Epilogue-Bit
I got a message from Kristie earlier this morning, just checking in and asking how I’ve been.
And I couldn’t wait to tell her.
About us.
Sawyer and me—engaged.
Two words I never thought would belong to me in the same sentence.
She sent about fifty heart emojis, three crying faces, and one middle finger because, apparently, she’s still sassy as fuck, and God knows I love her for it.
But she’s happy—really happy—with Rooster, and that makes my heart feel even lighter.
I told her she’d better start picking a dress because she’s my maid of honor next fall, no excuses.
Today is a big day.
A super big one, if I’m being honest.
The Barren County Fairgrounds are buzzing with this Artist’s Alley flea market, and my little table—my table—is set up right in the middle of it all.
I’ve been working for weeks, sewing, painting, repurposing, and crafting every spare minute I could.
My fingers ache, my back hurts, and I’ve got enough caffeine in my system to keep a small army awake—but it’s worth it.
Every second of it.
Because when I look up and see the sign Sawyer made for me hanging tall beside my table, I feel it deep in my chest.
Lil Bit O’ Love
Crafts repurposed for the home—from the heart.
The words curve in big, looping script, carved into pale wood and stained to bring out every grain. It hangs from a tall iron pole with a solid base he welded himself.
When he showed it to me, I cried. I’m not even embarrassed about it. He just grinned and kissed the tears off my cheeks like he knew they’d be there.
He’s so—everything.
And if that weren’t enough, the man went and sent an entire side of beef to the Destiny’s Enforcers clubhouse as a thank-you for their help.
Part of it, I think, was his way of closing a chapter.
The other part? Just Sawyer being the good, proud, slightly terrifying man he is.
I teased him about being worth my weight in ribeyes, and he just growled and tickled me until I couldn’t breathe from laughing.
God, I love him.
I miss him today, though.
He had morning rounds at the ranch, and I’m a little nervous standing here alone behind my table while people wander by, checking out my quilts, aprons, and handmade home décor.
Then—“How much for this?”
The voice stops me cold. Familiar. Rough silk and sunshine.
I look up and my heart leaps.
“I didn’t know you were coming back!”
Sawyer stands there, dusty jeans, faded flannel, and that crooked grin that still melts me like butter on hot toast.
“You’re not getting rid of me, Lil Bit,” he says, voice low, leaning in until I can feel his breath on my cheek. “Thought I told you that.”
He kisses me, quick and soft, and the whole world fades out—the fair, the noise, the crowd.
It’s just him. Always him.
When I pull back, I see everyone from the ranch behind him—Micah, Benji, Angie, Diego, Alex—all wandering the stalls, pretending not to stare but failing miserably.
“You gonna stay all day?” I ask, smiling up at him.
“I sure plan on it.”
“Then be an amazing fiancé and get me one of those cinnamon fudge brownies from the bakery stand?”
“You bet I will,” he says, eyes crinkling at the corners. “And I might stop by Dolly’s Dairy for more goat cheese—if you promise to fry up those panko goat cheese balls again for dinner.”
“Deal,” I laugh, and kiss him again just because I can.
Just because he’s mine.
“So, you really love me?”
“Just a lil bit,” he teases and I roll my eyes.
But I feel happy. So happy.
He rests his forehead against mine, murmuring, “I love you more than anything. And I’m proud of you, Bit.”
And that is it.
That’s everything.
The October sun is warm, the fair smells like sugar and hay and happiness, and my heart feels so full it’s ridiculous. It took me a while to find where I belong, but I’m home now.
Home isn’t a place.
It’s a cowboy with rough hands and a soft heart, who built me a sign that says love and meant every word of it.
And I couldn’t be happier.
The end.