Chapter 26 Fletcher
FLETCHER
TWO MONTHS LATER
Spring is well underway in San Diego. The flowers I planted last fall have finally come up around the house, offering stubborn little bursts of color everywhere.
Vince has made it his mission to clean up the backyard—with Georgie’s and my help, of course.
We’ve trimmed back the bushes, added flowers along the stone path, and even cleaned off the brick stove that hasn’t been used in two years.
I’d forgotten how much I enjoy using that until we baked a pizza in there last weekend.
Vince has found a balance between jobs, working four days a week for Declan as the office manager and two afternoons a week at the music shop teaching guitar.
He’s enjoyed being at the shop so much that he’s considering adding a third afternoon class.
It helps that Georgie and Avalon have been spreading the news at school.
Kids have been coming in left and right, wanting to learn.
The way Vince smiles whenever he comes home from those lessons is the most beautiful thing.
His symptoms are the same after trying a second medication—but at least they haven’t progressed.
We take it a day at a time, and rarely make plans too far ahead since we never know what Vince will be able to handle.
But the uncertainty doesn’t bother him anymore.
If anything, it’s given him—or rather us—freedom to embrace each moment as it comes.
Darren hums as we walk through the back room of an abandoned home. I can tell from his expression that he’s thinking the same thing I am.
“It’s not the one, is it?” I say.
Darren shakes his head. “Definitely not the one. It looked better on paper.”
“Agreed.” I tap his arm. “We’ll find it, though.”
My brother presses his lips together. “I hope so.”
Darren and I have been talking about flipping another home for profit.
It’s one of my favorite things to do—a full floor to ceiling remodel.
The only downside is, it’ll take us away from the business so we need to be sure it’s one we’re fully committed to it.
Jose and Carlos will step up and be team leads while we focus on the house.
He glances at his phone for the tenth time.
“Are you waiting for a date or something?”
He laughs. “No, sorry.” Looking around, he spots a diner across the road. “Want to grab a burger?”
“Sure.”
My heart is soaring. It’s been a good morning—one of those rare stretches where my brother and I actually get to have a conversation. It’s a treat for us. Being co-owners of Rhides Renovations, work usually pulls us in opposite directions.
I’m halfway through a basket of fries I absolutely did not need when Darren leans back in his chair and squints up at the sky like he’s trying to read the future in the clouds. “Life is good,” he says off-handedly.
I hum. “Yeah, it is.”
“I’m serious, man. Life is… God, I never thought we’d be here when we were kids, you know?” His expression softens as he looks at me. “I’m really glad we went into business together.”
I grin at him, throwing a fry across the table. “What are you being all sappy for?”
He shrugs. “It’s just nice. We’re coming up on twelve years of running the place. We’ve come a long way. Both of us.” His tone implies this is so much more than just the business. Darren has seen how happy I am lately, and he’s proud of me.
My cheeks burn. “Yeah. Now we just need to find you someone, though.”
He rolls his eyes. “Nah. I’m not in a hurry.”
“Mm-hmm. That’s what I thought before I met Vince. Trust me, brother, life is better with someone to share it with.”
He chuckles, a weird knowing glint to his eyes. “So you keep telling me.”
My phone buzzes on the table.
I glance down without thinking—then everything in me stills when I read Vince’s text.
Vince: Hey. Can you come get me? I took Bones out for a walk and my leg cramped up. I wouldn’t ask except it’s been forty minutes and I still don’t think I can walk back.
My chest tightens immediately.
Me: Where are you?
Vince: The park at the entrance of our subdivision.
Me: I’m on my way.
Pocketing my phone, I grab my soda and get to my feet. “We gotta go. Vince needs me to pick him up.”
Darren doesn’t argue. Just gathers his drink and we head to the truck.
My heart thunders in my chest. It’s not panic exactly—Vince asking for help doesn’t scare me anymore—but it still flips some internal switch in me where the world narrows to only him. Everything else can wait.
When I pull up to the park ten minutes later, I spot Vince right away.
He’s sitting on the low stone wall near a tree, Bones pressed against his side. One hand is resting absently on the dog’s head. I can’t read his expression, but he seems relaxed.
Darren waits in the truck while I jog over to him.
“Hey,” I say. “You okay?”
Vince rubs his left leg. “Yeah. Just pushed it a little too far.”
I crouch in front of him, checking his face, his leg, cataloguing every sign like I’ve trained myself to. To my surprise, the black cane Georgie had picked out for him last week is sitting beside him. I don’t comment on it.
“You should’ve called me sooner.”
He waves me off. “I knew you were busy. Besides, I figured it would pass.”
I roll my eyes. This stubborn, beautiful man.
I help him up slowly, slinging his arm over my shoulders in a way that still makes something warm bloom in my chest. Vince steals a kiss before we walk, and I grin. I’ve never loved someone as much as him.
Bones trots ahead of us back to the car, wiggling excitedly when he sees Darren.
Darren climbs in the back with the dog, and Vince gets into the front passenger seat.
When we round the corner toward home, I frown. The neighbor must be having a party; cars are lined up and down the street.
I pull into the driveway.
“I’ll take Bones in for you,” Darren says.
“Thanks.”
Vince waits for me to come around the truck when I park in the driveway, then I help him inside. His movements feel… off. Not tense or locked up, like they usually are when he’s hurting.
Darren is gone when we get inside, and Vince tips his head toward the hall. “Mind helping me to the bedroom?”
“Sure.”
I guide Vince toward the bedroom, and that’s when I see it—clothes laid out neatly on the bed. A dark gray suit I haven’t worn in years, shoes polished to a shine, and a tie folded just so, like someone agonized over which one mattered most.
I stop walking. “What… what is this?”
Vince lets go of me, and his suddenly steady gait makes perfect sense now. He wasn’t in pain at all. He’d planned this.
He pulls a small dark box from his pocket.
My breath catches. “Vince…”
He smiles a little shyly. “I’d kneel if I could.”
He opens the box, and my world tilts when I see not one but two matching gold rings.
My hand flies to my mouth.
“I used to fear the future,” he says. “I used to wake up every day with a ball of dread in my chest, terrified that the worst was going to come too fast. But you changed that.” He reaches for my hand.
“I don’t know what the future looks like, but I don’t need to anymore.
You’ve taught me how to accept each day as it comes.
To live it to its fullest.” He swallows hard.
“I don’t know what my future looks like, Fletcher, but I do know that I want to spend every single day with you as your husband. Starting right now. Will you marry me?”
Somewhere through the sudden rush in my ears, I hear music and laughter nearby, though it’s muffled as if outside. My mind scrambles, trying to catch up. “Wait—now? As in… now-now?”
Vince smiles. It’s small and a little nervous, but it’s real. “Right now. I didn’t want to put this off any longer than we needed to, so everyone’s here. All you need to do is say yes.”
I stare at him. “Everyone…?”
He nods toward the large back window.
I move on instinct, crossing the room and pulling the curtain back. I gasp at the unexpected crowd.
There are dozens of people in my backyard, seated in white folding chairs facing the side of the yard where two large floral arrangements sit on pedestals. Flowers are tied to the back railing, and blue tulle ribbon has been woven around it.
I can scarcely breathe. Vince did this… for me?
My gaze scans the faces. People I know and love. Sarah. Ryan. The boys. Darren. Ace. Over half the work crew—Jose, Carlos, Del, Christian. Half of the bar staff is there too—Melody, Piper, Jordan. Even River and some others.
That’s when I realize Darren has been in on this. He’d distracted me all morning so they could set it all up.
Georgie is at the front, craning her neck every two seconds toward the back door.
And standing at the front of a short walkway, near the flowerbed Georgie and Vince have been working so hard at, is Declan.
He’s dressed in a black suit, red hair shining in the sun.
His hands are clasped and eyes suspiciously shiny.
I turn back to Vince, stunned. “You planned all this?”
He shrugs one shoulder. “I had some help from a couple of eager teenagers, but yeah. We’ve been preparing for it for over a month.”
“Oh, my God, Vince.” I sputter a laugh. “I should’ve known. Georgie has never liked gardening.”
He chuckles.
I step toward him. “I can’t believe this.”
He kisses me. “I think we both knew this would happen someday. But, someday isn’t promised,” he whispers. “Only today is.” He wipes a tear from my cheek. “So, what do you say? Will you marry me?”
I don’t hesitate to kiss him. “Yes. Of course, yes.”
Vince hugs me tight, exhaling like he’s been holding his breath all day. “Let’s go get changed, then. I know you’d want to look nice for this.”
I get dressed quickly, my hands shaking as I button my shirt and adjust my tie. As I comb my beard, I laugh. “Wait! This is why you insisted I got a hair cut a few days ago!”
Vince’s laughter echoes from the other room. “Caught on, have you?”
He knows how important things like this are to me, and he’d thought about it down to the last detail.
My eyes are misty as I step out of the room, and tears spill over as soon as I see Vince. He’s in a suit too—crisp dark gray, very similar to mine. Black shoes.
He’s never looked more handsome.
I kiss him gently, offering my arm. “Shall we?”
We walk to the backdoor. As soon as the sliding glass door opens, music plays from a speaker. The crowd goes quiet in that sacred way—anticipation humming.
Everyone stands and turns, waiting. Vince wobbles a couple times as we walk down the aisle, but his grip on me is steady. We move slow.
Georgie is crying when I reach her. She’s wearing a knee-length emerald green dress, her dark hair pinned up in a beautiful knot. Avalon is beside her, in dark purple.
Georgie reaches for me in a quick hug. “Love you,” she whispers.
Declan clears his throat when we finally reach him. “So,” he says, looking between us with a cheeky grin. “I take it you said yes?”
The crowd laughs.
I squeeze Vince’s hand as we turn to face each other. I can hardly believe this is happening.
A sharp memory of the last time I stood in front of a crowd like this hits me square in the chest, and my gaze immediately drifts to Sarah, sitting in the front row. She’s dabbing at her eyes, smiling wide.
I owe her so much. I never would have gotten this moment if she hadn’t let me go all those years ago.
I turn back to Vince, my heart soaring.
“Today is a very special day,” Declan begins.
“It’s a day of unexpected love, fresh beginnings, and deep promises.
A day of hope, trust, and overwhelming joy.
” He looks at Vince. “I’ve watched you find that joy this year, Vince, but it wasn’t without struggle.
You thought you’d have to carry things alone, unaware that you have an entire tribe of people who are willing to help you.
Who love you. Watching you learn to accept that support, especially from Fletcher, has been one of the greatest privileges of my life. ”
He turns to me. “And you, Fletcher. I’ve known you for many years, but I didn’t know your story until recently.
” His attention darts to Sarah and back to us.
“Seeing your joy unfold into something deeper has been such a gift. The way you two support and carry one another—it’s what marriage is made for. ”
Tears blur my vision as Vince brushes a hand along the back of mine.
The rest of Declan’s speech is a blur, and I barely remember what I say to Vince as I promise to spend my life with him.
Vince wipes his eyes as he says his vows too. Then we exchange rings.
When Declan finally says, “You may kiss your husband,” a cheer erupts so loud that birds take off from the trees.
I step in close, holding him. Vince kisses me deeply, as if this is the moment he’s been waiting for.
Vince is right—we didn’t need to wait for someday to start our life together. We already did that months ago when we made that commitment. This, here, now… it’s just the inevitable next step.
“I love you so much.”
He kisses me again. “I love you too.”
When the noise finally settles into something warm and steady, Vince leans into me, his head resting against my shoulder. I wrap my arms around him instinctively, like my body understands something my mind is only just catching up to.
For so long, my life has been marked by before and after. Loss and recovery. Things taken and things rebuilt. I thought loving again would mean opening myself up to another ending I’d never survive.
But this—this isn’t an ending at all.
It’s a beginning built on trust. On showing up. On choosing each other in the quiet moments, not just the big ones. Vince didn’t promise me forever. He promised me now. And somehow, that feels like everything.
I kiss his temple and breathe him in, steady and real in my arms.
This life we’ve built—messy, beautiful, uncertain—it’s ours.
And for the first time, I’m not afraid to believe in it.
Offering my arm, I turn us toward the crowd, and we walk back into our new life—together.
THE END