Epilogue
WADE
Six months later…
The truck rattles as I turn off the highway onto the long drive leading to the house. The old gate has a new wood and metal sign arching overhead with the words, Piercing Hearts Ranch.
When Bree proposed the name, I think I fell for her all over again. How she managed to keep our family name, yet make it sound like a mission statement for what this new venue is all about, completely blew me away.
And reaffirmed once again how right she was about all of it.
We coordinated the renovations and launch for the beginning of summer, so that I can be a part of it now that hockey season has ended.
Opening is a week away, which gives me time to acclimate and, more importantly, a chance to spend some alone time with Bree before this place starts humming with visitors.
Bree already has a family reunion booked in two weeks and a large wedding three weeks after that.
Her big surprise is already proving to be the best thing for us.
Nana and Clint returned from a month-long European tour—their second one since Christmas—and are now on a river cruise down the Rhine.
Piper’s hockey career is taking off, and Ellie is coming home to help over the summer before she starts her sophomore year of college.
Everyone is doing what he or she loves.
But what Bree doesn’t know is that I have a big surprise planned for her this time. A couple of them, actually. That’s part of what has me on edge. I’d like to think I know how she’ll react, that she’ll be as excited about this as I am. But I may have to convince her it’s what I want.
The tires make a dragging sound on the gravel as I come to a stop.
When I step out of the truck, I’m hit with the familiar scents of earth, hay, and horses.
The barn, freshly painted and renovated, spans to my left near a new, smaller corral that’s for pony rides and a weekend animal farm that will be held once a month.
Bree set up partnerships with other ranches in the area to “borrow” animals for those events.
Despite the changes, this place still feels like home. My home.
The sound of the porch door opening spins me around toward the house in time to see Bree launch herself down the steps, blonde hair flying behind her. She races toward me and jumps into my arms, wrapping herself around me like she did when she arrived so unexpectedly at the arena.
I wrap my arms around her, holding her close, eyes shut as I breathe in her familiar scent. Her warmth settles all the points of concern that cropped up during the drive.
“Bree-bear, I missed you.” Between my amped-up schedule through the playoffs and finals and Bree finishing the renovations and scheduling the venue’s first events, we haven’t seen each other in almost two months.
She nuzzles her face into the crook of my neck. “I missed you, too.”
When she lifts her head, I do what I’ve been itching to do since I left Sarabella—I kiss her like a man starved of water.
I spin her around, pinning her against the truck door so I can hold her head and take this kiss to a whole new level. She lets out a soft moan that ignites the longing I’ve held in check for weeks.
“In case you forgot, this is a family-friendly place.” A woman’s voice I don’t recognize brings me back to awareness.
Bree smiles against my lips. “That would be Georgia.”
“The Georgia?” I let go of my hold on Bree so she can slide down.
She grins up at me. “The one and only.”
Known locally for her bees and honey, Georgia Manning used to work for a PR company in New York before she retired early and landed in Creeks Bend.
But bees didn’t keep her busy enough, so when Bree reached out, wanting to work with Georgia and her honey, Georgia proposed a different kind of partnership.
Now she’s Bree’s partner, which couldn’t have worked out better than any of us envisioned. Where Bree is the one who brings new and original ideas to the table, Georgia has the experience and skills to bring them to life.
Bree holds her hand out. “Georgia, this is Wade.”
Dressed in boots, jeans, and a T-shirt, the middle-aged woman looks right at home here. Never would have imagined she spent most of her life in Manhattan.
“Pleased to finally meet you, Wade.” She shakes my hand, smiling. Her keen observation glides over both of us. “I have some paperwork to handle. I’m sure Bree can give you the tour and show you what we’ve done so far.”
My gaze automatically drifts to Bree, catching her blush as she tugs that freckled part of her lip between her teeth.
“I love that idea.” I study her, waiting to see if she catches what I’m really implying, that I love her, everything about her, and especially being part of this next chapter of our lives. Together. But more importantly, I’ve missed her beyond belief and want to show her.
Her eyes glitter in the sun, telling me she did and more.
“Okay, I’m going inside before you two completely lose it for each other.” Georgia’s throaty laugh drifts back as she scales the steps, and the soft bang of the screen door tells us we’re alone again.
I twine my fingers into Bree’s. “You heard the woman. Give me a tour.”
First, Bree drags me into the barn, dragging me up the stairs to the second level that used to be a wide open space for hay and storage. Now, a cozy sitting area fills the middle, flanked on three sides by doors leading to guest suites, each one sporting a sign on the door with a specific name.
Bree opens the door labeled ‘Heart-Strings.’ Bright light floods through the windows on either side of a four-poster bed covered by a fluffy beige comforter with a stripe of black musical notes dancing from one corner to the other.
Music-themed pictures decorate the walls, and so many throw pillows.
I still don’t get the point of those things, but Bree reassures me they’re an important part of the ambiance.
“There’s a basic bathroom in this one. Some of the other suites have soaking tubs in addition to a walk-in shower.”
“Wow, sounds luxurious.” I should take in the details of the room, but she’s what I’m most interested to drink in.
Bree laughs. “Did you think we’d use hay bales for the beds and leave a bucket in the corner?”
I roll my eyes at her. “No, just didn’t expect this level of comfort.”
“We want people to come back. Amenities make all the difference.”
She shuts the door and leads me to another suite on the back side of the barn with ‘The Forever Suite’ brandished across this door in a flourishing script.
I point to the sign. “Nice name.”
Bree grins. “We wanted something better than just the honeymoon suite, which makes it more versatile, too.”
She swings the door open to a lush room in soft rose and rich greens. A king-size bed sits on one side with a cozy sitting area in front of the fireplace.
“The fireplace is electric, but still generates heat. We didn’t want to deal with adding a chimney to the barn or using gas.”
The picture on the mantel draws me closer. I remember the picture from our family albums, the one of my parents on their wedding day. But this isn’t a tiny aging photo in a scrapbook. It’s a beautiful painting that sets the tone for the room.
I work to swallow down the lump in my throat. “Bree.”
Her hand slips into mine as she comes alongside me, warm and comforting. “I wanted something about your family to define this room, so I commissioned an artist to paint the photo. I know your mom…left. But they seemed so happy on their wedding day. I hope you like it.”
I study the brushstrokes capturing my parents’ youthful faces, filled with the joy of the day as they stare into each other’s eyes.
The painting moves me in a deep and unexpected way as I imagine newlyweds celebrating the start of their marriage in this space.
Granted, my parents’ marriage didn’t last, but I have to believe what they shared in the beginning was real.
Surprisingly, it’s almost symbolic of the years I’ve spent loving Bree, hoping for a future, a lifetime with her. I want that with her, more now than ever. “I love it.”
She presses her face against my chest, head tilted up to look at me as she clings to my arm. The love I see in her eyes steals all the air from my lungs, leaving me in this euphoric place of wonder and disbelief that this is real between us. Finally.
I didn’t plan to do this now, but I couldn’t have picked a more perfect moment. Time for surprise number one.
“Bree, I want to start building our life together. Now.”
She moves to stand in front of me, her back to the painting. “We are. That’s what this is all about.”
“I know, but I’d like to make some aspects more official.”
“Like what?” Her expression shifts to something hopeful. Does she suspect?
Might as well get the hard part out of the way so we can move on. “I made a decision.”
“Wade…” Her beautiful face contorts with concern.
“I’m not renewing my contract with the Sun Kings.” I thought the decision to leave hockey would be more difficult. In reality, leaving the daily camaraderie with the fellas is what I’ll miss most, but now I have a new future ahead of me with the promise of a relationship of a lifetime.
“But you love hockey. You can’t do that. The whole point of my doing all this was so you didn’t have to.” She starts pacing back and forth.
I tug her to me. “And I’m grateful for that. You gave me time to finish this chapter in my life.”
“With a Kelly Cup. The Sun Kings are becoming a force to be reckoned with. Are you sure you want to walk away from that now?”
“More sure than I’ve ever been about anything.” I tilt my head from side to side. “Well, maybe there’s one other thing I’m more sure of.”
Her eyes widen as I reach into my pocket. I’ve carried the small velvet bag with the ring I picked out for weeks as a way to keep going until I saw her again.
As I slip the ring out, I go down on one knee.
Tears fill her beautiful blue eyes that match the wide-open skies above us, full of promise and things to come. And more—her love for me.
“Bree-bear, you’re my best friend and the love of my life. Even when you didn’t know it, I have loved you with every fiber of my being. If you’ll have me, I promise I’ll make sure you know every day just how precious you are to me. Will you marry me?”
Hand covering her mouth, she nods vigorously, lowering herself to her knees in front of me. “Yes, of course I will.”
She lets out a watery laugh as I slip the faceted blue diamond, nearly the same shade as her eyes, onto her ring finger. Then she throws herself into my arms, knocking us both to the floor, her on top of me.
Her laughter fills me with the confirmation that this is all as it should be—every part. Even leaving hockey. I think the fellas had a harder time with it than I did, but seeing Mason rise to the challenge will make the transition easier.
I hold her face and kiss her deeply, communicating as best as I can how much I love this woman. She’s everything to me, which made my decision easy. Almost too easy when I think about it.
She pulls away, lifting her head, her eyes searching my face. Her hair falls around her face and mine, creating our own private little world. She brings her fingers to my temple, touching the moisture there. “What’s wrong?”
I didn’t even feel the tear slip from my eye, but I know it’s from me. “I’ve imagined this for so long.”
She makes an aching noise. “I hope it was worth the wait.”
I brush her hair back, cupping the face that has the power to make or destroy me. “Worth every year, every month, every week, every hour, every minute, every second—”
She stops me with a kiss. “I think you ran out of time increments.”
I shake my head, knowing that the best kind of time spans in front of us. “Not possible. Because now we have a lifetime.”
Thank You for Reading!