Epilogue
Taylor
By midmorning it’s warmed up enough to lure me outside.
Chooch, a friendly pup from the local animal shelter that’s spending the day with me, is lounging in the grass while I work on the patio.
A flock of rainbow lorikeets burst from a group of eucalyptus trees, their high-pitched screeches drawing our attention.
My fingers hover over my keyboard, watching as they fly past.
Chooch puts his head back down as soon as they’re out of sight.
Vibrant wildlife, dogs to love, endless hilly views that bleed into distant water, and a man who treasures my heart as much as I treasure his. It’s hard to believe this is my life now.
Seth’s laptop sits open on the table near mine, a cluster of open tabs left in his wake.
He’s been gone for hours, working with his and Rick’s crews at the warehouse, bringing his vision to life.
He did the right thing, coming here. I’ve since learned that Seth has other employees who could have taken over in Rick’s absence and done a fine job.
But protecting a loyal employee who gave him everything and asked for nothing was important enough to Seth for him to upend his life to ensure Rick could focus on his family.
Seth’s sacrifice was automatic, and I love him even more for it. He may not have let many people into the crevices of his life, but that didn’t keep them from working their way into his heart.
My phone lights up with another video of Barney from my father.
It’s the third one this morning. I open it and see Barney running in the backyard, chasing a stick.
It turns out Dad needed the nuisance after all.
He adopted my furry friend a few days after I left for Australia.
It’s surreal living in the coziness of autumn, with foggy mornings that burn off to clear sunny days, when he and Becca are knee-deep in New York’s chilly, wet spring.
It’s like a physical representation of how far I’ve come.
How far my father and I have both come.
It’s been almost a month since I broke down on his kitchen floor and realized just how much I wanted to protect him, and all the while, I was hurting both of us.
A good therapist, an understanding partner, the loving-in-his-own-way father who raised me, and the big sister who’s realizing she’s been ignoring wounds of her own have helped me grow in ways I never knew I needed.
I thumb out a text to my father.
Me: Love Barney up for me! I miss you both. Can’t wait to see you next weekend. Love you.
A heart emoji pops up.
So much has changed. When we first arrived in Melbourne, I called my father every day out of habit and worry.
But as I’ve been tending to the wounds my mother left behind and learning to step back, my father has been making changes, too.
He’s still trying to outrun his disease and tempting fate every chance he gets, but he’s less reckless about it.
He’s been more responsible, more patient, and surprisingly more present.
He’s also been spending more time with Patsy.
Becca was here visiting last week, and boy did I miss her.
Even though we talk all the time, I miss her boundaryless visits, endless energy, quick wit, and the way she makes every problem seem easily conquerable.
I even miss the outrageous outfits that are purely Becca.
She’s been keeping tabs on Dad, and she said Patsy keeps him in line.
I’m glad someone is.
I continue to keep in touch with Seth’s family by text.
Victory and the rest of the girls text often, and we’ve started a monthly virtual wine date.
We had our first date last night, and we dubbed it our Sip and Spill.
The guys crashed it halfway through and tried to rename it the Bro-down.
After a few glasses of wine and several rounds of hilarious negotiations, we compromised, rebranding as Brews and Babes.
It should be illegal to be this happy.
Seth and I are looking forward to seeing Sutton, Flynn, and Noah tomorrow, when we meet them and the rest of the film crew in Tasmania for the Kubla Khan expedition.
They start filming in a few days, and Seth is beyond excited.
On the heels of that trip, we’ll be heading back to New York for the grand opening of the restaurant he, Jared, and Wells are opening.
And because Seth never wants me to miss out on a thing, he surprised me with plans for a weekend caving trip in May to the Sawa-I-Lau caves in Fiji, which I had drawn on a scroll when I was twelve.
His newest goal is to one day explore Kubla Khan with me, which entails years of training.
I love that he’s dreaming of more than tomorrow.
What he doesn’t know is that Mole Creek Karst National Park in Tasmania is also on a scroll. I saw a picture of a waterfall there when I was a kid, and there was something so beautiful about it, I had to draw it. I tucked that scroll away and didn’t tell Seth, because I didn’t want to jinx it.
My laptop pings with an email, drawing me from my thoughts. It’s from Seth, with the subject line Future Projections—Time Sensitive. He’s gotten so many new ideas since coming here, I wonder which one he wants to run with. He’s been toying with expanding to Singapore or London next.
Dear Ms. Nunnally,
Kindly review the attached presentation and provide feedback at your earliest convenience.
Sincerely,
Mr. Braden
“My, aren’t we formal today?” I click on the presentation, and the first slide fills the screen.
Future Projections for Eleanor Taylor Nunnally
A Comprehensive Analysis Prepared by Seth Braden, CEO, Occasional Overthinker, and Your Favorite Distraction
A laugh catches in my throat. He’s turned charm into an art form.
I click to the next slide.
Pros of a Lifetime with Seth Braden
· Excellent limbo partner
· Superior oral skills
· Competent cook
· Able to rescue you by land, sea, or air
· Willing participant in stress relief
· Unmatched commitment to coffee and conversation
· Zero interest in keeping hands off you
· Stable financial suitor (see attached spreadsheets)
· Proven record of exceeding expectations. Frequently and repeatedly. Professionally and personally
· Strong dedication to quality control. Particularly in areas of mutual satisfaction
· Access to Braden family outings, inside jokes, and unsolicited adventures
· Built-in travel companion fluent in sarcasm, caving knots, and midnight snacks
· Dedicated to making you feel safe, loved, and happy
When I reach willing participant in stress release, a hiccup of a laugh escapes.
By the time I reach zero interest in keeping his hands off me, my pulse is doing acrobats, and when I read safe, loved, and happy, tears sting my eyes, and I’m gone.
Absolutely, irreversibly gone, as I click to the next slide.
Cons of a Lifetime with Seth Braden
· Exceedingly charming overthinker
· Might feign stress simply to gain relief
· May use spreadsheets and presentations to express feelings
· Prone to kissing you midsentence
· Will litter your floor with books
· Slightly dramatic when sick
· Overly analytical overthinker
· Possible withdrawals after twelve hours away from you
· High probability of distracting you during work hours
· High risk of swoon overload and permanent heart entanglement
· Has no off switch when it comes to loving you
Tears blur my vision, and I hear Seth’s car in the driveway and quickly click to the next slide.
Projected Return on Investment
· Immediate Yield: 100% increase in affection, happiness, and pleasure
· Long-Term Growth
· Sustained and exceptional increase in all matters of the heart, emotional and physical
· Guaranteed to check off your mason jar scrolls
· Potential for future pack of tiny analytical artists and overthinkers armed with crayons and logic
Children? He wants children? My heart races, and I quickly move to the next slide.
Conclusion
All findings suggest a lifetime with Seth Braden will guarantee your happily ever after, but the first rule of winning proposals is never leave anything to chance. Turn the page to sweeten the pot.
My hands shake as I click the icon to the next slide.
Redeemable Coupons
Nonrefundable, no expiration date
· Good for a lifetime of being loved by me
· Use code: ForeverStartsNow
A sound between a laugh and a sob slips out. A lifetime. Not a hypothetical, not maybe one day. A lifetime with the man who’s had my heart for more years than I even knew. Swiping at tears, I click to the next slide.
· Good for one marriage proposal
· Use code: JustSayYes
Ohmygod. Another shaky, disbelieving laugh-sob escapes, and I press my hand to my mouth, tears wetting my fingers as I move to the next slide.
· Good for one groom who won’t leave you at the altar
· Use code: IChooseSeth
I can do little more than wipe my tears and turn the page.
· Good for one wedding ceremony
· Use code: Let’sTieTheKnot
I gasp for breath, my entire body trembling as I advance to the last slide.
· Good for one honeymoon (consult scroll jar for destination)
· Use code: TimeToConsummate
The scroll jar. Tears spill down my cheeks.
I love how he never forgets the little things.
My throat is so thick I can barely swallow, and my heart is pounding so hard I can’t hear past it.
I press my hand to my chest, trying to calm myself, but there’s no calming from this!
Seth put his entire heart in black-and-white. I have to find him!
I push to my feet, and the world tilts. I grab the table to steady myself and drag air into my lungs.
Chooch barrels past me. I turn to go after him and nearly trip over Seth, down on one knee, holding the most gorgeous rose-gold engagement ring I’ve ever seen—a round center stone is set between two intricate knots, diamonds glimmering between the tangles.
The band is a braid of vines that splits into three slim strands.
The center one leads to the knots cradling the stone, while the outer two ebb and flow like a tide, diamonds shimmering between the leaves—and it knocks the air from my lungs. “Seth—”
“Hi, sweetheart,” he says, his voice a little shaky and his eyes brimming with an impossible amount of love as Chooch tries to lick him. He puts an arm around Chooch. “I’m here for the feedback.”
Laughter tumbles out with a flood of tears as he rises to his feet. “You ridiculous, insane, adorably perfect dork. I will always choose you.”
“I’m holding you to that. I printed out the presentation and put it in a leather binder, so you can never say you didn’t know what you were getting into.”
“As if I ever would,” I say through tears, and he slides the ring on my finger. “God, Seth. This ring. It’s so beautiful.”
“I designed it for you. I hope you’ll draw this moment for the rest of our lives, and when you do, you should know that the knots on this ring are climber’s knots.
The strongest kind there are.” He brushes his thumb over one of the intricate knots.
“Two paths crossing, looping back, locking into something unbreakable. That’s us, sweets.
You and me, locked in forever. I’ll never let you fall, and since you survived my Braden plague, I know you’ve always got me, too. ”
My chest constricts. God, I love this man. “Always. Through plagues and caves and calendars and everything and anything else. I can’t believe you proposed over email.”
“It’s where we started. I know you see the world not only with your eyes but through the lens of how you feel it with your heart. I was hoping to give you something unforgettable.” He kisses my knuckles and says, “So the question is, how did it make you feel?”
More nervous laughter bubbles out. “How do you think? I’m a blubbering mess. I don’t even…I can’t…I have no words.”
“Then I’d call that a win.” As he lowers his lips to mine, he says, “Because I’m going to keep your mouth very busy.”