26. Epilogue
Amelia
One Year Later
Amelia’s day was going by painfully slowly.
She had everything done for a week ahead. The bags were packed, the fridge was clean and empty of all perishable items, and her email inbox was empty.
She surveyed her apartment, feeling accomplished.
Ever since she left her last job, she had been remotely working from her apartment. Leaving the company where she had met Daniel was a hard choice, but she knew it was the right one. She didn’t fare well with gossip, and the inappropriateness of Cheryl had gotten too much to handle. She never thought she could deal with working from home, but everything seemed to have fallen into place when she changed her medication to something a little better suited for her type of ADHD.
Daniel had been nothing but supportive in the last year. True to his word, he drove her to appointments and supported her when changing to the new medication. And she was glad that she had. It was so much easier to keep herself organized.
Interestingly, it was he who was now falling behind on organization, at least at work. With the merger of another billing office at their old company, he was busier than ever, and Amelia knew he was lucky to be able to take a week off with everything going on.
He had been trying to find a job somewhere else. The addition of responsibilities didn’t come with a pay raise, and he didn’t get much support from corporate when he had to fire Dana for continuing to be inappropriate at work. He was tired of the hours and tired of the gossip too.
He had a few interviews lined up, and hopefully, one of them would work out. But first, he needed a break from the office.
Since he was working late, again, Amelia had made plans with Stacey that afternoon to get out of the apartment.
After she left her last company, Stacey reached out, hoping to become friends now that Amelia wasn’t her boss. It worked out great. Having a friend in town made everything easier.
Stacey also lived close by. She had left their company for a tech job in the city that paid significantly more, so they were within walking distance of each other. She always came by when she had a free minute, and they would walk through the underground mall or grab coffee when they had the time.
“Are you ready for your vacation?” Stacey asked when Amelia opened her apartment door.
She gestured to the bags in the entryway. “I’ve never been more prepared in my life.”
“Isn’t working from home great?” Stacey asked. “You have so much more time to get things done.”
Amelia laughed. “It also helps that I feel like getting things done. Daniel was so right when he said I should try something else.”
She had finally worked up the nerve to share her mental health journey with Stacey, and her friend didn’t even flinch at the news. Surprisingly, she had been in the middle of getting a diagnosis herself.
And now that she had a better support group, her mental health wasn’t shameful anymore. It was just a fact of her life.
The women caught up while they walked through downtown. They first stopped for coffee on the way to the mall, and when they got there, they looked around the shops.
Amelia wound up buying a dress from one of the local sellers. It was a bright red number with cutouts on the sides that showed off her midsection. Stacey had told her it would be a crime if she didn’t get it. Usually, Amelia would have said no. She never had anywhere to wear a pretty dress.
But maybe on this vacation, she would.
“Has Daniel put two and two together?” Stacey asked.
“Not yet,” Amelia said. “For once in my life, I think I’ve actually been smooth.”
“Do you have it?”
She smiled and brought out the box in her bag. It was a simple titanium band. “It came in a few days ago.”
“I can’t believe you’re going to be the one to propose.”
“Apparently, Lucinda had made her proposal a whole affair. It’s only fair if I do it.”
When they last talked about marriage, Daniel had been for it but hadn’t brought it up since. He’d said he wanted things to be low-key since Lucinda had expected the world and more. Amelia figured her planning the proposal was the perfect idea.
She only hoped he said yes.
“So, who is this date you have tonight?” Amelia asked, content to change the subject. She’d get nervous if she thought about it too long, and that was the last thing she needed.
“Oh, he’s just some guy my mom set me up with. I doubt it’s going to go well.”
“Don’t think of it like that,” Amelia said. “If you do, then it definitely won’t go well.”
“I suppose . . . I guess I’m still down on my luck in the romance department. It’s easier to think of it this way. It doesn’t get my hopes up too high.”
“Romance is great when you have the right person.”
“I know. I’m just waiting on my own perfect man. But I doubt I’ll be able to top you faking a relationship to get your family off your back.”
Stacey had been floored when she found out the truth, but Amelia was glad that someone finally knew. One of these days, she’d have to let her family in on the secret. Her mom remained ecstatic that Amelia and Daniel were still together, and she didn’t want to let them know that, technically, it was newer than they thought.
Amelia and Stacey hung out until seven when Daniel texted her that he was leaving work. They walked back to the apartment, waiting for him to arrive.
“Hey,” he said to both of them. “Have a good day at the mall?”
“It was fine,” Stacey said. “This one wasn’t too damaging to the bank account.”
Amelia rolled her eyes and gestured to her one bag. “I just got a new outfit.”
Stacey gave her a look that said it wasn’t just an outfit but a sexy dress she was going to propose to her boyfriend in. But Amelia ignored it. She had made it this far without letting her plans slip out. It wouldn’t happen now.
“Ugh,” Stacey said, checking her watch. “I need to get back before my dog pees on the floor again. I’ll see you guys next week. Be safe!”
After Stacey was gone, Amelia gave Daniel a kiss and asked, “How was your day?”
He groaned. “Terrible, but the last day before vacations always is. I can’t wait to relax for a little bit.”
“Me either, but first, we should eat before hauling all of our luggage to the car. I’ll even cook.”
“What did I ever do to deserve you?”
There was plenty that he’d done, but he knew that. She never stopped thanking him for all of his support.
She went to the kitchen to cook dinner and think about her plans to propose. Daniel took a shower to relax.
When he came out, his hair was curly and wet, his features more relaxed. “I canceled my therapy for this coming week. Did you cancel yours?”
“Yep. I sent the email last week.” She smiled at him.
They both went twice a month: him for his issues with Lucinda and his father, and Amelia for her PTSD. It had been hard to admit they both needed to go, but they agreed it was necessary after accidentally triggering past memories for each other one too many times.
After dinner, Daniel took the bags out to the car, and they finished up the last remaining items on the list.
They had been living together since before they technically even started dating. He never saw the point of leaving after they agreed to be together. He simply paid the remaining two months of rent to satisfy the lease of his old place and spent his time selling his stuff from his old apartment. He wound up giving Lucinda’s leftover outfits to John, who, in exchange, gave him free training sessions for all the clothes.
Daniel had traded in the Miata for a different car, but they rarely drove it, considering they rode together all of the time. Amelia’s place had slowly become Amelia and Daniel’s place, with pictures of both of their pasts adorning the walls, and all their stuff shoved into closets.
Now that they had two people living there and both of them might be working from home soon, they had discussed moving farther from town and getting somewhere bigger, but Amelia knew she was going to have a hard time leaving this place. It was where many good memories were made.
But even Amelia could admit they had outgrown it. Daniel had gotten back in touch with some of his college friends, and she had called her one old friend a few times. They needed a guest room now that their social circle had grown.
None of that mattered, though, since they were heading to the beach with Amelia’s family in the morning. They had a week away, and they knew they were going to use every second of it.
***
The next morning, Daniel and Amelia both took turns driving to the beach. She had gotten used to driving since she had changed her medicine, and it wasn’t nearly as stressful as it used to be.
They arrived first and kept themselves busy with sightseeing and walks. When her parents and John got there, they all exchanged long, excited hugs.
Daniel and Amelia’s family had kept in good contact. They had known that he wasn’t going anywhere since they had left the beach a year prior, and he had grown close with them. Once a week, they met up with John to work out, and her parents had joined them for many lunches in the city.
Amelia couldn’t help but notice how different he was from who he was a year ago. He had grown into himself, becoming more confident over the twelve months of their relationship. It only cemented just how much she wanted to spend the rest of her life watching him grow, and she was ready to commit to it.
They spent the first night catching up at dinner, all talking about their daily lives.
Just like their first night on the last trip, they went for a romantic night walk. When she put on her new dress, Daniel nearly tripped over himself looking at it.
“That’s what you and Stacey got?”
“Yes,” Amelia said, blushing. “Is it too much? I can change.”
“No, it’s beautiful. Please don’t change. Please never change.”
She pulled him into a kiss, and she was tempted to let it go further, but she knew she had a proposal to get through first.
He grabbed her hand as they walked down to the beach, and she knew this was the perfect time to propose. And even if he said no, she trusted he would give her a good reason for it.
Her palms were sweaty, though, especially the one she held Daniel’s hand with, but she wasn’t going to chicken out, not when she wanted this so much.
Come on,she told herself. You got this. Just get down on one knee.
“Hey, Amelia?”
Shit.He was going to ask her if she was okay. And she couldn’t lie about her nerves, but she couldn’t tell him the reason either, unless she wanted to forgo the whole proposal.
He cleared his throat, and she turned, her jaw dropping as she saw him with a ring box and on one knee.
“What . . . what are you doing?” she asked, feeling a little breathless.
“I rehearsed this in my head. So just listen, okay?”
She could only blink in shock.
“Amelia, you are my best friend and the greatest person I could ask to share my life with. I never thought I would get married again, but you changed everything for me, and I want to ask if you would . . . if you would marry me.”
He opened the box, revealing the most beautiful engagement ring she had ever seen. It was a ruby, something completely unorthodox, and a simple band with intricate leaf designs on the side.
And it was silver, matching the one she had gotten for him perfectly.
“I can’t believe this,” she said, happy tears in her eyes.
“In a good or a bad way?”
She laughed despite the tears streaming down her cheeks and reached into her dress’s secret pocket to pull out her ring for him. “You stole my idea.”
Daniel laughed too. “You were going to propose?”
“Yeah,” she said. “That’s why I was so nervous. I thought you would catch me.”
“No, I was nervous. We really were going to propose at the same time?”
“I think so.”
Amelia giggled at their ridiculous situation first, which sent Daniel into a fit of laugher too.
“So it’s a yes, right?” he asked the moment he could speak again.
“Duh,” she replied. “What about you? Are you willing to marry me?”
“Any day.” He smiled up at her. She offered her hand to him, and he slid the ring on.
When they got back to the condo, her mom screamed and frantically hugged them both. Her dad welcomed Daniel to the family officially, and John gave them hugs and asked who was taking whose name.
It was an easy choice. And a year later, when she walked down the aisle, they became Daniel and Amelia Rogers.