Epilogue
LIAM
E lla and I leave the apartment, waving to Mom and Macie on our way out. “Be good for Grandma, okay?”
“I will Daddy!” Macie’s cheerful voice calls out and Mom waves us off.
“Go on, you two. Have fun.” We wave one last time, then take the elevator down the stairs to my car.
“Your mom sure has stepped into the grandma role pretty quick,” Ella comments, sliding into the passenger seat. Mom really has come into her own as a grandma, and has come to town every other weekend the last few weeks since the wedding, just to spend time with Macie. It was hard at first, to get over the hurt she caused in the beginning. Seeing her with Macie though? Damn near melted my heart. Macie has a way of making people the best versions of themselves. Including me.
“She loves it. She was always too busy with work to really spend a whole ton of time with me as a kid, so I’m glad she gets to do that with Macie,” I say, threading my fingers through hers when she puts her hand on mine. She is still pretty busy with her mayoral campaign, but she’s making an effort to carve out time for Macie.
She looks absolutely biteable in the curve-hugging dress she’s wearing, and I’m half tempted to pull over and ravish her instead of going to dinner.
But I can’t because I’m finally supposed to tell Ella what I’ve been planning tonight.
“Me too.” She smiles, looking at me, and my fingers twitch on the steering wheel.
It’s been weeks of bliss with Ella and Macie, but something feels… off. Itchy, almost. I feel like we need to move out of the apartment to have more space. I mean, two adults, a full-grown German Shepherd, and a toddler in an eight-hundred-square-foot apartment is a tight fit. I don’t want to start looking for anything in town though because I have… plans.
Plans that are making me twitchy and nervous and fuck, can she tell?
None too soon, we pull into Nonna Rossi’s, ready to have our first date dinner redo. Hopefully, they set up all the things I called about earlier. A woman with a name tag reading “Maria,” greets us.
“Liam! Ella! Or should I say, Mr. and Mrs. Stokes.” She grins, elbowing a blushing Ella. “Right this way you two, I have the table set up just how you asked.”
Ella gives me a questioning look, and I just smirk and shrug, following Maria to the back where we’re met with a candlelit table, rose petals scattered around, and a bouquet of flowers as the centerpiece. Perfect.
“Oh, Liam, it’s beautiful.” She grabs my arm, looking up at me. “What’s the occasion?”
“A first date redo has been in order for a while.”
“Ugh, yes please.” She wrinkles her nose at the memory.
We sit down and finally get to enjoy our meal.
“So…” Ella says, wiping her mouth after finishing her chicken parmesan. “Are you going to share what all of this is about? What made you decide to do a first date redo?”
I’m excited… but also nervous? What if she doesn’t like what I have planned?
“Okay.” I put my napkin on my plate. “Remember when I asked you if you would still want to be a vet?”
“Yes…” She trails off, looking unsure of what to make of what I’m saying.
“Well… what if I told you, I found a way to get your vet tech credits to count towards a degree in veterinary medicine?”
Her mouth drops open, and she shakes her head. “I’m sorry, what?”
Reaching into my back pocket, I pull out the letter that’s been burning a hole in my brain since it came in the mail two days ago.
“What is this?” she whispers, taking it from me with shaky hands.
“Open it.” My heart is pounding so fast I can hear it in my ears. What if she doesn’t want this? What if she thinks that I think her career isn’t “good enough?” She has to know how much I believe in her, though. She has to know that I would never try to force her to do something she doesn’t want to do.
Her fingers break the seal, and I hold my breath as she reads the acceptance letter, her eyes growing wider and wider with each passing second.
“Liam… how did you…” She looks up at me, surprised and lost for words.
“What good is the Stokes name if I can’t use it to help the ones I love?” I take her hand across the table. “When I contacted the dean of admissions and explained everything… and threw our family name around a little, the dean was more than happy to see how your vet tech credits required for your certificate could transfer to credits needed for a degree in veterinary medicine. You’ll only have to take two more years of classes. I can be an EMT while you go to school, and I can finish my residency after you graduate. Or we can hire a nanny and get our stuff done at the same time. I only have one more year of residency left. I’ve already found a few houses that we can go look at.”
Ella’s mouth gapes open again, and she quickly closes it, shaking her head. “What about Macie? And my family, and?—”
“Macie can start preschool now, and I have a list of all the best ones in the area. There are plenty in between TUFTS and Stokes Hospital that have great ratings, obviously all in the Boston area. My mom is more than ready to step in if our schedules overlap and she’s not in school or something happens with the nanny, if we decide on one. And then, once you’ve graduated, we can move back home to Ridgewood Falls. I know you don’t want to leave here indefinitely, and neither do I. I fell in love with this town at the same time I fell in love with you and Macie, and this is Macie’s home . You can work for the same office, or open your own if you want.”
“My own vet clinic?” she asks quietly, her eyes darting back down to the letter in her hands.
“It’s just an idea,” I say quickly, not wanting her to feel pressured to make a decision one way or the other. Ella will be an amazing vet, whether she wants to open her own practice or try to become the second vet at Ridgewood Falls Vet Clinic.
“It’s a great idea.” She looks up at me, and her smile is fucking stunning, happy tears lining her eyes.
She stands, the paper gripped firmly in her hand, and I rise when she starts coming around to my side of the table and throws herself into my arms.
“Thank you, Liam,” she says into my neck. “For everything you’ve done.”
My arms tighten around her. “It’ll never be enough, Ell. You’ll always deserve more.”
She sniffs, pulling away. “I’m so happy that I don’t want this night to end. Do you maybe want to go get a drink to celebrate?”
“Celebrate?” I ask, the excitement clear in my voice. “You’re going to do it?”
“I am!” She nods, her smile so wide I’m sure her cheeks hurt. “I’m going to go back to school. All thanks to you, Liam.”
“Well then.” I pull out my wallet and drop some cash on the table. “I’m sure I could use a drink.”
Before long, we’re walking just down the street to Brynn’s family’s restaurant, Ridgewood Tavern. Brynn isn’t working tonight, but the bartender nods as I take a seat at one of the stools.
“Kind of reminds you of the last time we were at a bar together, huh?” Ella surprises me when she sits three stools down from me.
Just like the last time we were at a bar together.
I see what she’s doing. Turning towards her, I clear my throat. “I don’t usually do this, but… Can I buy you a drink?”
She tilts her head at me, a small smile playing on her lips. “I think I’d like that.”
Hopping down from my stool, I walk over to the one next to hers. “I’m Liam, but the world knows me as William Stokes. Don’t be fooled, I may come from money, but I have a thing for small towns and beautiful brunette mystery women.”
“What a coincidence. I have a thing for mystery men.” She places her hand on my chest, the diamond ring on her finger sparkling from the twinkling lights in the bar. “I’m Ella. It’s nice to meet you, Liam.”
I can’t wait to see how this night turns out, but I know one thing, without a doubt.
This time, when I wake up, Ella will be in my arms.
Want to know how Liam and Ella’s story started?
Turn the page for a sneak peek of Responding Heart!