Epilogue
“This is a nice place,” Case said as he glanced around at the sprawling adobe ranch house nestled among towering saguaro cacti and flowering ocotillo.
“They love it here. It’s too hot for me,” Sydney replied.
“Yeah, me too,” he murmured as he looked through the windshield from the dusty driveway.
“Don’t be nervous.”
“I’m not.” He shook his head, his knuckles whitening as he gripped the steering wheel. “Yes, I am.”
“They’ll love you like I do.”
“I hope not.” Case grinned, his dimples deepening.
Sydney chuckled, her green eyes crinkling at the corners. “Come on. I know my mother is looking out the window.”
Case sighed. “Alright.” He pressed the button for the rear hatch, opened his door and stepped from the rented SUV into the Arizona heat, then he walked around to open the door for Sydney, her sundress fluttering in the dry desert breeze.
“Is there some reason you have so much luggage? Do you plan on living here?” Case raised an eyebrow at the mountain of suitcases.
“What if I said yes?”
“I don’t think there’s a Montana Department of Livestock in Arizona,” he replied, squinting against the relentless sun.
“I’m not leaving Montana, except to visit my parents here.”
Case leaned down and kissed her lips. “I’m happy to hear that.”
“We need to discuss what we’re going to do with your place.”
“I’m sorry. What?” His brow furrowed.
“I’m kidding. I think I’ll see if Billy and Myra want to live in my house.”
“That would be nice.”
Sydney gasped, then ran across the gravel driveway to an older man walking toward them.
He was around six feet with a slim build hardened by years of outdoor work, and he had copper-red hair streaked with silver at the temples.
Case grinned as he followed Sydney but hung back, letting her and her father have a moment.
Sydney wrapped her arm around her father’s waist and faced Case.
“Caysen, this is my father, Matthew Wright,” she said. “Daddy, this is Caysen Anderson.”
The men shook hands, Matthew’s calloused palm firm against Case’s.
“It’s nice to finally meet you, Caysen,” Matthew said.
“Nice to meet you, sir, but please call me Case. Sydney is the only one who insists on calling me Caysen.”
“Alright, Case,” Matthew nodded, his sun-lined face breaking into a warm smile. “Let me help you with the luggage.”
“I can get it. You two go inside. It’s nice out, so I won’t have to rush.”
“Nice? Hell, son, it’s sixty degrees. That’s a little on the chilly side.” Matthew kissed Sydney’s forehead. “Go inside, honey. Your mother is probably chomping at the bit.”
“Caysen, do you want my help? ”
“We got this, Sydney.”
“Probably take us a while by the looks of all the bags you packed,” her father grumbled.
“What?”
“Nothing, honey. Go in and see your mother.”
“Oh, okay.” Sydney frowned, then turned and walked into the house.
Case and Matthew looked at each other and grinned.
“She’s like her mother. She packs like she’s going away for six months on just an overnight trip.”
“I couldn’t believe she packed all this for three days.”
“You get used to it.” Matthew folded his arms and leaned against the back of the SUV. “You love my daughter.”
“Yes, sir.”
“It wasn’t a question. I can see it when you look at her. Like nothing else exists. That’s what her mother and I want for her.”
“She’s the love of my life. I’ll always love her.”
“I know you will. She’s a little crazy about you too.” Matthew grinned. “You’re the first man she’s ever brought home. I’m not talking dates. I’m talking serious relationships, so I know she’s in love with you.”
“I know that too.”
The two men gathered up the luggage then went inside. Matthew led Case along a hallway, nodded for him to enter a room. He stepped into the room then set the luggage on the floor.
“You have a nice place here, Mr. Wright.”
“Call me Matthew. We like it here. It is a little rural, but it reminds me of home that way. I do miss Montana. ”
“I’m sure I would too.”
“Let’s go eat. Helen made her fried chicken. None better.”
Once they arrived in the kitchen, Case was introduced to Sydney’s mother, Helen, and she hugged him.
“That’s for making my daughter happy.” She kissed his cheek. “That’s just a bonus.”
“Bonuses are nice.” Case grinned.
“Sydney, you can help me get dinner on the table while Case and your father go to the living room.”
“Maybe we don’t want to go to the living room,” Matthew said, and Case had trouble keeping a straight face, especially when Helen looked at her husband and gave him that look all men knew. “Okay, let’s go to the living room, Case,” Matthew said as if it had been his intention all along.
****
Sydney watched them walk to the living room, two men who meant the world to her, silhouetted against the golden afternoon light streaming through the bay windows. She sighed, a soft smile playing on her lips, then faced her mother when she chuckled, eyes crinkling at the corners.
“You are so in love and we’re so happy for you,” her mother whispered, tucking a strand of Sydney’s hair behind her ear. “He is one handsome young man with those eyes and those dimples. Not to mention, he’s tall. Tall, dark, and handsome.”
“I know. The first time I met him at the coffee shop, I could barely speak.” Sydney looked at her mother, warmth spreading through her chest. “I am so in love. ”
“Let’s set the table. I’m sure you two are hungry after your flight and drive.”
“I’m starving, Mom, and I know Caysen is too. He ate the last of our trail mix a couple of hours ago.”
“I like his name,” Helen said.
“I do too. Everyone else calls him Case, but I love his full name. He has two brothers. Deacon, who is called Deke, and Hudson, called Hud. They all have those golden eyes. They’re both older than he is.”
“He makes you happy. I can see it in the way you light up around him, and I can see he loves you. He can’t keep his eyes off you, like you’re the only person in the room.”
“I love him so much that it scares me sometimes,” Sydney confessed, her voice barely above a whisper as she arranged gleaming plates on the laminate countertop. The late afternoon sun filtered through the kitchen window, illuminating particles of dust that danced in the air like tiny fairies.
“Oh, honey, you have nothing to fear,” her mother replied, her tone warm as she set a stack of pale sage-green salad plates beside Sydney’s. “Anyone can see he adores you.” She reached for the polished silverware, the soft clink of forks and knives echoing against the wood.
“As long as I see it, I’m fine,” Sydney said, smoothing the tablecloth beneath a plate. A faint scent of lavender drifted in from the vase on the windowsill.
Helen chuckled, the sound rich and comforting. “How could you miss it? It’s written all over his face every time he looks at you.” Her mother tilted her head. “Does he know about… you know? I hate mentioning his name.”
“Yes. When I first said I needed to talk to him about a past relationship, he said he didn’t need to hear it.
But when I did make him listen, he was angry how I’d been treated.
I did tell him that Lance died in a car accident after I broke up with him.
Caysen asked if I still had feelings for Lance and I immediately said no, and he said then there was nothing else he needed to hear because if the guy wasn’t dead already, he would be if he got a hold of him. ”
“Good for him. He knows he doesn’t have to worry about that… prick hurting you again. You have a good man now.”
Sydney smiled, remembering the gentle way Caysen had brushed a strand of hair behind her ear after telling him. “I know. Um, is it okay that we’re, you know, sleeping together?”
Her mother’s expression grew sly. “Sydney, you’re a grown woman.”
“But it is your house, Mom. Caysen can stay in the spare bedroom if it bothers you.” Sydney’s tone was half-joking, half-earnest.
Helen shook her head firmly. “And hear one of you tiptoeing down the hall at midnight? No, thanks.” She paused, wiping her hands on a towel. “But really, does he treat you well?”
“He treats me better than I deserve,” she answered.
“Good. He seems like a fine young man.” Helen placed a final napkin at the head of the table. “Now go fetch them, dinner’s ready.”
Sydney stepped into the living room, where her father and Caysen were perched side by side on the couch. The older man held a photo album open on his lap, flipping through pages thick with snapshots.
“Dad, could you put that away, please?” Sydney groaned, crossing her arms.
“No chance. These are too good to miss.” Her father grinned.
“Is he into the Halloween shots yet?” she asked, rolling her eyes.
The sunlight cast a warm glow over images of a chubby-cheeked Sydney in every Halloween costume imaginable.
“Yep, right here.” Her father nudged the album toward Caysen, who leaned in, clearly amused. Her father pointed at a picture of Sydney as a pint-sized princess, her smile revealing a missing tooth.
“You were the cutest little princess,” Caysen teased, raising an eyebrow.
“Come on,” Sydney urged, tugging at Caysen’s sleeve. “Dinner’s waiting.”
They followed her father into the dining room, the table set with gleaming crystal glasses.
Helen carried steaming platters of fried chicken and buttery mashed potatoes from the kitchen.
Conversation flowed around the table; her father’s booming laugh, Helen’s low chuckle, the clink of forks against plates.
Sydney noticed Caysen pushing food around with his fork, barely tasting the feast. Concern creased her brow as she leaned toward him. “Are you all right? You haven’t eaten much.”
He offered a thin smile. “I’m fine.” He turned to Helen. “This chicken is outstanding, Helen.”
Helen beamed. “Thank you, Case. It’s my grandmother’s secret recipe.”
He nodded, but Sydney detected tension in the way he cleared his throat, his gaze drifting to her father, then back to his plate.
“Helen, Matthew, I—” His voice wavered, then steadied. “I love Sydney more than anything, and I’d like to ask for your blessing to marry her.”
Sydney’s heart thundered in her chest. Her mother’s hand flew to her mouth, while her father sat upright, eyes shining with pride.
Caysen pushed back his chair, rose, and reached into his jeans pocket. A soft velvet box lay in his palm. He sank to one knee, the light above the table dancing across his hopeful features. “Sydney, will you marry me?”
The room held its breath. Sydney’s eyes brimmed with tears as she glanced at her parents, her mother’s cheeks glistening, her father’s smile wide, then returned to Caysen. She gazed at the single, radiant diamond set in platinum, its facets catching every flicker of light .
“That’s absolutely beautiful,” she whispered, her voice trembling.
“Is that a yes?” he asked, voice gentle.
She threw her arms around his neck and pressed her lips to his. “Yes! Of course, yes.”
Helen stepped forward, pulling Sydney into a tight embrace as tears slipped down her cheeks. Matthew extended his hand and clasped Caysen’s firmly. “You have our blessing, son. We couldn’t be happier.”
Caysen pulled her into his arms before turning to her parents. “Thank you, for everything.”
Laughter, relief, and hope mingled at the table as the family celebrated around them, the future suddenly brimming with promise.
Sydney smiled as Caysen lifted her hand, and kissed her knuckles. She couldn’t ask for more. He was the love of her life and she looked forward to their life together.
* * * The End * * *