Epilogue Finn #2
“You remind me of who I am and who I want to be,” she says.
“You give me space to fly free and a soft place to land when I fall. When my world had shown me all the ways I had failed, you made me believe in myself again. You gave me back my confidence and my trust in myself. You reignited passions in me—for music and love and life—that I thought would be dulled forever. Without meaning to and without even trying, you showed me that I was right to hope that real love was out there somewhere, waiting for me to find it.”
Rosie lifts up on her toes, then settles back on her heels with a grin.
“Thank you for being the light in my darkness, guiding me to a new home. Thank you for being brave enough to take a chance on me when I know it hasn’t been easy.
Thank you for being you. I promise to adore you, cherish you, and protect you and our growing family every minute of every day for the rest of my life. ”
Dakota, having grown anxious with all the crying, moves from her place at my feet and nudges her head against Rosie’s thigh. She laughs, and I kneel down to extract our wedding rings from the little box on Dakota’s collar.
And then finally, with vows and rings exchanged, the celebrant sanctions our kiss. It lasts forever, the way it’s supposed to, and the crowd cheers, the way we knew it would.
Rosie beams at me across the front seat of my truck, and though I’m more accustomed to the tail of John and Jarrod in the car behind us than I might have been six months ago, I’m glad they’ve agreed to remain outside while Rosie and I are on our honeymoon.
“Are you sure this is what you want to do?” I ask as I bring the back of her hand to my lips. “We could go anywhere in the world—literally anywhere—and you want to spend the next five days in my old bungalow?”
I don’t know where she found it, but somewhere during our wedding reception, Rosie threw my old red flannel over her gown to keep warm, and the way she wears both makes my heart feel too big for my chest.
“I’m sure.” Rosie inhales deeply, then releases it like she’s letting all her worries go. “I miss this place a little more every day.”
I watch the path ahead even though I could drive the dirt trails of Silver Leaf with my eyes closed. I’ve grown lax keeping my expressions in check around Rosie and I don’t want her to read the eagerness in my eyes.
“But it’s so small,” I say. “Nothing like we’re used to in Nashville.”
“I wanted to talk to you about that.” Rosie fusses with the fabric of her dress, and her distracted expression melts into dreamy admiration as she traces the shapes in the lace.
“When Violet told me she’d one day make me the perfect dress, I’ll admit I didn’t believe her at the time, but look at this!
It’s so stunning and you’re so talented. I love it so much.”
My mouth lifts at the corner. Rosie’s trains of thought are easily derailed these days, and it’s just one more thing I love about her pregnancy. “Thanks, Songbird, but what were you going to say about Nashville…?”
She screws up her nose. “It’s too big,” she says. “We could fill it with a dozen babies—”
I growl eagerly at the idea, and Rosie laughs. “Down, boy. We’ve got to see how we do with this one first.”
“You’re going to be a wonderful mother,” I reassure her. “No doubt in my mind.”
She sighs and strokes my cheek. “And you’re going to light up the world when you’re a daddy, but my point is, we could fill that house with children, and it would still feel empty.
It’s too big and too cold, and I’m not sure it’ll ever be home.
I miss the way your cabin felt like a nest. All cozy and warm and intimate.
I want to spend more time here, Finn, especially after the baby is born.
I want our first weeks of parenthood to feel as cocooned as the early days of us falling in love.
Nowhere will ever feel like home the way this place does.
” She shrugs with a frustrated sigh. “I’d move in tomorrow if it had another bedroom.
I’m not sure I can get up and down that ladder with this belly, let alone a newborn baby. ”
“I’m really glad you said that because I have a confession to make.”
“Oh?” Rosie’s mouth twitches with curiosity. “What is it?”
I squint through the windshield as the cabin comes into view then slow my truck to a roll. “One of the first things I did after you told me about the baby was call my brothers and sisters for a family meeting.”
“What? How?” Her brows pull in. “You were recovering from a gunshot wound and you never left Nashville. How did you organize a family meeting? And, more importantly, why?”
I chuckle. “Chord and I dialed in, and we did it over video conference. You wouldn’t know this but when Chord proposed to Violet, he called a meeting and had us vote on building her a studio at Silver Leaf.
He wanted to make sure she understood she was now part of the family, and our family is Silver Leaf.
By giving her a piece of it, we made her one of us. We all voted yes. No question.”
“I didn’t know that,” Rosie says quietly. “That’s very sweet.”
“At that same meeting, right after Dylan proposed to Poppy, my little brother had us vote to give Poppy her own slice of Silver Leaf. We agreed on the spot to speed up plans to establish a day spa and make it Poppy’s to own and run.”
“Finn,” Rosie says slowly, eyes searching my face for answers. “What did you do?”
I pull the car around to the cabin, coming to a stop in almost the exact place Rosie got stuck in the mud that fateful day she came asking for my protection, and nod out the window.
Rosie turns toward the old bungalow, which is now five times as large as it was when we left it, and gasps.
“I told my brothers and sisters I wanted to give you a home,” I tell her.
“Expand the cabin to make it fit for our family. Not knock it down and start again, because I didn’t want to lose the memories we’d already made inside those walls.
I wanted to preserve everything my parents built and every moment we spent together here, using it as the foundation for a bigger place and a beautiful life.
For us. For you. And all of them said yes. No questions asked.”
Rosie’s chin quivers and a tear rolls over her cheek. “I can’t believe you did this.”
“You’ve got a family now,” I say. “I’m not saying we need to live here permanently, though I’d be up for it if you are. I just want you to know that no matter where we go, no matter how many houses you own across the country and around the world, this place and these people will always be home.”
“But…”
“But nothing.” I reach over and settle my hand on her stomach, and Aria Haven Davenport nudges me in response.
“This little sliver of Silver Leaf belongs to you and our daughter now. It’s what I want, it’s what my siblings want, and I know without a shadow of a doubt, it’s what my parents would have wanted too. ”
“Finn.” She chokes back a sob and marvels at the property with a disbelieving shake of her head. “People think I’ve got it all, but I never had anything until I had you. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, Songbird.”
I get out of the truck and rush around to Rosie’s side so I can open the door and lift her out.
I carry her in my arms all the way to the porch steps, and then over the threshold the way I did back in the spring, only this time she’s my wife, and when we step through the door, I don’t have to let her go.
I glance around the space. Charles has been keeping me updated with pictures, but it’s the first time I’ve stepped inside, and it’s more perfect than I could have hoped for.
Open-concept spaces, warm woods and white walls, loads of natural light and hardwood floors.
Most of the original cabin has been preserved, even with the new, larger kitchen and extra bedrooms at the back.
At the very rear is a fully equipped recording studio.
It’s not large, but it’s enough that Rosie and I can make music while we’re here whenever the mood takes us.
Thanks to Charles and Daisy, bunches of wildflowers in mason jars brighten up nearly every flat surface, a cheery fire dances in the hearth, and white rose petals point the way to the new master bedroom.
“Did you want the grand tour first,” I ask, “or…?”
Rosie takes my lapels in her fists and kisses me. Hard.
“I want to make love to my husband,” she says. “We have the rest of our lives to make new memories in this house, but tonight, I only want to make memories with you.”
And that’s what we do. We relive old memories and create new ones, and I spend the entire night proving to my Songbird just how much I love her.
Thank you for reading Songbird!