Epilogue
Lucy
The following month, Mood Reader is packed for Philly’s event, and Rose and her co-owner Mia are flittering around, making sure everyone has what they need and is all settled before the Q&A begins.
TJ places a kiss on the sensitive spot on my neck that I love so much. “You ready for this?” he whispers into my ear.
“Yeah.” I stand up straighter. “Yeah, I think I really am.”
He wraps his arms around me as Rose takes her seat in one of the armchairs at the front of Mood Reader.
“It is an absolute delight to welcome one of my favorite authors to Cashmere Cove tonight. Philomena Grace is the bestselling author of five small-town contemporary romances set in the American South. She lives in Texas with her emotional support houseplants. She loves her writing group and nineties romcoms, and has recently embarked upon a personal journey—a quest, if you will—to bake the perfect chocolate chip cookie.” The crowd titters.
“So put your hands together and give Philomena Grace your warmest Mood Reader welcome.”
TJ and I clap along with the rest of the crowd as Philly walks out from behind the nearest bookshelf and takes a seat next to Rose. Mia hands her a microphone.
Cassie joins TJ and me from where she was with Philly behind the bookshelf. “You good?” she asks out of the corner of her mouth.
I can’t help but chuckle. “You guys must think I’m going to faint or try to bolt or something.” I flick my gaze between TJ and Cassie, dropping my voice to a whisper. “I promise. I’m good. I’m excited.”
I tune back in to Rose and Philly’s conversation. “Talk to us a little about your process,” Rose says. “What do you do when you get the seedling idea for a new story?”
“That’s one of my favorite parts of the process, actually.
Those early days when the world is my story oyster.
Anything is possible, and I’m brainstorming to my heart’s content.
There’s something so freeing in that. And—” Philly gazes out over the crowd.
Her eyes connect with mine, and her smile grows.
“I’m blessed to have the best writing partners in crime.
Two other well-known authors and I share the same agent, and we bounce ideas back and forth all the time. ”
My pulse picks up.
“Can I ask who your writing pals are?” Rose leans forward.
“Of course.” Philly smiles. “Ava Reese and Beatrix Bell.”
Rose lets out a low whistle. “Does this mean you know the elusive Ava Reese?”
“I absolutely do.” Philly grins. “She’s the best. She’s actually here tonight.”
“What?” Rose squeaks into the microphone as the entire audience starts buzzing.
“That’s your cue, sweetheart.” TJ places another kiss behind my ear. “Go get ’em. I’m so proud of you.”
“Lucy Dupree, ladies and gentlemen.” Philly stands and holds out her arm, motioning me forward.
I keep my eyes on the stage, and I walk down the center aisle of chairs that Mia and Rose set up.
Rose’s jaw is on the floor. The audience is cheering as I join them. I catch some shocked expressions, but the overall mood is positive. It’s a relief.
“Are you kidding me, Lu?” Rose shakes her head. “All this time I was fangirling over Ava Reese, and you were—are—Ava Reese?” She shakes her head again. “Let’s all sit so we can discuss this. I have lots of questions for both of you.”
Mia appears with another chair and hands me a microphone, her eyes wide and sparkling.
I take my seat and, at the back of the room, spot TJ grinning widely. Cassie has her phone out. She’s recording this for my official Ava Reese social media pages.
Philly grabs my hands and squeezes, looking at me with question marks in her eyes. I love her for wanting to make sure I’m alright. I squeeze her hand back and smile. I knew this would be scary, but I’m actually more excited right now than anything.
“Lucy—er, Ava—welcome.” Rose laughs breathlessly. “Sorry, I’m floored. I’m afraid I’m going to totally butcher this.”
“You could never,” I tell her with a smile. Rose is one of the most capable people I know.
“First of all, I have to say thank you to Philly for letting me piggyback on her event. The real news of the day is how absolutely incredible her latest release is, am I right?” I look out at the crowd, and those in attendance cheer in agreement.
“Lucy definitely helped shape it into what it is,” Philly puts in. “It’s so nice to finally be able to give her some of the credit she deserves.”
Rose glances between us. “Why now, Ava? What makes this the right time to share your identity?”
I sit up straighter, wanting to get this right.
“It’s been quite a year. After a very public incident, which has been rehashed to death at this point,” I add with a chuckle, “I thought I’d never be able to admit that I’m a romance author.
I was afraid readers would blackball my books.
But I couldn’t live in that fear anymore.
I started dating an incredible man, and together we realized that we don’t want to do life halfway.
We owe it to ourselves to hold nothing back.
So this is another step in coming out of the shadows and living my life to the fullest. I’m proud of my stories, and I feel safe enough in who I am to let others know I’m behind them.
They’re not going to be for everyone, just like I’m not for everyone, but I hope they continue to find the right readers.
It’s always an honor when someone gives my book some of their precious time.
Now that my identity isn’t hidden, I’ll be able to interact with readers and thank them in person.
That’s my main impetus for stepping forward now. ”
The rest of the conversation passes in a blur, and it’s two hours later by the time Philly and I finish chatting with those who came out.
TJ has been by my side through it all, and I lean back into him as Rose closes the door to Mood Reader behind the last fan.
“Well,” Cassie says, her heels click-clacking on the wooden floor as she joins us from the back storeroom. “I’d say that was a huge success.”
“I still don’t even believe this. You little stinker!” Rose points at me before she wraps me in a hug. “I’m so proud to know you.”
I laugh as I ease out of her hug. “I’m still me.”
“And you’re exceptional.” TJ kisses me on the cheek before turning to scan the room. “Would you ladies mind if I stole Lu? There’s something I’ve been wanting to do for literal hours.”
My friends nod, and TJ wastes no time spinning me around, scooping me into his arms, and cradling me like he’s about to carry me over the threshold.
“TJ!” I wrap my arms around his neck. “What are you doing? Where are we going?”
“You’ll see.” He walks me out the back door and sets me in the passenger seat of his truck.
I ask a million questions, but he’s tight-lipped as he drives us away from downtown Cashmere Cove.
We’re headed in the direction of Green Bay—I can tell that much.
When I realize TJ isn’t going to talk to me about what he has planned, I sit back in my seat and relish the feel of his hand holding mine.
He pulls up to the River Foxes stadium thirty minutes later and helps me out of the truck. The stadium is dark and quiet. He leads me through the player entrance, his hand in mine as he weaves us through a few hallways.
“TJ.” My heart flutters, guessing what he’s doing. “Where are you taking me?”
He looks over his shoulder as he stops in front of a nondescript door. “You’re not afraid of heights these days, are you?” he asks with a small smile.
My breath catches. “Not with you, I’m not.”
“Good.” He opens the door and squeezes my fingers.
TJ
“TJ,” Lucy says carefully, her usually airy voice sounding deeper and raspier. “What are we doing here?”
I settle down next to her on the scaffolding overlooking our stadium’s atrium. I look over at her—this woman, this most beautiful woman. I smile. “Don’t you know? You have to know, Lu. You’ve written this scene countless times before. Back where it all began. The story coming full circle.”
Lucy shakes her head and opens her mouth, but then closes it again as her eyes fill with tears.
I squeeze her hands and lean forward to kiss the apples of both of her cheeks. “Don’t cry, Cinderella.”
She sniffs out a laugh. “They’re happy tears.”
I hum. “Why’s that?”
She smiles up at me. “Because this is so much better than any of the stories I’ve ever written.”
“I haven’t even done what I brought you up here to do yet.”
“Well.” She smiles slyly at me. “Get on with it, then. I’m waiting.”
I grin. “I’ve been waiting to ask you this for weeks, Lu.
Months, even. When we were here in December, I had no idea the gorgeous woman in the vintage wedding gown would be the woman who cracked open my outer shell and showed me that I was living a half-life.
I thought I was okay, but a life devoid of love isn’t really a life at all.
” I keep my eyes fixed on hers, watching as they glisten with growing pools of tears.
“Lucy, you have shown me so much about inner strength and facing the hard stuff with courage and integrity. I adore your shy side and your spitfire side. I love when you’re bold and brave, and I want to be by your side when you need to tuck yourself away and restore your sense of peace. ”
Lucy lets out a small sniffle, but she’s smiling, so I take that as a good sign.
I wedge the ring box out from under the lip of scaffolding near where I’m sitting and flip it open.
Lucy gasps as her eyes fly down to the round center stone flanked by a smaller stone on each side.
“It’s an honor to stand by your side and watch you shine.
Your mind amazes me. Your heart humbles me.
You’re my best friend, Lu, and it would be an honor to be your husband. Will you marry me?”
She throws her arms around my shoulders, and I gather her close, clinging to the ring so I don’t drop it.
“Yes, TJ. Yes, of course I will.” Lucy grips me tight, and I hold her, my own emotions wedging their way into the back of my throat.
I can’t believe I’m here. I had given up on this—had given up trying for more because I was afraid. But come what may, it’s all worth it for any moment I get to experience with Lucy.
She leans away and cups my face, drawing my mouth to hers in a kiss filled with so much promise, my lungs seize.
“I love you forever, Lu,” I whisper, when she pulls back.
“I love you too, TJ.” She exhales. “This ring is incredible. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
I hold it up so she can examine it.
“It’s pretty special to me,” I tell her. I point to the stone on the left side of the center stone. “This was my mom’s diamond.”
Lu’s hands fly up to her mouth. “Really?”
I nod and move my finger to the other side, keeping my eyes on her. “This was your mom’s diamond.”
“What?” Her watery eyes search mine. “How?” she whispers.
“Ruby helped me. Your dad had it in a safe for you, for some day. I hope it’s okay,” I add, watching her to make sure this is what she wants.
“I thought it was a beautiful tribute to the past, with the center stone reminding us to live in the present. The whole ring itself is my promise to you of my heart and my life, whatever the future may bring.”
Lucy lets out a sob as I slip the ring on her finger, and then she scoots into my lap, holding me close as I cradle her and whisper my love for her into her ear.
“You sure you’re not a closet poet, TJ? That was so beautiful.” Lucy holds out her hand to study the ring. “I cannot get over this. It’s perfect for me.” She kisses my temple. “You’re perfect for me.”
The sound of feedback coming from below makes us both jump.
“Sorry to interrupt!” Gram speaks into a megaphone. “I’d like to hug my granddaughter-to-be, so if you two could move your hineys down here, we can get this engagement party started.”
Lu splutters out a laugh. “You invited your grandparents?”
“Yeah.” I rub the back of my neck. “And my teammates, and your writer friends, and your family from California.” I swivel her in my arms so she can look down as everyone trickles into the Atrium below. They’re all cheering and clapping for us.
“Did she say yes?” Poe hollers up.
“Yes!” Lucy yells down with a laugh, shaking her head and waving as all our favorite people wave up at her, before turning to me. “This is the best day.”
I kiss her, swift and deep. “As much as I’d like to keep you to myself, are you ready to head down to our party?”
We stand and make our way to the door that leads to the stairs. Lucy pauses. “We’ll get there faster if you carry me.” She bats her eyelashes, and I hoist her over my shoulders.
She giggles as I charge down the steps.
“Be honest,” I say. “You only asked to be toted around because you like the view.”
“Guilty,” she says with a pat to my butt.
“Knew it, you little sneak.”
“You’re stuck with me, TJ, and this perfect peach is all mine.”
I make it to the bottom of the stairs and set Lucy on her feet again. Her cheeks are pink from being turned upside-down, and her hair fans out around her face. Her eyes are sparkling with delight, and I can’t believe she’s mine.
I laugh because this is living, and then I lean down and kiss her.