Epilogue
Carolina
A year later
Leo sent me an odd message this morning after he’d picked up Luke, saying they had guy stuff to attend to.
Leo
I have plans for us this evening. Be ready by six. I’ll text you the location to meet me. Have a wonderful day, cara.
I tried to pry it out of him, but he didn’t budge.
What plans would those be, Mr. Courtright?
Leo
You’ll see.
I don’t even know what to wear.
Leo
You’ll be beautiful in anything you wear.
That’s not helpful.
Leo
Something casual is fine. Now, go enjoy your day, cara.
I tried to keep myself busy throughout the day.
I went and got a coffee from Café Latte and visited with Delilah for a bit.
Then I walked aimlessly down Main Street and took some time to wander the shops.
I couldn’t stop thinking about what Leo had planned.
Over the past year, I’d fallen more in love with him than I had as a teenager.
He showed me and Luke daily how much he adored us, and I was happy that my path had led me back to him. Back to us.
After I’d spent enough time walking about, I headed home to get ready for the date Leo had planned. I decided to listen to him for once, and dressed in a pair of jeans and a baby doll pink shirt with a pair of sandals.
At six on the dot, my phone chimed with a text alert.
I rushed over to the counter, excited to see what Leo had to say.
Only once I opened the text from him, he hadn’t typed words. Only coordinates. So many questions went through my mind as I grabbed my bag and left the house.
I put the coordinates in the map app on my phone, and I swore it showed it was at Ainsleigh and Gentry’s house, which made me question why he didn’t just say to meet him there.
The whole drive to the location, my hands shook in anticipation on why he’d want me to meet him at their house.
Only as I neared the location, it led me to pass by their house. Moments later the GPS told me to turn down a driveway I hadn’t paid much attention to before now. I thought it was another path on the Courtright’s ranch. I turned down the tree-lined driveway and drove slowly, not sure where it led.
A few minutes later, the tree line ended, and a beautiful house was up ahead. I came to a stop and put the vehicle in park beside Leo’s truck as I took in the house before me.
A beautiful wooden covered deck on the two-story home had rocking chairs lined down the front. The porch went down both sides of the house. Lanterns were on each step of the porch that illuminated the front of the house. On the front door was an intricate wreath with the letter C in the center.
Whose house am I at?
Slowly, I got out of the vehicle and walked toward the house. My breath caught in my throat as I walked up the porch steps and to the front door.
Soft music played inside the house as I lifted my hand and knocked on the front door.
“Come in,” I heard Leo call from the other side of the door.
I turned the knob and opened the door.
Standing before me in the center of a bed of tulip petals were Leo and Luke. Candles were placed on the floor around them, the lights dimmed above.
“Come in, Mom,” Luke said with a wave.
On unsteady legs, I walked inside the house, the screen door hit my backside as it shut behind me.
I brought my hands to my mouth as I took in the sight of the two people I loved the most.
Leo wore a pair of dark denim jeans with a white button-down shirt tucked in and a black suit jacket, and a black cowboy hat. Luke dressed just the same as he stood beside his dad with his little hand holding onto Leo’s.
“What is all this?” I asked as I took a few steps toward them.
“Dad has somethin’ he wants to ask you, Mom.” Luke said with excitement, like he was bursting to reveal whatever secret was between them.
“He does?” I choked out as I stepped over the tulip petals and into the circle where they stood.
“He does,” Leo said as he cleared his throat.
“Ask me,” I whispered as I toyed with the necklace around my neck. Nervous as to what he had to say. Nervous as to why we stood in an unfurnished house. Nervous if I were finally getting everything I’d longed for.
Leo got down on one knee, and my breath caught as he stared up at me with loving eyes.
“Cara, you and Luke are my whole world. I couldn’t imagine my life without both of you in it. I want to spend the rest of my life loving you. Say you’ll spend yours with me. Marry me, cara,” he vowed as he took a black ring box out of his jeans pocket and opened it.
I couldn’t speak. I was at a loss for words as I stared down at the princess cut diamond ring nestled in the ring box and up to the eyes of the man I adored.
“He wants to be your husband, Mom. You have to say yes,” Luke said beside him, and I let out a laugh at his impatient antics.
“Marry me, cara,” he said again, and I couldn’t hold back my answer any longer.
“Yes. A thousand times yes,” I said as I held out my left hand. He took the ring out of the box, and gently slid it on my finger, pressing a barely there kiss on the ring before he stood and stepped into me.
I wrapped my arms around his neck as I stared up at him.
“I can’t wait to marry you,” I whispered before his lips landed on mine.
“What is this place?” I finally asked as I moved my gaze to look around the empty house.
“It doesn’t look familiar to you?” Leo asked, and I looked up at him.
I looked around and took in the open concept house, but nothing popped out at me.
“It’s our house, cara,” Leo said after I shook my head still not understanding where this was going.
“Ours?” I asked.
“Yes, ours. The one we talked about so many nights in the bed of my truck. This is the house we dreamed of all those years ago,” he admitted, and I couldn’t hold back the tears.
“You remembered?” I said through a broken sob.
“I remembered it all, cara. I wanted us to have a place where we could grow old together. A place that we could raise our family together,” he said as he pulled me into his arms.
“I can’t believe you remembered,” I said in shock as I laid my head on his chest.
“I never forgot a single thing, cara. Not one,” he whispered.
“You know what this means, Mom. I don’t ever have to get a stepdad,” Luke said excitedly as he jumped up and down beside us.
We broke apart and looked down at Luke with a laugh as I put one hand on Luke’s shoulder, and Leo put his hand on the other. The three of us were together right where we belonged.