Epilogue
Three months later
Fisher
I’ve had a charmed life, but I’ve never felt so lucky as I do now. I get to spend my life with the woman I love and the girl who becomes more and more like my own daughter the longer I spend time with her. They are my family. They are my world. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for either of them.
I also got to choose the movie this afternoon, so I’d say I was on a winning streak.
“I have something to show you,” I blurt out, as the credits start to roll and before we can start debating who enjoyed the movie. “And I don’t want you to freak out.” I’ve been keeping this secret for a while now. And I’m not sure how it will land.
“What?” Juniper asks, sitting up a little straighter across from me. Riley is in between us.
“Well, I was thinking that I’d like to move some more of my things in here.”
Juniper’s eyes widen. I know it’s not because she’s afraid of me moving in. More that this place is so small, there’s not a lot more that would fit.
“Yes!” Riley says. “Then you can stay for longer instead of flying back to New York so much.”
We’ve agreed that while we’re based in Star Falls, I’ll spend four days in New York every other week.
It’s not ideal, but it’s better than not being with my family at all.
From September, the three of us will spend more time in New York during school vacations.
But during this summer, Juniper needs to paint.
There’s no point wasting time trying to find studio space in New York and then her having to settle in.
There will be time for that when she’s built up some pieces for her show.
“What’s your plan?” Juniper asks.
I stand and head out to the porch, where I’ve stashed the plans that I’ve had drawn up. Juniper and I have talked about getting a place together in Star Falls, but houses don’t come on the market that much.
“Come see these drawings.”
Juniper’s eyes go wide in that oh-no-you-didn’t way she has.
I shrug. “See what you think,” I say. “I haven’t committed us to anything.”
Riley opens the tube, and I help her take out the papers and spread them on the dining table.
“So what’s this?” Juniper asks, as she approaches the dining table.
“It’s a house we could build,” I reply.
“In Star Falls?”
“Yeah. And I thought we could all live together in it. The builder that’s doing Rosey and Byron’s could do it.”
“Between the two of you, you’ve got to be keeping the Colorado construction industry afloat.” She trails her fingers down my back in that absentminded way that sends me absolutely wild.
I don’t know why either of us thought what we had couldn’t work out. Everything’s felt so easy since the night of Vivian’s concert at Radio City. Everything’s slotted into place. In a way, I have Vivian to thank for all of this. Maybe she’ll play at our wedding.
“This place is huge,” she says, as she takes in the plans. “And do we really need two kitchens?”
“And a pool, Mommy, look!”
She shoots me a look that says, Stop spoiling her.
“What?” I say. “I want a pool in our house.”
“But we don’t need all these guest rooms,” she says. “Your friends will stay at the Club when they come to visit, won’t they?”
“Yeah, but I thought…” I don’t say exactly what I’m thinking. We’ve talked about having children together. Eventually. Obviously, we haven’t said anything to Riley yet.
“But what about for my brothers and sisters?” Riley says.
Juniper and I burst into laughter.
“And I thought a guesthouse would be nice. Maybe for when your parents get older. And of course a studio so you don’t have to leave home to paint.”
She tilts her head and gives me the look that says she wants to jump my bones.
My eyes widen. “Thoughts of your parents make you think like that?” I ask.
“No.” She shakes her head. “You being thoughtful and generous and an all-round perfect human makes me think like that.”
“Well, save that thought,” I say.
“Four bedrooms is plenty,” she says. “Where were you thinking you were going to build this house, anyway? I don’t even know how you’d get all the permissions for a new place—”
“Here, Mommy,” Riley says, taking the words out of my mouth. “In Star Falls.”
“I’ll figure it out. We have what we need. The house is just frosting.” I’ve already visited a couple of plots that already have some permissions already. It’s not going to be as hard as she thinks it is.
She glances around at the tiny house “Riley and I have lived here since she was a baby. It’s served us well. You took your first steps in this house,” she says to Riley. “Said your first words.”
“Right. And I’m growing up and we’ll make new memories in the new house,” she says. “On top of the old ones. They’ll be the foundations to grow up on.”
I smile. This kid is wiser than her years.
She looks at me. “Life is moving on.”
I nod at her and slide my arm around her waist. “Life is getting better.”
“Is Uncle Jack coming today?” Riley asks, at the same time there’s a knock on the door.
“That must be him,” I say. Before I can get to the door, he lets himself in.
“Hi, everyone,” he says. He offers me his hand to shake, just like he always does, and I ignore it and give him a hug. Riley grabs on to his waist. His poor upper-class nervous system can barely take all the physical affection.
“Okay, okay. Enough of all that. Here, I brought Riley a present.”
“What is it?” Riley asks.
He presents her with a Tiffany-blue box, and Riley squeals. I’m pretty sure she’s never even heard of Tiffany.
She opens it, and she’s completely delighted by the pretty bracelet inside and gives Jack another big hug.
“You really don’t need to buy her gifts,” Juniper tells him.
“I know, I want to. She’s a cool kid. And I like being an uncle. Especially to Riley. Felicity is a different story. She’s a walking sass machine.”
The door rattles, and in comes Juniper’s mom. She’s sitting Riley tonight while the three of us go to Grizzly’s. Life’s very different to New York. I’m not out at a new bar every night. Movies and Grizzly’s wings are where it’s at.
“We’ve just been looking at some plans for a new house,” I say.
“In Star Falls?” Jack asks. I nod and he sighs. “You’re all moving out of the city. Who am I going to play with when you’re all gone?”
“I’m going to NYU to college,” Riley says. “Only ten years to wait.”
“It’s good to have a plan,” Jack replies.
“And we’ll be in New York plenty,” I reassure him. “This is for when we’re in Star Falls.”
“Anyway, I’m going to find you a nice small-town girl, Jack, and then you’ll be building a place right next door.”
Jack laughs. “Wouldn’t that freak Joan out,” he says, referring to his mother. “Finding my bride and the mother of the future Alden generation in Star Falls, Colorado, rather than on Fifth Avenue.”
“You can’t rule anything out,” I say. “There’s magic here in the air in Star Falls.”
Jack chuckles. “Maybe. But I’m confident when I say, I’m not moving to Star Falls because I fall in love with a small-town girl.”
Juniper shrugs as if to say, it could happen.
Even I don’t think Star Falls’ magic is that powerful.
At least I don’t think it is.
A month later
Juniper
As I hang up the phone, I’m pretty sure I’m about to explode. I pull up in front of the house Riley and I have lived her entire life and Fisher comes out onto the deck to meet me. My stomach still lifts every time I see him for the first time. I wonder how long that will last? A lifetime maybe.
He grins as I get out of my car. A car Fisher has tried to convince me to replace at least three times in the last week.
As I keep telling him, there’s nothing wrong with the car so long as it keeps going.
He says he wants to ensure Riley and I are safe.
I’ve never felt safer than with Fisher in my life.
“Hey,” I call out as I get out of the car.
He jogs down the stairs to meet me. He’s watching Riley as I wanted to have a long day in the studio.
“I have news,” I say, beaming at him.
He cups my face and presses his lips to mine with a sigh, like all’s well in Fisher’s world now that I’m back home. I know that feeling. It’s exactly the one I feel when he kisses me.
“That’s a coincidence,” he says. “Because I have news too. You go first.”
Fisher’s news is always more exciting than mine.
He managed to secure a plot of land just on the outskirts of town to build our new home.
He’s already secured some of the permissions I never thought he would.
Plus his news from New York usually involves someone I’ve seen on page six.
My news is big to me, but will be small fry compared to whatever Fisher’s going to tell me.
I shake my head. “You first.”
He pulls in a breath. “I spoke to Gerry today. Turns out he’s now a fully paid-up member of the Colorado Club.”
My eyes go wide. “He is?” I don’t want to pry, but I can’t decide if that’s weird or not. Gerry’s been obsessed with Fisher over the years and now their relationship is in new territory. Does he think this is a good thing?
“Yeah. I just got an email from him. He said he thought it would be good to spend some time together when he’s here next—which is the week after next.”
“Wow,” I say. “How do you feel about that?”
We wander back to the porch. “I feel good. I think. I know it’s just biology, but we’re half brothers. I think he wants that to mean something.”
I don’t say anything, but I’m still salty about the way Gerry’s handled himself.
Fisher didn’t deserve any of the things Gerry’s done to him over the years.
Fisher’s got broad shoulders, but I don’t know how you can move forward with someone who’s acted the way he has.
I take a seat so we can have this conversation in private.
“And also, he told me that Re Records hasn’t signed The Homecoming Kings.”
“Oh,” I say, taking in his expression. “Did you know that?”
“I’d heard that negotiations had been tricky.”