Epilogue
COLE
ONE YEAR LATER
“Chloe, leave the fish in the water!”
She whips her head to the side, her eyes wide as she realizes she's been caught.
A slow smile lifts the corners of her lips and she pushes away from the small pond, straightening her body as she wipes her wet hands on her pants.
“Sorry,” she says sweetly with her little smile that always gets her her way. “I just wanted to see if it was heavy.”
I stare at the little girl for a moment, attempting to make sense of the logic behind her thinking it was a good idea to try to lift one of the koi from the small pond.
I mean, I can understand why she would want to see how much it weighs, considering the damn things are huge, but at the same time, what the hell? It's a fish... in a pond.
“Let's just not do that again,” I smile at her as I reach for her little hand. She slides her tiny palm against mine, her small fingers wrapping around the side of mine as she walks with me toward the building. “Your mom won't be very happy if I bring you in here soaked from the pond.”
“Or with a fish,” she adds with a giggle as she half hops.
A chuckle rumbles in my chest and I glance down at the little girl. “Yeah, I don't think she would love that.”
As we walk up to the museum, I pause for a moment, staring up at the building.
This past year has been a whirlwind for Ella and I.
After her divorce was finalized, she came back to me and we've been inseparable since--not that we'll ever be separated.
I've practically moved into Ella's now. I'm not sure the last night I spent at the ranch alone and that's exactly how I want things to be.
I've been wanting to propose to her since she came back to me, but I don't want to scare her. I know she's not ready for anything like that and I don't need a piece of paper to tell me what I already know.
Ella and Chloe are mine.
My world. My girls.
Vera is a member of the board for an art museum in Cheyenne and they set up an exhibit to showcase local artists.
When she called and asked Ella if she wanted to be a part of it, my girl didn't hesitate to say yes.
I'm so proud of her for how far she's come.
Even within the past year, she's grown more and more each and every day.
She takes every new challenge head on, pushing her way through the uncertainty and discomfort.
“Let's go find momma,” I tell Chloe, smiling down at her as we step up to the front door.
The glass doors slide open as we reach them and Chloe skips beside me, her little legs keeping up the pace with my stride.
I shorten it to accommodate her, so she doesn't have to rush to keep up with me.
As we walk inside the museum there's a large banner in the center of the corridor with Ella's smiling face on it.
She's being featured with two other artists and their pictures are also there, along with the location of where their exhibit is in the museum.
We make our way up the stairs and reach the third floor.
Chloe's little head turns from side to side as we walk through two other exhibits before reaching the part of the building where Ella's is.
Today is the first day that they have it open at the museum, so they are having a small event for the artists.
They were invited to come hangout for a few hours for a cocktail hour with anyone who wanted to come check out their work.
I see Ella from across the space as we step into the room with her paintings.
She's standing off near the corner, sipping a flute of champagne as she listens to someone speak next to her.
The woman points at one of the pictures, her finger singling out one particular part and she smiles at Ella who nods eagerly.
I keep Chloe at bay, holding her close by my side as we wade through the group of people gathered around.
As Ella finishes speaking with the woman, she sees Chloe and I walking towards her.
Her dark red lips lift as her smile reaches toward her eyes.
Her dress, the same shade of red, shifts around her calves as she starts to walk.
Her strides are confident and elongated and her hair sways behind her back as she meets Chloe and I in the middle.
I reach down, lifting Chloe up as she smiles at her mother, but doesn't reach for her.
“Well, there are my two favorite people,” Ella beams, kissing Chloe's head before lifting to press her lips to mine. Her mouth lingers as if she's not ready to move away from me, but reluctantly, she does. “There are so many people here, it's crazy.”
“As they should be.” I smile back at the woman my heart belongs to. “I told you, your art belongs in a museum.”
Tears wash over her eyes, creating a glaze of moisture as she smiles back at me. “None of this could have ever happened without you. You're the one who pushed me to keep painting and to go to Vera's gallery. You're the one who has always believed in me, even when I didn't believe in myself.”
“That was all you, El,” I murmur, pulling her closer to me, wrapping my arm around the small of her back. “You've always had it in you, you just needed someone by your side cheering you on.”
A wistful look passes through her eyes. “It's always been you.”
“That will never change.”
She lifts up on her toes, her lips finding mine once more as she kisses me with a tenderness that has my soul melting. “Good,” she murmurs against my mouth as she pulls away. “Because I don't want to ever have to imagine what it would be like not having you by my side.”
“You never will.”
She stares at me, a smile finding its way to her lips again as she puts her hand over my heart. “Promise?”
“I promise.” My arm tightens around her and I pull her to Chloe and I.
“You're my heart and my soul, Ella Daniels.
You're the only person I want to do this crazy thing called life with. I love you past the ends of the earth, past the stars and the moon. In this life and the next–it will always be us.”
“I love you so much,” she breathes, wrapping her one arm around the back of my neck as her other circles around Chloe.
“I love you more.”
She lets out a soft laugh, her hand swatting at me. “Liar.”
“Want me to prove it?” I question her, raising an eyebrow as she pulls away from me.
She leans down, kissing Chloe's head again before she looks at me and winks. “You can prove it to me later.”
She blows a kiss at the two of us and I watch as she walks back to a group of women looking at one of her paintings. She's thriving instead of surviving and my god, she's glowing. Pride swells inside my chest as my heart thrums to the beat of her.
Always her.