Epilogue
Luke
We hadn’t had a Christmas like this since I was a teenager, when my mom was healthy and seemingly happy.
Our old farmhouse was warm, cozy, and brimming with love, family, and holiday spirit. The whole main floor smelled of the cinnamon rolls we’d devoured as we’d opened presents and the ham I’d put in the oven once the rolls were out.
Waking up with Magnolia in my bed had brought me a peace like I’d never felt before. A sense of completeness, rightness.
This had always been my home, but it’d never felt quite like this.
Making love to Magnolia until the early-morning hours didn’t hurt either. I didn’t even care that my body was tired. My heart was full.
And my nerves were buzzing with anticipation and—I could own it—fear.
“I still can’t get over these,” my dad said, sitting in his recliner and studying the gifts Magnolia had given him.
She’d presented my dad with three framed, color sketches of his favorite tractors with their names, Matilda, Dolly, and Jane, underneath.
She’d come up with the idea after being here for Thanksgiving and had hired one of the artists at the art studio outside of town to bring it to life.
“Even on the coldest days when you don’t have to go outside,” Magnolia, who was curled up on the sofa next to me, said, “you’ll be able to see your workhorses.”
“And you’ll have a piece of Mom too,” I pointed out, since she’d been the namer of tractors.
I did a double take as my crusty old father wiped a tear from the corner of his eye.
“I just love ’em, Miss Magnolia,” he said. “I’m going to hang ’em on that wall over there so I can see ’em all the time.”
“Your ‘ladies’ will look great on that wall,” Magnolia told him. “Thank you all for my presents. I love everything so much.” She held up the thick sweater Addie had picked out for her with an appreciative grin, then brushed the soft yarn against her cheek. “This is the softest sweater ever, Addie.”
In addition to the physical gifts, Magnolia had heard from her mother earlier.
Bianca had apologized for their argument the other day and acknowledged Magnolia’s point was valid, so they’d made a tentative peace.
Then she’d revealed that Felix’s house was on the market. The asshole was leaving town.
There almost wasn’t a better present than that, except…
“There’s one more thing,” I said, working my way out of the nest she and I had made among all the presents. “Be right back.”
As I headed to my bedroom, Addie closed in on my spot, already wearing the heart pendant Magnolia had given her and carrying the horse from her pet salon.
The pendant was silver with Addie’s birth stone in the middle.
My daughter adored it and Magnolia’s suggestion that she could always touch her necklace and remember how much she was loved by everyone in this room.
Once in my room, I tuned out their conversation, my heart pounding and my mind drowning with what I was about to do.
Was it too soon? Had we known each other for two months or eighteen years—or nearly our whole lives? All were true in different ways, of course, but for me it felt like a lifetime so far.
I wanted more.
I opened the top drawer of my dresser and took out the little cloth bag. Without giving myself more time to worry, I closed my palm around it and headed back out to the living room.
As I entered the room, Magnolia’s gaze met mine, hers curious and so damn pretty, even with her drowning in my too-big sweatshirt and some leggings she’d remembered were in her car.
Her hair was uncombed, her face bare of makeup, her cheeks like pink apples, and I’d never felt half as gaga about a woman as I did for her.
Instead of joining her back on the sofa, I headed toward the Christmas tree, making eye contact with my dad. He nodded, his eyes gleaming.
“Mags,” I said, then gestured with my index finger for her to come join me.
She looked over at Addie, who I hadn’t let in on my plans.
“Did you get Miss Magnolia another present, Daddy?”
“I sure did.” I reached out for Magnolia’s hand as she approached me.
Without blinking, she placed her smaller, softer hand in mine, filling my heart with hope. I closed my fingers around hers.
“You already spoiled me,” she said, grinning wide.
I hoped she felt spoiled by the spa gift certificate and the brand-new knee-high boots. I also hoped she nearly forgot all about those gifts when I presented the next one.
Letting go of her hand, I pulled the cloth bag out of my pocket, reached into it, and removed the first item.
“Hold out your arm and close your eyes,” I told her as my dad and Addie looked on.
Magnolia tilted her head, closed her eyes, then held her arm out. I rolled a friendship bracelet onto it, making sure it faced the right way.
After a quick glance at my father, who winked at me, I said, “Open your eyes.”
Grinning, she looked at the colorful bracelet I’d made using Addie’s beads. “Oh, pretty colors,” she said.
I’d gone with forest green, midnight blue, and silver, but the colors were hardly the point.
I waited as she twisted her arm to see the whole thing.
“Will you…marry me?” she read, her voice going high-pitched at the end of the question. Her gaze popped up to mine, her eyes wide and questioning. “Is this…?”
In answer, I took her hand and lowered to one knee.
“Luke…”
Still holding her hand, I lifted the other item I’d stored in the bag—a vintage white-gold engagement ring with a transitional-cut diamond flanked by three smaller diamonds on each side of the band.
“I heard a rumor you’re looking for a new last name.
Would you do me the honor of a lifetime by becoming Mrs. Durham? ”
“Daddy!” Addie hollered, jumping up and down on the sofa. “You have to say, ‘Will you marry me?’”
I laughed and gazed up into Magnolia’s beautiful, damp eyes. “My bad. Will you marry me, Magnolia?”
“Yes!” She laughed and watched as I squeezed my eyes shut on the dampness threatening, then slid the ring on with shaking hands.
It fit as if it was made for her.
Magnolia gasped as she looked at the ring. “Luke, this is beautiful.”
I swallowed down on my emotions so I could explain, “It was my mother’s and my grandmother’s before her.”
She looked back at me as that sank in, then let out an awed, “Ohh. It’s absolutely perfect. I’m the one who’s honored.”
She tugged me to my feet, placed her hands on each side of my face, and kissed me hard. Then she threw her arms around my neck and hugged me, bouncing on the balls of her sock-covered feet. “We’re getting married!”
I pulled her into me and breathed her in, overcome by bliss and happiness and, not going to lie, relief. She wanted to be mine. Forever.
“Thank God,” I said, pressing my forehead to hers. “It took us a long time to get here.”
“But we made it.”
At that moment, a wrecking ball crashed into our sides. I laughed at my daughter, picked her up, and pulled her into our hug.
“You’re okay with me marrying Miss Magnolia, bug?”
“Yes, yes, yes!” Addie yelled. “I’m getting my wish, Daddy!”
My dad had shuffled over to us. As I set Addie back on the floor, he came up to Magnolia’s side with his arms spread. “Welcome to our family, Magnolia.”
“Thank you,” she said as she hugged him. “I’m…” She shook her head. “I’m blown away. Did you know about this?”
“I did. I dug out his mother’s ring. She’d be thrilled for you two.”
Magnolia examined the ring again, holding it up at every angle, watching how the light hit it.
“Wait till you see it in the sunlight,” I told her.
It wasn’t the largest stone, but I knew very well that Magnolia would treasure this family heirloom a thousand times more than something that cost, well, a thousand times more.
“We get to have a wedding!” Addie sang. “Can I help decorate again?”
Magnolia laughed and bent down to her level. “You can help with more than decorations. Your daddy and I have a lot to discuss, but how would you feel about being a flower girl?”
My daughter’s eyes went huge. “Will my dress be sparkly?”
“It just might be,” Magnolia said. “We’ll have to find something beautiful.”
Addie threw her arms around Magnolia, making my heart damn near explode.
The Facetime ringtone sounded from Addie’s tablet, which she’d set out on the coffee table for her mom’s planned call.
“Mommy!” Addie yelled. “I have to tell her we’re having a wedding!”
“Let’s go out to the kitchen and set you up at the table for that call,” my dad said. “Let your dad and Miss Magnolia have some time together.”
Addie grabbed the tablet and sprinted to the kitchen table with my dad shuffling after her.
“Are you okay with your ex being the first to know?” she asked.
“Jessie will be cool. She’s been seeing a guy for over a year and always asks me if I’m ever going to settle down.”
Magnolia held her hand out again, admiring the ring on her finger. I moved next to her and admired it too.
“I love it so much, Luke. I love that it was your mom’s and your grandmother’s. I don’t know about your grandmother, but your mother left some big shoes to fill.”
“She had her share of challenges, but she had a good heart,” I said, wishing my mom could’ve known Mags as my girlfriend and wife instead of just as her employer’s daughter.
I turned her to face me, pulled her into my arms again, and kissed her slowly, thoroughly, the kind of tongue kiss that would have my daughter yelling gross!
When we came up for air, I said, “I have another big question for you.”
“Nothing could be as big as this.” She held the ring up again, as if checking to make sure it was really there.
“What do you think about moving in?”
“Here?”
I chuckled. “Your apartment is cute and all, but I don’t think it’d fit both of us, let alone my kid and my dad.”
“Before the wedding, you mean?”
“Hell, tomorrow if you can make it work.”
“Really? You think Addie would understand?”
“We’re committed. You’re going to be my wife.”
She closed her eyes and smiled, as if savoring that idea. I sure as hell was.
“And your dad?” she asked.
“Already talked to him. He’s all for it. We’ve got years to make up for, Mags. I want to be with you as much as possible. I want you in my bed every night, your toes curling, your head buried in your pillow to keep from screaming my name too loud.”
She kissed me then looked me in the eye. “It’s another yes from me, Luke. I want that too.”
“I just realized the flaw in my plan,” I said. “I’m dying to whisk you away to my bed right now and spend the next twelve hours making love to you.”
“Mmm, that sounds amazing…and impossible.”
“Yep. Dammit.”
“It just means it’ll be extra sweet when we finally get there later.”
“I hope you’re not planning to get a lot of sleep tonight.”
“I’m hoping you won’t let me.”
“I won’t. Promise.”
We kissed again, with Addie and my dad talking to Jessie in the background.
Magnolia ended the kiss, took my hand, and pulled me to the sofa. “I actually have one more surprise for you.”
“You gave me my gifts last night,” I said.
“This one isn’t Christmas-specific, and it’s not entirely for you.”
She picked up her phone from the table, unlocked it, and swiped several times, then showed me a photo of some kind of document.
“What’s this?” I asked, trying to puzzle it out.
“I sold the emerald ring.”
“The heart ring?” I asked.
“The very one my mother stole and returned.”
I looked at the photo again and my eyes nearly popped out of my head. The dollar amount at the bottom was damn close to six figures. “Congratulations, Mags. That was some ring, huh?”
“Historical significance, blah blah, nothing I wanted weighing me down, so yeah, I sold it. At first I swore I didn’t want anything remotely connected to Felix, but I changed my mind. I want to put it in a college fund for Addie if you’re okay with it.”
My mouth fell open. I hadn’t priced a college education lately, but this would go a damn long way toward covering it. Further if we invested it wisely.
“If you don’t want it because of the source, I get it, but here’s where I landed on that.
Felix did everything he could to come between us, and this ring was at the heart of it.
But guess what? It didn’t work. We won. We’re together and happy.
He’s alone and miserable. There’s a kind of poetic justice for us to use the proceeds for good, for our family.
For Addie. Because I get a sick pleasure from turning what he did out of evil intent into something joyful and full of love. ”
Hell. I couldn’t seem to find my voice because I was so overcome with love for this woman.
“You know what?” I said as soon as I could speak. “A few weeks ago, I swore to myself he’d never come between us again. And like you said, we won. He didn’t. It’s a perfect ending, Mags.”
“So you like the idea?”
“No. I fucking love the idea. This could be life-changing for Addie. And I agree about poetic justice. While he rots in his personal hell—in a different town—we’ll be building a life and a family full of love. It’s the best revenge in the world.”
“The very best.”
We sealed our lips again, a promise of a future full of love.
Thanks for reading Single Wish! I hope you loved Luke and Magnolia.