Epilogue
Micah
“If I die before we get there, tell my parents I love them.”
I roll my eyes at Fischer, which prompts him to grab hold of my face and turn it back to the road in front of us. “Would you relax?” I say, only my words are muffled and squished because his fingers press into my cheek.
“If you keep your hands on the steering wheel, maybe.”
I swat his hand away. “I’m a great driver, and you know it. I’m—oh!” I slam on the brakes as a bird flies in front of us.
Fischer lets out a string of curse words as he braces himself against the dash. “ Micah ! You can’t just stop in the middle of the road!”
I ease the car forward again. “But I was going to hit a bird.”
“Then you hit a bird. It’s fine.”
“That is not fine! What if she has a couple of little baby birds in her nest back home who might be wondering when their mama is coming home? What if they die because she died?”
“Circle of life,” he grumbles. “Sweetie, I love you, but please don’t be the cause of my untimely death.”
I turn onto a side street, making a point to use my blinker so Fischer knows I’m not a completely hopeless driver. “I didn’t pass my test by being a bad driver,” I tell him.
He gives me some impressive side eye. “Was the instructor a man?”
“Yeah. Why—hey!” I punch his arm, which accidentally makes me swerve a little. That’s not helping my case. “Are you trying to insinuate that the only reason I passed my test was because he was into me?”
When I pull up to the cemetery and park, Fischer lets out an audible sigh of relief. “I’m just saying, you have a habit of making people forget that there are rules to things. Remember back in May when you accidentally convinced that florist to give us the flowers for that wedding for free?”
I still don’t know what I specifically did to make that happen. I’d just called her up to let her know we wanted to add some calla lilies, and next thing I know she’s offering the whole batch free of charge.
“You can’t argue that she was hitting on me by giving me flowers,” I say, though as soon as the words are out of my mouth, I wince. That’s exactly what he’s arguing, and there’s a chance he’s right.
Fischer smirks. “You have a gift and a curse, Micah Taylor.” He looks ahead at the sprawling field of grass and headstones, his expression slowly sobering. Though we’ve been dating for almost ten months now, he hasn’t met my mom yet, and I know he’s nervous.
I grab his hand. “She’s going to love you, just like I do.”
He’s quiet as he lets me lead the way to her grave, which isn’t unusual for him.
Though he’s opened up a lot since the day I met him, he’s still very much an introvert and prefers to take a backseat to things when he can.
Outside of things with our company, when he steps in and negotiates contracts and prices, he tends to take a passive approach to life nowadays.
I love that about him. He slows life down when it gets overwhelming.
“Here she is.” I hold my hand out to Mom’s headstone, beaming at her name etched in the stone.
The pot of daisies, slightly wilted, means Houston was here last week when he was in town, and Chad left his signature card this morning.
I’ve always wanted to read what he writes to her, but I’ve never been brave enough to open it up and look.
Since Brooklyn won’t be able to come until after she’s done with work, we have the place to ourselves.
On the other side of the fence, the field is full of cheery sunflowers that wave in the breeze, and everything is so perfect.
I plop down into the grass and get myself comfortable. “Hi, Mom!”
Fischer sits beside. “Hello, Mrs. Taylor.”
I snicker. “Do you know how many Mrs. Taylors there are? You can call her Moira.”
He doesn’t, but that’s okay. He’ll warm up to her eventually. “I’ve heard so much about you,” he says instead.
“He and Dad are best friends now. They like to talk about investing and business, and it’s so boring.”
Wincing, he ducks his head. “Have I told you that your dad is still terrifying?”
“Many times.”
He swallows as he turns his attention back to the headstone, though he doesn’t say anything.
He seems to be having a silent conversation now, which gives me a great chance to study him out in the sunshine.
He looks so different from when I first met him that it’s hard to believe he was ever so stiff and colorless.
His hair is still dark, and I will never get over the way his eyes are basically black, but after several months of helping me plan outdoor engagement parties and corporate events, he has some actual color to his skin.
He looks alive and healthy, and there’s almost always a smile on his lips even if it’s subtle.
Not right now, though. Right now he looks worried, though I can’t imagine Mom would be saying anything to him that isn’t full and total approval.
“Mom,” I say, breaking his focus, “I want you to know that I love Fischer. So much. Like, I didn’t know I could love anyone like this.”
He kisses my cheek and then shifts so he’s facing me instead of beside me. “I love you. I have a question for you.”
He always has questions. If I had known my question game would have spawned this monster that is Fischer Bradley, I might have reconsidered my plan to get him to smile.
That’s not true. I have no regrets when it comes to him.
“Fire away,” I tell him.
He smiles softly. “Would you rather see the Caribbean or Switzerland?”
Two very specific choices… “Depends on the time of year. Switzerland in the summer and the Caribbean in the winter.”
He lifts my fingers to his lips and gives them a gentle kiss. “Would you rather have a banquet with all your friends or a quiet dinner with your family?”
“I feel like this question needs more context,” I murmur. “A quiet dinner, I guess?” A year ago, my answer would have been different, but I’ve mellowed with Fischer. In a good way.
He smiles. “Would you rather marry me this fall or in the spring?”
“Probably this—wait, what?” My heart squeezes in my chest, and it feels like it’s simultaneously motionless and beating like crazy. “Marry you? Really?”
Nodding slowly, he reaches into his pocket and pulls out a ring. It’s simple, just a rose gold band, but I recognize it immediately. It’s the ring my dad gave my mom.
My breath catches. “Where did—”
“He gave it to me last week when I asked for permission,” Fischer tells me. His fingers shake as he holds the ring up. “But I wanted to get your mom’s approval as well. I think she—”
“Of course she does!” I throw my arms around his neck and pull myself in, loving the way he holds me so tightly. There’s no hug like a Fischer hug. “You really want to marry me?”
He chuckles. “I’ve wanted to marry you since the day I first woke up with you in my arms.”
“At the lodge?” But that was way back in October, and he’s never breathed a word about marriage. I’ve hoped for it, hinted at it, but I was making myself be patient.
His fingers make their way into my hair, and he breathes in deeply, like he’s breathing for the first time all day. “Micah, will you marry me?”
Oh, right, he needs an answer. Pulling out of his hold, I cup his face with my fingers and smile.
“Yes.” That one word zings through me like an electrical current.
I’ve read about a million proposals in a million books, but none of them compare to the way this moment feels.
The real thing is so much better. “Yes, Fischer Luis Bradley, I will marry you. Sooner than later, if you don’t mind. ”
Fischer tugs me forward and kisses me soundly, though I know he’s holding back, what with us sitting in front of my mother’s grave and all. I don’t mind. Any kiss from Fischer is my favorite.
“I have a confession,” he says when he breaks away. Though his eyes are closed, he traces my cheeks with his thumbs.
I can’t stop myself from grinning like an idiot. “Oh yeah?”
He finally looks at me, talking as he slides the ring onto my finger.
It fits perfectly, which feels like a good sign.
“When we were at the reopening, I booked out the weekend of October twenty-sixth. A year after the night that changed our lives. I guess I was feeling unusually optimistic at the time, or maybe I just knew…” He turns pink as he meets my gaze.
“Want to get married in October at the lodge? I know that’s quick, but if anyone can make it happen, you can.
And I’m not especially inclined to wait. ”
I can’t breathe. “I have never loved you more than I love you right now,” I whisper. Then I kiss him like nobody’s watching.
Mom will understand.