EPILOGUE #2
River was about to open her third shop, which had been something she had thought impossible before meeting Kennedy, but thanks, in large part, to her girlfriend, she now had her original shop, one in Long Beach, and one more, closer to where they lived.
She’d tried to remain in the shop every day as much as she could in the beginning, but once the news had broken about her and Kennedy being a couple and how they’d begun, along with Cameron and Lacey going public, it had gotten too hard for her to work up front.
Then, people had started waiting for her outside in the back, so she would just work in the kitchen and head straight up the stairs to her apartment, barely leaving.
On the days Kennedy would show up, it would get even worse, but since they had moved in together, River had turned the apartment into additional storage for the shop and office space for the new manager.
Calista was no longer a part owner because River had been able to buy her out, and with her and Ashton’s daughter being almost two now and a second kid on the way, they had their hands full already, so when River opened the second shop, she hired a manager to run it as well, and she made things in the back most days.
She’d been planning the third location and an industrial kitchen space so that she could make more and hire a couple of people to help for a while now, and once that was up and running soon, it would make her the happiest woman in the world.
She’d be making things all day, which was her favorite part of the job, and she’d get to be in the shops whenever she wanted to.
She had the love of her life by her side, they had a house that they shared, and everything was how she wanted it except for one thing.
River wanted to put a ring on Kennedy’s finger and celebrate their love in front of their friends and family.
They hadn’t talked about that step officially, more in general terms that it was something that they both wanted, but River was ready to be engaged to the woman she loved.
She just had to pick out the perfect ring, which seemed like an impossible task.
“Okay, we’re good,” Kennedy told her once they were dressed and ready. “Let’s go, my love.”
She took River’s hand, and they got into the limo waiting for them.
That was something River had had to get used to, along with the fact that people suddenly seemed to care about her every move, including the boring ones like when she put gas in her car.
She held Kennedy’s hand the whole drive there, and when it was time, River got out first, held out her hand for Kennedy to take, and helped her out of the limo.
Kennedy put on her professional fake smile.
River gave the cameras the best she could.
Then, she just stood aside and let her girlfriend answer questions and take more photos while she held Kennedy’s purse and looked on adoringly because Kennedy was always so beautiful to her.
“Hey,” Lacey said.
“Oh, hey,” River replied. “Hug me before they make something up about us hating each other.”
Lacey laughed and gave her a hug, and River heard the sound of about a hundred cameras going off around them. That was still something she was getting used to.
“Where’s Cam?” she asked when she pulled out of the hug.
“Doing her thing,” Lacey replied and nodded in the direction of her fiancée, who was talking to reporters a few feet away from Kennedy. “She both hates and loves this stuff.”
“Yeah, Kennedy feels the same way. Congrats, by the way. I know I told you that in text form, but this is the first I’ve seen you since the engagement.”
“Thank you,” Lacey replied, beaming.
“Can I ask you something?” she said, using Kennedy’s purse to cover her mouth.
“Sure.”
“Would it be weird if I asked you to go ring-shopping with me?”
Lacey’s eyes went wide, and she asked, “Yeah?”
River nodded.
“I’ll happily do that with you, River. When are you…”
“I don’t know yet, but I’d like to soon. I know she’s the one. I just want the perfect ring for her.”
“Something tells me that she won’t care about that. You could tie a string around that finger and call that a ring. She’d say yes.”
“You think so?”
“Of course, I do.”
“Babe?” Cameron said to Lacey and held out her hand. “Ready?”
“I’ll see you inside.”
Lacey winked at River and walked over to Cameron.
“Yeah,” River replied.
“River?” Kennedy beckoned, so River joined her again.
“River, hi,” a reporter said.
“Hi,” she replied, not remembering their name from the last time she and Kennedy had done this.
“How excited are you for this movie? Have you seen it yet?”
“No, I haven’t. She’s not big on letting me watch the in-progress stuff. She wants me to see things when they’re done. But I am very excited and very proud,” she said, placing her hand on Kennedy’s lower back.
“Weren’t you just with Lacey Keller, Cameron Levine’s fiancée?”
“I was, yes. Lacey is a close friend.”
“You all met on a double date when you were with your exes, and now you’re here, and they’re engaged. How did all of that happen?”
Kennedy leaned into the microphone and said, “It happened because it was meant to be. Cameron and Lacey are our very good friends, and we wouldn’t have it any other way.”
“You really all managed to remain friends?”
“We did. We’ll be at their wedding. Hell, we’ll both be in the wedding party.
I invited them to join us here tonight because we’re really all friends.
How did that happen? I guess we were all very mature about our situations back then.
We admitted that things weren’t working and that we’d be better off as friends, and we were right.
Then, we worked to get to a really good place where we love and trust each other in those new roles.
They’re some of our favorite people, and I’m glad they’re here tonight to celebrate this movie with me.
Now, we have to get inside to watch it.”
Kennedy took River’s hand then, and they walked on, skipping the next few reporters and making their way inside.
After the movie was over, River and Kennedy got back into the limo and headed home.
They’d said their goodbyes to everyone first and had a glass of champagne at the party, but Kennedy was tired, and River was ready to get out of her suit, which was designer and expensive, and she always worried about damaging anything they gave her to wear.
When they closed the door and locked it, leaving the whole world outside, River breathed a sigh of relief.
“How about a bath instead of a shower?” she asked as she wrapped her arms around Kennedy from behind. “Oh, here’s your purse. I guess I have been holding on to it this whole time.”
She held it in front of Kennedy to take.
“Actually, why don’t you open it?”
“Why?”
Kennedy moved out of her arms, kicked off her heels, turned to River, and said, “Just open it.”
River looked at her, confused, but did as she was told. Inside, she found Kennedy’s wallet, her phone, some lipstick, mascara, Kleenex, a compact, and something else, which she had almost missed because the black velvet blended in with the black interior fabric of the purse.
“I remembered what you said back when we first started dating. Something about holding my purse at events.” Kennedy reached for the small box. “I put this in there before we left. I actually bought it about six months ago, and I’ve kept it in whatever purse I was using ever since.”
“You…”
River pointed at the box in Kennedy’s hand as Kennedy took the purse from her and set it on a table by the door.
“I took a picture of it in my purse every day, too. Silly, I know, but I was going to put together this sort of slideshow thing and share that with you when I propose, but tonight, I realized that I didn’t want to wait any longer.
” Kennedy got down on her knees in front of her and opened the box.
“It’s a simple band. I know you didn’t want a stone because you once said that if I ever gave you a ring, you’d never want to take it off, and you work with your hands all day. I thought this would suit you.”
“Ken…”
River’s hand went over her mouth.
“I love you, River Ervin,” Kennedy added.
“You’re the love of my life. I don’t want to wait any longer to take this step with you.
” Her eyes welled with tears. “I want to argue over cake flavors and seating arrangements with you. I want to have our first dance as a couple to our song. I want there to be a special candy you make just for us for that day, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you please marry me?”
“I don’t have a ring for you,” she said for some reason.
Kennedy laughed and asked, “Is that a yes?”
River nodded quickly, so Kennedy sniffled, pulled the ring out of the box, and slipped it on River’s finger. Then, she kissed the spot, and when she stood, River kissed her hard.
“I asked Lacey tonight if she’d help me pick a ring out for you,” River revealed before she pulled Kennedy in for a hug.
“We could pick it out together instead,” Kennedy suggested.
“I wanted it to be perfect.”
“Babe, I don’t need perfect anything. I just need you.” Kennedy pulled out of the hug and looked into River’s eyes. “I love you. Get me one of those plastic rings from a gumball machine, and I’ll wear it forever.”
“I was thinking about something that would actually last forever,” River replied, and when a phone dinged, she looked over at Kennedy’s purse.
“I told Cam that I was going to do this tonight,” Kennedy explained. “She’s probably asking how it went.”
“As if I’d ever say no.”
“Want to watch my little slideshow thing now? I did a little speech before I took the pictures. I worked really hard on it. Jessie had to show me how to make it because I had no clue.” Kennedy chuckled.
“Can we watch it in the bathtub with bubbles around us while I hold you?”
“Yes.”
“And can we go ring-shopping for you tomorrow?”
“Yes,” Kennedy confirmed with a smile.
“I love you,” River said and kissed her on the forehead.