Seek and Cherish: A small-town rockstar rom-com (Sanctuary Book 5)

EPILOGUE

Honey

The crowd cheers as we finish our set, and I can’t stop smiling. I love being on stage with my sisters and Jaxon, to finally make an old dream come true.

The club is small and, when we started our gig, there were only about ten people here, but word must have spread that Jaxon Hayes is in the role of lead singer with our little blue grass band for the night, because the club has filled steadily over the past hour that we’ve performed until I’m worried the fire Marshall might show up and start kicking people out.

“I have a couple of things I want to say.” Jaxon leans into the microphone.

He’s such a natural on stage, so at ease and energetic. I’ve toured with him on and off for the past ten months, and now he’s back home for at least a year. He’s pushing for longer than that.

On tour, I saw him perform over a hundred times, but it never got old and, whenever he had downtime, he made sure to spend it with me and to show me as much of every city he possibly could in the short time we had. In some of the biggest cities in the world, he rented out art museums so we could tour them together. It was an experience beyond anything I’d ever imagined.

We’ve written a few songs together and, toward the end of the tour, he brought me out on stage to sing with him. It was a high like nothing I’ve ever experienced, but being on stage in this tiny club with my sisters is still better.

Dell never went to the press with all the dirt he has on me and he hasn’t gotten in touch with me or Jaxon. According to Maya, he’s actually gone straight and is working in an auto repair shop that doesn’t belong to his uncle.

Unfortunately, with all the focus on me as Jaxon’s girlfriend, a few stories about my past have come out, but far fewer than we’d expected and most of them hearsay.

Most of Jaxon’s fans have been kind to me, but I’ve had to deal with a few haters.

It’s worth it to be with Jaxon.

And I’ve never been happier to get home and hug my sisters and the animals on the farm. So much has changed at the sanctuary farm, even just in ten months, and Dani and I have big plans for the future.

It’s good to be back in my art studio, making ceramics on tour didn’t work out at all, and to work on the farm again.

Barley and Begonia, the proud parents of four adorable kids, are beyond happy to have us both home, and they love the expanded play yard Jaxon built them at the farm.

He’s moved into my house permanently.

And it is my house. Dani and Grant built a house on the property with an industrial kitchen. Goldy got her own place in town, but I suspect she’ll be moving in with Henry very soon. Asher and Clover are still living in the house, but they plan to leave next month. And Daisy and Noah bought an adorable house in walking distance to his clinic.

Everyone agreed I should have the house I talked our father into building and helped design. It will be the place we all come back to for holidays and Sunday dinners.

I haven’t told anyone, not even Jaxon, but I’m already picturing it full of kids that have my hair and Jaxon’s eyes.

“First.” Jaxon glances at me, his eyes wide like he’s nervous. He’s never nervous on stage. “Thank you all for welcoming me so warmly. And thank you to Asher for letting me take his place tonight.”

“You can keep it,” Asher shouts.

Jaxon grins. “I might take you up on that, man. A bluegrass album could be fun to write.”

The crowd whoops in excitement. I catch his eyes and raise my brows to ask if he meant to make that promise. He just chuckles.

“And the second, most important thing I need to do tonight is ask a question I want you all to hear.”

He turns away from the mic and drops to one knee, holding a small black box in one hand.

My heart stops and I forget how to breathe until Clover slaps me helpfully on the back.

My heart starts back up, and the world comes back into focus with the man I love looking up at me with more love in his eyes than I ever thought possible. “Honey, I know I’m a creep who hung out in the shadows watching you for way too long. If you can forgive me for wasting that precious time, I’m hoping you’ll agree to spend the rest our lives letting me make it up to you. Honeysuckle Lonicera Weston, will you marry me?”

With tears streaming down my cheeks, I nod. I can’t believe this is really happening and I have to work hard to get the words out around the huge lump in my throat. “I love you.”

The place goes wild. There’s no way everyone could have heard what he said, but they understood what he was asking and my response.

Jaxon stands and slides a gorgeous emerald ring on my finger. It looks oddly familiar. “Is this one of the rings my grandfather stole?”

He smiles almost gleefully. “It’s a replica. I know how important family is to you, even the outlaws and the con artists.”

I look up at him, amazed at how I could ever have gotten so lucky to have so much love in my life and in my heart. “And rock stars.”

He laughs. “I knew you’d come around, eventually.”

He lifts me off my feet while he kisses me. We get one moment before we’re surrounded by my sisters and their men and the locals, including Jaxon’s aunt.

And in that moment, I say, “I love you so much I’m afraid I might explode.”

And he says, “I love you so much, I’ll find all the pieces and put you back together again.”

We get swept up with hugs and congratulations. Most of our family, including my mother and Jaxon’s aunt, are suddenly here. They’ve probably been here all along, invisible to me behind the stage lights.

Jaxon and I get separated and, as the club clears of everyone but family, I find myself near the door to the back patio. I love my family and I want to celebrate with them, but I need to get some air and take a moment, just one moment alone, to let that proposal fully sink in.

I step out into the cool night air of late April and take a seat at one of the leaf-covered tables.

I’m sitting there when Levi walks out into the night, Gentry by his side.

I open my mouth to let them know I’m here, but Gentry speaks first. “This was a mistake. I came to support Noah and Daisy, but I should have known we can’t be in the same building without things getting ugly.”

“They only get ugly because you make them that way.”

I sink back into the shadows, committed to eavesdropping now. Neither of them would be happy to know I heard even the first part of this argument.

Gentry rears back like Levi smacked her. “They get ugly because you’re an asshole, Levi Sullivan. You always have been and you always will be. You may have everyone else fooled, but I know you.”

It’s clear from Levi’s expression that her words are a direct hit. “I didn’t say that right. I just meant…”

She scoffs. “I know exactly what you meant. Just leave me alone, okay? I’ll stay out of your way if you stay out of mine.”

Levi runs a hand through his hair. “How’s that supposed to work if we’re both in your brother’s wedding party?”

Gentry chews on her bottom lip. “We pretend we don’t know each other. I’ll act like you don’t even exist and you make sure we never have to be alone together.”

Levi lets out a dry laugh. “That’s impossible and you know it.”

Gentry looks away, her eyes going glassy. “I’ve got enough shittiness in my life, Levi. If you care about me at all, just make the small amount of effort it will require and keep your distance.”

Levi crosses his arms over his chest. “Fine.”

Gentry nods. “Great.”

She crosses the patio and heads to the back parking lot. Levi storms back inside.

Levi’s heart is probably breaking, but as sad as I am for him, it’s for the best. Gentry is never going to forgive him, and they’ll both be a lot happier if he just moves on.

The club door opens and Jaxon steps onto the patio. He blows out a breath and looks around.

“I’m here.” I get up from my table and hurry over to him, throwing my arms around his shoulders. “I just needed a moment.”

He squeezes me, both arms around my waist. “I put you on the spot out there. It seemed so romantic, but it’s only fair I ask you again while we’re alone. Honey Weston, will you—”

“Yes. I’ll marry you tomorrow if you want. I love you.”

He kisses me until our family finds us and pulls us back inside.