Epilogue
TWELVE MONTHS LATER
Had anyone asked her a year ago where she saw herself shortly after her thirty-first birthday, April would not have been able to guess correctly.
Sure, she had wishes and dreams, but this was better than she could have come up with on her own.
She had a family. And it was already partially established, so she was able to catch up with where she had wanted to be by this age, which had seemed all but impossible a year ago.
It felt like successfully cheating at cards.
She had a kid named Owen, and she could not have been prouder of her own flesh and blood.
Maybe it wasn’t official yet, but she knew that had to be right around the corner.
Of course, her eternal optimism had gotten her into trouble before, but this time she was determined to out-hope the universe and make it bend to her will.
Anyway, even if she never married, even if this was all she ever got, she knew she would be happy.
She’d left her apartment and moved with Cal and Owen to a house on the outskirts of town.
The commute was only a little longer than it had been from her apartment, and it was well worth it for the perks.
It was the perfect compromise, she thought.
They were far enough outside of town that Cal and Owen could enjoy the quiet, but close enough that April could still easily visit her friends. Owen was in public school now, too, and he absolutely loved it.
But the best part of their new life was how much Cal seemed to enjoy learning to be part of the community again. He was actually Owen’s scout leader, and he made a great one, in April’s not-so-humble opinion. Who better to do wilderness training than a man who had lived in the woods for five years?
Owen had a bit of an advantage, too, and excelled in every area.
Cal also worked as a handyman around town.
It allowed him to get to know people in Summit Falls, make a little extra money, and keep his own hours, too.
One thing Cal would never compromise on was how much time he got to spend with his son.
He seemed keenly aware of how quickly time passed, and he wasn’t going to miss a moment of it.
This weekend, though, was for April. Cal had made that perfectly clear.
Owen was staying at a friend’s house to give Cal and April a free night together.
It was the anniversary of them getting together officially, and Cal wanted to celebrate.
He wasn’t telling April where they were going, which was why she was currently riding in his truck with a blindfold on.
It wasn’t much of a surprise in the end, though. As soon as they hit the dirt road, she knew exactly where they were headed. So, she wasn’t even a little surprised when Cal removed the blindfold, and she opened her eyes to see his gorgeous cabin in the woods in front of her.
“Cal!” she said, delighted. “Are we spending the weekend here?”
He nodded. “I thought it would be nostalgic.”
“I love it,” she said.
He ran to the door and opened it for her.
There were lights strung up inside and rose petals scattered from the dining table to the bedroom.
“Pay no attention to that,” Cal said when he saw her noticing them.
“That’s for later.” He then lit the storm lamp in the middle of the table, which was already set for what looked like a spectacular dinner.
“When did you have time to do all this?” April asked.
“I didn’t really have that job yesterday or today.” He grinned at her. “I hope a little deception for the sake of a surprise is acceptable.”
“Of course it is.” She threw her arms around him and squeezed him as tightly as she could. “This is a wonderful surprise.”
“Wait until you taste dinner.” He pulled a chair out for her, and she sat down.
“I can smell it,” she said. It smelled divine, and her mouth was watering already. “I can’t believe you put all this together.”
He poured her half a glass of wine and set a fresh salad in front of her. “I still have to carve it, but it’s been roasting all day.”
Cal had always been proud of his culinary skills, and April had to admit, it was hardly uncalled for.
His cooking was always top-notch, and he insisted on creating meals, especially on special occasions.
He liked to test out new recipes on her, and she was happy to comply. Everything he made was delicious.
She ate her salad and sipped her wine while he carved the roast. It smelled a bit like prime rib, she thought.
Something rich and delicious. Something anyone would pay an arm and a leg for at some high-class restaurant.
But here she was, being served in the most beautiful location reserved only for her, and she had the gorgeous chef all to herself.
By the time he served them both the main dish, she had already finished her salad. He sat down across from her with his own glass of wine, half full of course, reminiscent of that first night they spent together.
She reached across her table with her glass. “To us,” she said, and he toasted to that.
“To us.”
They talked over dinner about all the sneaky things he’d had to do to put this whole weekend together while keeping it a surprise. “Should I be worried that you’re this good at sneaking around?” she teased.
But he was totally serious when he answered. “Never. You’re the only woman I’ll ever want. I swear it, and I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life proving it to you.”
It almost sounded like a proposal, but April knew better than to get her hopes up.
Cal still had some trust issues, though he was working through them with more effort than she’d ever seen anyone put into anything.
He hadn’t been ready to make a marriage commitment so soon, and she’d told him that was fine with her.
She could wait until he was ready, even if that was never.
She didn’t want to ever push him into doing something he didn’t want to do.
Deep down, it did get to her occasionally, however much she tried to ignore it. She hid it pretty well, though, all things considered. She could be proud of that.
After dinner, Cal cleared their plates. He wouldn’t let April do anything at all.
“I want to spoil you this weekend,” he said.
“This weekend is about us, but mostly, it’s about you.
” For dessert, he produced a little plate with a small, blue cupcake.
“Bon appétit,” he said, lighting one little candle stuck in the cupcake.
April thought she might cry when she saw that. “You remembered,” she said. “I can’t believe you remembered.”
“Of course, I remembered,” he said. He seemed surprised she hadn’t expected it.
“It was the day my whole life changed for the better.” He smiled across the table at her.
“It was the day I met you. I remember staring at that cupcake on the table for hours before Owen finally found the appetite to eat it. What kind of adult woman eats a blue cupcake for her birthday? I wondered. Then I found out.”
April laughed. “The crazy kind?” she guessed.
Cal shook his head. “The kind who is so loved by her friends that they take the trouble to get her a blue-cupcake pyramid for her birthday. The kind who improves the day of every person she comes into contact with, even if just a little. The only kind of woman who could have dug her way into my heart and taken root there.”
Now she really was crying. She hardly knew what to say, but this was the most wonderful evening she could have imagined for her anniversary. “This is all too much,” she said, sniffling. “Cal, I don’t know what to say.”
“I only need one word from you,” he said. “Come with me.”
He took her by the hand and led her along the short path of rose petals to his old bedroom.
When he opened the door, she saw candles and more flowers all around the room.
But there was something nestled on one of the pillows, and April moved forward to examine what it could be.
The closer she got, the more her heart pounded in her chest. Could she believe it?
Did she dare? There, on the pillow, was a little black box, propped open.
And inside something beautiful was glittering in the candlelight.
Slowly, she lifted the little box and rubbed the tears from her eyes to see what was in it more clearly.
Probably, she was only seeing things. Probably, it was just a gorgeous pair of earrings.
But it wasn’t. And when she realized it wasn’t, she turned to ask Cal what was going on, and she found him down on one knee.
“One word,” he said. “Will you marry me?”
There was no question in her mind. Not a moment of hesitation. Her whole world was coming into clear focus. She was going to be his wife and the mother to his child. Of all the women in the world, Cal Nolen had chosen her. She answered with the one word he wanted to hear from her. “Yes.”
The End
I hope you’ve enjoyed Lara and Jake’s story!