Epilogue
CLARK
One year ago today, I met the man who changed everything. Who helped me bring my son back, who taught me that nothing was impossible if you wanted it badly enough.
If you’d told me a year ago that I’d be sitting in our kitchen on a small homestead outside of Chance, Colorado, head over heels in love, watching my son bloom in his college classes, I’d have called you a liar. Unmoored from any reality I was aware of.
But this was my reality.
And as of today, I hoped to make it permanent.
Beau shuffled into the kitchen, his sleep pants loose on his hips, his hair a mess, his face scruffy. He was the most beautiful man I’d ever seen in my entire life.
“Mornin’,” he grunted. “You’re up early.”
His days at Snow Creek started well before I fired up my laptop. I often slept through his morning routine, but once or twice a week, I liked for us to have a quiet cup of coffee together. Something sweet before the madness of the day.
“Didn’t get much sleep last night,” I admitted, dragging him in for a quick kiss.
“Bad dreams?” he asked, his hand immediately at my jaw. He stroked his thumb across my cheek.
I inhaled deeply, enjoying the sleepy, toothpaste-y smell of him along with the fresh coffee dripping in the background. “The opposite, actually.”
He brightened. “Really? You had a good dream?”
I shrugged. “My life is a dream. A fantasy, really.”
He rewarded me with another sleepy, sensual kiss.
“Tell me about this good dream of yours.”
I kissed his chin and his nose. “I dreamed I saw you with silver hair.”
He touched the hair at his temple with a scrunched face. “Why silver hair?”
“You have a problem with silver hair?” I said, pointing to the streak that was beginning to come in at my part.
“No, I love your silver hair.”
“Well, one day I hope to love your silver hair, too.”
With his face still creased in confusion, he reached above me to grab a mug from the cabinet. One of my favorite things about Beau was that, even though he was a morning person, he always needed a few extra minutes for his circuits to come online.
So adorable.
The crease between his eyebrows softened, and his eyes widened.
“There it is.” Smiling, I snuck my hand into the pocket of my pajama bottoms.
“Clark?”
I pulled out the ring, rolling it between my thumb and forefinger. “Yes?”
“I’m not dreaming right now, right?”
“No, Beau. You aren’t dreaming. This is real life.”
Still smiling, I carefully—very carefully, since I was firmly in my forties—lowered myself to one knee.
“Beau Rawlings, a year ago, you changed my life.” I raised a brow. “By letting my son fall off a horse.”
He grimaced, roughing the back of his hair.
“I didn’t know it then,” I continued, “that you would become the love of my life. But you are, and being here feels like a dream. And I want nothing more than to make that dream a reality. Will you marry me?”
Beau, my big cowboy, my mountain of a man, had tears streaming down his face. “Of course I’ll marry you. I’ve wanted to marry you from the moment I met you,” he said, holding out his left hand.
Relief flooded my chest, and tears fell. I felt pretty good about my chances, but hearing the words was more poignant than I’d anticipated. I slid the ring, a simple, rustic silver band, onto his finger. It shimmered in the kitchen lights.
Beau pulled me to my feet and planted a big kiss on me.
“I love you, I love you, I love you,” he whispered against my lips.
At that moment, River and Miguel, both with sleep-mussed, shoulder-length hair, shuffled into the kitchen, grinning like idiots.
“He said yes?” Miguel asked, gripping River’s hand.
“I said yes,” Beau responded, holding up his hand.
River crossed the kitchen and threw his arms around me. “I’m so happy for you, Dad. I love you so much.”
As if I wasn’t crying enough already.
“I love you too, son.”
We held onto each other for a few extra moments, then River pivoted and pulled Beau into a tight hug. “Thank you for loving my dad. For understanding what a great guy he is. For taking care of us when we really needed it.”
“Always, River. I’ll always take care of you. Both of you.”
By this time, Miguel had closed the distance on our little group, and it felt like a glimpse into our future. We found ourselves laughing, pulled together in a ridiculous group hug.
Ridiculous, life-changing, and perfect.
Thank you for reading