Epilogue
I tap my pen against the conference table, waiting for the meeting to start. I’m half dreading and half looking forward to the big reveal, but mostly, I just want to get it over with.
“Welcome back!” Taryn sits down beside me. “How was Thailand?”
“It was amazing.”
“Really?” She frowns. “Even working with Nate?”
Especially working with Nate. But I’m not going to broach that topic just yet.
“You know”—I glance down, already feeling the sting of a blush—“I was wrong about him. He’s actually not that bad to work with.”
“Oh my gosh!” she gasps.
“What?” Shelly asks as she walks into the room. “What happened?”
Taryn turns to her with a knowing smile. “Carly likes Nate.”
Shelly’s mouth falls to the floor. “What?”
“You guys.” I shake my head, trying to play it cool, but my smile gives me away. “It’s not that big of a deal.”
“What’s not a big deal?” Rodney asks as he enters the conference room.
Shelly begins singing, “Carly and Nate sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G.”
His brows crumple as he puzzles it out, then they skyrocket up to his hairline. “You and Nate?”
“I mean?—”
“How did it happen?” he interrupts me.
“How did what happen?” Lyle breezes through the door, holding his morning coffee and his laptop.
Rodney points to me. “She’s got it bad for Nate, if you know what I mean.”
My head falls into my hands. This is not how I thought the announcement would go. I was thinking something a lot more private and discreet, like a soft launch. But there’s nothing soft about this.
“Got it bad?” Lyle questions. “Like she hates him even more?”
“No, like they…” Taryn goes silent, prompting me to look up to see what she’s doing. To my mortification, she’s formed a heart with her fingers to explain to Lyle our relationship status.
“What?” Lyle turns to me with wide eyes. “You and Nate?”
“Okay, can we all just calm down?” I glance around the room. “This has gotten way out of control.”
“Are you two together?” Shelly asks.
But just as I open my mouth to speak, I hear the familiar chant that used to drive me crazy.
“Nate is great! Nate is great! He brings us donuts late!”
Everyone turns to see Nate holding a brown donut box.
Despite how annoyed I am at this level of attention over a simple inner-office romance, my stomach flips at the sight of him entering the conference room.
He heads straight for me. And just when I thought things couldn’t get worse, Nate bends down and plants a passionate kiss on my lips.
The entire room erupts in cheers.
A triumphant smile covers his mouth as he pulls back. “I missed you,” he whispers with a glimmer. That kiss was premeditated.
“You saw me yesterday, and we talked this morning.” My glare follows him as he begins passing out donuts.
“Okay!” Shelly throws her arms up. “I need some serious details about how this all came about, because I am freaking out right now.”
“Yes!” Taryn looks at Lyle. “Can we talk about this before we dive into work?”
“Absolutely.” Lyle pulls out his chair, taking a seat.
Nate drops into the chair across from me, that same smirk that used to drive me crazy plastered on his lips. “Carly, why don’t you tell them how you couldn’t resist me and totally fell in love with me, mostly against my will?”
My lips purse, trying to keep a smile off my lips.
Oh, he bothers me.
He bothers me so much.
* * *
I sit on the edge of Nate’s desk while he casually leans back in his chair, legs crossed one over the other on his desk.
“So, when are you going to tell me about that dream you had of me?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I say, playing coy.
“Fine. I’ll tell you about the dreams I had.”
“Dreams?” My brows shoot up.
“Oh yeah. Us in the break room, the supply closet, the copy room, my office.” There’s a whole lot of swagger behind his smile. “Maybe we should carry out some of these dreams in real life. Make a checklist we can cross off.”
“Focus.” I bite back my smile, shaking the paper in my hand. “We have a lot to get done. This is still a place of work, remember?”
“I'm getting things done.”
“Oh, yeah. Like what?”
“I'm memorizing your smile, your blue eyes, the way your hair falls over your shoulder, and how good your legs look in that skirt.” He gives me a mischievous grin. “See? A lot is getting done.”
“Because of our relationship, you’ll be less productive than you were before.”
“No, I bet it'll be about the same.”
“You seem a lot more distracted now.”
“Nah, it’s about the same level of distraction I’ve always had.”
I fake like I'm offended. “So what you're saying is that I'm not distracting enough at work?”
“No, that's not what I'm saying. I'm saying it will still just be the same.”
My lips push into a frown.
“Come here,” he says. “I want to show you something.”
“I am here.”
“No, like, come over here.” Nate sits up, placing his feet on the ground, and grabs my hand, pulling me to a stand. “Come here.” His hands go to my hips, and he physically turns me around, sitting me on his lap.
“I'm not sure what HR would say about this,” I laugh.
“Calm down. I just want to show you something. Look right there.” He points to his open office door. “What do you see?”
“Everyone else working.”
“Don't be lame. Tell me what you see from this spot right here.”
I pretend to be annoyed, even though there's nothing annoying about sitting on Nate's lap. My eyes squint, and I look beyond the door to my desk.
“I see my cubicle.”
“Exactly.” He leans in, brushing his lips against my ear. “Every day, I've sat at this desk with a straight shot to you working there. I've been distracted every day for the last nine months.”
A rush of chills creeps down my arms as his whispers spill over my neck.
“I've been distracted by your hair, the way you crinkle your brows when you're thinking hard about something, the way you bounce your knee up and down when you're in a hurry and trying to get out of the office, the way you twist your hair when you're lost in thought, or how you lift your arms and arch your back to stretch. That one might be the most distracting.”
I elbow him in the ribs, but he just laughs good-naturedly.
“I don't know, Nate.” I turn my head so our lips are centimeters apart. “Kind of seems like you never hated me at all.”
“It definitely seems like that, doesn't it?” He places a kiss on my cheek.
“It's a wonder you got any work done.”
Another kiss, but this time on my lips.
I spin around in his lap so I'm facing him, locking my arms around his neck. We spend the next few minutes kissing until Lyle clears his throat.
“If you two don’t stop, I'm going to have to hire an actual HR person.”
“It's not necessary, Lyle. I'm going back to work.”
Lyle grunts as he walks away.
I stand, but Nate clamps his fingers around my wrist. “Okay, but come back in ten minutes.”
I roll my eyes, but I’ll definitely be back in ten minutes.
* * *
“Let’s go over this again,” I say as we drive to Scottsdale to Nate’s parents' house for his brother’s engagement party. “Why aren't we telling your family the truth about our relationship and how it really started?”
“We don't need to get bogged down with all the details and technicalities.”
“You just don't want to tell them because it'll make you look bad.”
“Exactly. I ended the Thailand trip on a high with my dad. If we tell him I lied, our relationship will get knocked down a peg or two. Besides, is it really a lie? We've been messaging back and forth for months. We already liked each other. The specifics of when we actually became more don’t matter.”
“Fine. We don't have to tell them today, but eventually, someday, promise me that you'll come clean with your parents.”
“You bet. It'll be a deathbed-repentance type thing.”
I press my lips together, amused once again by Nate’s lackadaisical personality. If I were in his shoes, I’d probably have a three-page paper typed up, detailing the exact outline of my confessional. But he’s keeping me loose, and hopefully, I’m keeping him a little more on task.
Nate turns his truck into his parents’ drive, and I gasp. Obviously, I know his parents are rich—I just ran an event for them where no expense was spared—but seeing it in real life is different.
“Did you grow up here?” I take in the luxurious but contemporary two-story house. The cream-and-tan exterior bounces beautifully off the desert walls with minimalistic landscaping that perfectly captures the vibe of Arizona.
“No, they bought this when I was in college.” He parks the car and turns off the ignition.
“Pity.”
“Are you ready to do this?”
“It shouldn’t be that different than faking things in Thailand, should it?”
We step out of the car, and Nate takes my hand. “I hope it’s a lot better. I barely liked you in Thailand.”
I loop my other hand through his arm. “That’s not what your Apple Watch said.”
“You’ll be happy to know I finally figured that thing out.”
“It’s about time.”
We step through the back gate, and I gasp again. White tents are situated around the yard, providing shade for the guests. Bouquets of white flowers hang from everything and are in the center of every table.
“There’s my dad.” I feel Nate’s hand tense in mine.
I lean in, reassuring him. “You ended Thailand on a high, remember?”
He nods once just before his dad walks up.
“Glad you guys could make it.” Mack Farnsworth turns to me, and maybe it’s the fact that we’re at his house or that I’ve seen him in a swimsuit, but he doesn’t seem as intimidating anymore. “Carly, it’s good to see you again.”
“Thanks for having me.”
Connie steps toward us with open arms. “You made it!” She wraps one arm around each of us, hugging us close, but as soon as the hug is done, she grabs my hand. “Come on. There are so many people I need to introduce you to. Everyone is dying to meet the woman that finally tamed my wild son.” She smiles back at Nate. “You don’t mind, do you?”
Nate’s brows lift. “That you called me wild or that you’re stealing my date?”
She laughs like her son is the funniest person she’s ever heard, even though he actually kind of is.
As I walk off with Connie, I look back to see Mack put a hand on Nate’s shoulder, ushering him over to a conversation with a group of men. My heart melts a little.
With time, I think Nate and his dad will find some common ground.
Just like we did.
* * *
On a suggestion from Nate, I invited my family to a park near my house for a Sunday barbeque. My townhome is too small to host, and my parents’ house makes me itch and twitch and want to throw up, so a neutral park seemed like a good option.
I was nervous.
I’ve never really introduced anyone to my family before. It’s always felt like such a personal thing. They’d see our Catterson crazy and judge me for it, but after thirty seconds, Nate is on the ground with my little brothers, wrestling. He doesn’t even seem to mind that Caroline is throwing grass on his head while he’s wrestling.
“He’s cute, Carly,” my mom says as she watches them.
“I know.”
“Does this mean grandbabies are in the near future?” My dad smiles from his spot in front of the grill, cooking hamburgers.
“You still have six kids at home. What do you possibly need a grandchild for?”
“The more, the merrier!”
“I hate to break it to you, but you’ll have to wait for grandchildren.” I shake my head with a smile. “We’ve only been officially dating for two weeks. Let’s just give it some time.”
“I’m happy to wait.” My mom puts her arm around my shoulder. “I’m just glad to see you. If Nate is to thank for getting you to spend some time with us, then there’s no rush on anything else.”
I’m not sure what exactly changed, if it was Nate or me, but I’m finally realizing there’s a place in my life for my crazy family. I just had to accept them for who they are and then make room for that relationship.
* * *
Nate and I walk hand in hand into Oregano’s for my monthly friends' dinner.
“Since when did it become cool to bring your significant other to girls’ night out?” Blair mutters.
“If Juliet can bring Vinny every once in a while, why can’t I bring Nate?” I wait for Nate to pull out a chair for me before I sit.
Vinny’s hands lift. “Hey, leave me out of this.”
“I’ll leave if this isn’t allowed.” Nate points over his shoulder to the exit.
“It’s fine.” Camila waves Blair off. “She just doesn’t like the reminder that she’s single with no prospects.”
Blair runs her fingers through her short black hair. “I’m only single because I work all the time.”
“You and me both.” Camila gives her a commiserating look.
“That’s why you have to date someone at work.” I fold my napkin onto my lap. “Are there any cute lawyers at your office?”
Camila smiles, playfully tossing her black curly hair behind one shoulder. “Not that I haven’t already gone out with and ghosted.”
I frown then look at Blair. “What about cute IT guys at your work?”
“I don’t think cute and IT go together in the same sentence. Mostly, I just want to kill the men I work with.”
“There still could be potential there.” Nate laughs. “I’m pretty sure Carly wanted to kill me before she got to know me better.”
Blair shakes her head. “It’s not the same.”
“Well, I have an announcement to make that might explain why Vinny is here tonight.” Juliet sits up taller then pauses, dramatically looking around the table until she’s sure she has everyone’s attention. She flips her left hand out in front of everyone, showing off a princess-cut diamond. “Vinny and I are engaged!”
My mouth falls open, and I immediately swing my eyes to Emma. Her face turns pale against her red hair as she studies the engagement ring. Camila, Blair, and I exchange knowing glances.
Juliet’s smile falters. “How come no one is saying anything? Aren’t you excited for us?”
“We’re just shocked,” I sputter, searching for a smile. I guess I always thought Emma and Vinny would somehow find their way back to each other.
“Of course we’re excited.” Emma does her best to fake it. She grabs Juliet’s hand and examines the ring. “It’s beautiful.” As she looks up, Vinny and her lock eyes, until she sucks in a quick breath and looks away.
“So exciting!” Blair gushes.
Camila grabs her hand. “Yeah, the ring is beautiful.”
“When’s the big day?” Nate asks, mostly looking at Vinny.
“We were thinking?—”
Juliet places her hand on Vinny’s arm as she interrupts. “Don’t ask him. He doesn’t have a say in any of this.”
We all listen as Juliet tells us the story of how he proposed, which mostly is about her dropping hints until Vinny finally did it. From the corner of my eye, I watch Emma, and my heart breaks. It’s not like she didn’t know this was coming, but I know it hurts her.
“Well, that’s really exciting.” Blair holds her glass up. “The first of us to get married.”
“Speaking of getting married,” Camila says. “Did I tell you guys that my little sister is engaged?”
“Whoa.” My eyes widen. “She’s only been dating that guy for a little while.”
“Two months.” Camila’s voice is stern. As my friend who doesn’t believe in marriage, I’m sure she’s not a fan of the quick timeline for her baby sister. She’s always been a protective older sister. I can only imagine the amount of friction this is causing between them. “This engagement is ridiculous and will never last if I have anything to say about it.”
“Maybe it will.” Emma shrugs with a hopeful smile.
“I doubt it.” Camila huffs. “They’re having an engagement party in a few weeks. One of those destination weekends to celebrate. But instead of celebrating, I’ll be trying the whole time to convince her this is a mistake.”
“That’s awful!” Emma frowns. “You need to be a supportive sister.”
“That is me being a supportive sister.”
Vinny turns his focus to Nate. “When are you two going to get married?”
Nate’s smile tips into something adorable as he looks at me. “As soon as I can convince this woman she can’t live without me.”
“You’ve already convinced me of that.” I meet his sparkling eyes before turning to the group. “But for now, we’re just taking things slow and trying to get to know each other better.”
“And by that, Carly means they’ll be engaged by the end of summer and married next year.” Juliet laughs.
“Hey, that’s not a bad idea.” Nate puts his arm around me. “Maybe I’ll propose on the cliffs of the rope swing in Moab.”
“Are you guys doing that?” Blair asks.
“Yeah, I’m taking Nate next month. He’s never been. It’ll be our first official adventure as a couple.”
“What was Thailand?” Juliet asks.
“Thailand was fake,” I answer.
“No.” Nate shakes his head. “Thailand was the beginning. Every other adventure is forever.”
I smile, liking the sound of that.
* * *
I can't help but roll my eyes as Nate holds his phone up to show me a picture of a restaurant. “This is the place. It’s a little far, but it’ll be worth it once we get there.”
“We didn’t need to find a restaurant. My itinerary had plenty to choose from by our hotel.” I lean back in my seat, feeling tension creep in. “But instead, we’re riding all the way across town for some place you saw online.”
“Don’t be mad. Or be mad because you’re so cute when you’re grumpy.” He nuzzles close, his usual carefree smile spreading across his face. “Trust me. You’ll thank me later.”
My lips roll together, fighting a smile. I look out the window, watching the city of Tokyo rush by, but all I can think about is how much I’d rather be exploring back in the city by our hotel. Anything but sitting on a bus for what feels like forever.
The bus jerks a little, and I look up to find the driver pulling over to the side of the road. My stomach drops. This is exactly the kind of adventure I didn't want.
“What's going on?” I mutter, more to myself than to Nate.
The driver pops the bus door open, hops out, and checks the engine. Local passengers begin gathering their stuff and exiting the bus like they know something we don’t. I watch as they walk past my window, leaving us in awkward silence as we sit there.
Out of nowhere, Nate starts laughing. Not just a chuckle, but full-on, gut-deep laughter. I blink at him, and something about the irony of the moment makes me crack. I laugh too, uncontrollably, and soon we’re both just sitting there, wiping tears from our eyes. The whole situation is ridiculous, but I can’t stop.
“Well, that didn’t go as planned,” Nate says through his laughter, still shaking his head.
“Yeah, no kidding. We should’ve followed my itinerary,” I tease, but there’s warmth in my voice. I’m not mad anymore. How can I be? It’s us, together, on a broken-down bus in the middle of nowhere. It’s the kind of adventure I love.
“Maybe we should get off too. I don’t think this bus will start again.” Nate grabs my hand, and as we step off onto the roadside.
The view in front of us is stunning. The rolling hills and mountains of Japan stretch out far, the city now a tiny dot in the distance. It’s peaceful. So beautiful that it takes my breath away. And if we hadn’t left, we wouldn’t have experienced it. Classic example of how Nate pushes me in all the right ways.
He pulls me closer, his thumb brushing against my hand. “I know this isn’t what you imagined for the day,” he starts, his voice soft and serious. “It’s definitely not what I imagined. But this right here, this moment, is perfect.”
I tilt my head, confused but smiling.
“I wouldn’t want to do this with anyone else,” he says, staring deep into my blue eyes. “I want to travel the world with you, Carly. Bickering over dinner spots, laughing at things like broken-down buses, and just living life with you. I love how passionate you are about life and the world around you. I love how you challenge me, and don’t take my crap.”
My eyes fill with tears as my heart races. Something in the air shifts, becoming heavier but in the best way.
“I love how you never stop surprising me, how you’re always discovering something new, whether it’s a new place or a new part of yourself. And I love how we don’t need fancy things or perfect moments to be happy. Just being with you, laughing, fighting over checklists, or sitting in silence—those are the moments I want to keep forever.” He gently squeezes my hands. “I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want to see the world with you, laugh with you, and love you through everything.”
He kneels down, and before I can fully process it, he pulls out a ring. “Carly, will you marry me? Will you be the one to spend forever with me, no matter where we are or what we’re doing, as long as we’re together?”
I gasp as happy tears roll down my cheeks. I can’t believe this is happening.
“Yes,” I whisper, barely able to breathe through the excitement. “Yes, of course, yes!”
Nate slips the ring onto my finger, his smile wide and full of love. He stands, pulling me into his arms, holding me tight. There’s nowhere else I’d rather be than right here with him, on this road, in the middle of nowhere, starting the rest of our lives.
The End
Want more of Nate and Carly? I wrote thirteen BONUS SCENES from Nate’s point of view. Download here .
No rings.
No vows.
No 'til death do us part.
As a top divorce attorney who's built her career—and her walls—on the belief that marriage doesn't last, Camila swears she'll never walk down the aisle. After years of watching marriages fall apart, she's sworn off the fairytale.
But when her sister's impending wedding brings her face-to-face with Hess, the cinnamon roll best man who believes in forever, Camila starts to wonder if he's worth risking her heart and her beliefs for. One weekend. One connection. One man who might just make her believe in lasting love. That's until she goes back to work on Monday, and reality comes crashing down, causing her to question everything she thought she knew about love.