Epilogue
Amariah
A year can change everything. Luke’s Hardware was proof of that.
What once had been a place surviving on life support had become a prosperous cornerstone of Skye Ridge again.
The shelves stayed stocked. The chime of the sliding doors rang constantly.
The contract with Ridgeland had been renewed.
The online store was thriving. Koby had fully stepped into his role as store manager, flourishing in ways that still made us proud of our decision to hire him permanently, and with the growth came additional hires.
The sporting goods and hunting section had become one of the store’s strongest performers, and Daddy’s legacy lived on not just in name, but in motion.
Progress. Stability. Purpose. All the things we once struggled with and prayed for.
Jacob moving to D.C. two months after last Christmas had been the easiest decision we’d ever made together.
There were no grand sacrifices, no dramatic upheaval, just a quiet assurance that wherever we were, we belonged together.
We fit right into each other’s lives. I’d moved into my promotion with ease under Scottie’s guidance, and D.C.
became the new hub for Jacob’s equipment safety business.
Everything felt natural and right. Our love wasn’t rushed; it only grew.
A steady, sure, and rooted love that felt like home, no matter the zip code.
Tonight, that home was my parents’ living room.
Christmas dinner had ended with full bellies and boastful laughter, and now, Mama had everyone migrating toward the living room for dessert.
Mrs. Gold settled into the old recliner as if she’d always belonged there, Jacob stretched out on the sofa beside me, and Mama disappeared briefly into the kitchen.
I pulled the blanket Daddy gifted me last year tighter around my shoulders.
I often wrapped myself in it, especially on days like this.
Even though no one could smell it, to me, it carried the faint scent of his aftershave, cloaking me in the comfort of his nearness.
Mama returned with a tray of mugs filled with Jacob’s famous spiked cocoa, steam curling upward, and cinnamon sticks perched inside each one. She passed them out slowly, I presumed, in an attempt not to burn anyone. She handed Mrs. Gold hers first, Jacob’s next, and then mine.
When Mama placed the mug in my hands, something caught the light.
I frowned, tilting the cup slightly. Hanging delicately from the cinnamon stick was a diamond ring.
I gasped, barely able to pull air into my lungs.
I looked up at my mother, confusion flooding my face.
Her lips trembled into a knowing smile, eyes glossy but warm.
“Turn around, baby,” she said to me.
Slowly, I did as she said.
Jacob was already on one knee.
A hush fell over the room, or perhaps everything and everyone else faded into background noise as I soaked in the sight of the love of my life down on bended knee, removing the stunning diamond from the cinnamon stick.
He removed the cup of cocoa from my trembling hands and placed it on the coffee table before capturing my hands into his.
Our eyes locked onto each other, in full certainty that every trial and triumph had led us right here to this moment.
“Amariah Luke,” he said softly, reverently, “this past year has been the best of my life, not because it was easy, but because it was ours. Loving you has been the greatest honor I’ve ever known.
Walking beside you, building with you, choosing you every single day is my God-ordained purpose.
I don’t want a life that doesn’t include that. ”
Tears slipped free before I could stop them.
“I want to keep choosing you,” he continued, “through every season, every Christmas, every ordinary Tuesday. And I hope that you will choose me. Will you marry me?”
The dam broke, and my heart cracked open. I couldn’t stop the flow of tears as they fell freely. “Yes,” I breathed, emotion shaking my voice. “Yes, I’ll marry you, Jacob Gold.”
He slipped the ring on my finger, and we leaned in for a soft and supple kiss.
When we stopped, I helped him stand, and he pulled me into a tight embrace.
It was only then that our mothers’ hoots and hollers reminded me that we weren’t alone.
As elated as I was about this moment and about sharing it with our mothers, a wave of sadness washed over me.
Jacob tilted my chin up with the crook of his forefinger. “What’s wrong, baby?”
I turned to face our mothers, feeling horrible for dampening the occasion. “I’m sorry. I’m happy, and I love sharing this with you all. I just…I only wish Daddy were here to see this.”
Understanding filled the air as Mama reached for my hand in comfort. “Baby girl,” she said quietly, “your daddy is part of this.”
I gulped at the sentiment. My mind drifted back to Christmas last year, to Daddy laughing and enjoying the day before settling into the reality that this Christmas he wasn’t here physically, but only in spirit.
Last year, Daddy passed away peacefully the day after Christmas with Mama and me both by his side.
There was no pain, no fear. Just rest. Grief had come in waves since then, but so had gratitude for timing, for closure, and for the way he’d held on just long enough.
Jacob eased in front of me and took my hands. “There’s something you need to know,” he said. “Before he passed, I made a promise that I would make you mine. Part of my final gesture was that I asked him for your hand in marriage.”
Shock filled my face, and so did questions.
“Before we left, I eased into his bedroom, and we had a conversation. He gave his permission,” Jacob continued.
“He told me he always knew I was the one. Said that was why he nudged us together and why he was grateful once he saw us find our way back. He no longer had to worry about his baby girl. Your acceptance of my proposal today is the final half of that promise fulfilled.”
Mama stepped forward then, taking my hand and pressing a folded letter into my palm. “Adam asked me to give you this when the time was right.”
My hands shook as I opened it.
Maribug,
If you’re reading this, then I was right, and you’re engaged to Jacob.
I always knew he was the one for you because he loved you the way I prayed someone would—a man whose love was steadfast and patient, and whose heart wholly belonged to you.
My soul is at peace knowing you have a man I trust to walk this life with you, to cover you, to cherish you, and to love you well.
I will always be with you. But now that I can’t be there physically, Jacob is there to ensure you don’t walk alone.
Love you forever,
Daddy
I pressed the letter to my chest, sobbing softly. But just as Daddy had said, the man who he and I entrusted with my heart didn’t allow me to wallow in the pain. Jacob pulled me into his arms, and I felt whole.
When my emotions settled, Mrs. Gold cleared her throat gently. “So,” she said, smiling through her own tears, “we have a wedding to plan!”
Mama giggled at her excitement. “Rachel, before we get ahead of ourselves, they have to set a date first.”
Jacob and I looked at each other, the answer already there.
“Christmas,” we said together.
A smile played at the corners of my lips as I tilted my head up at him. “They say wedding planning turns a blushing bride into a bridezilla. Are you still going to love me when next Christmas rolls around?”
He brushed his thumb across my cheek, eyes warm and unwavering.
“I’m going to love you down to Christmas,” he said, “and every day after that…for the rest of our lives.”
We wrapped each other in an eternal kiss that prepared us for a future steeped in legacy, anchored in faith, and surrounded by love.
THE END