Epilogue
Aspen
One year later
“I hear congratulations are in order.” I look up from the table at Melvin’s to see Mayor Cunningham staring down at me with a huge smile on his face.
“Thank you so much!”
He grabs my left hand to inspect the ring on my finger. I can’t blame him. I’ve been admiring it for days. I don’t think I could’ve picked out a more perfect ring if I got it myself.
Brooks proposed to me this past weekend. He woke me up early to go on a ride, which is not unusual for him. He likes to get a ride in first thing in the morning and knows I like to go with him. It’s so relaxing to wake up surrounded by nature.
We went on one of our favorite trails that has the best view of the sunrise this time of year. He got down on one knee just as the sun was rising. It had been a complete surprise to me.
I later found out that Jazz, Harper, and Beck all knew it was going to happen, and all three of them managed to keep it a secret from me, which is pretty impressive.
“So, when is the big day?” Mayor Cunningham asks.
“Oh…” Brooks and I haven’t even talked about it. I’ve been on such a high from the proposal, wedding details have been the furthest from my mind.
“Why’re you askin’?” Brooks asks from across the table. “You trying to make it a town event?”
Mayor Cunningham rolls his eyes. “Of course not. I’m just curious. And I wanted to let you both know, I’m also an ordained minister if you happen to be looking for one.”
“Oh, really?” I ask with raised eyebrows, surprised to hear this little fact about him.
“Yes, ma’am. Did it for my cousin’s wedding a few years ago. I’ve done a few other weddings since then, too. And for you two? I’d do it at no cost. Just something to think about.”
Brooks chuckles, but I look at Eli and sincerely thank him. What a sweet thing to offer us. “I appreciate that. We’ll definitely keep that in mind once we start planning.”
“Good. Good. Well, if either of you ever needs anything, you know where to find me. Enjoy the rest of your day.”
“Thank you. You too!”
He tips his head and then walks away from our table.
Brooks leans forward and asks, “You are not seriously considering having Eli marry us, are you?”
I shrug. “Why not?” I’ve never once thought about who would marry us, but it doesn’t seem like a terrible idea to have someone who knows us do it.
Over the last year, I’ve worked with Eli a lot through the ranch.
Mostly because Brooks doesn’t want to, but also because I genuinely like him.
He’s always been very nice to us, and I love that he always has the town’s best interest in mind.
After all, this town is my home now. I want to make sure it’s in good hands.
“First of all, it’s Eli…” Brooks suggests, like that explains anything.
I roll my eyes. “He’s a nice guy. Plus, it’d be free, and he’d more than likely be willing to come out to the ranch to marry us.”
Brooks looks at me curiously. “You wanna get married at the ranch?”
“Oh, well, I assumed you’d want to do it there.”
“But what do you want?” he asks.
I’ve never really pictured my actual wedding day.
Sure, I wanted to get married and have the babies and the life.
But that was all after the ceremony. I was never one of those girls who looked through wedding magazines and scrapbooked every dream.
I don’t have any Pinterest boards of centerpieces and extravagant bouquets.
I simply wanted the family that came along with the wedding.
“It doesn’t really matter to me,” I answer honestly.
“Really? I assumed you’d want some fancy ballroom or something.”
I laugh thinking about gathering Blue Haven residents in a fancy ballroom like the one at the hotel I used to work at in Atlanta. Yeah. No. That’s not happening. “The only thing I care about is that you’re at the end of the aisle.”
He smiles and grabs my hand. “There’s no question about that. I guess the ranch it is.”
“It makes sense, too. The ranch is where we fell in love. It’s where we’ll live out our future together. Might as well make it official there.”
“How are you this perfect?” he asks.
“Yeah, remember that next time you get mad at me for leaving the fence unlocked.”
He sighs. “I wasn’t mad. Just… frustrated.”
I laugh. He was definitely mad but tried to pretend that he wasn’t after he spent hours riding around the ranch trying to find the horses that got out. “Right.”
He shakes his head and scoots out of the booth. We head outside and toward his truck when I remember that I needed to get something in town.
“Hey, I need to run to the drug store really quick.”
“Alright. I need to go to the bank. Meet back here in ten?”
“Yep!”
He gives me a quick kiss before we go our separate ways.
Luckily, the drugstore is mostly empty, and thankfully, Brenda is not at the cash register today.
I just know she’d have a field day telling the whole town what I’m about to buy.
I grab a small basket and throw some random lotion, gum, and a tube of mascara in before I make my way to the aisle I really need.
Family planning.
I quickly find the pregnancy tests, but why do there have to be so many different brands? This morning I realized I’m two weeks late. At first, I freaked out, but then I realized that Brooks is going to be so excited if I am pregnant. I want to make sure it’s true before I tell him, though.
I finally pick the one that actually says if you’re pregnant or not, because I don’t want to have to stress about decoding the lines.
I throw the box in my basket and try to hide it as best as I can with the other items. I’m about to go check out when someone says my name, and I stop in my tracks. It’s been awhile since I’ve heard that voice.
I turn around slowly. “Hi.”
I’ve seen Zach a few times over the last year, and while he’s never happy to see me, the anger has faded a little each time.
We never really talk, but I know he graduated from the police academy and was hired by the county.
I also know he’s started dating someone new.
He’s moving on, and I’m so happy for him even if he’s not happy for me.
“How are you?” Zach asks. He looks uncomfortable talking to me, and I get it. However, it’s also hard to forget those two years when we were inseparable.
“I’m good. How about you?”
He nods. “Yeah, I’m good too. I, uh, heard about the engagement.”
I wince a little, preparing myself for the worst. Brooks told me that he texted Zach before he proposed, just so he wouldn’t hear it from someone else. Brooks has done a lot of one-sided texting with Zach over the last year. He understands why Zach won’t talk to him, but I know it still hurts.
“Oh. Yeah.” We both glance down at my ring.
“I’m happy for you,” he says, and it sounds like he might actually mean that.
My eyebrows rise in surprise. “Really?”
“Yeah, I mean, don’t sign me up to be best man or anything, but I’m glad that you’re happy.” He reluctantly adds, “I’m glad my dad is happy, too.”
“Thank you, Zach. That really means a lot.”
“But just so you know, I will not be calling you my stepmom.”
I laugh. “I would never expect you to.”
“So, are, uh, other congratulations in order?” he asks and tilts his head to my basket and the box of pregnancy tests.
My face instantly heats. “Oh, well, I’m not sure yet.”
He gives me a friendly smile, one I haven’t seen in a long time. “Don’t worry. Your secret is safe with me.”
I exhale my worry. I know I’m not his favorite person, but I trust that he won’t tell anyone. “Thank you.”
“You know. It’s kinda funny,” he says, laughing to himself.
“What is?”
“How things ended up. When I brought you here to Blue Haven, I remember being so worried that you were going to hate it here. But look at you. You’ve made this place your home all without me. Maybe it was fate that I brought you here so that you could end up with him.”
I nod slowly. This is not something I ever thought I’d hear Zach say, and it makes my heart so happy. “Yeah, maybe.”
“Well, anyways, do you need anything else? I’ll walk you out.”
“Oh, no. Just need to pay.”
He gestures for me to lead the way to the cashier. We both pay for our items and walk outside together to find Brooks leaning against his tailgate, waiting for me.
He stands when he sees Zach walking next to me, but I shake my head at him. I know he would jump at the chance to talk to Zach, but I don’t think Zach is ready for that. Not yet, anyway.
“I’m not over it yet,” Zach says suddenly. “But I’m getting there.”
“I understand. We appreciate that you’re trying.”
“Maybe… maybe I’ll try harder. I mean, I wouldn’t want to miss out on my future little brother or sister.”
I look up at him. “I would love that, Zach.”
He smiles and nods. “I’ll see you around, Aspen.”
“See ya around.”
I watch him walk away in the other direction before I meet Brooks at his truck. He helps me inside and starts driving home before he asks, “So what was that about?”
“I think that was him trying to be understanding.”
“Really? You think he might come around?” The hope in Brooks’s voice breaks my heart.
When Brooks looks back toward the road, I put my hand on my stomach. “Yeah, I think he might.”
Maybe if I really am pregnant, this baby will bring our family back together.
I look over at Brooks and see a small smile pulling on his lips as he drives. He’s excited about the possibility even without knowing about the baby.
An hour later, when I’ve gotten three positive pregnancy tests in a row, Brooks cries into my shoulder and tells me how happy he is and how much he loves me. Moving to Blue Haven was the best decision I’ve ever made, even if it was for the wrong Calloway man.
The End