Epilogue Caleb
Epilogue
Caleb
The jewelry shop owner smiled sweetly as she handed me a small bag with little handles on it.
“Thanks,” I said, chest full to bursting as I left the store and stepped onto the bustling wintery streets of Star Falls. It had been months since that terrifying night in the hospital when Emma had gotten hurt. We were deep into fall and heading straight into winter.
Emma had taken to Colburn Restorations like she’d been born for the job. She’d gotten the apartment she’d dreamed of, and we’d been trading off sleeping at each other’s places but had discussed moving in together.
As a couple this time.
The minute her lease was up, she was going to move into my house in the same way she’d moved into my heart, and I couldn’t wait.
I still hadn’t found out how or why Ricky’s trailer had reappeared, but there had been no further incidents on any jobs, thanks in no small part to a massively increased surveillance presence for every single project we took on.
It had rained last night, leaving the streets clean and the trees lining those streets glistening in the weak sun.
I slowed my steps. My plan had been to wait until I got back to my truck parked on the next street over, but I couldn’t.
So I ducked into an alley and stood between two time-weathered brick walls to pull the small box from the bag—
“Gotta be more aware of your surroundings, man.”
My head snapped up to find Ry and Tuck standing at the entrance to the alleyway.
Fuck. I dropped the box back into the bag as if I’d been burned, then held it behind my back when I approached my meddling, interfering brothers.
“Do I even want to know why you’re tailing me?
” I asked, maneuvering around them and stepping back out onto the main street.
I knew better than to remain in the tight alley, where I could get pinned between them while they tried to wring information from me.
But their footsteps followed, flanking me.
“Everyone knows you’re the best gifter of all us Colburns,” Tucker said casually.
How much had they witnessed? Had they seen what I’d purchased? Did they think this was about Christmas? “So you what, caught sight of me by sheer good luck and decided to tail me?”
“Yep,” Ry said.
Bullshit. I rolled my eyes as we weaved and bobbed around the shoppers on the streets.
“Did you buy Emma a necklace or something?” Tucker asked.
Or something…
“He always gets quiet when he’s up to no good,” Ryder said to Tucker.
“Fuck off,” I said.
“And he clearly skipped breakfast,” Tucker said on a laugh.
In fact, I’d had breakfast. Twice—first a breakfast with Emma, and then a breakfast of Emma.
So, no, hunger was not the cause of my irritation. It was that I was trying to plan quite possibly the biggest surprise of my entire existence, and the two worst secret keepers on the planet might be on to me. I eyed Ryder. “You need help finding something for Penny, just say so—”
Taking advantage of my distraction, Tucker snatched the bag out of my hand. I whirled, reaching for it, but Ry gripped my arm, towing me toward one of the benches that lined the street along with massive redwoods, all lit for the holidays.
I gritted my teeth as Tucker plucked the small box out of the bag.
“Tuck, I swear to—”
He sat on the bench. “Wonder what we’ve got here—” He opened the box and stared in surprise.
I pulled free of Ryder’s hold, seized the box, and snapped it shut, before shoving it into my jacket pocket and glowering at my fuckwit brothers.
Ryder leaned past me, trying to get a better look at Tucker’s stunned expression. “What was it?”
Tucker didn’t take his eyes off me. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think—”
“What was it?” Ryder repeated, sounding like Alex when he missed out on something.
“It looks like…” Tucker began hesitantly. “Like maybe Caleb’s planning to propose to Emma.”
It was strange to hear someone else say it. To say out loud what I’d known I wanted for a long time now—that I wanted a lifetime with Emma.
Tucker sank against the back of the bench, emotion swimming in his eyes as he looked at me. I hadn’t seen him feel much of anything in a long time, I realized.
“What, surprised I found someone to love me?” I said, trying to lighten things up.
“No.” Tucker refused to let me laugh this off. “Surprised that you let yourself be loved. You too,” he said to Ry. “Hell, even Kiera let herself do the same with Auggie. It’s…hope personified.” He rubbed over his chest like it ached. “After all we’ve been through, it’s a miracle.”
“I honestly didn’t believe I could let myself fall,” I admitted.
“You hit the lotto with Emma,” Ryder said, nudging my gut with his elbow. Hard. “Don’t fuck it up.”
“Don’t intend to. I can’t even remember what my life was like without her.”
Ryder clapped me on the shoulder. “Then there’s only one thing left for you to do.”
“Right. Ask her if she’ll shackle herself to me for the rest of her life.” Not terrifying at all…
Tucker shrugged. “If it helps, I’m about seventy-five percent sure she’ll say yes.” He paused. “Okay, sixty percent.”
“Thanks.”
We all turned at the sounds of heels clicking down the street past us.
Emma herself.
She stopped short in surprise, smiling so sweetly and joyfully at the sight of me, it drained all lingering annoyance at my brothers.
“Emma,” Ryder said smoothly. “What’s up?”
“I’m meeting this guy”—she nudged her chin in my direction—“for coffee at Penny’s café.”
“You’re early,” I blurted out.
“Ignore him,” Ryder said. “He was dropped on his head as a baby.”
Emma laughed, but her eyes narrowed in on me. “Whatcha got?”
I must’ve had panic all over my face because Tucker quickly said, “Just a little something I got someone for Christmas. I needed opinions.”
“I always have opinions,” Emma said, then looked at us expectantly.
I couldn’t do it; I couldn’t lie to her. “Actually, it’s something I got. For someone. Not for Christmas.”
Tucker shrugged. He’d tried to save me. Unfortunately all he’d done was make Emma more curious.
“Why do I feel like I’m missing something?” she asked.
The sun had slid into the alley, casting a golden glow over the brick walls on either side of us. A gentle breeze carried the scent of burgers frying on our right and sweet flowers from the flower shop on our left. It could be worse, I decided.
“Emma…” Shit. I was ready for this, more than ready, but was she? “Em—”
“She knows her name, man,” Tucker said.
I looked forward to killing him. Later. For now, my heart had begun to pound as I pulled the little black box from the pocket and…
Fumbled it.
Dropping to my knees, I grabbed the box.
“I’ve never seen him fumble anything in his entire life,” Ryder said conversationally to Tucker.
I flipped him off, then looked up at Emma. “This isn’t exactly as I planned.”
Her eyes were wide, and it felt like there was a meat grinder in my gut.
“Are you…?” She swallowed. “Are you about to…?”
“I love you, Emma. More than anything. I love you in the mornings pre-caffeinated and not sure what year it is. I love watching you at work, all creative and badass. I love being with you in the evenings, swearing at your laptop.” I drew a deep breath.
“I didn’t know I could feel this way, like my world is whole because you’re in it.
And I don’t know what your schedule looks like for, say, the next fifty or sixty years, but if you’re free, I’d love to grow old with you. ”
“That was good,” Ryder whispered.
“Who knew he had it in him?” Tucker whispered back.
Emma’s pupils were blown as she dropped to her knees in front of me, right there on the sidewalk, like maybe they were too weak to hold her upright. “You…you really want this? You want to marry me?”
“Desperately.”
She smiled through suspiciously shiny eyes. “Me too.”
I slid my fingers into that beautiful, silky-soft chestnut hair. “Just how desperate are we talking?”
She cupped my face. “Desperate enough to wish that we were completely alone so I could show you just how much.”
I groaned and dropped my forehead to hers as my brothers finally took a hint and vanished.
“And you?” Emma asked softly. “Just how desperate are you to have me in your life until the end of time?”
I smiled. “Somewhere between completely and utterly.”