.
“I’m so glad to finally see you,” I say.
“We’re so proud of you, honey,” Mom says, cupping my cheeks. “I still can’t believe you live in Tennessee .”
I laugh. “It’s not Mars.”
“But it’s so different and so far. And you’re making it,” Mom says. “And we met your boyfriend, by the way.”
“I wanted to introduce you all formally,” I say, my shoulders slumping. I hope Waylon was okay.
“It’s fine. We just bumped into each other, and I recognized him from your Instagram. We had a very nice chat.” Mom squeezes my shoulders.
I started posting Waylon’s face once we got back together. The shitstorm that Kyler caused by leaking my texts and photos took a while to die down because of the photos of Waylon, but the chatter eventually stopped. Did my reputation among a certain subset of people take a hit? Maybe. But I’ve stopped caring about what random people on social media think. The only things that matter are my friends and family.
“Very nice,” Dad says, echoing Mom.
“Okay…?” My parents are a little weird, but they’re being extra weird.
“We’ll let you go. Find us later, okay?” Mom gives me one more kiss on the cheek and Dad hugs me, leaving me back to the crowd.
The event goes beautifully — people are interested in booking services and love the brands we’re going to carry. The more I sift through the crowd, the more I see people from Jepsen. Rose and Wes made it up, as did Jada. Even Waylon’s parents came.
Delia’s been lowering the pressure on Waylon, and by extension, the pressure on me, ever since they talked. Waylon has been a part of the shelter’s board in his own way, focusing mostly on the animals and how they can best allocate the money to pay for treatments.
The event runs late, until we literally need to usher people out the door. Only our families remain, mingling outside.
“I’m so wiped,” I say to Waylon, leaning against a wall.
“I’d be concerned if you weren’t.” He takes my hand. “C’mon, let me show you something.”
“What? Where?” I let him guide me toward the back in one of the rooms of the spa — one of my favorite spots. It’s much more spa-like than the rest of the space, with calming colors and bamboo. Someone’s lit a bunch of candles in here, giving it a romantic air.
“Mm, what are we getting up to in here?” I ask, pressing myself against him. “Our families are literally around the corner.”
“I know.” Waylon looks pale, even in the candlelight. “Because as much as I want to do that now, I need to do this before I lose the nerve.”
Waylon gets on one knee. Symbolically, I know what this means. But my brain can’t wrap itself around the fact that Waylon is on one knee in front of me and holding a small velvet box . Right in front of me.
“Bianca, I know we started off in a weird way. I never thought I’d ever fake a relationship,” he says, opening the box. I just see a sparkly blur because I’m already starting to cry. He hasn’t even finished talking yet, god. “But I never thought I’d end up with someone as incredible as you. Someone who I click with and can just sit there next to because we’re that comfortable with each other. Will you marry me?”
I nod because I can’t speak, and yank him to his feet so we can kiss. I can feel him smiling through it.
“Here, let me put this on,” he says. “Rose said it was your size based on what she saw in your room.”
“What a little spy,” I say, sniffing and putting my hand out. He slides the ring on my finger and it’s a perfect fit. It’s gorgeous too, cut in a way that makes it glitter like crazy no matter what angle I look at it from. “I love it.”
“C’mon, let’s go to part two of the party,” he says with a grin as he guides me outside.
“Wait, did you tell my parents you were proposing?” I ask. “Because they were acting really weird.”
“Yep.” He kisses the side of my neck. “But you weren’t expecting this, were you?”
“Not tonight, no.” I stop before we round the corner. “I’m so overwhelmed and excited and happy that I need a second.”
“Okay, let’s take it, then.” He just holds me for a second, and I relax. His arms are my comfort spot every time.
I get over feeling overwhelmed, but the excitement and happiness? That’s definitely here to stay.
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