Epilogue
“Did you hear Jason Monahan made a plea bargain and confessed his part in Tate Harris’s scheme to kill Liliana?” Amanda stood beside Liliana, nursing a cup of coffee.
“Stone and Swede found out that Harris was in deep with his investors, unable to deliver on his promises,” Dax said. “He was losing money so fast they were ready to pull the project and his bonus, which he’d already spent on a new Ferrari and a house in California. The man was desperate.”
Amanda’s lips pressed into a tight line. “Desperate enough to rig the election by eliminating the competition.”
“Thankfully, I had my protector to look after me.” Liliana smiled up at Dax.
He shook his head. “I almost lost you.”
She leaned into him. “But you found me in time to save me from dying of smoke inhalation.”
“And now we’re here, and the election is over,” Amanda said. “We just have to wait for the results.”
Rachel set down the phone, her face devoid of any emotion. “Ladies and Gentlemen, gather around. I just got off the phone with the voting center. Ninety percent of the votes are in.”
A million butterflies took flight in Liliana’s belly as she joined Rachel at the center of the room.
Dax stood beside her, holding her hand, letting her squeeze it so tightly she was bound to be cutting off his circulation.
Campaign headquarters in the Wind River Indian Reservation Cultural center was a mess of empty soda cans, stacks of stained paper coffee cups, empty chip bags and half-empty boxes of donuts and cookies.
Most of Liliana’s staff had been up throughout the night, monitoring election results.
Being an independent candidate put Liliana at a disadvantage, especially when so many voters liked to vote the party line, either all Republican or all Democrat.
Early on, Brad Benton fell behind and stayed behind, conceding his loss before midnight, which left Ronald Merritt and Liliana Lightfeather in the race.
Throughout the night, the results showed them running neck and neck, alternating between Merritt winning and Lightfeather winning by only a few percentage points.
Tension was so thick in the air that Liliana could have cut it with a knife.
Dax leaned close and whispered. “You’re already a winner in my books.”
She smiled up at him. Not only was election day the day that would decide her future career, but it would also be when she and Dax decided their future together or apart.
Since they’d promised to give each other the time to make that decision, they hadn’t talked about it, focusing on her campaign instead.
Dax had been at her side at every town hall, every fundraiser and all the meet-n-greets she’d done in small and large towns. They’d ridden horses in the Cheyenne Frontier Days parade and visited veterans at Sheridan’s VA Medical Center.
Not only had Liliana gotten to know more about her home state, but she had also gotten to know more about Dax, falling deeper and deeper in love with him every day.
By all indications, Dax felt the same. Only one troubling issue remained. He hadn’t said the L word once.
Then again, neither had she.
Liliana had taken her promise to heart. If he changed his mind about their relationship after election day, she wouldn’t hold it against him.
She’d let him go without any drama.
Then she’d go back home, cry, scream into her pillow and bury herself in bed for a week, eating ice cream by the gallon, hoping it would freeze her heart to keep it from hurting. Losing Dax now would be…
Worse than terrible.
She didn’t even want to contemplate it.
Liliana squeezed his hand, barely caring what the results were. She wanted to know if he’d changed his mind.
“As you all know, the results have fluctuated all night long,” Rachel continued.
“After counting the majority of the mail-in votes, one candidate has taken a decisive lead.” She drew a deep breath and looked around the room, her gaze stopping when it reached Liliana.
A smile spread across her face. “Miss Liliana Lightfeather, not only are you in the lead with a considerable gap, you’re projected to stay in the lead until the final vote is counted. ”
A cheer went up around the room.
Liliana smiled and held up her hand. “I don’t want to celebrate and jinx us. We need to wait until the last vote is counted or Merritt concedes.”
The cheering died down to excited chatter.
The phone beside Rachel rang. She answered and listened, her brow puckering. “Yes, I understand. Thank you for letting us know.” She met Liliana’s questioning gaze and took her time telling her what the hell the call was about.
Liliana didn’t like it when Rachel paused for effect to build anticipation. “Who was that?”
“A representative from Ronald Merritt’s campaign headquarters. Merritt just conceded the election.” Rachel threw her hands in the air. “You won! You won!
Once again, the room erupted in cheers. Liliana flung her arms around Rachel and hugged her tightly. “Thank you. I could not have done it without you.”
Rachel wiped tears from her eyes. “I wouldn’t represent just anyone. You’re the real deal. You’re going to make a great congresswoman.”
“I’m counting on you to be by my side throughout,” Liliana said.
“You can’t get rid of me now.” Rachel hugged her again and did a little dance.
Amanda was next, hugging her so tightly she could barely breathe. When she let go, they both did a happy dance, grinning like idiots.
Liliana turned to the people celebrating, throwing confetti and laughing out loud. “Thank you all for everything you’ve done to see us through this campaign. We wouldn’t have won without the help of every person in this room. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
“Now, for me, the real work begins. I promised to make a difference and be a true representative of the great state of Wyoming. I’ll continue to count on you to keep me informed and grounded with the people. I love you. Thank you all.”
More cheering and confetti filled the room. Liliana stayed a couple more hours to speak with news reporters about her win and her plans for the future of Wyoming.
When the last reporter left and most of her staff had gone home to bed, Liliana finally started for the exit with Dax at her side.
“Do you want to hit the diner or go straight home?” he asked.
“Home,” she said. “I could sleep for a week.”
“Rachel said she had a care package delivered to your house with dinner from one of the local caterers.”
Liliana sighed. “I don’t know what I’d do without Rachel.”
“I know you’re tired and want to sleep, but could you hold on a little longer? I’d like to go for a drive to unwind a little.”
Suddenly awake, with sleep furthest from her mind, Liliana nodded. If this was the big decision, she’d just as soon get it over with right away. Driving around would only prolong the agony of not knowing. “I’d like that,” she lied.
As they walked toward the door, she didn’t reach for his hand like she had every day since the fire at the Jackson resort.
If he was going to end it, she might as well get used to no more handholding.
They were halfway across the room when he reached for her hand and held it firmly in his.
Liliana tried not to read too much into his move. It could be his way of letting her down slowly.
Oh, why did they have to go for a drive?
Schooling her face to a neutral, possibly deadpan look, she let him open the door for her and walked past him without giving him her usual smile and kiss.
Liliana’s shoulder brushed against his as she climbed into his truck and buckled her seat belt.
Dax didn’t say a word as he rounded the front of the truck and slid into the driver’s seat. He started the truck, shifted into gear and drove out of the parking lot. He headed for the river where they’d had several picnic lunches, enjoying the beauty of the water, the sky and each other’s company.
Liliana had to admit it was the right place to go for any major announcements. Good or bad.
She steeled herself for the bad, praying it would instead be good news.
Dax parked, got out of the truck and rounded to her side, where he helped her to the ground.
Still, he hadn’t said a word, giving her no clue what he had in mind. By the time they reached the water’s edge, Liliana’s eyes stung, and her throat threatened to close as she swallowed back a rising sob.
As Dax turned her to face him, the first tear slipped down her cheek, followed by more.
His brow dipped into a frown. “What’s wrong?
Why the tears?” He brushed his thumb across her cheek, his frown deepening.
“Is this it? Is this when you tell me you’ve changed your mind and don’t want me to be a part of your life?
” He gathered her hands in his. “Please, don’t let that be the case.
I’ve been planning this day for the past few weeks.
I had it all worked out how I was going to say what I wanted to say, and now… ”
“Say what?” she squeaked, that lump in her throat easing only slightly. “Tell me. What have you decided? It’s killing me.” More tears poured down her face.
“Oh, baby. I never meant to make you cry. I only want to love you and hold you in my arms for the rest of our lives. Please tell me you haven’t changed your mind. Say something.” He wiped the tears from her cheeks, his own glassy with his own unshed tears.
“No,” Liliana said. “That’s not it at all. I thought you brought me out here to let me down easy. I thought you wanted to end it and walk away with your sanity intact. I mean, who would willingly walk into what promises to be an insane life split between Wyoming and Washington, D.C.?”
“I would,” he said softly. “So, I’m asking you for the second time, and the first real time, Liliana Lightfeather, will you marry me?
Will you promise to be with me for the rest of our lives?
Because you see, I love you so much that I can’t imagine life without you.
I’ll follow you anywhere you go. If you want children, I’ll give you a dozen.
If you don’t, I’m good with that, too. I want to love you and grow old with you. ”
She sniffed, her heart lighter and her smile returning. “I might be gone a lot,” she warned.
He smiled. “I might be gone a lot, too. But when we’re together, we’ll love each other twice as hard to make up for the times apart.”
Liliana laughed and smiled. “Yes, I will marry you, for real, because I love you and can’t imagine my life without you in it.” She laughed. “Whew! I can’t believe I’ve won!”
“You were a shoo-in for congresswoman. I never doubted it for a minute.” He kissed the tip of her nose.
“No, I won something even better. I won the lottery of love with a man who makes all my dreams come true. I love you, Daxton Young. I can’t wait to begin the rest of our lives together.”
“There’s no better day than today to start.” He pulled her into his arms and kissed her until her toes curled and her heart soared.
Their lives might not be the easiest, but as long as they were together, they’d figure it out.
Love would win every time.