Epilogue
Walker
Six months later.
T he barn smells like fresh hay and saddle leather, the late afternoon sun streaming through the wide doors, painting everything in golden light.
It’s perfect.And I need everything to be perfect today.
Stormy and Maximus are already saddled and waiting, their tails flicking lazily, ears twitching as they watch me pace like a man seconds away from losing his damn mind. Winnie gives me a look. "Hey, your kid will be home later, and she'll take you on a ride. I'm sorry, girl."
Violet should be here any minute. I run a hand down Maximus’s neck, muttering mostly to myself. “You think she’s gonna say yes?”
Maximus blinks at me.
Stormy snorts.
I check my watch. Four o’clock sharp .
And right on cue, I hear the familiar sound of boots on dirt, followed by the unmistakable voice of the love of my life.
“Alright, Asher,” Violet calls as she steps into the barn, hair red hair glowing in the sunlight, eyes filled with love. “Are we going for a ride?”
She looks good.Boots, jeans, that green flannel I love on her, and the curious smirk that drives me crazy in the best way. Yeah, this woman is it for me. The love of my love.
I hook my thumbs in my belt loops, trying to look casual even though my heart is pounding like a drum.
“Just figured we could go on a ride,” I say. “You and me.”
She eyes the already-saddled horses. “A spontaneous horseback ride?”
I shrug. “Something wrong with that?”
She narrows her eyes. “You’re up to something.”
I smirk. “Just get on the horse, Red.”
She steps closer, Stormy nudging at her shoulder affectionately. As she runs a hand down the mare’s neck, my chest tightens.
Because this right here? Seeing her with her horse, part of this life, part of my life? It feels like everything I’ve ever wanted.
I clear my throat. “You coming?”
She rolls her eyes but grins, throwing one last suspicious glance at me before swinging herself onto Stormy’s back.
I do the same with Maximus, and then we take off.
Just the two of us.
We leave the barn together, side by side, the rhythmic sound of Stormy and Maximus’s hooves against the dirt road filling the air.
It’s quiet, the kind of peaceful that only exists out here—with the open Wyoming sky stretched above us, the warm wind on our skin, and the entire damn world at our backs .
Sheleans forward in her saddle, adjusting the reins. “Okay, I’ll admit, this is nice.”
I chuckle. “What, did you think I was luring you out here to leave you for the coyotes?”
She shrugs and gives me a smirk. “Maybe.”
I laugh, nudging Maximus closer until our knees bump in the saddles. “I told you, you're stuck with me, Red.”
She smirks, tilting her head. “Is that right?”
I grin, shaking my head, but damn if it’s not true.
We ride for a while, just the two of us, the golden light filtering through the trees, the scent of wildflowers, and warm earth filling the air. When we reach a stretch of open field, I tug the reins, slowing Maximus, and reach out, catching Stormy’s bridle and pulling her close.
Violet frowns, confused. “What are you?—”
But before she can finish, I lean in, capturing her lips in a slow, deep kiss, the kind that steals my breath from my chest.
She sighs against me, her hands fisting in my shirt, and for a second there’s nothing else.
Just her and me and this place that feels like home.
When I pull back, she blinks, a little breathless. “Wow.”
I smile. “I love you.”
Her cheeks are pink, her smile soft, “I love you, too."
I grin, clicking Maximus forward. “C’mon. We’re almost there.”
The hills roll out ahead of us, stretched wide under the open sky. The warm breeze tugs at her hair, loose strands escaping from her high ponytail, and I can’t stop looking at her.
She catches me staring. “What?”
I smirk. “You just look real pretty.”
She laughs. “Thanks, Asher. You're kinda pretty yourself.”
We ride side by side, slow at first, just taking it in—the way the sky shifts from bright blue to that soft, glowing orange, the way the wind moves through the grass, the way she smiles at me when she thinks I’m not looking.
And for a while, we don’t talk.
Riding together, spending time together, just like we’ve done before, I’m about to ask her to spend the rest of her life with me.
And damn if that doesn’t make this ride the most important one yet.
The wildflowers stretch out ahead of us, a sea of color against the green of the hills.
Violet gasps, pulling Stormy to a stop. “Asher.”
I stop beside her, watching her take it in.
Her breath catches. “This is beautiful.”
I study her face, the way her eyes light up, the way the wind catches her hair, the golden light making her look like something out of a damn dream.
She’s the beautiful part.
I slide off Maximus, looping the reins over a fence post, then turn to help her down.
Her hands land on my shoulders, her body sliding against mine, and for a second, I forget what I’m supposed to be doing.
She tilts her head up, watching me. “Why do you look nervous?”
I take a deep breath, reaching for her hand. “C’mon, Red.”
She follows me, confused but trusting. Then, she sees it.
A picnic blanket, a bottle of wine, a small wooden box sitting next to a bouquet of wildflowers wrapped in ribbon.
She stops dead in her tracks. “Oh my gosh…” she whispers, turning to me, her eyes already glassy.
I step in close, my voice steady, certain, full of everything I feel for her. “I’ve loved you since the second you crashed into my life,” I tell her. “And I will love you every second for the rest of it. ”
She inhales sharply, her grip on my hand tightening.
“I want to spend my life making music with you,” I continue. “Laughing with you. Singing with you. Loving you the way you deserve to be loved.”
I take a breath, then reach into the box and pull out the ring.
Violet gasps, hands flying to her mouth.
And before I can even get the damn question out, she throws herself at me.
“Yes,” she breathes, laughing, crying, kissing me all at once. “Yes, yes, yes.”
I catch her easily, laughing as she nearly knocks us both over.
“I didn’t even get to ask,” I murmur against her lips.
She grins, cupping my face. “You didn’t have to.”
I slide the ring onto her finger, watching as the sunlight catches the diamond. And for a moment, everything is quiet. Just the wind. The horses grazing nearby. And the woman I love, wearing my ring.
“Forever, Red?” I ask, brushing a stray curl from her face.
She smiles, eyes shining. “Forever, Asher.”
And when I kiss her again, I swear, I’ve never been happier in my entire damn life.
We don’t leave right away. We stay there for a while, talking, laughing, drinking the wine, and letting it all sink in. As the sun sets, I swing back up onto Maximus, reaching out my hand to help Violet onto Stormy.
And now, she’s wearing my ring.
And damn, that does something to me.
As we ride back toward the ranch, I steal glances at her, at the way she keeps looking at her hand, smiling like she just won the lottery.
I smirk. “Still checking, huh? ”
She grins. “Just making sure this is real and I'm not dreaming.”
I lean over and kiss her in the fading sunlight. “It’s real, Red.”
She sighs, content. “I guess I get to keep you forever now, huh?”
I chuckle. “Yeah, baby. You really do.”
And as we ride back, side by side, the weight of forever settled between us, light as air, I know I wouldn’t trade this moment, this woman, this life for anything in the world.