Epilogue
Jake
Today is Christmas Eve. I wake up with Scarlett’s warm body snuggled next to mine in my bed.
A lot has changed around here. Over the course of the summer Scarlett and I worked together at all the farmer’s markets.
Once she got her beehive from Ned going she found all these different ways to add honey into my existing products as well.
The ladies all love her. In fact, they’ve formed a book club in town.
The ages range from younger than Scarlett to almost eighty years old.
I can’t even begin to imagine what they talk about.
In fact, I try not to think about what they read or discuss, ever.
Later today Amelia and Cami are coming over for Christmas Eve dinner.
Scarlett spent all day yesterday baking an enormous amount of cookies so today, the cooking is all on me.
I look at her beautifully peaceful face, hair wild against the pillow, skin soft, eyes closed.
This little fireball of energy came into my life like a whirlwind and I could not be more grateful.
I think back to the day she moved in, how upset I was that Blaine had promised me that property.
I laugh to myself now. Oh how quickly I let that go.
And now, she lives with me and we rent out the cottage that she updated.
On top of being an amazing woman, farmer, and friend, she’s an incredible host. Guests arrive to freshly baked bread and cookies, some beers in the fridge and usually a bottle of wine on the counter.
She left her reading corner over there, stocked with a fair amount of books and she advertises it online.
I guess when her followers saw her redoing the cottage they all said how jealous they were.
Now they have the chance to come stay if they want.
I do my best to roll over slightly and grab a tiny box in my nightstand that I’ve had for months.
I bought it knowing that I was going to use it, but with zero plan of how and when.
Once my fingers wrap around the velvety box I pull it out and roll back over, facing Scarlett.
I wait for her to wake up and practice in my mind what I want to say.
This year has been without a doubt the best year of my life.
Scarlett has opened up my mind, and my heart to a love I didn’t know existed.
Maybe I knew it existed, but I’d lost faith that it was going to happen for me.
Scarlett begins to make her adorable little moans and groans confirming that she’s waking up.
I run my hand along her arm and her blue-green eyes pop open.
“Good morning,” she says. “Merry Christmas Eve.”
“Merry Christmas Eve,” I say back. “Hey, I wanted to ask you something.”
“Oh yeah? Before coffee? Living on the edge this morning I see.” I laugh but the nerves in my chest flutter to life.
“It’s really important.”
“Okay, should I be worried?” She rolls over onto her side facing me and furrows her brow causing a crease in between them. I rub my thumb along the line that formed and she smiles as she relaxes her face.
“No. No need to be worried. Did you know that you’re the love of my life?
” Her expression morphs into a confused surprise and she holds still while I continue.
“Because you are. For years now, I’ve woken up in the morning because it was better than the alternative.
I’ve been going through the motions and sticking to a routine because I didn’t have a reason not to.
You, my dear fiery Scarlett, are now my reason for waking up in the morning.
Every night that I get to sleep next to you is a night that I feel grateful for.
You are the light in the darkness and the fire in the wood stove.
I would be nothing, this life would be nothing without you by my side.
” I slide my hand out from under the sheets and pop open the little box.
“And I just wanted to know if you would do me the honor of marrying me?”
Scarlett nods her head furiously as tears stream freely down her face.
Months ago Scarlett and I were at a fancy restaurant in Beulah, not the sushi place, of course.
We were sitting at a table in the middle of our meal when all of a sudden the man next to us got up, asked for the attention of the entire restaurant and made a huge show of asking his girlfriend to marry him.
When it was all said and done the entire restaurant clapped and Scarlett looked at me with a weird expression on her face.
“I’m glad that went well for him but man, that is my worst nightmare.”
“What is? Being proposed to?” I was joking but also feeling out where she was in her head. I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her but we hadn’t really had any official conversation about it yet.
“No, but being proposed to so publicly, yes. I mean what if she had said no? What if she wasn’t sure at all what she wanted?
And he just stood up in front of everyone, getting their attention and kind of making it all about himself really.
” She shimmied her shoulders as if the idea of being in her place physically bothered her.
“My anxiety could never.” So I made a mental note then that whenever I did finally ask Scarlett there would be no fanfare, no one else around, and no pressure.
In our bed, on the morning of Christmas Eve my heart is so full of gratitude and love for the path my life has taken that I just can’t wait anymore.
“Thank you for not doing it in front of anyone else,” she said, taking the ring out of the box and slipping it onto her left hand. “This is gorgeous, when did you get this?”
“Remember that time I said I needed to go help Rosie with something after the farmer’s market?” Scarlett nods her head, a wide smile forming. “Well actually, Rosie was helping me pick it out.”
“You didn’t ask your sister?” Scarlett asks, surprised.
“That big mouth? Nope. Turns out Rosie is a steel trap.” Scarlett laughs and then snuggles in closer for a hug.
“I love you Mountain Man.”
“Of all the nicknames, that’s the one that’s going to stick around huh?” She nods against my chest and I let out a chuckle. “Well, there are worse options. What do you say we get up and get some breakfast in us?”
“I have a better idea,” she says and I can hear the grin in her voice.
I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life the way that I’m sure I want to spend every morning for the rest of my life waking up next to this woman.