Epilogue
9 Months Later
The nursing home is buzzing with activities today. Bob has agreed to do a reading from his newest novel during coffee. He’s settled in nicely here, and we love chatting about all things paranormal whenever we’re together. After that, the bus will take residents to a few stores, followed by bingo, and then the local high schoolers will stop by in their tuxedos and gowns on their way to prom.
There are only five empty rooms now, and it’s hard to believe that just a year ago, when I started, half the building was vacant. I glance at my watch—it’s nearly five, and I told Liam I’d meet him at the cottage by then. I shoot him a quick text that I’m heading home to change and might be a few minutes late. I slip into a summer dress, and before running out of my room, I catch my reflection in the mirror, rubbing my thumb along the ridge of my pendant.
“You off to Liam’s?” my mom’s voice calls from the kitchen, and I pop in.
“Oh.” I pause in the doorway when I see him. “Hey, Bodhi. Hey, Mom. Yeah, I was supposed to meet him a while ago, but work ran late.”
Bodhi is new in town, having moved from the cities to become a general surgeon at the hospital. My mom insists they’re just friends, but I believe that about as much as she believed me when I said the same about Liam and me all last summer.
“Hi, Birdie,” Bodhi says, pointing to a bag on the counter. “I was at the farmer’s market and ended up buying way too much, so I brought some produce over.”
I raise my eyebrows and smile. “That was nice of you.”
“I thought I’d make my famous summer salad and sit out on the deck with a glass of wine,” my mom says.
“Okay.” I press my lips together to hide my grin. “Well, you two have a good night. I’ll probably stay at Liam’s tonight.”
“I figured,” she says. “Love you, honey.”
The summer is already off to a hot start. I open the sunroof of my Jeep, letting my hair blow in the wind all the way out to the lake. When I pull into Liam’s driveway, he’s already outside, pacing. True to form, I’m running late, but he never told me why he needed me there at a specific time.
When he sees me, the worry etched on his face disappears, replaced by a wide smile. We have that calming effect on each other.
“You’re late,” he says, holding out his hand and pressing his body against mine as he kisses me.
“Work was crazy today,” I reply, glancing at my watch. “And I’m not that late.”
He opens the car door for me and then gets in on the driver’s side.
“Where are we going?” I ask as he pulls out and drives down the gravel road.
“I want to show you something.” He reaches across the middle console and takes my hand.
We drive south from the cottage, passing Camilla and Jake’s house, then Dax and Carrie’s bed and breakfast, and keep going.
“I’ve seen this lake a million times, you know?” I squeeze Liam’s hand, sensing his nervousness.
“But you’ve never seen this spot,” he says. “We’re almost there.”
Liam turns down a gravel road, taking a right, and suddenly, there are no other homes or cottages in view—just an opening on the lake.
He goes to the trunk and pulls out a blanket and a basket. He lays it down and then takes out a bottle of champagne. I don’t ask questions. Instead, I lean back on my elbows and look out at the pristine, still lake, with only a couple of boats in view.
Liam hands me a glass and then leans back, too. “When I decided to stay in Wheaton, my dad and uncle said I had until May to figure things out since I was staying in a shared cottage. Now that summer is here, out-of-town relatives have signed up for their weeks. No one comes in the winter, so it was fine then.”
“It’s May,” I say, and Liam nods. “You’re out of time.”
He stands and points. “Imagine standing at the sink, looking out at the south end of the lake. Or cuddling up with a book, looking north. Or sitting in a gazebo with a glass of wine, watching the sunset over the South Dakota hills.”
Liam gestures to a stake in the ground that I hadn’t noticed before. “I’m thinking three bedrooms on the main floor, and then in the loft, a primary bedroom with huge windows overlooking the lake. And back here, a large pole barn to store a plow, a boat—you know, lake stuff.”
I stand and look around. “Wait, are you talking about this for yourself? I know you’ve loved being at the cottage, but if you build here, it will be hard to leave. You’ll be tied to this place.”
Liam inhales deeply, his chest rising. He presses his lips together. “Once I met you, I was never going to leave.”
Most of me knows this, but there’s still a small part of me that needs to hear it now and then.
“So, you’re going to build a house here?”
He nods. “My grandparents bought this land when they first moved to the area. I’ve been in talks with Grandpa Sunny for a while now, and I just bought two-and-a-half acres. The land is mine.”
“And,” Liam says, taking my hand and intertwining his fingers with mine, “I know you have your reasons for taking things slow, but—”
“I always thought I’d wait until I was thirty before getting serious, you know?”
Liam laughs. “You didn’t let me finish. I—”
“Wait.” I place a finger over his lips, and he smiles. “Before you say anything, I don’t need to wait until I’m thirty anymore. Because by then, you’ll be nearly thirty-eight, and it wouldn’t be fair to make you wait. And I don’t want you to be an old dad.”
Liam takes my finger and kisses it. “Can I finish, Birdie?”
“Yeah. Sorry.”
“What I was going to say is that I want this house to be ours, but you can move in at your own pace. It can start with just a drawer full of essentials and grow from there. It’s completely up to you.”
Liam understands me.
He pulls me closer, resting his hand against the small of my back. “But this house will be ours. I want your opinions on the floor plan and design throughout the entire process. And…”
Liam’s voice trails off. He gently lifts my chin and presses his lips to mine. “Unless your feelings change—because mine won’t—we’ll spend our lives together.”
Liam reaches into his back pocket and pulls out a ring box. My breath catches in my throat, and I find it difficult to inhale. We’ve had many conversations over the past year, and I’ve admitted that I’m not sure I want a traditional marriage. I’m more interested in partnership and commitment.
But now he has a box. I panic.
Our eyes meet, and Liam chuckles.
“You can relax,” he says. “I’ll never ask you to marry me without your permission first. It won’t be a surprise, and I won’t put you on the spot.”
He opens the box slowly, revealing a ring. It’s a thick band, and I narrow my eyes to get a closer look. Liam holds it up.
“It’s a promise—nothing more, nothing less.” Liam holds up his hand, revealing a similar band on his pinky finger that I hadn’t noticed. “I have one, too.”
He takes my hand and places the ring in my palm. It’s silver, with different birds etched around it. The curvy letters of B and L are woven throughout the design.
It’s the perfect baby step—something only someone who knows me as well as Liam does would understand. I take the ring and slip it onto my ring finger, but it’s too big, so I move it to my middle finger, where it fits perfectly. I continue to study it.
“It’s beautiful.”
He hooks his pinky with my finger so our rings touch. “Never underestimate a scrappy man in love.”
It’s perfect.
“Now, about the house,” he says, looking out at the lake. “Does it scare you to death? Or not so much?”
I drape my arm around his waist and glance up at him. “Not so much.”
“Good,” he says. “I promised Grandpa and Grandma we’d be back for root beer floats and to see the prom kids.”
“Plus”—Liam leans in and whispers in my ear—“I showed them the promise ring I planned to give you, and I’m sure they’ll want to see it.”
“Of course, they already know.” I shake my head, laughing.
I feel like a high school girl receiving a promise ring from a boyfriend as we both prepare to go off to different colleges. But I also feel seen.
Liam drives us back to town. I hold his hand, looking out the window as we pass miles of cornfields with rolling hills behind them. It’s been a busy year, and I barely recognize where my life was a year ago. My mom owns a nursing home that’s thriving, and I’m in love.
Never say never.
When we arrive, Liam opens the car door for me and takes my hand. We walk through the doors, and a huge group is gathered in the lobby.
“Congratulations,” Sunny says, getting up from a chair to shake Liam’s hand. “You’re going to love that spot on the lake. It’s one of my favorites.”
Sunny glances at me. “And you walked through the door with my grandson, which means you’re not entirely opposed.”
I laugh. “I’m not. I’m very excited for him.”
“For us,” Liam says.
I glance at him and kiss his cheek.
My mom rounds the corner with Lucy, and when she sees me, a smile spreads across her entire face.
“You’re still here, so that’s good.” She winks at me. “Does this mean I’ll be in that big, old house all by myself?”
“We’ll see.” I shrug. “We’re starting with a drawer and working our way up from there.”
“You basically sleep at the cottage every night already,” my mom says. “This isn’t that big of a change. You know that, right?”
“Yes,” I say slowly. “But that’s very different from sharing a home with someone.”
Lucy has been standing back, but when our eyes meet, she claps her hands. “Did I miss something? What’s everyone talking about?”
“Liam is putting down roots and building a house on the lake. I’ll move in—slowly, very slowly.”
“Well, that is exciting,” Lucy says. “As long as you still do girls’ nights with me in town.”
“You know I will.” I glance down at my ring.
I look across the room to where Liam is still talking to his grandparents, and I spot Joe trying to leave as people walk in. I rush over to him.
“Joe,” I say, grabbing his arm. “You can’t go out. Stay here. We’re going to have root beer floats.”
“I hate this place,” he grumbles.
“Yeah, I know.” I help him into a chair. “But it would be so boring here without you.”
“Well, I won’t argue with you there.”
Joe sits on the couch, and I join him. I look around the room as the residents are handed their floats. Liam stands in the corner talking to Bob, and when our eyes meet, I smile. The wall behind him is full of plaques from all the donors, and next to that, it’s covered with photos of residents we’ve lost. When Marilyn passed away a few months ago, I hung her photo right next to Abigail’s.
Liam disappears down the hallway just as some of the prom kids arrive. Joe and I turn to watch the teenagers walk in, adorned in beautiful gowns and tuxedos.
“Okay, Joe,” I say. “I’m going to go find that boyfriend of mine.”
“Looks like you won’t have to.” Joe points, and I gasp.
Liam comes down the hallway in a tux. I cover my mouth to hide my smile and surprise. He holds out his hand to me.
“Since I missed the gala last year, I know you’ve been dying to see me in a tux.”
“Okay,” I say slowly.
He spins and he does look very handsome, but I suddenly feel extremely underdressed.
“I’ve signed us up to be prom chaperones,” he says. “There’s a beautiful gown waiting for you at home. Will you go to prom with me?”
My mouth drops open, but I’m too stunned to speak. “You’re serious, aren’t you?”
“What do you say, Birdie?” He takes my hand and spins me.
“Okay.” I kiss his cheek. “Let’s do it.”