Epilogue
Ben
Six months later
“You’re sure you’re okay with this?” I ask Laney for what must be the tenth time.
She rolls her eyes then stretches up on tiptoe to press a kiss to my cheek.
“Yes! She’s basically living here already, and I love having her around. She’s great.”
I grin, my chest tightening with affection. There was a time I never thought I’d hear her say those words. Now, she and Ash are the best of friends, and I love the relationship they’re building.
“Do you have the flowers?” she asks, snapping me out of my thoughts.
I nod. “On the entryway table.”
“And the key?”
I pat my jeans pocket. “Right here.”
“Then you’re all set. Go get her, Dad.”
I smile. “I love you, Laney.”
She beams back. “Love you too, Dad.”
“Have fun with Ryan today, and hopefully when Ash and I get back, it’ll be with good news. Then we can all celebrate.”
My voice wavers slightly, and I know she hears it. She pulls me into a tight hug.
“It will be good news. Ash adores you. She’s going to say yes.”
I breathe out a nervous laugh. “God, I hope so.”
I leave Laney in the kitchen and head out, sliding into my car.
As I make the drive toward Hope Creek, my thoughts drift to the last six months with Ash.
After everything that happened with Eddie, she stayed at my place for a week before easing back into work.
Eddie was formally charged with kidnapping and assault and denied bail, something that came as a massive relief to all of us.
It later came out that he’d been battling serious mental health issues that should have prevented him from ever being hired at a school.
To this day, I still can’t wrap my head around how he slipped through the cracks.
As for Ash and me… we haven’t spent more than a night apart since, and after tonight, if everything goes according to plan, I’m hoping she’ll be with me every night, forever.
I pull up outside her apartment and kill the engine. Reaching into the back seat, I grab the bouquet of pale pink roses. Laney swears they’re her favorite, and I head inside. Ash gave me a fob to her building months ago, so I let myself into the main entrance and ride the elevator up to her floor.
I knock softly at her door and smile when I hear her voice call out, “Just a second!” Of course she’s not ready. She never is. But today, I don’t mind waiting. She can take all the time she wants.
Seconds later, the door opens, and my breath catches in my throat. She’s standing there in a short, pale pink sundress, her sun-kissed legs looking like they go on forever. She looks gorgeous, and for a moment, I can’t believe she’s mine.
“Hi, baby,” I say, my voice soft as I step forward, wrapping one arm around her and pulling her into my chest. “You look beautiful.”
She grins, and I lower my head to kiss her gently, savoring the feel of her lips on mine.
“Hi,” she whispers when we part.
I hold up the bouquet. “I got you these.”
“Oh my God, Ben,” she says, her eyes lighting up. “They’re beautiful. Thank you.”
She takes the flowers and heads into the kitchen, pulling down a vase from the cupboard and filling it with water.
Once the bouquet is arranged, she turns back to me. “Ready to go?”
I nod and slip my hand in hers as she picks up her purse and jacket and we head out, riding the elevator down to the foyer.
“So where are we going?” Ash asks as I hold the car door open for her.
Jogging around the hood, I climb into the driver’s seat and smile.
“I thought we could go to the lake. I know how much you love it there.”
She smiles. “I do love it there, and the weather is perfect.”
It only takes ten minutes to get to Lynx Lake, and I try to push down the nerves building in my chest as I go over the question I want to ask her. I’m pretty sure I know what she’ll say, but that doesn’t stop my stomach from tying itself in knots.
I park, and we walk hand in hand toward the lake. The weather is warm and the lake is buzzing with people soaking it all in. There are kids laughing, couples sunbathing, and families enjoying the water. It’s the perfect day.
Ash squeezes my hand.
“Everything okay?” she asks gently. “You’re quiet.”
I stop walking and turn to face her. Might as well get this out now.
If I don’t, I’ll spend the whole day second-guessing myself.
I don’t know why I’m so worked up. I know how she feels about me.
She shows me every day. But this... this feels huge.
And there’s a part of me that wonders if she’ll think it’s too soon.
“Ben, you’re starting to freak me out,” she says softly, her voice uncertain.
“Shit,” I mutter, dragging a hand through my hair. “Everything’s good. More than good.” I offer a smile and nod toward a bench set back a little from the lake. “Let’s sit for a minute.”
“Okay,” she replies, still sounding unsure.
I lead her over, our fingers still laced together, and once we’re both seated, I turn slightly, my heart pounding as I reach into my pocket for the key I tucked there earlier. I open my palm and hold it out to her.
Her eyes widen. “What’s that?”
“It’s a key to my place,” I tell her. “I want you to move in with me, Ash.”
She stares at the small brass key like she’s not sure she heard me right.
“Move in with you?” she repeats, eyes flicking from the key to my face, and I nod.
“I want you there every day. We’re basically living together anyway, so why not make it official?” I pause, trying to read her expression. She looks surprised, and the nerves in my gut twist tighter.
“If it’s too soon–” I start to say.
“No,” she cuts in quickly. “You just caught me off guard, that’s all.” She worries her bottom lip between her teeth for a second. “What does Laney think?”
My heart swells at the question. Of course that’s where her mind goes. That’s just who Ash is.
“She’d love for you to move in,” I say, smiling. “She helped me plan this, actually.”
“Really?”
I laugh, nodding. “Really. She loves having you around.”
Her smile grows, lighting up her whole face. “Okay,” she says simply.
I lift a brow. “Okay you’ll move in?”
She nods, her grin matching mine now. “Yeah. I’d love to.”
Relief crashes over me, and I wrap my arms around her and lift her off the ground, spinning her in a full circle as she laughs. That sound, her laughter, is everything. It hits me straight in the chest.
When I finally set her down, I keep my arms around her, my forehead resting lightly against hers as I look down into her eyes.
“You’ve just made me the happiest man alive, Ash. I love you so damn much.”
“I love you too, Ben,” she whispers, her voice breaking with emotion. “More than you could ever imagine.”
I shake my head gently. “I don’t need to imagine. You show me every single day.” I pause, soaking her in. “How did we get so lucky?”
She lets out a soft laugh. “Anything good is worth fighting for, right?” I nod. “I knew you were worth it from the very beginning,” she continues. “We made it through and proved everyone wrong. And now we get our happy ending.”
I brush a strand of hair from her cheek and smile. “I can’t wait to spend forever with you, baby.” Then I lean in and kiss her, slow and full of all the feelings I can’t quite put into words.
I want to give her everything. Her dreams, her hopes, her forever. And it starts here, in this moment. Whatever the future holds, as long as she’s beside me, I know it’s going to be filled with love, laughter, and family. All the best things.
THE END