This is Me Trying (Evergreen Ridge)

Epilogue

Riley

One year later

A lot has happened in the past year. It actually feels surreal. I left the hardware store, which was one of the most bittersweet things in my life. I now own my own design company, and Craig is my assistant. He handles all the accounts and keeps my crazy life in order. There is so much work to be done that I can hardly keep up, and I’m actually thinking I might need to bring on another designer soon.

Believe it or not, Finn fell into a groove pretty easily here. He and Mason started working on a lot more projects together. I can tell he is much happier with the slower pace and not having to work like a mad man. He takes on a project here and there and has no problem if he has down time for a couple of months. If that happens, he helps me with some of the extra design tasks I have. I can’t lie, it really is great having him help me, and I love it when we get to work on projects together. Me, him, and Mason have become somewhat of a team, with Jackson popping in here and there as well.

Today is my mom’s birthday, so I’m bringing some lilies to her grave. Opening up about her more with Finn and Chloe has made it so this is something that I find more joy in, instead of deep, all-consuming sadness, like it used to. I used to just lie in bed all day and cry on her birthday, but today, Finn made me her favorite breakfast, and now I’m going to visit her grave to let her know what’s been going on this past year.

“Hi, Mom,” I say, as I sit cross-legged in front of her grave. I place the flowers down in front of her tombstone, kiss my fingers, and press it to the name on the stone.

“Happy birthday. There’s so much I want to update you on, but the most important part is that I’m okay. I’m actually more than okay. I’m great, and that feels absolutely amazing to say. I have friends I consider family and a man who loves me unconditionally.

“I wish you could have met him, Mom. I know you would really love him just as much as I do. He takes care of me in a way I could have never dreamed of. He listens, and he genuinely cares about what I have to say. He talks me down when my head is spinning out of control. He soothes my insecurities and protects me fiercely. He is everything I could have dreamed of and more, and I hope it gives you some comfort up there, to know I have someone by my side the way I know you always wanted for me.

“I love you so much, Mom, and happy birthday again.”

I dust off my pants and make my way to my car so I can go home to my man.

Finn

“Uhhh,” I say, literally pulling on my hair. I want everything to be perfect for her. She’s perfect, and she deserves perfection. I know how much this day means to her, and I want it to have good memories attached to it from now on, instead of just the straight grief that she experienced before.

“There.” I step back and evaluate my work. Her table is covered in a white tablecloth, her fine china and a candelabra in the middle. This is about as fancy as it’s going to get for us, which looks pretty darn fancy, if I do say so myself.

I adjust my button-down shirt and roll up my sleeves, because she likes it. Something about sexy forearms… I’ll take it. I’m bustling around the kitchen when I hear her key in the lock, and I start sweating. I don’t know if I’ve ever been so nervous in my life. Maybe when I told her I loved her, and we all know how well that went, so maybe that’s why I’m so nervous. But we have both grown so much this year. I know truly, deep down, I have nothing to be nervous about.

She walks in, and she still takes my breath away every time I see her. I walk over to her, wrap my arms around her waist, and place a kiss on her forehead.

“How was seeing your mom?”

“You know, it was actually pretty amazing. It feels good to visit and just talk without feeling as deeply sad as I used to. I’ll always feel sad, but it feels like it gets better with time.”

“I’m glad, baby. I really am.”

She looks up at me and presses up onto her tiptoes to lay a chaste kiss on my lips. Man, I love this woman.

“What’s that smell? It smells incredible.”

“I made dinner. Let’s go sit down. It’s all ready. I don’t want it to be cold.”

“Yes, I am starving. What did you make?”

“I know it won’t taste the same, but I made your favorite thing your mom used to make you as a kid.”

Her gaze softens. “I love you so much. Did you make mac and cheese with hot dogs?”

“I sure did.”

We walk into the dining room, and she freezes. “You made mac and cheese with hot dogs, and you’re serving it as a candlelit dinner on fine china?”

“Yes?”

She turns around and throws her arms around my neck. “Finn Hart, have I told you how amazing you are today?”

“Well, not today,” I joke and tap her on the nose.

I pull out her chair, and we sit and eat in comfortable silence. We’re getting to the end of dinner, and my hands are becoming more and more clammy by the minute. I need to do it now before I chicken out. I get up from my chair and kneel before the best woman I have ever known.

“Riles, this past year has been the best year of my entire life, all because I have been living it with you. You are the best woman I have ever known, and I am so grateful I get to call you mine. I want to be able to call you mine for the rest of our lives. I want to design a home with you, I want to go thrift shopping for our decor with you, I want to have babies with you, I want to build a life with you. I want to be the mob boss that lets you assemble the hit list. Watch true crime with you and wonder if you’re comparing me to the suspect.” I smirk at her. “I want all of that to start today, if you’ll allow it.

“Riley Fields, will you marry me, be my wife, be mine forever?”

I open the box, and it’s a teardrop shaped diamond in a setting that matches almost exactly her mother’s necklace. There are tears streaming down her face, so I think that’s a good thing.

“Oh, Finn, yes. Yes to everything, and yes to being your wife.”

I take the ring out of the box and place it on her finger.

“It matches perfectly; this is so special. Thank you so much.”

“Only the best for my wife.”

She grins wide. “I’m not your wife yet.”

“Screw it, let’s go to the courthouse today.”

She hits me playfully and giggles. “You really think you could get this interior designer to not fully design her own wedding?”

“Touche. I’ll be glad to marry you any day, any time.”

“I can’t wait to be Mrs. Hart.”

We have both grown so much over this past year, both separately and together, and now I can’t wait to see how we grow together, our lives intertwining, never to be separated.