Epilogue
I woke up alone in my bed, which was unusual for me.
I frowned as I slowly got up. I threw on a robe—since I’d dozed off in nothing after another night of Levi rocking my world—and went to the kitchen. Levi was nowhere to be found and neither was his car.
One of our favorite things when we woke up was to have breakfast together. It was a tradition, even on the days he worked. And for him to be gone was worrying.
I turned to the coffee pot, which had freshly brewed liquid in it. I poured a cup and went to grab my phone to ask where the hell he was. But then I reached into the fridge and saw no maple syrup.
That was when Levi walked into the house with two massive bags in his arms.
“You better have had a good reason for leaving me in bed alone,” I said as I closed the fridge.
“I was trying to make you coffee for when you woke up, but we were out of maple syrup, so I ran to get some.”
“And these bags were for just maple syrup?”
“Yeah, about that.” He put the bags on the counter. “You know how I said there was no recipe you could make that would get me to like tomatoes?”
“Of course I do.” I crossed my arms. “Are you about to admit you were wrong?”
He sighed. “The frittata you made was incredible, and the tomatoes that were ripening on the window sill are ready now. Can you make that again?”
“Only if you admit I’m amazing and right all of the time.”
“You’re amazing and right most of the time.”
I glared. “Not what I asked for.”
“Maybe these will make up for it.” He pulled out a huge bouquet of flowers from the second bag.
My heart skipped a beat as it always did when he did something sweet like this.
“It kinda does. But you don’t have to get flowers for me all the time. You just did last week.”
“You’re my wife. I have to make you smile somehow. And I’m making up for your entire life.”
“You’re not responsible for that.”
“But I’ll do it anyway.”
Some days, I didn’t know how to bask in my new life. Levi was attentive—more so than anyone I knew. The only close second were Isra and Nancy, who I grew closer to by the day. When I accepted that I deserved love, it was more difficult than I expected to let them in, but I worked hard at it. Now, the three of us had a group chat where I would tell them about my day.
Levi put the flowers in a vase as I worked on food and sipped on coffee. We’d fallen into an easy step since fully leaning into the marriage. As time went on, I was taking on DIY projects on the house and making it more like a home. I was determined to keep the charm, but Gram would have wanted me to make it mine.
It even extended to Mr. Buford’s house. Levi had paid for a ramp since Mr. Buford was now in a wheelchair full-time. He’d fought the financial assistance, but both of us insisted, especially since he’d already been given the chair by a charity organization.
One that we’d started, of course.
But the changes also extended to the neighborhood.
The new family who lived in the old house across the street were in the midst of remodels too. They had two adorable kids who I often said hello to on my morning walks while they waited for their bus. Our little undisturbed corner of Nashville had stayed that way.
Calvin had to sell the house quickly to pay for court fees. After we’d pressed charges, he was removed as CEO, and his focus quickly moved to trying to fight going to jail for assault.
It didn’t work. There were too many people with video evidence and I had the scar on my chin to prove his troubled past. Mom and Dad vowed to never speak to me again if I went through with sending him to jail.
I didn’t care. I had no interest in talking to them.
They’d sold the family company too, and the new owners were not pursuing Levi’s business anymore.
From the little I’d heard, Calvin had spent a few months in prison. Mom and Dad had pleaded to get him out on bail before his sentence was up, and at first, I’d been worried he would come after me. I got one letter in the mail from him, which Levi sent to the cops and put him back into jail for a few weeks, and he finally got the message.
I wished he was spending more time behind bars, a sentiment Levi shared, but him losing the company and a lot of his money was almost enough for me to be satisfied.
I was more focused on ensuring that my life was perfect.
I spent a lot of time with Lily, and Riley when I realized she was more than serious about befriending me. Lily and I had gone to trivia and karaoke nights at Riley’s shop, and recently, we started hanging out outside of her work. She was busy with her two kids and husband, but she tried to make time for us.
I couldn’t explain how happy I felt to have a group of people who liked me . Once my family could no longer ruin things, I was dedicated to working on my self-esteem and feeling like I was worth all of the greatness in the world. It took time, but I was finally coming around.
“Are you still meeting Lily for coffee?” Levi asked as we ate.
“She’s showing me her newest book,” I said with a smile. “I’m so pumped.”
“Fantasy or romance?” he asked. “I love that your best friend is a writer, but she’s brutal when she writes fantasy.”
“Romance this time, which is why I’m extra excited. She’s been working her ass off for the last year, and it’s finally time for me to see the fruits of her labor.”
After a few months of marriage, I’d asked Lily if she was willing to let Levi know about her life as a writer. She told me she was surprised I hadn’t already told him.
His expression was priceless when he found out the author of the dark fantasy that still gave him nightmares was my best friend. I’d laughed until I nearly passed out, and he told me I wasn’t allowed to keep secrets anymore until I reminded him that this one wasn’t my secret to tell.
Once I showed him her new romance collection, it was far easier for him to see the genius that was my best friend.
“When is this one coming out? Maybe we can add it to the book club.”
“Sooner than later,” I replied. “I’d love to have her secretly there or something.”
As time went on and I worried less about my family and more about living my life, I needed a book club of some sort to go to every week.
I’d told Levi, and while he and I often read the same books, I wanted to expand. I asked Riley if there was one that met at the coffee shop, and she told me I could start one. I wanted to, but I was still nervous about the breakthrough migraines I could get even when on my medicine. That was when Levi reminded me that we were a team now, and he could cover when I couldn’t.
And I finally felt like I could run one again.
Sally and Maisie were our first members. Riley joined when she could, and Lily did when she had time. I’d even made new friends through our current members, and our number slowly grew.
“Have fun,” he said. “And see if she’ll give me a copy.”
“I will,” I replied. “But for now, this first copy is mine .”
“I can’t believe she gave you and Riley a copy, but not me.”
“She’s been oddly secretive about this one. She won’t even tell me what it’s about, and usually, she at least lets me beta read. Maybe this one has a cool twist.”
He laughed and then got up to get ready, giving me one last lingering kiss as he left. I went to the coffee shop right after. Lily was waiting with a book in her hands.
“And here you go,” she said with a smile.
“Do you have one for me too?” Riley asked, nearly running to the table.
“Duh.”
“I won’t be able to keep up with Amy here,” Riley said, shaking her head. “But in a month, I’ll have something for you.”
“You have kids, so I understand.” Lily put a hand on her stomach. It wasn’t rounded yet, but I knew the truth.
“That’ll be you soon,” I replied.
“And I’m planning the shower.” Riley rubbed her hands together. “Finally, I can plan something that isn’t a kid’s birthday party.”
I laughed. “And I’ll decorate.”
Lily turned red, but I knew she and Sebastian were excited about the baby. It had taken them a while to get pregnant after agreeing to have kids, but now that it was happening, they were over the moon. I didn’t know if kids were in my future, but Levi was happy to be with me either way.
After taking a long drink of coffee, I got to work reading. The book was incredible, but after a few chapters, I began to see a pattern.
“Hang on,” I said as I put down the book. “A woman who lives in the shadow of a sibling? Is this based on me?”
She smiled. “Surprise.”
“Are you serious? Is this why you wouldn’t tell me anything about it?”
“She kept me in the dark too,” Riley said. “Mostly. I figured it out after a while.”
“What? I knew I wanted to see the look on your face when you found out. It’s hilarious.”
“It really is,” Riley added.
“She’s inspiring, isn’t she?” Lily asked.
“A whole romance heroine based off of me. Are you trying to get this to be Levi’s favorite book?”
“Absolutely,” she said. “I even brought an extra copy for him too, so if you argue that you’re not good enough, he has evidence on his shelf.”
“First off, we share shelves, and second, I’ve been working on myself. I definitely deserve this. I’m the light of all of your fucking lives.”
“She’s got a whole book and self-esteem?” Riley said with a laugh. “She’s unstoppable now.”
“I always was. It took me getting you guys and Levi in my life to finally make me see it,” I said, and it was true.
I once thought I was made to blend into the background. Now, I knew I was the main character of my own life, and I was more than happy to make sure it stayed that way.