Epilogue
Avery
Valentine’s Day the next year…
I rang the doorbell of Holden’s childhood home, and, without waiting, turned the knob. Carol never locked the door, which always pissed off my boyfriend and his father but she swore that everyone who came to her porch was welcome. None of us could convince her otherwise.
A lot of things had changed since the previous Valentine’s Day. Carol and Rex had joined a grief support group for parents who lost children, and they’d made several new friends in the process.
The Rose’s had joined my parents for Christmas Day, and the mothers had gotten along very well. I had a feeling they were conspiring behind our backs, but I couldn’t prove it.
“Carol? It’s just me.” I carried the groceries from the list she’d sent me and put them on the kitchen counter to unload.
“Coming, son.”
Carol was moving around upstairs, so I put the milk and ice cream away and hurried upstairs to see what she was up to. She’d been on a cleaning kick since after Christmas, so I wasn’t surprised to see the linens from Holden’s childhood room on the floor of the hallway.
I was, however, surprised to see the bed had been stripped in Happy’s room. All her dance trophies and ribbons were missing from the built-in bookcase in the corner.
“Whatcha doin’ Carol?” I walked into Holden’s bedroom to help her pull the mattress pad off the double bed. It was a tight fit for the two of us to sleep together as we’d done when we’d come out to visit over the summer for cookouts.
Carol, Rex, and Holden had spoken to the other transplant recipients over the summer, and this was the time when everyone would meet face-to-face. I was sure Carol was nervous. I’d been launched at her without warning, but this was a planned event.
She was the ultimate hostess, and I knew the evening would be perfect. Why she was rearranging the bedrooms right then was beyond me.
“I’m changing things up. This room used to be Holly’s when she was growing up. After Holden moved to Northern Virginia to attend trade school, I let Holly have his old room, and we put this stupid bed in here for when Holden came out for a visit.
“After Holly died, I left her room as a shrine, and I want it to be used, so I’m putting you and Holden back into his old room after I paint it. This room will become a guest room, or maybe a nursery.” It wasn’t the first time she’d mentioned grandchildren. Holden and I hadn’t taken the bait.
“Is there something you want me to do? I can do laundry, or I can start cutting vegetables. Have you finalized the menu for this evening?” She was a list maker for every occasion.
“I’m just making appetizers for this gathering. Rex suggested we get pizzas from Rosarita’s so I’m not in the kitchen all night. I’m finally listening to him.”
We both laughed at her acknowledgement that she rarely listened to Rex, who had figured it out years ago.
“Okay, what can I do to help?”
Carol stepped closer to me for a hug, and as had become part of our routine, she patted my chest over my heart. Over Happy’s heart. The gesture always brought a smile to her face.
“Are you doing it tonight?”
I froze. “Doing what tonight?”
Carol stared at me before laughing. “Never mind. Bring all the laundry downstairs, please. We’ll start making appetizers.”
My palms started to sweat, but I simply did as I was told. Once I got to the laundry room, I quickly shoved all the sheets in the washer, added detergent, and turned it on so the laundry could be done before the guests arrived.
“Thank you, honey. I’m donating all the bedding and buying new stuff once I decide on paint colors for the rooms. Maybe you and Holden can come back in the middle of March, say St. Patrick’s Day, and help me paint?”
I grinned. “Of course we will. Anything you need, Carol.” And I meant it.
Two hours later, Holden arrived, after having had to repair a tire on a large piece of farm equipment in rural Maryland. I’d driven my newly purchased car, thanks to Holden’s generosity, to Manassas because Holden was coming from a different direction in his work truck.
We were spending the night, but we were staying at a bed and breakfast down the road.
It then occurred to me why Carol had decided to deal with the beds at that particular time.
She was giving me an excuse for why we were going to be staying at the Stoney Ridge Inn about three miles from their house.
I’d already stopped at the place to check us in and put a bottle of champagne on ice with the help of the nice lady who owned the inn. The ring was in the glove box of my car, and my stomach was starting to feel like I was housing a pterodactyl inside.
“Sweetheart, why is our room missing sheets?” Holden had showered and changed once he arrived. He’d brought his duffel with him since he thought we were staying with Carol and Rex.
I tried not to grin conspiratorially when Carol giggled.
“Your mom is trading your room for Holly’s bigger room. She wants to give us more room when we come to visit. I think it’s very nice of her to want us to have the bigger space.”
Holden arched his eyebrow as he studied me. “What did we get voluntold we were going to do?”
I smirked at him. “We’re coming back for St. Patty’s Day to paint.” I stood on my tiptoes and kissed his cheek. “It’ll be fun.”
After Carol left the room, Holden swatted my ass. “You’re a sucker.” He kissed my neck and walked outside.
When Carol came back, she glanced around the room before she stepped closer. “Will you do it here, please? I know you probably have something very special planned at Stoney Ridge, but this is my only child. Do you mind?”
I had things planned out in my head, but she was his mother, and she needed a win.
It was within my purview to do it, so I nodded and headed out the front door to my car.
I grabbed the velvet box out of the glove compartment.
If Carol wanted to witness her son’s proposal, I’d make sure she got to do so.
Meeting the transplant recipients had been an incredible experience.
They were all very grateful to the family for the opportunity to get together and listened attentively as Rex, Carol, and Holden answered their questions about Holly and told stories as they related to Holly’s short life. It was beautiful to witness.
As they left, Rex and Carol told them their front door was always open—which I could attest to because they never locked it—if they wanted to drop by.
After everyone was gone, I began cleaning up the limited mess from the visit, and as I went into the kitchen to drop off some dessert plates, I was surprised to see Holden on one knee next to the kitchen sink.
“I’ve waited more than a year for you come up with a good proposal, and that’s long enough. I decided I’d better do it myself.
“I, unfortunately, am not the flowery kind of guy who says the right thing at the perfect moment. I’m a guy with grit under my nails and dirt on my shoes, but if you’ll give me a chance, I’ll clean my nails with that nice fingernail brush you have in our bathroom, and I’ll use that fancy new broom you bought to clean it up.
“You are the dream I used to have after a bad date with a guy I had nothing in common with. I’d tell myself not to give up, but eventually, I did and settled for a hookup when I got too cranky for my friends.
After that shit, I’d tell myself to adjust to being alone with Ossie, who, by the way, is actually enjoying being with Brooke and Kyle so much that I’m afraid they’re going to steal our dog. ”
“I’ll make sure they know Ossie already has parents.”
Holden grinned. “Thank you, sweetheart. Anyway—and this is the important part—would you do me the honor of becoming my husband?”
He pulled his hand from behind his back at the same time as I reached into my pocket to pull out the ring I had for him. It was black tungsten, and the website where I found it claimed it was indestructible. I was sure Holden would give it a run for its money.
“I couldn’t have said it better myself, Holden. I would love nothing more than to be your husband. Will you marry me?”
He put the gold ring on my finger. I put the black ring on his. I didn’t intend to take it off until the day we said our vows, and then never again.
“Yay!” I heard a very familiar voice in my head. “Now, I can go. Take care of my family, Avery, and let them take care of you, too.”
I was grateful to hear what I believed to be Holly’s final goodbye. I would take very good care of our shared heart, and maybe someday, I’d get to meet her again. I owed the future to Happy. It wouldn’t have been possible without her.