Epilogue
Max
The very next day, I arrived at Gemma’s cozy, small cabin she shared with her mother and daughter. Armed with flowers, chocolates, and cupcakes, I hoped to make a good impression.
I was planning on asking Gemma to marry me; the least I could do was hope her mom and daughter approved.
Gemma opened the door, her face bright and shining, and her eyes widened at the sight of my full hands. “Max! Oh my God! You didn’t have to do all this!”
I handed her the flowers and kissed her plump, sweet lips. “I wanted to. Good morning, gorgeous. I can’t wait to wake up to you every day.”
“Good morning, handsome,” Gemma gushed as she stepped backward and waved me inside. An adorable little mini version of Gemma ran up to me and waved.
“Hi, I’m Harmony.”
“Hi! I’m Max. Nice to meet you.”
“Do you want to see my Barbie collection?”
“You have a Barbie collection? No way! Of course I want to see it. I also brought you some cupcakes.” I showed her the package of unicorn cupcakes topped with sprinkles and plastic rings.
Harmony’s face lit up bright. “Mama! Can I have one now? Please, pretty please? I ate all my breakfast!”
“Go to the kitchen,” Gemma said before looking at me. I shot her back a look of guilt.
“Sorry, sweetheart. I didn’t even think of that.”
“Well, aren’t you a sight for sore eyes,” an older woman’s voice said, and when I turned my head, Gemma’s mother stood there with a shit-eating grin on her face. “Good job, Gemma!”
“Oh my God, Mom, please stop. Max, this is my mom, Francine. Mom, this is Max. Behave yourself, old lady,” Gemma teased her.
I walked over to Francine and held out the chocolates before offering her a hug. “Nice to meet you, Francine. I plan on taking good care of your daughter for the rest of my life.”
“He brings gifts, and he’s a sweet talker too?” Francine hugged me back before shooting her daughter a look. “You did good.”
Gemma and I exchanged looks and laughed before we all headed to the kitchen together.
It was like I’d been a part of their family for years, fitting right into their family unit. Harmony devoured her cupcake and tried to sneak another while I helped Gemma put her flowers in a vase and sampled some of the chocolates with Francine. I ended up spending the entire day there, playing with Harmony and her Barbies, and sneaking kisses to my beautiful future wife.
My wife.
Never did I expect my life to be fulfilling, but Gemma healed my broken soul. Our love made me whole once more. She was my better half, through and through.
And a couple of months later, when I got down on one knee and proposed to her, in front of the entire crowd at the bar who came to hear us sing together, Gemma said yes, and the crowd went wild.
It felt like all my dreams came true that night.
Not only did I find my perfect girl, my perfect family, and my perfect home, but my dream of singing on stage to a cheering crowd came true all the time at my very own bar I owned. How I hadn’t realized that before, I never figured out, but Gemma opened my mind and showed me new possibilities with the dream I’d always had.
In return, her own dream came true. She made money from her music, performed for an engaging, exciting crowd, and one day, I promised her we’d make a record together. Just her and me.
Four months later, we were married on top of Appleridge Mountain, and everyone from town was in attendance, welcoming us as their newest family member. A week later, I adopted Harmony as my own. Two weeks later, all of us, including Gemma’s mother, moved into a large cabin with plenty of room to grow.
When Gemma went into labor two weeks before her due date, our second daughter, Melody Francine, was born.
We navigated the twists and turns of life all with a smile on our face and love in our hearts. The music we created together was pure passion.
And by my side through it all was my favorite person of all time, the love of my life, Gemma McLeod.
THE END