EPILOGUE
ALIA
Five Months Later
“So?”
The flavor of peanut, chili, and cilantro threaded through the sago makes my mouth water even as I chew slowly.
“How?” I mumble, marveling at how delicious it is. “How did you make non-clumpy sabudana? This tastes nearly as good as my mother’s.”
Cal victoriously pumps his fist in the air. “I’m going to impress your folks with this. They’ll have no choice but to like me.”
Sitting in our bedroom which looks like a tornado has ripped through it, clothes strewn about haphazardly as I pack for my return to India, I find myself, not for the first time, thanking whatever stroke of luck led me to this man.
I moved into his house at his insistence soon after we told our families about us. Amma and Baba have taken the news in stride and are warming up to the idea of a new man in my life whom they’ve never seen. I’m happier; that alone seems to give them comfort.
Maeve and Cam, on the other hand, were ecstatic and have made plans for a trip out East already. The easy acceptance into their family has only reinforced this gut feeling that Cal and I are meant to be together.
Not a day has gone by in the last five months where Callum hasn’t found a way to show how much he loves me. Not for a minute since I agreed to a long-distance relationship have I felt like we won’t make it past the short separation ahead of us.
“Did you remember to pack the gifts we chose for your parents?” Cal asks, fiddling around in the top drawer of his dresser before rounding the bed to stand in front of me.
“Yes. I’m glad you’re coming with me.” I sigh happily.
Cal has a couple weeks off before he needs to return for training camp, and decided to fly with me to India to help get me settled.
We’ve already made plans to travel together during Christmas and find opportunities to visit each other throughout the year.
“There’s no way I was letting you go alone,” he scoffs, leaning down to kiss my cheek with a loud smooching sound. “Besides, I need to meet your parents.”
“You do?” I shove two more spoonfuls of the khichdi into my mouth, handing back the empty bowl to my patient boyfriend.
“Tots, there are some things that can’t be discussed except in person.”
“What kind of things are those?” I ask, my brows arched.
“The kind that includes admitting to your parents that they birthed an incredible woman who’s become the love of my life, and that I would like nothing better than to spend all my days making her happy.”
His hand grips my jaw, tipping my face up to receive a quick, hard kiss before he straightens, his fingers tracing what I’m sure is the bloom of pink on the apples of my cheeks.
“They’ll love you, baby, because I love you,” I assure him.
His lips quirk crookedly in a dopey grin that makes my heart flutter like a caged bird fighting to be released. Aai shapath, Irsia is right about him shooting hearts out of his eyes when he looks at me.
“What?” I laugh, pinkening under his unwavering attention.
“Nothing,” he mutters, his cheeks flushed. “I feel all gooey inside when you call me baby.”
The sound of a beeping timer has him shooting out of the room, yelping like an old Indian uncle that his chai is about to boil over.
He leaves me chuckling to myself as I check my phone, waiting for Irsia to show up to help me finish packing.
A notification for a visa check flashes, providing me with yet another distraction from the singular pain of packing my suitcase.
I head over to the dresser for mine and Cal’s passports to confirm the validity of our travel documents. I’m distractedly swiping through my phone while rummaging through the drawer when I notice something that wasn’t there before.
A velvet box.
The world around me goes quiet, my body layered in goosebumps as I stare at it like it’ll magically burst open if I keep waiting.
With trembling fingers, I pry the top open only enough to catch a glimpse of a gold band with a sparkling stone on top.
The echoing twang of the doorbell has me slamming the lid shut before I can inspect it further. I slap the drawer close like I’m hiding evidence of a crime, my heart hammering against my ribcage.
A short, nervous bark of laughter spills out of me, full of excitement and disbelief. Being with Cal has been transformative. When the time comes, I know marriage with a man who puts my needs ahead of his own will be vastly different from my previous experience. I’m not afraid. Not even a little.
There’s no rush to get to the altar, but whenever Cal asks, I’ll have an answer for him. Happily. Wholeheartedly.
“Tots! Irsia’s here!”
I’m still grinning as I head down to greet Ish, trying to forget the little secret I’d unwittingly stumbled upon. Reeling from my discovery, I’m barely paying attention to Irsia telling me about her friend’s wedding when a loud exclamation interrupts our conversation.
“Holy shit!”
Irsia and I exchange concerned looks as we make our way down the hall. We round the corner near the kitchen to find Cal staring at his phone, jaw hanging open while his tea hisses and boils over, spilling caramel liquid everywhere.
“Cal?” I hurry toward him while Irsia rushes to turn the stove off. “Is everything okay?”
“An email went out to the organization.”
Green eyes whip up to me, surprise still present in his tone when he announces, “Nixon Scott just signed on with Ironhearts.”
Happily Ever After Starts Here…