Epilogue #2
My mom and Cheryl hug each other and continue to cheer, the same as Maeve and me, as we all watch Mason living out his college dreams for the last time.
The next couple of days go by in a blur of team events and celebrations. I watch Mason in awe the entire time. This is only the start of his career, and I can’t wait to honor every milestone to come.
After a team dinner at NMU’s rink, Mason and I head back to the house for the night. Maeve’s staying over at Jackson’s place tonight, so we’ll have it all to ourselves.
Who knows how many nights alone we’ll have left here?
After devouring a homemade meal from Mason, I change into some cozy clothes before joining him in our spot.
Grabbing a blanket, I push the back door open and stroll onto the porch.
Mason’s face lights up when he sees me, as if he hasn’t seen me in months.
I plop down next to him, fluffing the throw blanket and laying it over our laps as I curl up into his side.
He wraps his arm around my shoulders and pulls me even closer, planting a kiss on the top of my head as we look out at the setting sky, oranges and reds spanning the horizon.
His low voice wraps around my heart as he says, “I have a surprise for you tonight. Let’s call it an early birthday present.”
I sit up and glare at him. “I told you I don’t want anything.”
He smirks. “You knew that I was never going to listen to that. Besides, if it makes you feel better, this is also a gift for me.”
Okay. Well, now I’m way too curious to not find out .
I begrudgingly murmur, “What is it?”
He opens his arms, gesturing in front of him. “ This .”
I look around, as if something magical is going to appear, but nothing does. “I don’t understand.”
“I bought the house from your mom,” he says casually as my jaw falls to the deck.
His words take the air from my lungs.
“ What ?”
He nods, wets his bottom lip, and smiles.
“Well, you know that I got that big signing bonus with the North Stars, and I decided that there’s no place I’d rather put roots in than wherever you are.
I know how much you love this place; I couldn’t watch you say goodbye to it.
That would break my heart. So, like I said, it’s a gift for me too. ”
I sit up straighter, my eyes starting to burn as he takes my hand in his. “Are you serious?”
Absolute joy radiates from every pore as he nods. “Yes.”
Tears burst from my eyes like a dam breaks, and I throw myself into his lap, straddling his legs. “Oh my God!”
Grabbing his face, I crush my lips to his, peppering kisses all over as I repeatedly murmur, “I love you. I love you. I love you!”
I don’t have to say goodbye to this place. I don’t have to move. And we … we get to turn this place into our home . Maeve already had plans to move in with Jackson after this semester, so we’ll have it all to ourselves, for good.
A burst of energy shoots through me, and I think I’m getting the human equivalent of zoomies. I hop off his lap as my eyes look at the house in a whole new light.
I spin around, trailing my hand along the railing as I picture Mason and me coming out here in the mornings for coffee and late-night snuggles.
Maybe one day, we’ll have a little one running all around too. Who knows? When it comes to him, I can picture our future so vividly, so fulfilling and loving. I want it all with him.
“I cannot believe you did this.” I spin around and find Mason bent down on one knee with his hands behind his back. “What are you doing?” The dumb question leaves my lips in an exhale.
A humorous smirk tips up the side of his lips as he holds my stare, my gaze not that much higher than his.
“What does it look like?”
My mouth opens and closes, over and over, as every word in the world escapes me. My heart leaps into my throat, and my eyes burn as I take in the image of him.
Pulling his hands out from behind him, he reveals a red velvet box, his stare never leaving me as he flips the lid up.
“What do you say, Sunset? Will you marry me?” His voice is low, his tone eager and excited but shaky with nerves.
My heart takes the controls from here.
Lunging forward, I wrap my arms around his neck, hugging him as tightly as I possibly can before pulling back and kissing him intensely.
Tears stream down my cheeks as I stand up to my full height, lifting my shaky hand out in front of me. “Of course I will.”
I’ve never seen a smile so big take over his face. An exhale of relief and excitement leaves him.
He plucks the big diamond ring from the box and grabs my hand, sliding it onto my left ring finger.
A suspiciously perfect fit.
“How’d you know my size?” I ask, admiring how it fits like it was made for me.
He looks up at me with absolute adoration. “I might have had your finger sized when we were switched.”
My jaw falls to the porch as he stands up in front of me, my gaze staying glued on his. “We weren’t even together then.”
He scoffs and shrugs, his hazel eyes sparkling. “Yeah, we were. You just didn’t know it yet.”
This man is insane. I laugh and shake my head. I wouldn’t have it any other way.
I’m finally getting the happily ever after I craved my whole life.
Reaching up, I stand on my tiptoes and wrap my arms around his neck. “I love you.”
He plants a quick kiss on my forehead before bending down and picking me up, spinning me round and round on the porch as my heart swells. “I love you, baby.”
Spinning me around a couple more times, he lowers me down and pulls me back into his lap on the swing, wrapping his arms around me and rocking us back and forth.
As I admire my pretty new ring, Mason tightens his hold on me, and I lean my head back against his chest, looking out at the lake.
“I love you too.”
A thought crosses my mind, and I suddenly realize something.
The love stories I’ve been obsessed with my entire life were never just about getting the foot-popping kiss, the expensive diamond ring, or the grand gesture. Don’t get me wrong; they’re a great bonus.
But it’s the little things that add up the most. The constant effort to make each other smile and laugh. To fall in love with each other over and over again as time goes on and we evolve.
I love the nostalgic rom-coms because they make me feel giddy and hopeful about life and love.
In the final scene, when the main characters are happily together and those feelings of hope and love become overwhelming, two words float on the screen— the end .
But now, with Mason, I can’t help but feel like the movies got that part wrong. That’s where they made their biggest mistake because that moment isn’t the end of the story at all. It’s simply just …
The Beginning.