Epilogue
PENNY
My heart thudded in my chest so loudly that I couldn’t hear my own chaotic thoughts, which was probably for the best. I stood in the arched doorway between the dining area and the kitchen.
Of my new café.
It’d been six months of hard work, figuring out a business plan, a layout that suited me, creating menus, hiring staff…
Sunlight streamed in through the windows, dappling the wood floors in a warm glow.
The exposed brick walls were adorned with local artwork, landscapes of rolling vineyards, ocean bluffs, and towering redwoods.
Mismatched vintage furniture and potted plants created a cozy feel.
I’d named it Redwood Roost, and it was exactly what I’d always wanted.
“How’s Wonder Woman?” Ryder asked, his arms sliding around me.
“Shaking in my boots,” I admitted.
Lowering his head, he rubbed his stubbled jaw to mine. Calm. Quiet. Patient, as always. “And?”
“ And …so excited I can hardly contain myself.”
I felt him smile against my neck. “Will it make things worse if I tell you that you’ve got a line of people waiting for you to open?”
My stomach jangled with nerves. “Did you have something to do with that?”
“Everyone’s here because they love you.”
“And?”
He chuckled. “Kiera put up a social media post that said if they wanted to taste the best food in town, they should run not walk, because it’d be first come first served, and you were going to have to turn people away.”
A warm, fuzzy emotion settled over my nerves like a weighted blanket. Behind us, I could hear the hustle and bustle of the kitchen, with Vi—my kitchen manager—giving orders.
“Five minutes,” I whispered, eyeing the time. “I open the door in five minutes.”
“Which means I have just enough time for this.” He turned me to face him. “Do you have any idea how much I love you?”
I smiled. “It’s the breakfast casserole we shared this morning. It makes people crazy. Remember that time Caleb ate it and then asked me to marry him?”
“Let’s say it’s not the breakfast casserole.
” His mouth was smiling even as his eyes remained serious.
Cradling my face in his hands, he looked into my eyes.
“Let’s say it’s that having you in my life has made me a better man, that I’m so in love with you I can no longer remember what it was like without you. That my present and future are yours.”
My heart skipped a beat. “How much of that future?”
“Let’s just say I want to still be holding your hand at eighty.”
My throat tightened at the beautiful words that meant so much more to me than I could ever say. “That’s a long time.”
“I want it all, Penny.”
I gave him a watery smile. “Me too.”
“I was hoping you’d say that.” He dropped to a knee.
I gaped at the sight of him holding a little black velvet box. “ What are you doing? ”
“Asking you to share breakfast casserole with me for the rest of our lives.”
I blinked. “Well, Caleb’s going to be very upset.”
Ryder choked out a laugh. “Is that a yes?”
“Yes!” Vi called out. She’d come out of the kitchen and was jumping up and down, a huge smile on her face. “She says yes!”
There was thudding on the window closest to the front doors. Turning to look, I saw Ryder’s entire family and mine, all noses to the window.
“Yes!” they chanted.
“I’m feeling déjà vu,” I stage-whispered.
“Did she say yes?” Grandma asked, squinting, Hank at her side. “I can’t see a damn thing.”
“If she’s smart,” Kiera said. “She’s considering running for the hills.”
“She hasn’t had the chance to say anything,” Ryder grumbled, still on a knee. “I should’ve pulled the shades first.”
“Ask me,” I demanded.
He smiled up at me. “Penelope Rose, will you do me the honor of being my wife for the rest of our days, in spite of the family I’ m shackled to?”
I smiled down at him. “There’s nothing I want more.”
He opened the box, and I gasped at the beautiful platinum diamond ring nestled inside. “Oh, Ryder, it’s beautiful.”
“He’s had it in his pocket for months,” Caleb said. “The chickenshit was afraid he’d scare you off.”
“I was afraid they’d scare you off,” the “chickenshit” muttered.
Heart melted, I held out my hand for him to slip the ring onto my finger.
The clock chimed the hour. I stared at Ryder. “Best sixty seconds of my life.”
Nervous all over again, I headed to the front door, but Ryder reached out, snaring my fingers. His free hand brushed my hair away from my face and bent to kiss me.
“Just sealing the deal,” he murmured.
Laughing and tearing up at the same time, I flung my arms around him as my entire world fell into place.