Epilogue
VICTORIA- SIX MONTHS LATER
Drew’s yacht cut through the calm water. It was a warm day without being too hot. I was stretched out on the upper deck in a white sundress with a glass of iced tea in my hand. Six months ago I couldn’t have imagined any of this.
“You’re going to get a sunburn,” Cleo said, dropping into the chair beside me without any preamble. She had on enormous sunglasses and a blue and white striped top. She looked like she’d been born on a yacht.
“I put on sunscreen,” I said.
Below us on the main deck, the lunch spread was being set out by a crew Drew had hired for this little excursion.
I could hear the sounds of the family assembling, which was its own kind of chaos.
Max Blackwell’s laugh cut through all of it.
Tiana’s voice was soft but also clear as a bell.
The rest was a hum of conversation you got when my family got together.
Callum appeared at the top of the stairs, two fresh glasses in hand. He’d dressed up for the day on the boat. He was wearing a pale blue polo and khakis. His hair was slightly wind-tossed.
He looked like mine.
“Come on,” he said, handing me a fresh glass of tea. “Everyone’s sitting down.”
I took it and let him pull me to my feet. He kissed the side of my head as we headed down to the main deck with Cleo behind us.
The table was long and beautifully set. White linens, simple centerpieces of hydrangeas.
It was the kind of effortless elegance I’d come to associate with anything the Blackwells touched.
Max sat at the head with Tiana beside him, her hair loose and her face relaxed.
Hollis and Micah were already seated, deep in conversation.
Beau was pouring wine. Jeremy was taking pictures of the coastline on his phone.
Drew was getting ready to address everyone.
I slid into the seat next to Callum and looked around the table at all of them. This family that had swallowed me whole without once asking my permission. I was grateful every single day that they had. They didn’t even give me the option of not wanting to be a part of their group.
“The last quarter numbers came in,” Drew announced. “We’re up twenty percent over projections.”
Cleo turned to look at him. “Seriously?”
He looked insufferably pleased with himself. “I’m incredible.”
“The store is incredible,” Callum said. “You’re just the one standing in it.”
“You’re welcome, by the way,” Drew said. “I was very gracious about accepting the position.”
“The wedding section has been doing beautifully,” Cleo said. “We have more work than we can handle. We’ve had to decline a few appointments and raise our rates.”
“Speaking of weddings, I forgot to tell you something,” Callum said.
He looked at me when he said it.
“Tell me what?” I asked, feeling a nervous flutter in my stomach.
“I got a call this week. New client inquiry. High profile.” He was already smiling, which meant he was enjoying this. “You want to guess whose wedding it’s for?”
I grinned and shook my head. “No, I don’t want to guess. Just tell me.”
“Chantilly Giles,” he said. “She’s getting married. To Jack Montana.”
I stared at him. “What?”
He took a sip of his wine and nodded. “Yup, she wants to be a Blackwell bride”
“They’re getting married,” I said.
“They’re engaged as of last month apparently. The announcement was quiet. Her people reached out to us directly.” He tilted his head. “Apparently she’s a fan of the store.”
Chantilly, who had been the reason everything began, was going to walk down the aisle in a Blackwell gown. The universe had a very interesting sense of humor.
“So your little fire alarm stunt created a love match,” I said.
“Drew’s fire alarm stunt,” Callum corrected.
Drew raised both hands. “I’ll take full credit. As we’ve established, I’m incredible.”
“They met on the same night we did,” I said with a scowl. “And they’re already getting married?”
“They are.”
“Hmm,” I said and took a drink of my tea.
Callum glanced around the table. “Actually, I want to say something. Before I do, I want you all to know that I didn’t bring everyone out here today just for lunch.”
I turned to look at him. “What’s going on?”
He didn’t answer me right away. He kept his eyes on his family for another moment. “You all know that I’m not someone who talks about what matters to me. I’ve never been good at it. I’ve always been better at doing than saying.” A small smile crossed his face. “But I’ve been learning. Slowly.”
There were a few murmurs, lighthearted teasing.
“Family is everything to me,” he continued. “I didn’t always know how to show that, but I’ve always known it. And I wanted everyone here today because what I’m about to do matters, and I want the people who matter most to me to be part of it.”
And then he turned and looked at me.
My breath stopped when I saw the look in his eyes.
“Victoria, I need you to know something.” He reached over and took my hand. “I didn’t know what I was missing until I met you. I thought I had everything figured out. I thought I understood what my life was supposed to look like and I was content with it. And then I knocked you on your ass.”
Everyone burst into laughter. They all knew our story by now.
“You were the most infuriating, capable, stubborn, and beautiful person I’d ever encountered. You hated me and I deserved it.” He squeezed my hand. “I’ve never had someone make me want to be a better person before. I didn’t want to disappoint you.”
My eyes were burning. I didn’t want to cry in front of the entire Blackwell family. But when Callum pushed back from his chair and got on bended knee in front of me, the tears started. He reached into the pocket of his khakis. I pressed my free hand over my mouth.
The ring was simple and stunning. A single stone set in a band that was delicate and gorgeous. It wasn’t too much, but it was just enough to tell me I was special. He knew me so well.
“I love you,” he said. “I love who you are when nobody’s watching and who you are when everybody is.
I love that you’ll argue with me and call me on my nonsense and that you bought me for a dollar.
” A soft smile. “I have never been more certain of anything in my life than I am of this.” He looked up at me and I saw the raw emotion in his eyes. “Will you marry me, Victoria?”
There were tears running down my face. I was aware of the table filled with family members that were all holding their breath. All waiting for me to give my answer.
“Yes,” I said. “Yes, obviously yes, you absolutely beautiful man.”
He laughed and slid the ring onto my finger. I pulled him to his feet and he kissed me with the family clapping and celebrating around us.
I couldn’t stop the tears and I’d given up trying. Callum held my face in his hands and kissed them away. I was a mess and I didn’t care even a little bit.
“I don’t want to wait,” I said. “Let’s get married right now. The captain can marry us, right?”
“What?”
“The captain of this boat.” I gestured vaguely at the deck around us. “He can do it, can’t he? Legally? I’ve heard that’s a thing.”
Callum laughed. “There’s no need to rush.”
“I’m serious. Right now. Today. Everyone we love is already here.
” I looked around at the table full of Blackwells, who were all watching us with varying degrees of shock.
“We have flowers.” I pointed at the hydrangeas.
“We have champagne. We have witnesses. We have the ocean.” I looked back at him. “What else do we actually need?”
He searched my face. I think he was trying to figure out if I’d lost my mind or if I genuinely meant it. The answer was both, probably.
“I’ll do it,” he said simply. “Right now, if that’s what you want. Say the word.”
I looked down at the ring on my finger. The stone caught the sunlight.
“I’d love for you to have a beautiful wedding,” Callum said softly. “But if this is what you want, you know I’ll do it.”
I exhaled slowly. “Fine,” I said. “We’ll wait and do it right.”
He smiled. “Good, because I’ve already talked to Mandy.”
I blinked. “You what?”
“She’s got ideas. A lot of them.”
“And I will design your dress,” Cleo volunteered. “If you’ll let me.”
“Cleo, I would be honored.”
Someone popped a fresh bottle of champagne. Drew was filling glasses.
Tiana approached, staring into my eyes. Hers were glassy. She didn’t say anything for a moment. And then she pulled me into a hug that felt like a declaration.
“Welcome,” she said quietly against my hair. “Officially.”
I held on to her longer than was probably appropriate for someone I’d known for only a handful of months. She didn’t let go first. She waited until I was ready.
When she stepped back, Max was there. He shook Callum’s hand and then looked at me with that easy smile.
“Another daughter,” he said. “Maybe you would like to come work at my studio with me, unlike the rest of my children?”
I smiled and spread my hands apologetically. “Sorry, but I think the children’s hospitals need me more. I’d love a tour someday, though.”
Max’s smile widened. “Welcome to the family.”
Glasses of champagne were passed around.
“To Callum and Victoria,” Max said, raising his glass.
Everyone repeated the words and drank.
I stood in the middle of all of them and tried to absorb it. All of them. It was a huge family, even without the New York group present. A huge functional family. They loved each other unconditionally.
I thought about the day I walked out of my parents’ house with two suitcases and the very clear understanding that I was no longer their daughter.
I thought about how long I’d been sad. The sadness had started before I walked out the door.
The official departure was painful and left a giant hole in my soul.
I had spent years telling myself I didn’t need a family. I was fine. It was better to be happy than stuck in a rut that would never have brought me joy. I told myself the hole would fill when I finally met the right man and had my own family.
Now, I had a whole family before I even said, “I do.” My children were going to be a part of a big, loving family. They would never know the pain of being alone in the world.
I looked at my future husband and smiled. “Thank you for knocking me on my ass.”
Callum kissed me. “When we tell our kids the story, maybe we should just say I swept you off your feet?”
“We’ll talk about it.”
***