Epilogue - Caleb and Jiya
CALEB
Ilooked forward to coming home after work every single day.
My life finally felt full again, in a way I had once convinced myself would never happen. Every dream I had once buried deep inside me had somehow found its way back to the surface.
Jiya, the children, and I were living under the same roof, building a life together, one quiet moment at a time, and every day beside them felt like something I never wanted to take for granted again.
There was only one last thing left to do to make it official.
And I didn’t want to wait any longer.
One afternoon, while Jiya was out grocery shopping with Geeta, I decided it was time.
The second the front door closed behind them, nerves hit me hard.
I called Lucas and Emma into the living room and gently plopped them onto the couch before kneeling in front of them.
“Okay,” Lucas said immediately, narrowing his eyes suspiciously. “Why do you look nervous?”
A laugh escaped me.
“Do I?”
“Yes,” he said firmly.
Emma nodded seriously beside him, clutching Mia against her chest.
I rubbed my palms against my jeans before taking a steady breath.
“I want to ask your Mom something important,” I said carefully. “But before I do, I wanted to ask you guys first.”
Both of them stared at me silently.
“I want to ask Jiya to marry me,” I continued, my voice softer. “How do you guys feel about it?”
Neither of them moved.
My muscles twitched with nerves.
I already knew what their answer would be, yet I still needed to ask. I needed their blessing—needed them to feel safe, respected, included in this decision that would shape all of our lives.
Then Emma bounced on the couch.
“Yes! Yes!”
Lucas smiled widely.
“That’s what I’ve wanted from the time you came back into our lives,” he said, looking straight into my eyes with a seriousness far beyond his years.
I let out a huge breath, my shoulders sagging slightly.
“Really?”
“Of course,” Lucas said. “We already think of you as our dad.”
My chest tightened painfully.
Then his expression softened.
“But we want you to know something.”
A flicker of worry rushed through me.
“What’s that?” I asked, my heart beginning to race.
Lucas took a small breath before speaking.
“We can’t forget about Cole. He will always be our first Dad.”
The honesty in his voice hit me straight in the heart.
I nodded immediately.
“There’s no other way I would want it, buddy,” I said softly. “He was, is, and always will be. Nothing will ever change that. I would never take that away from you.”
Lucas’ eyes filled with tears.
“Thanks, Dad!” he whispered shakily.
The word landed deep inside my chest, settling into a place that had been empty for years, shattering me.
I closed my eyes briefly as I held him against my chest, emotion lodging so tightly in my throat that I could barely breathe around it.
Hearing him call me Dad was something I had dreamed about more times than I could count.
“I love you, Lucas,” I whispered. “I always will.”
He clung to me, his arms tightening around my neck as he sniffled softly against my chest.
“Me, Dada?” Emma asked immediately, climbing halfway off the couch.
I laughed softly through the tightness in my chest before opening my arm toward her.
“Come here, sweetheart.”
She launched herself at both of us a second later.
“I love you too, Emma,” I said, pulling her into the embrace. “I love you too.”
I wrapped my arms around them tightly, as warmth and happiness flooded through my entire body.
I had believed I had lost my chance at this—a family, a home, children laughing in my arms. But somehow, life had given it all back to me.
And this time, I was never letting it go.
Standing there with Lucas and Emma in my arms, I realized this was exactly where I was meant to be.
With Jiya.
With our family.
The next week, I began working on my plan.
JIYA
My phone buzzed, the alarm ringing on a quiet Saturday morning in November.
Still wrapped in the warmth of sleep, I reached for it lazily and smiled the moment I saw Caleb’s message waiting for me.
Caleb
Good morning, my love! The children are with my parents. Enjoy your breakfast downstairs. Love you!
A soft flutter stirred in my chest.
It already felt like a good day.
I showered and dressed slowly, enjoying the rare stillness of the house. Geeta had taken the weekend off to visit friends, and for once, the morning felt completely unhurried.
When I entered the kitchen, I stopped.
Pastries and tea were neatly arranged on the table, steam curling gently from the cup as if they had been waiting just for me. Beside the tray sat a bright red envelope.
My heart skipped.
Curious, I walked closer and picked it up. Written across the front in bold black letters were the words:
A surprise awaits you inside this.
Piece me together!
A smile tugged at my lips.
Caleb.
Shaking my head fondly, I opened the envelope and emptied the contents onto the table.
Puzzle pieces.
Frowning slightly in confusion, I took a bite of my croissant and began fitting them together while sipping my tea.
Minutes later, the image came into focus.
My breath caught.
The Lexington Hotel.
The very place where I had worked.
The place where I first met Caleb.
My breaths slowed as memories took over.
“What are you planning?” I murmured under my breath.
I glanced back inside the envelope, turning it upside down and giving it a small shake.
A folded piece of paper slipped out and fluttered onto the table.
I opened it immediately.
Get your next clue at the first place where I met you!
A laugh escaped me.
A scavenger hunt.
I had no idea what Caleb was planning, but I already loved it.
Grabbing my bag, I locked the front door behind me and hurried to the car.
Driving toward the hotel where I had once worked, memories flooded my mind—my very first interaction with Caleb in the corridor outside the bar, the way he had looked at me, the spark that had ignited between us without warning.
It felt like another lifetime.
When I walked into the bar and spotted Angelo, he immediately looked up and grinned.
“Well, well,” he said warmly. “Good morning.”
Before I could even speak, he handed me another red envelope.
I opened it.
Inside was a page filled with months, years, and club names arranged like a cipher.
At the bottom, one question stood out clearly.
When and where was the first place we danced?
“Oh gosh,” I muttered, rubbing my forehead.
Angelo chuckled.
“You don’t get the next clue until you answer correctly.”
I stared at the list, thinking quickly.
Lucas had been away at camp at the time, which meant it had to be summer—July or August.
Most likely August.
And the year… 2011.
A year I could never forget.
My gaze moved down the list of club names.
Temptations.
Treasury.
Oasis.
Boudoir.
None of them immediately rang a bell.
Caleb had taken us there, and the memory felt just out of reach.
Taking a deep breath, I finally looked up.
“August 2011 at Boudoir?”
Angelo winced dramatically.
My stomach dropped.
Then a slow smile spread across his face.
“Yes, you’re right!”
Relief rushed through me.
Laughing softly, I accepted the next envelope from him and opened it immediately.
Inside was a small matchbox bearing the club’s logo printed across the front.
My pulse quickened.
This was becoming more than a game—it felt like a journey through the story of us.
I thanked Angelo, hurried back to the car and drove toward the club.
Autumn had always been my favourite time of year.
The slow, gentle decline toward winter carried a quiet beauty—the lingering warmth of summer fading into crisp air and golden light. Leaves blazed in shades of amber, red, and yellow, and the earth smelled faintly of frost and wood fire.
It felt like change… like renewal.
When I parked outside the club, the streets were quiet, the building still asleep in the daylight.
I knocked on the entrance door, wondering if anyone would even be there.
Moments later, it opened.
A woman with fiery red hair and warm brown eyes smiled at me.
“Do you have it?” she asked.
I handed her the matchbox.
After examining it briefly, she nodded and stepped aside, ushering me in.
With the lights on, the club looked nothing like I remembered. Everything had been refurbished—sleek, modern, unfamiliar.
But in the middle of the dance floor sat another red envelope beside a bouquet of lilies in shades of red, yellow, and orange.
My breath caught softly.
Lilies.
Always lilies.
I walked toward them slowly, lifting the bouquet carefully and breathing in their sweet fragrance.
Then I reached for the envelope and opened it.
Your sister from another mother… the person you trust… the person who has always been with you has the next clue!
A smile spread across my face.
Elle.
Of course.
Clutching the bouquet and envelope, I hurried back to the car and drove straight to her house.
The second Elle opened the door, she burst into laughter.
“You look stressed,” she announced.
“I am stressed,” I replied breathlessly. “What is Caleb doing?”
Elle raised both hands innocently.
“I’m sorry, Bestie. My lips are sealed.”
She led me toward the kitchen, where another oversized red envelope waited on the counter.
The moment I opened it, photographs spilled across the table.
Dozens of them.
Over cups of coffee, we spread them across the table, reminiscing over each one.
There were pictures from the very beginning of my friendship with Caleb to the deepening of our relationship—the park, friends’ houses, the beach, barbecues, his siblings’ home, nights out at clubs, and moments with Lucas.
Each photograph held a memory.
Each memory held a piece of my heart.
My eyes welled with tears.
Caleb had put so much effort into this… so much thought, so much love.
The realization touched me deeply.
I reached deeper into the envelope again and found a second item.
A key card.
Turning it over, I read the words printed on the back.
Our first kiss!
Warmth flooded my chest instantly.
And truthfully…
We had done far more than just kiss that night.
Butterflies erupted wildly in my stomach.