Epilogue
brOOKE
Three months later…
My calves burn as the trail continues to slope upwards for the final hundred yards of the waterfall track.
The sound of rushing water means we must be close.
I try to ignore the burn in my calves and instead focus on Joel’s muscular legs striding ahead of me.
With every step he takes, the muscles ripple.
I never realized I was such a fan of leg muscles in a man. But maybe it’s just this man.
A smile creeps across my face when I think about the last nine months. I’ve been living with Joel and the girls for three months, and it’s been the happiest time of my life.
They made space for me in their home, and now I can’t imagine how I ever lived anywhere else. I planted an herb garden and an apple tree in the back garden, which Nora helps me care for.
I’ve grown to love her and Dana as if they were my own.
It turns out going all-in is pretty good.
We crest the top of the hill, and the vista opens out, showing the top of the waterfall, a fast-flowing stream that cascades over the ledge and crashes onto the rocks below.
“We used to come up here as kids and jump off,” Joel says as he peers over the edge, a wistful smile on his face.
It must be a twenty-foot drop to the deep pool below.
“Don’t even think about it.”
I take his hand and pull him away from the edge.
Joel shakes his head and laughs. “I was young and reckless.”
I like imagining Joel young, growing up in the mountains.
Over the past few months, he’s shown me his hometown.
The house he grew up in, the elementary school he went to, the sports shed where he had his first kiss, and the mountain.
Most weekends we choose a hike and head into the woods.
Sometimes with the girls, sometimes with his friends from Jake’s Retreat. But today, it’s just the two of us.
Joel slides the backpack off his shoulders and leans it against a boulder. He pulls out a picnic blanket and spreads it on a patch of lush green grass, far enough away from the edge to feel safe, but close enough to appreciate the view.
We take a seat on the blanket, and he pulls out the lunch box with chicken sandwiches that I made for us.
Joel hands me a sandwich, and his hands are shaking. He seems anxious.
“Are you worried about Dana?”
Dana left for college two days ago. She’s not going far, but it’s the first time Joel’s been away from her since he left the military.
Joel shakes his head. “No. Dana will be fine.”
He takes a sandwich out of the bag but doesn’t eat it.
“What’s wrong?”
I put my sandwich down and come up onto my knees. Joel has gone pale, and perspiration beads on his forehead. He looks sick.
I press a hand to his forehead, feeling for a temperature. I’ve never seen him like this before, trembling and pale.
“I’m fine.” He chuckles. “I didn’t think I’d be this nervous.”
I sit back on my heels. “Nervous? What have you got to be nervous about?”
Joel reaches into the front of his backpack and pulls something out. “Can you stand up, please?”
I frown at him. He’s coming down with some kind of illness, and he wants me to stand up. Maybe he’s got heatstroke.
“Have some water.” I grab my water bottle from the pack and hand it over to him. “I think we should get back.”
Joel fixes me with an amused stare. “Damn you, woman, I’m fine. Now can you please just stand up?”
I stare at him, trying to assess what’s going on. He’s not making sense, but he seems steadier than he was. He shifts his weight and pulls a leg forward so he’s bending on one knee and holds out the small box in front of him.
“Oh.” Realization hits, and I gasp in shock. He’s proposing.
I scramble to my feet so fast I rip my skirt. But I don’t care. I just hope I haven’t ruined the moment by being a complete idiot. I mistook his nervousness for overheating.
I stand in front of Joel and look down into his smiling, dark eyes.
“Brooke.” He licks his lips, and I’ve never seen him nervous before.
“I thought I was content with life until I met you. Now I know I was living a half-life. You’ve brought sunshine and laughter to my days.
I love the way you smile easily; you’re kind and adventurous, and you’ve opened your heart to my girls.
I love you, and I don’t want to do life without you. Will you marry me?”
He pops open the lid of the box to reveal a gold band with a cluster of diamonds that sparkle in the sunlight.
But it’s not the diamonds that matter. The man on his knees before me is all I see.
The man who taught me what it means to put down roots, to stay, and to belong somewhere.
The man who has taken me into his heart and his home and made me his.
Made me feel like I couldn’t possibly want to be anywhere else. The man I love.
“Yes! Of course I’ll marry you!”
Joel slips the ring onto my finger and pulls me toward him.
“That was the scariest thing I’ve ever done. My heart’s racing.”
I lean back to look at him. “Did you think I might say no?”
He shrugs. “Never be too certain of an outcome.”
“You can always be certain of me.”
He kisses me hard, and his hand tangles in my hair. I push my body against his, just as Joel’s phone buzzes. He pulls it out of his pocket.
I don’t mind the interruption; I’ve learned that when you have kids, there’s no ignoring a ringing phone. And sure enough, it’s Dana.
Joel gives me an apologetic look. “I have to let her know you said yes. She’s been bugging me all day.”
“Dana knew you were going to propose?”
“She helped me pick out the ring the first week you moved in.”
“You’ve been planning this since then?”
I think back to that day three months ago when we danced around the house, with the girls helping me unpack and decide where to put my things.
That night we had a cookout. Joel grilled burgers, and I made a salad, and afterwards, we lounged in beanbags looking up at the stars. It was the perfect night.
Joel slides his arm around me. “I’ve been planning this since the first time I laid eyes on you, Brooke. I just didn’t want to scare you off again.”
I lean into him, and his arms tighten around me. “No chance of that. I’m right here, where I belong.”
* * *