Epilogue 1 #2
She rolled her shoulders back. “Okay. Yeah. No tears.”
“Good. Now eyes straight ahead.” I put my hands on her hips, guiding her toward the chair.
As we walked across the grass, Ford, perched on a stool off to the right, began to strum.
My nerves ticked up with every chord, wondering if Christy, or worse, her parents, would be able to tell he was smashed. But we made it without him messing up.
I peeked over my shoulder to make sure everyone was in place. Ashton must’ve drilled them well. Because they’d tiptoed up so slowly, I hadn’t even heard them.
I helped Christy to the chair and turned her toward me. As she sat, her eyes lifted. The look on her face was going to be one of my favorite memories from today. I already knew it. It was full of joy and surprise. Then she started blinking.
“No crying,” I reminded her.
She beamed and blushed at everyone. “Hey, Mom. Hi, Dad.” She gave them a little wave.
They waved back. “Hey, sugar,” her dad said.
It looked like maybe her mom had been crying too.
She wasn’t thrilled at the idea of Christy living out here.
But we’d talked about moving to Laramie.
I’d miss Seddledowne, my family, and the ranch, but I just wanted to be wherever she was.
She’d shot it down immediately. Seddledowne, and on my family’s ranch, is right where she wanted to be.
It’s where our jobs were, sure. But this was her home now.
I’d spent a week with the Thornburys at Christmas.
Her sisters had backed way off since I’d entered the picture.
Rowan was downright terrified of me. He’d learned real quick never to call Christy Tink.
I’d overheard Ari telling her husband I was a textbook Alpha-hole.
Fine by me. I’d keep the fangs out as long as necessary to protect Christy.
Her dad was nice enough. But her mom might take some time to get used to.
Even now, as her oldest daughter was being proposed to, she was wiping tears for herself.
I’d spent the last six months needling it into Christy in every way possible that she deserved all the good things in life.
That she deserved my love. And it was okay to put herself first. She’d done the same for me. We planned to keep doing just that.
Everyone important was there. Mom and Dad.
Silas, Lemon, and her watermelon-sized belly that looked like it was going to pop any second.
Anna and Blue. Ashton, Ford, and Bimbo—who was now snuggling up to Ashton since Ford was off to the side, serenading us all.
Yep, against my wishes, he’d added lyrics.
It was all going well. Until it wasn’t.
Ashton shook Bimbo off and held his fingers out in a cross. “Stay back. Seriously. Get.”
Christy’s cute “psycho-cackle” as she called it threatened to burst out of her adorable nose and she slapped a hand over it.
I gave everyone a silencing glare. And then I dropped to one knee.
“Awww,” Lemon whispered.
“Christy,” I began. “You unexpectedly came into my life—”
Anna burst into a wailing sob.
“Oh my gosh,” I said with a groan. “I barely even started.”
“It’s not you,” Blue said as a dark blue car with fully tinted windows rolled to a stop fifty yards back. “I’m sorry y’all, I have to go.”
“Seriously?” Silas grumbled. “I thought you told him to come at five.”
“I did.” Blue’s gaze volleyed between the car and Anna. He was moving. To California. Right now apparently. His dad wanted him to go to a school with a stronger football program. He was determined for Blue to go pro. And Seddledowne wasn’t cutting it.
“Blue!” A dark-haired man yelled out of a half-opened window. “We’re leaving! Now!”
Anna threw herself into Blue’s arms, weeping into his chest. He stood there, biceps locked around her, looking sick. He’d thrown his hands up at Fate and she’d laughed in his face. Poor kid. I wished I could take it for him.
After the man I was assuming was his dad yelled again, Blue tried to step away from Anna, but she yelled, “No! I don’t want you to go!” And then sobbed even louder than before.
And I was trying to compete with that?
“Oh my gosh,” I said, my heart breaking for my niece but also wanting to get this dang ring on Christy’s left hand.
Lemon held up a finger, pleading in her expression.
“Go on. We’ll wait,” I told them. Then I shifted. My knees were starting to ache.
“I got it, babe,” Silas said to Lemon, but she waved him off.
Blue headed for the car. But in an unprecedented turn of events, Silas stepped in front of him, pulled him into a tight hug and squeezed.
Blue pounded him on the back. “See ya, Mr. D,” he said as he stepped away.
Silas nodded and it looked like he was blinking back tears.
Anna was right back in Blue’s arms, sobbing. Lemon took Anna from Blue and the three of them walked—actually Lemon waddled—toward the car.
“Bye, Blue!” Christy yelled. Everyone followed suit.
Ford strummed a dramatic chord to get our attention. “While we waaiiit.” Spit shot out on the T. “I’ll suuurunade y’aaall,” Ford slurred. Another loud strum, “Beeaauuuuuutiful guuuurrrllll,” he bellowed.
Anna’s Bassett hound, Huckleberry, who I hadn’t even realized was there until this moment, took that as an invitation to join in. “Aaaarooooooooooo,” he howled.
“Fo-shiz, get your woman off me!” Ash bellowed, running circles around Mom and Dad to get away from Bimbo.
I glanced back at Christy about to apologize but she was doubled over, arms around her middle, laughing so hard tears were rolling down her beautiful cheeks.
Her gaze flitted to her parents and she laughed even harder.
They looked utterly mortified. Christy was going to dump me.
She might be laughing now, but as soon as they got her alone, they were going to make her see sense.
“Oh my gosh, I can’t breathe.” She exhaled. “I love you people so much. I can’t wait to be a Dupree.”
“Thank goodness for that,” I muttered with a chuckle.
Blue hung out of the window, waving goodbye.
Anna grabbed his hand, trying to keep the entire car from leaving with that one grasp.
Of course, it didn’t work. Blue’s jerkwad dad took off so fast the tires spit gravel and Fate ripped their hands apart.
Once they disappeared, Anna hiccuped her way back to us, Lemon’s arm around her.
Mom’s hands were to her heart. Lemon, Silas, Mom, and Dad surrounded Anna, petting her like a dog about to be put to sleep.
Even Christy looked like she was fighting the urge to run over and pull poor Anna into her arms. Now I felt like a jerk.
Like somehow I should’ve planned this on a day when Anna’s heart wasn’t cracking open. Like I could’ve known.
But here we were, everyone watching expectantly.
“Are we ready?” I asked.
“Oh my word, yes. Please hurry,” Ashton said, slapping Bimbo’s hands away.
I didn’t know if she was high. I hadn’t thought so before, but she clearly thought he was throwing down a challenge.
The more he fought her off, the more aggressive she got.
Just then she grabbed Ash’s head, stuck her tongue out, and licked him from chin to forehead.
“Gah!” he yelled. “Mom, help!” He shoved her face away, palming it like a basketball.
“Hey!” Ford thundered, tripped over his guitar, righted himself, and then took off for them. “Get yer haaaands off her!” He full-body tackled Ashton to the ground.
Christy slapped her thigh, the laughs coming so hard she couldn’t even make a noise.
“Get off me, you freaking nutter!” Ashton yelled at Ford.
“You have got to be kidding me,” I said.
Silas was already on it.
But before he could get there, Mom stepped over, grabbed Ford by the ear, and twisted it until he was her paralyzed puppet. “What is wrong with both of you?” she exploded. “Holden is trying to propose and you two are rolling around like you were raised in a barn!”
“Mom!” Ford yelled. “My ear!” His words were suddenly clear as day. Then he let out the loudest belch I’d ever heard—didn’t even know a noise like that could come out of a human being—and puked all over the ground.
Lemon covered her nose with a gasp.
Ford heaved again, and it spattered on Silas’s shoes. Silas swore, which made Christy’s mom let out an appalled squeal.
All this time, Mom had never let go of Ford’s ear.
Pretty sure from her fury that she took vomiting as a personal affront.
She twisted harder, forcing Ford to a bent-over stand.
“You take this…” She glowered at Bimbo. “Person, back to the house. And drink at least three cups of coffee. You better be in your right mind by the time I get back, do you understand me, Ford Sutton Dupree?”
“But Holden wanted me here,” Ford whined. The puking seemed to have sobered him up. Or maybe it was the ear twisting.
Mom looked at me, eyes blazing as if to say, do you still want him here?
I shook my head. “Just go, Ford. You’re not going to remember it anyway.”
Anna’s continual background sobs gutted me. This whole thing was a disaster.
I looked back at Christy. My beautiful Christy. She deserved so much better than this. “Maybe we should do this another day.”
She leaned down and booped me on the nose. “No way. Don’t even think about it. This is amazing. We’re going to have the best story to tell our kids.” I smiled at her, so stupid in love. Because that right there was precisely why she was going to be the mother of my children.
Ford stomped over to his guitar, swiped it off the ground, and stormed back to Bimbo. Grabbed her by the hand and yanked her toward the side-by-side.
“And don’t you go anywhere near the bedrooms!” Mom yelled just before they rode away.
Anna hiccuped another sob.
Ashton was finally on his feet, smoothing out his shirt, looking disgusted. He caught my eye and mouthed, sorry, dude.
I wasn’t even going to ask everyone if they were ready again. The universe was obviously taking it as a dare.
“Christy.” I exhaled. “Last summer you came into my life unexpectedly.” I paused making sure Fate was truly done having her laugh. No one so much as twitched. Deep breath. “I had no idea making out with my brother’s ex would be so rewarding.”
Her mom squealed again. But Christy snorted. I’d added that line just for that snort right there. Success! At least one thing had gone right.
I took another deep breath and plowed on. “But now—”
“Uh, hold up, Holden,” Silas bellowed, his voice verging on hysterical. We looked over to see Lemon, knock-kneed, trying—and failing—to stop what looked to be a gallon of liquid from exiting between her legs. “I think we’re having a baby today!” Silas hooted.
We lost our entire audience at that. Even Christy’s parents swarmed Lemon who was laughing giddily as she gasped out short breaths. At least Anna’s sobs were sidetracked. A grin split her face.
“Hey.”
I turned back around to see Christy, elbows on her knees, chin on her fists, beaming at me. “Looks like this was meant to be a you and me moment. So have at it, big guy.”
I looked back at the group and then back at her. It was an easy choice.
“Yeah, okay.” Enough with the monologue. I didn’t want to tempt Fate again. I slipped my hand into my pocket and fished out the ring box. Then I popped it open for her to see.
Big, bright swoony eyes, her mouth went into a stunned O. It was exactly what I’d hoped for. “Christianna Juliet Thornbury, you are the love of my life. Will you marry me?” I chuckled. “Even if I do have the most ridiculous family on earth?”
She nodded, eyes sparkling. “Yes. Absolutely. I cannot wait. One hundred percent. Let’s do it.”
I blew out my breath as I slid the round diamond, surrounded by a rim of sapphires, over her petite finger. A perfect fit. “The blue stones are for—”
“Stallions blue. So we never forget coaching volleyball together, the shirtless kiss, the car accident in the parking lot? All of it?”
I grinned. “Yeah. I hope that’s okay. ’Cause if you hate it, we can take it back.” Total lie. I’d had it custom-made. But I wouldn’t tell her that. She could have any ring she wanted so long as she was mine.
She cupped my face in her hands, pulling me into a full kneel.
And then, the ring finally on her finger, she kissed me.
“I love it. I love you. It’s absolutely perfect.
” She waved her hands at the decorations and the crazy group of people we called family.
Her eyes teared up then. “If I had to do it all again, date all the jerks, cry all the tears, knowing you were my prize at the end, I would.” She pressed another kiss to my mouth.
“Because you were so worth waiting for, Holden.”
There I was, on my knees, in front of this stunner of a woman who made me laugh, cry, and feel things I never thought I’d feel again. I didn’t know what I’d done to deserve her. But I wasn’t going to spend a single second questioning it. I was hers. She was mine.
That was all that mattered.
“Clark,” she whispered as she checked out the ring. “Remember that time you told me we weren’t a thing and we never would be?”
I groaned. “Really? We’re doing this now?” She liked to throw those words back in my face every few weeks, always with a delighted laugh. Like she’d slayed the town’s monster, slung it over her shoulder, and brought it home for everyone to celebrate.
“Mhmm. Right now.” She giggled. “And remember when I told you I would always win?” She put her ring right in my face. “Looks like somebody is eating a big fat slice of humble pie right about now.”
My jaw jutted. “Just wow.”
She beamed. “Say it.”
I glared and bit back a grin. “No. And you can’t make me.”
“Do it, Epstein.” She cocked her head to one side. “Tell me what I want to hear.”
“Never.”
She raised a brow. “Is that right?”
It was basically a memorized script at this point. The exact same words every time, followed by her doing something to make me yield. A steamy kiss, a tickle across the abs. The woman always found the chink in my armor. But not today. Today I was in charge.
I crossed my arms. “That’s right. I know all your tricks now.” Her brows puckered, not the least bit intimidated. “Well, that’s a shame.” She slipped the ring off and held it out for me. “It really is a pretty—“
“No!” I yelped, jamming it back on. “Fine. We are totally a thing.”
She laughed and rewarded me with a quick kiss. “Yeah, we are.” But then she wrapped her arms around my shoulders and looked deep into my eyes. All the teasing was gone, replaced by an intense, burning gaze. “Holden and Christy are one hundred percent a thing,” she murmured. “And?”
My hands slipped down around her waist, pulling her closer. “And we will be. Forever and ever.”
She pressed one last kiss to my lips. “Without end.”