Epilogue
Callie
“Oh, it’s so pretty!” I gasp when Nate pulls into the driveway of his home. It’s a beautiful two-story farmhouse. The green roof is covered with snow but the vibrant color peeks through where the accumulation is thin.
The covered porch with the wicker furniture is straight out of a story book. I can already see the summer nights we’ll spend on it, watching the stars come out to play as we talk about our hopes and dreams.
It’s been two days since our Christmas celebration in Silver Bell Hollow. We flew back to Asheville today and have spent the last two or so hours in Nate’s truck.
I see the delight and pride that flickers across his face. He’s proud of his farm. He couldn’t stop pointing things out to me as we drove down the old dirt roads. He’s going to give me the full tour tomorrow. Right now, it’s dusk and we’re all four exhausted from traveling.
The front door of Nate’s house swings open, and there are people spilling out onto his front porch. He groans. “I told them not to do this.”
“It’s OK. They’re your family,” I reassure him even though I’m nervous. I want them to like me. I want to be accepted by his people. It’s important to me.
He gives me a small smile. “Yeah, they are. They were just so excited when I told them about you. Everyone wanted to meet you and Danny.”
“Really?” My eyes fill with tears at the thought. It’s been so long since I’ve had family. Just in the short time that we’ve gone to Montana, I feel like I’ve gained two families. Mary and Christopher Maas, and now Nate’s family. The thought is a little overwhelming.
He looks panicked for a second. “I limited it to just three of them, but I can tell them to go home.”
I manage to croak out, “Happy tears.”
His hunched shoulders ease, some of the tension fading from his body. “I don’t mind your tears. But as long as I’m around, they’ll always be the happy kind.”
I get out of the truck slowly, partly because I’m stiff from being still for so long and partly because I’m feeling so shy. If Nate had told me about this gathering, I would have insisted he pull over at a rest stop so I could freshen up and meet his family looking my best.
Rudy bounds up the steps first. He’s met with kisses and cuddles. Then a petite silver-haired woman rushes down. She envelops me in a hug and says, “I’m Emma May. Welcome to the family.”
“I’m Callie,” I say. “And this is my son—”
“Our son,” Nate corrects quickly.
I can’t help smiling. “Our son, Danny.”
“Let me just look at you,” Emma May says as she takes Danny in her arms. She instantly begins crooning. “Oh, you’re going to be Nana’s boy, aren’t you? Yes, I can already tell. You and I are going to be thick as thieves.”
A man with a bushy beard and a scowl limps forward. Beside him is a woman with short blonde hair. She’s in a tight red dress that shows off her generous curves. Her big smile is unguarded and genuine.
She introduces herself. “I’m Thea, and this is Jasper, my husband. Emma May hasn’t stopped talking about you all week. She’s so excited to have a new daughter-in-law and a new grandson to spoil.”
“I’m excited to meet everyone, too,” I admit.
“Nate said you don’t have much in the way of family,” Jasper says, “but you do now.”
“Thank you,” I croak up at the big man.
“Now come in,” Thea says, looping her arm around mine and dragging me into the farmhouse.
The first thing I notice is the big Christmas tree in the living room that’s decorated with tinsel and popcorn.
The colored lights make me smile, and I can’t stop staring as it blinks. It’s like the tree is welcoming me too.
“We didn’t really know your style,” Thea says, “so we just kind of guessed. Next year, I’ll come over and help you do it exactly the way you want it.”
It’s all so much to take in, and Emma May is still nearby.
She’s pointing to different spots in the house and explaining them to Danny.
“That’s where you’re going to play the guitar that Nana buys you in a few Christmases.
That’s where you and I will build blanket forts.
You see that corner of the living room? Nana is going to fill it with toys for you and… ”
Thea glances at me, and we share a chuckle. “She’s an amazing grandmother, but she will spoil them rotten if you turn your back for one minute.”
“You have kids?” I ask as I follow her up the stairs.
“Emma. She’s already after us for another one.” She opens the door to the bedroom. “This is the nursery for Danny. Jasper made the murals on the wall. He won’t tell you this because my bossy mountain man is way too modest, but he’s a big deal in the art world. Like really big.”
I take in the scene of the playful farm animals with smiling faces. In the picture, there’s a little boy toddling along with a big, brown dog beside him.
“It’s perfect,” I breathe out. “It must have taken him days.”
She shrugs. “He started working the moment Nate called him.”
Tears fill my eyes again. This is so much better than I could have imagined. It’s like we fit into his world.
“I never thought I would have all this again,” I say, and turn toward Nate, who has been trailing us from room to room, looking as nervous as a kid in the principal’s office. “I feel like I’m home.”
He pulls me into his arms. “Good, because you are.”
Thea slips from the room as he kisses me, slowly and deeply, his lips tasting of family and forever. This is the start of our happily ever after.
“What do you think?” I twirl in front of the girls as the wedding gown swishes around my ankles in Danny’s nursery where I’ve been getting ready for the past few hours.
I feel like a beauty queen today. The girls have spent their day pampering me.
In just a few minutes, I’m getting married to the love of my life.
From the comfort of Emma May’s arms, Danny grunts his approval, and I laugh. He’s becoming fast friends with her. The two of them are bonding, and she’s made it clear that she’ll help with anything he needs.
“It’s beautiful!” Thea beams.
I’m marrying Nate here on his farm, right in the living room. There are plenty of beautiful places in town where we could get married. But I wanted it to happen right here, right in my new home.
“I love all the lace,” Sophie adds. She’s another one of Emma May’s daughters by marriage. I’m not sure of her husband’s real name. Everyone calls him Whiskey. I don’t know him that well, but Nate seems to like both Jasper and Whiskey.
“How did you meet your husbands?” I ask the girls.
“I met Jasper at a client’s wedding,” Thea says.
She told me earlier today that she’s a manager for country music stars.
“We made our own music together that night, and I left the next morning, thinking that it was over. When I came back to tell him I was pregnant, he kind of tricked me into getting snowed into his cabin. It’s not my fault.
He makes the best pie, and before I knew it, the snowdrifts were taller than me. ”
“And that is how I got my first grandbaby,” Emma May beams.
“What about you?” I ask Sophie.
“Someone went online and pretended to be Whiskey and rented out his cabin to me.”
“Like a scam?” I gasp and adjust my veil.
Sophie reaches for it, straightening it until it’s perfectly positioned.
“It was not a scam,” Emma May sniffs. “It was the act of a desperate person who wanted her son to find love, which he did, and I couldn’t be happier with the bride he chose.”
“Devious,” I say, glancing at Emma May.
“But it was the best thing that ever happened to me,” Sophie says. “We were both pretty lost and going through some things. We healed together in the middle of our darkness.”
“That sounds like a beautiful beginning,” I murmur happily. A lot of beautiful beginnings seem to happen right here in Courage County.
There’s a knock on the door then Jasper’s head appears. The first thing he does is scan for Thea. When his gaze meets hers, his whole face lights up. The same way that Nate’s does when he sees me.
“It’s time,” he calls softly.
Emma May walks me into the living room where my groom is waiting at the fireplace with Whiskey, our officiant. In Nate’s arms is Danny and beside them is Rudy. The three of us are becoming a family today, so it’s important to me that they are right here with us.
Whiskey is next to Nate and Rudy. He’s got the rings, and he won’t stop beaming at Sophie every time he looks at her. Nate said they’re newlyweds. You can definitely tell from the glow they both seem to have.
Thea and Sophie are standing on the bride’s side. Mary and Christopher are smiling from the TV. We’re livestreaming our wedding to the Naughty List Ranch so they can share our special day with us.
Emma May gives me a tight hug before she puts my hand in Nate’s. As I look into his eyes, I can’t ever remember being this happy before.
We recite our vows in front of our two families, promising to love, protect, and cherish one another all of our days. When we’re done, we seal the promise with a kiss that gets the sweetest giggle from Danny, as if he knows how amazing and special today is.
The next hours pass in a blur of gifts, snacks, and joy. We’re having an off-Christmas celebration since Nate and I weren’t here in Courage for Christmas. Apparently, it’s what Emma May does for all her boys. She says the date isn’t important, just taking one day a year to love one another.
Danny and baby Emma, named after her kindly grandmother, get more gifts than anyone. But the way I’ve seen Jasper put his hands on Thea’s stomach when he thinks no one is looking, it’s pretty obvious that Nana will have another grandchild to spoil very soon.
“It won’t be long until they have another little one,” Nate whispers in my ear, confirming what I was thinking too. We’re sitting side-by-side on his loveseat in the living room. He’s been pressed up against me in every possible way ever since we finished our vows.
“I would love to have more kids one day,” I answer, watching as Danny is more enamored with the box that Emma May gave him than he is the pile of toys she bought him.
He gives me a heated look. “We can work on that.”
“Your family’s still here,” I argue.
“Right.” He stands from the loveseat and claps his hands together, drawing the attention of our guests. “Time for you all to go home. My wife is tired.”
The men chuckle and the women break into knowing smiles while my cheeks heat. I stand up and smack his chest lightly. “You’re crazy.”
He captures my hand and gives me a smile full of contentment. “Crazy for my wife.”
I melt at his words. I’ll never get tired of hearing him call me that. “Nate…”
Without warning, he scoops me into his arms and starts toward the stairs, calling over his shoulder, “Put on some loud Christmas carols!”
I giggle all the way up the stairs. This has been the perfect Christmas.