Epilogue 3
Sam - Twenty-five Years Later
I stood in our kitchen, watching Chloe. She was plating the meat I’d grilled outside, her reading glasses perched on her head where she’d forgotten them again, wearing one of my old flannels over her jeans.
At fifty-three, she was more beautiful than the day I’d proposed to her in her clinic waiting room with wild daisies and a four-year-old accomplice.
“Stop staring and open the wine,” she said without looking up, a smile playing at her lips.
“I like staring at my wife.”
“You’re going to burn the corn.”
I rescued the corn from the grill just in time, bringing it inside to where she’d set our small kitchen table for two.
No fancy restaurant tonight. No grand celebration marking twenty-five years of marriage.
Just us, a home-cooked meal, and the two dogs currently sprawled on the floor, hoping for dropped food.
“The kids really outdid themselves this morning,” Chloe said as we sat down, glancing at the balloons still bobbing in the corner and the anniversary cake on the counter. “Balloons, cards, wine, cake. They didn’t have to make such a fuss.”
“They wanted to.” I poured the wine they’d brought into both our glasses.
“Monroe texted me again this afternoon – today’s lunchtime was a record.
Apparently, the new menu is a hit.” I smiled.
“And Declan sent a photo from the site where the Rosewood Inn used to be. They break ground on the new community center tomorrow.”
“That’s wonderful.” Chloe’s face lit up with pride. “They’ve all found their own paths, haven’t they?” She paused, her smile turning wistful. “Even the one who’s currently on the other side of the country being humble about his success.”
As if summoned by her words, my phone buzzed with an incoming video call. Leo’s name flashed on the screen.
“Speak of the devil,” I said, answering and propping the phone against the wine bottle so Chloe and I were both in frame. “Hey, buddy.”
“Happy anniversary!” Leo’s face filled the screen, his smile so much like mine it still caught me off guard sometimes. At thirty, he had Jenna’s dark hair and eyes but my smile, my build, my tendency to deflect compliments. “Sorry, I’m calling during dinner. I know you two wanted it quiet.”
“It’s perfect timing,” Chloe said warmly. “How’s Seattle?”
“Rainy. Dog-filled. The usual.” Leo shifted the camera to show a large room with several dogs lounging on various beds and couches. “The Bellamy’s shepherd is finally letting me work with her without the muzzle. Took three weeks, but we’re getting there.”
“That’s the one who bit two previous trainers?” I asked.
“The same. But she’s not aggressive, she’s just scared. Someone hurt her badly before Bob and Sue Bellamy adopted her.” Leo’s face came back into view, his expression serious. “I’ve been doing groundwork, building trust. She’s starting to understand that not all humans are going to hurt her.”
This was Leo’s gift – the same gift he’d had since he was four years old, and Duke the traumatized German Shepherd had laid his head in Leo’s lap.
My son didn’t train dogs; he understood them, spoke their language, helped them heal.
He’d built a career on it, become successful enough that people flew him all over the country to work with their animals.
But he’d never bought into the fame that came with it. He did occasional interviews when pressed, turned down reality TV offers regularly, and kept his social media presence minimal. For Leo, it had always been about the dogs, not the recognition.
“When are you coming home?” Chloe asked, and I heard the hope in her voice. Leo had been away for two years now, moving from job to job across the country. We’d visited him a few times, but it wasn’t the same as having him home.
“Actually…” Leo’s expression shifted to something I couldn’t quite read. “That’s part of why I called. I thought I might come back to Willowbrook after I finish up here.”
Chloe’s hand found mine under the table. “Really?”
“I miss home. Miss you guys. Miss Monroe’s cooking and Declan’s terrible jokes.” He paused. “And I’ve been away long enough. There are some things I need to sort out.”
I exchanged a glance with Chloe. We both knew what – who – he meant.
“We’d love to have you home,” Chloe said softly. “For as long as you want to stay.”
“Thanks, Mama.” Leo’s smile was genuine but nervous. “Anyway, I should let you two get back to your anniversary dinner. Just wanted to say I love you both. Happy twenty-five years. You guys are relationship goals.”
“We love you too, sweetheart,” Chloe said. “Call us when you know your flight details?”
“Will do. Enjoy your steaks.” He grinned. “I can see them on the plates. Don’t let Dad sneak the dogs any under the table.”
“I wasn’t—” I started to protest, but Leo just laughed and ended the call.
Chloe looked at me, her eyes bright with tears. “He’s coming home.”
“He’s coming home,” I confirmed, pulling her hand to my lips. “It’s time.”
We ate in comfortable silence for a few minutes, but I could see Chloe’s mind working through what Leo’s return would mean.
“Twenty-five years,” she said finally, looking up at me with a soft smile. “Can you believe it?”
“Some days it feels like yesterday. Other days it feels like you’ve always been mine.”
“Sap,” she accused, but her eyes were warm.
“You love it.”
“I really do.” She set down her fork, her expression turning slightly watery. “Look at us now. Three kids, a thriving clinic, the Copper Fox is still going strong. Monroe is running the bar better than you ever did.”
“Hey now,” I protested mildly.
“It’s true, and you know it. She has my people skills and your organizational brain. Deadly combination.”
I laughed because she was absolutely right. Monroe had transformed The Copper Fox over the past three years, expanding the menu, hosting community events, and turning it into something better than it ever was when I ran it.
“Declan’s doing well too,” I said. “Jack tells me he’s one of the best young contractors he’s worked with. Says he has an eye for detail.”
“High praise from Jack.” Chloe smiled. “Harper told me they’re thinking about officially making him a partner in a few years if he keeps progressing.”
“Our kids turned out okay,” I said, a massive understatement.
“They turned out more than okay.” Chloe’s voice was fierce with pride. “They’re good people, Sam. Kind people. People who know how to work hard and how to love.”
“They learned that from you.”
“They learned it from us,” she corrected. “From watching us together.”
Maple chose that moment to rest her head on Chloe’s lap, looking up with soulful eyes that clearly said she deserved some steak. Chloe laughed and gave her a small piece.
“You’re a soft touch,” I said.
“You were about to give her some.”
“Fair point.”
We finished dinner slowly, eventually ending up on the back deck with coffee, watching the sun set over the mountains in the distance. Chloe was tucked against my side, her head on my shoulder, my arm around her waist. Both dogs had followed us outside and were sprawled at our feet.
We sat in comfortable silence as the sky turned from gold to pink to purple.
Twenty-five years ago, I’d been standing in this same spot, terrified I’d lost Chloe forever because I’d been too afraid to trust her with the truth.
Now here we were, gray in our hair and laugh lines around our eyes, still choosing each other every single day.
“Sam?” Chloe’s voice was soft in the twilight. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For loving me. Yesterday, today, tomorrow. Forever and always.”
I cupped her face in my hands, the same way I had twenty-five years ago when I’d proposed, the same way I had on our wedding day, the same way I would for the rest of our lives.
“Chloe Mitchell, marrying you and building this family with you is the best decision I’ve ever made.
Every day for twenty-five years, and every day for the next twenty-five. I love you.”
“I love you, Sam Mitchell,” she whispered back.
“Forever and always,” I completed, and kissed my wife as the sun set on our twenty-fifth anniversary.