Chapter 14
The coffee shop gleamed with brand-new chairs and floors along with freshly painted walls. Every person in Faith Valley seemed packed inside, voices excitedly chatting around the cheerful decorations. A mural dominated the back wall, exploding with color, and even Mark had to admit that Macy West had done an exceptional job. He stared at it until it all blurred together, but the image held. It was a giant thank-you card to the town. There had been people painted onto it, even him and Emily, and though their backs were turned, you could see they were holding hands. He thought it might have been his favorite part of the whole shop.
And out of the corner of his eye, he saw her. Emily and her contagious, easy-going laugh that had kept him on his toes ever since the day she had walked into his life and never left. He had looked for her among the crowd earlier, wondering where she had been hiding, probably watching him get buried under all the Wests. He moved further into the space, passing under a congratulatory banner that strained at the tape holding it in place.
Mark grabbed some streamers that had fallen and set them back where they belonged, grateful that everything was going as planned. Grateful for the kind of people who had come out for the grand opening of a coffee shop and its charity event for the local search and rescue team. He hung the last streamer and surveyed the place, his eyes moving between the mural and the guests. There were too many to count, which was good for the shop and the event but maybe not for his sanity. The noise was getting to him when he heard a cheerful voice over the chaos.
“Mark,” Layla West called as she waved and came over, dragging her boyfriend, Trevor Farland, with her. “This is so awesome. Congratulations.”
Mark smiled as he shook their hands. “Hey, you two,” he said, then, looking at Trevor, “Not busy saving lives today?”
“Not busy enough to miss this,” the local police officer replied. “Big day.”
“Best party of the year,” Layla added, her words quick and full of energy.
Emily joined them. “Glad to hear you say that.”
“Macy did that mural, right?” Layla questioned as she looked over at it.
Mark nodded. “Can’t miss it, huh?”
“It’s fantastic,” Layla praised, practically bouncing on her feet.
“You always did like my work,” Macy teased as she came up to the group with her boyfriend, Detective Grant Rogers, by her side.
“I’m just glad it all got done in time for the opening,” Emily stated with a smile.
Mark nodded and took another glance around the place. “Thanks to you for keeping us on track.”
Nancy called out for Emily to help, leaving Mark alone with the West clan. They talked, mostly about the shop and the turnout and whether they had gotten used to the madness of living in Faith Valley.
By the time they finished their discussion, Mark was grateful to see the rest of the crowd was settling in, mingling, doing their thing. He figured it was the perfect time to pull Emily to a private corner of the coffee shop to talk.
Mark found Emily engaged in what looked like a hilarious conversation with the only woman in town who knew how to make a scene. “Birdie,” Mark said, giving Emily a quick, hopeful glance. She returned a smirk that was just for him. He loved that grin, he thought. He loved that it always promised something unexpected, something exactly like her.
“I was wondering where you got off to after helping Nancy,” he said as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders.
Birdie turned to him, eyes wide, smile wider, ready to announce their private business to everyone in the room. “I was just talking about you two,” Birdie said, gesturing to Emily and Mark as if they were on display. “Just saying I always knew you were perfect for each other.”
Emily’s laugh rang out, light and filling the room. Mark felt himself turning red but did his best to ignore how awkward it made him feel.
“I heard a rumor you might be making it official soon,” Birdie teased with a playful smirk. “I can hear wedding bells ringing in the near future.”
“Don’t listen to everything you hear, Birdie,” Emily chastised gently. “We have our hands full with this place.”
“It won’t be long though. Mark my words,” Birdie shouted over her shoulder.
“Small town,” Mark whispered once they were alone again. “Rumors travel faster than you on that bike of yours.”
“Nothing’s faster than me on my bike,” Emily stated with a wink.
Mark spotted the mayor as he stepped into the center of the room, clapping his hands to get everyone’s attention. His wife dabbed her eyes with a tissue, standing beside him.
“Oh boy,” Mark said. He heard Emily’s giggle and felt her warm hand in his.
“Looks like we’re in for a speech,” she said softly.
He couldn’t help but smile, knowing she was right.
“Thank you all for coming out today,” the mayor said in a commanding voice. “And thanks to the fine folks at the Brave Badge for putting on this event.” He looked over at Mark and Emily, gesturing for everyone else to do the same. “This community’s about sticking together when times get tough,” Cletus continued. “And we sure know a little something about that. We know about it because of people like Mark and Emily, folks who stuck around when the going got rough and ended up making things better for the rest of us. I wanted to thank them, on behalf of Faith Valley, for their contributions to our town and for showing us how to face the future.”
Everyone clapped and cheered, and Mark knew this was his time to get Emily alone before someone else interrupted.
“Got a second?” Mark asked, pulling her away from the crowd.
In a hushed corner of the coffee shop, away from the noise of the crowd and noisy neighbors, Mark pulled a ring box from his pocket. It wasn’t much more than a sliver of metal, yet it meant everything. White gold, black diamond to match her new motorcycle and leather jacket, the flash of past adventures and future promises, and his hand almost shook with anticipation.
He looked at Emily, who had never seemed more like herself, her eyes full of that easy spirit he had come to love, her eyes moving between him and the ring, wide with recognition and surprise. She knew. He didn’t even have to ask, but he did anyway. “This is for you,” he said, his voice low, breathless, and serious. It was for her, just like he was. “Will you marry me?”
Emily stood still and silent—something he wasn’t used to. Her laughter often echoed from the other side of the shop, but right there, at that moment, she was quiet. Mark tried to steady his pulse, his heart, his hands. He wasn’t sure he succeeded, but it didn’t matter because he was as sure as he had ever been about anything. She was everything to him, and he didn’t want to live one more day without knowing they would be together forever.
Emily took a step closer, and her surprise melted into something deeper. It spread across her face, making it everything he had hoped to see. “Yes, of course I’ll marry you.” And there she was—the Emily he knew and loved with all his heart, the Emily who embraced life like a present she couldn’t wait to unwrap. She was right in front of him now, and he could hardly stand the tension of the moment.
The ring slipped onto her finger perfectly. Just as he had known it would. They held each other, and it felt both new and not new. The world fell away: the mural, the shop, the crowd. All that remained was the two of them and Emily’s unstoppable laugh.
“I can’t believe how lucky I am,” she told him as she leaned up and placed a kiss on his lips.
Emily stepped back and looked at the ring, then at him, her expression wide with amazement. “It’s perfect.” Then, looking up at him, she added with a smile, “You’re perfect.”
Mark had never seen Emily smile this big. It made his head spin, and he pulled her in for another kiss—quick, joyful, too much to hold inside. “Birdie’s really not going to let us live this day down,” she said against his lips, still laughing.
“Rumors were true this time,” he said, grinning so wide he couldn’t stop. “Not just rumors anymore.”
Emily hugged him with an exuberance that caught him off guard, and he caught his breath just as quickly, breathing her in. She hugged him with a massive burst of energy, a burst of yes.
“Come on,” she said, tugging him toward the crowd. “Let’s go tell them it’s more than just talk.”
Her hand was warm and steady in his as they moved toward the others, carrying this new piece of news into the celebration.
A couple of hours later, the grand opening was over, and they were leaving the coffee shop in a whirl of smiles and hugs. The night was wide open, the air sharp and cold, nothing like the heat of the party. They mounted their bikes—Emily hopping on her new one—feeling more at home in their gear than they had at the celebration, more in tune with the rumble of engines than the noise of the crowd. The ride took them past dark fields and along deserted roads, the town receding to a distant glow. It took them to where they could just be themselves—just them, with no questions or congratulations. The town pulled at their heels, but they only raced faster. They rode, knowing the overlook would be theirs, knowing they would be the only ones under the starlit sky.
Side-by-side, with the hum of their bikes between them, Mark enjoyed the crisp night air, feeling it clear his head. Emily was right there with him, always matching his pace, and it felt more like home than anything else. The ride was free and familiar—nothing but their bikes and the road—the two of them and nothing more. They passed open fields, the stretch of Texas plains, a darkness full of promises. Everything was quiet and wide, and it belonged to them.
Emily gunned the engine as she took the lead. Mark stayed close, enjoying the sight of her taillights in the night—enjoying how she pushed him forward even when they rode. They sped along the empty roads, pushing faster and farther until Faith Valley was far behind them—a glow left in the distance.
They reached the overlook and parked their bikes. The spot felt intimate, like a secret corner of the world that belonged solely to them. Mark dismounted first, running a hand through his tousled hair, and gazed out over the sprawling town below. This was the very same spot they had kissed for the first time, the moment he knew he was in trouble where she was concerned. The view stretched out like a living tapestry, each flickering light in the town below a testament to their ability to overcome.
Emily joined him, her footsteps sure on the rocky path, and they stood together.
“This is where it all really started,” she whispered, her voice mixing with the soft wind. “Right here, where I knew I wanted to be with you.”
Mark turned to her, his heart expanding in his chest. “And I wanted the same. From that first kiss, there wasn’t a choice in the matter.” He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close against him. The night was cool, but her presence filled him with a warmth that radiated from his core .
Emily rested her head against his chest, and he kissed the top of her head gently.
“Do you think we’ll ever get used to this?” she asked, gesturing vaguely at their surroundings—the overlook, Faith Valley stretched out below them, their intertwined lives.
“I hope not,” Mark replied seriously. “Getting used to it might mean taking it for granted. And I never want to take us for granted.”
Emily chuckled softly and looked up into his eyes. “That’s very wise, Mr. Merlot,” she teased lightly, but her eyes held deep affection.
Mark couldn’t resist; he bent down and captured her lips with his own in a kiss that spoke of promises and futures and unbreakable bonds. When they finally parted, slightly breathless, Emily’s eyes sparkled with mischief and love.
“So we’re really doing this?” she asked after a while.
Mark nodded. “We really are. It’s going to be amazing,” he assured her. He kissed her forehead tenderly and whispered, “To our future.”
“To our future,” she echoed back softly.
The stars above them seemed to twinkle in agreement, their light gentle and guiding. They stood there for what felt like an eternity, wrapped up in each other’s arms.
Finally, Emily pulled back slightly, her eyes searching his. “We should probably head back soon,” she murmured reluctantly. “The town might start thinking we’ve eloped or something.”
Mark chuckled, the sound rumbling through his chest. “Birdie would have the whole town forming a search party by morning.”
With one last look at the valley below—their town, their community—Mark and Emily made their way back to their bikes. The engines roared to life under their expert hands, breaking the silence of the night with a promise of return.
As they drove back to town, Mark knew without a doubt that every challenge they’d face would be worth it if it meant they did it together. They passed the glowing “Welcome to Faith Valley” sign, and Mark knew it was true. They were home, together, now and forever.