Epilogue
Tristan
One month later
“Is the blindfold really necessary?” Merritt asked from the passenger seat for the fifth time in less than fifteen minutes.
“For the fifth time, yes,” I answered, humor laced through my words as I pulled my Suburban into the parking spot and shifted into park.
“Aunt Merri, you’re gonna be so surprised,” Levi said on a giddy little laugh.
I turned to the back seat and shot him a wink. He attempted to return it, but ended up blinking both of his eyes.
“You ready, buddy?”
He nodded earnestly and unbuckled his seatbelt. “Yup.”
“All right then. Let’s do this.”
With Levi’s help, I got Merritt out of the car and into the warehouse, and in true Merritt fashion, she’d grumbled about the blindfold the entire way. Once she was in place and I flipped on the lights, he started hopping from foot to foot, his excitement practically bursting right out of him.
“Now, Tris? Can I say it?”
I let out a chuckle and nodded. “Yeah, little man. You can say it.”
He threw his arms out and shouted, “ Surprise ,” just as I whipped Merritt’s blindfold off. She squinted against the lights and blinked her eyes into focus, and as soon as she realized what she was looking at, her lips parted on an O and her eyes filled with tears.
All of the pieces she’d been working on had been moved from the garage to here, with plenty of room for more. All of her tools and supplies were organized neatly along the shelves. It had taken a while to get everything set up, but with help from Levi and my friends, we got it done. “You got me a workshop?”
“You were running out of space in the garage, and I wanted you to be able to keep doing what you love.”
A tear slipped free and trailed down her cheek as she whispered, “You got me a warehouse.” Then she threw herself into my arms.
I rocked back on my foot with a laugh. “I take it that means you like it?”
She pulled back and cupped my cheeks, her sage green eyes dancing with happiness. “No, Tristan. I love it. And I love you.” She lifted up on her toes to kiss me, but Levi busted in before that could happen.
“There’s more! No kissing ’til the end. Even though kissing is super gross.”
Merritt giggled as she looked between us. “There’s more?”
I pulled her arms from around my neck and stepped back, slowly lowering down to one knee as I pulled the antique ring from my pocket and held it up.
She slapped her hands over her mouth on a sharp gasp as those tears started coming faster and faster.
“Merritt, I never really gave much thought to what my future looked like until you came into my life and showed me how bright and wonderful it could be. With you, I know exactly what my forever is supposed to look like. I know it’s worth chasing down and fighting for. So I’m asking you, will you give me that forever I’ve been chasing since the first moment I saw you?”
“Yes!” she shouted happily.
I shot to my feet and grabbed her hand, my own shaking as I slid the ring into place. Lifting her off her feet, I sealed my lips with hers and whipped her in a circle.
“Does this mean you guys are gonna start havin’ babies??” Levi asked once we’d broken apart.
Looking at the boy who held the other half of my heart, I smiled so wide my cheeks ached. “Would it be okay with you if we did?”
The thoughtful look overtook his face as he tapped his chin. “Well, I’ve been thinkin’ about it, and I decided it would be really cool to be a big brother.”
And just when I thought my life couldn’t possibly get any better, the two of them went and gave me more.
The End.
Thank you so much for reading!