54. Epilogue
Epilogue
Six Months Later
Istand at the doorway of the bookstore, my bookstore, and take a deep breath. The Second Chapter is officially mine. I can hardly believe it.
I walk inside, seeing the entire shop with brand-new eyes. I’ve worked here for over a year. I know the ins and outs of this place like the back of my hand. And now…it’s all mine.
When Coco came to me last month and told me how badly she wanted to retire, but couldn’t bear the idea of strangers owning the store she worked so hard to build, I held my breath and prayed.
I listened to her talk about the hard work that went into making it successful. The late nights. The risks. The sacrifices. I listened as she described what it felt like to see her vision come to life, how owning this bookstore was easily the biggest accomplishment of her life.
As she talked about her dream, I realized how badly I wanted one of my own. I wanted to put my name on something successful, something I could pour my heart and soul into. So while she spoke about the years she’d spent building this place, I thought about the life I wanted to build.
When she said she had an offer for me, I accepted without a second thought. Without fear of how I could afford it and without knowing how to run a business. I jumped in without worrying about the fall. I knew, without a doubt, this was my next step. This is what I’m meant to be doing.
As I move through the store now, I think about the way I told Nick when Coco offered it to me. How he hugged me and spun me around, telling me he had all the faith in the world in me. That he knew I would be amazing and he never doubted me.
He just said he believed in me and asked how he could help. That was it. No questions. No hesitation. If it were possible, I would have fallen even deeper in love with him in that moment.
I waited my entire life to be loved, truly and completely. I hadn’t been loved by my family, and I sure hadn’t gotten it with Simon. But I knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, Nick loved me. All of me. He shows me in ways both big and small, each and every day.
I take a deep breath as I let my mind wander to how I woke up this morning, naked and tangled up in his bedsheets.
We made love, sweetly and slowly, and then lay together with his fingers running through my hair as he told me he was so proud of everything I’d accomplished since coming to this tiny mountain town.
He never misses the opportunity to let me know I’m adored.
He promises to spend the rest of our lives proving it to me. And I have no doubt he will.
As I walk around the counter, organizing a display of bookmarks and still trying to wrap my head around the fact this is now mine, I hear the bell ring over the front door. “I’m sorry, we’re not open today…” I begin, looking up to see who has come in.
I lift my head and immediately spot the most beautiful man with the sweetest chocolate eyes looking back at me, his arm full of a beautiful bouquet of my favorite flowers and a shy smile on his face.
“Hi, pretty girl. I wanted to give you these,” Nick says as he hands me the bouquet. I bring them to my nose, smiling up at him through my lashes.
I smell them again. “Thank you. They’re beautiful.”
“It’s the little things, Lydi,” he says, winking at me. “I also wanted to see if you’d have dinner with me tonight. I wanted to celebrate your special day and new adventure.”
I take a moment to just look at him. My God, he’s beautiful, and he’s all mine.
We’ve been together for several months now, and I already can’t imagine my life without him. We fall asleep side by side most nights, wrapped in each other’s arms. Being in his embrace has become my favorite place in the world. My safe place.
There are no more monsters waiting around corners. No more shadows creeping up behind me. And even if there were…Nick would keep me safe. Always.
“I will absolutely have dinner with you,” I say, setting the flowers down on the counter before wrapping my arms around his neck.
He kisses me, deep and slow. It’s impossible not to feel the love he holds for me in it.
Nick
I make Lydia dinner tonight, nothing fancy, just a few of her favorites I know she loves. I pour her wine, watch her laugh, and revel in the way her face glows in the candlelight.
I am so proud to call her mine.
“I wanna show you something,” I say, reaching for her hand. She smiles, taking my palm.
We drive down the familiar road to the edge of my property, the truck windows down, the evening light stretching long and gold. I park at the edge of my land where the mountains tower in the distance and the grass sways in the breeze.
We get out and walk hand in hand among the wildflowers growing around us. We watch as the sun dips low, the sky softening into pinks and blues. “This is all mine,” I say quietly. “It has been for a long time.”
Lydia smiles. “I know. I love it here. It’s so beautiful.”
I turn to her fully, taking both of her hands in mine.
“I used to come here a lot by myself, to think about my life and how it felt like it hadn’t really started.
I didn’t want to be alone. I knew in my gut there was someone out there I was meant to share all this with.
I just hadn’t met her yet. I hadn’t met you. ”
A small gasp escapes her lips.
“I want to share everything I have with you,” I say. “This land. A home. A life. I want to build a future with you. I want to have babies with you who have your gorgeous blue eyes and unruly hair. I want us to go on adventures and make a million memories. I want us to grow old together.”
I reach into my pocket and drop to one knee, right here in the grass.
“Lydia…I love you. I don’t ever want to let go of your hand. Will you make me the happiest man alive and be my wife?”
She’s crying before I’ve even finished asking the question.
“Yes,” she whispers, then laughs through it. “Yes, baby. Of course I will.”
I stand, pulling her into my arms, holding her like I always have, strong and careful, like she’s the most precious thing in the world. Because she is.
As the sun disappears behind the hills, Lydia rests her head against my chest, her new ring catching the last of the light.
Standing here with her feels like home.
This life.
This love.