Epilogue | Taryn
The tractor engine roars in front of us as the trailer takes us down the dirt road. Cars pass us on their way to the venue, kids’ hands waving out the windows as we pass them.
This is a big hayride for only two people, but I shouldn’t be complaining. It’s with one of my favorite people.
Elena picks up a piece of straw, pulling the strand between her index finger and thumb.
She seems a little off today, but I can’t put my finger on it.
I wanted to take coffee to Colten this morning since I know he has been working like crazy to get this festival set up, but three seconds after I mentioned it, she ripped her damn tooth out.
The thing was bleeding like crazy, and Tristan nearly fainted at the sight of her blood soaking into the white napkin.
This girl always surprises me, I swear.
I peer around us, noticing the direction we are going. Reaching into the back pocket of my jeans, I remove the folded festival pamphlet. Unfolding the paper and flipping to the section with the hayride, I study the route.
“We aren’t going the right way.”
Elena sits across from me, her head flying up from the straw she’s fiddling with across from me. “Yeah, we are.”
“No, we are supposed to be headed toward section ten in the orchard,” I inform her, twisting my lips to the side.
She flattens her lips. “Well, we own it. We get special treatment.”
I guess. “And technically, you own it. I don’t,” I joke.
She mumbles something to herself, grinning as she tosses the strand of hay into the wind, watching as it flutters away and lands on the road.
The sun has disappeared, and the world around us is blanketed in reds and oranges, matching the festival and autumn mood. Chills break out across my arms, so I tug my black sweater sleeves over my hands to keep them warm.
“Hold on,” Phillip calls over the engine.
His demand catches me off guard. The tractor turns, and Phillip slows the speed, taking us down the ditch and between two rows of apple trees on either side.
We drive down the rows for a few minutes, and the peaceful ride calms my thumping heart.
I lean back against the bale behind me, ignoring the fact that hay is going to get caught in my woven sweater.
I’m too happy and content to care.
The trees pass, the world gets darker, but the smile that spreads across Elena’s face is too cheerful to ignore. She’s practically vibrating in her seat, but when I start to eye her suspiciously, something glowing above catches my eye.
And the thought that this is just a normal hayride that every other guest has gone on today instantly diminishes.
Tilting my head upward, string lights zigzag above us in the trees as the tractor and trailer pass under them.
It’s like a tunnel of lights carrying us deeper into the Lindenvale Hill Orchard.
My pulse quickens, the lights sitting amongst the sunset sky like one of those aesthetic photos you stare at because you wonder if it’s real.
And my pounding pulse attempting to burst out of my skin tells me it’s real.
The tractor pulls to a stop, and I turn my head toward Phillip, wondering what’s going on.
“Why are we stopping?” I call out, but there’s no answer. He sits in the confined space with his head forward, not paying attention to anything I say.
That’s strange.
Rotating back to Elena, my breath is expelled from my lungs. I blink, and sure enough, she’s gone.
Poof.
Just disappeared into thin air like she was never there in the first place.
Adrenaline transfers through my bloodstream, shooting straight to my head and racing heart.
I hurriedly stand up, cautiously strolling to the end of the trailer to hop off and walk on solid ground.
As I make my way around the side of the trailer, something comes into view in front of the tractor in the distance.
The ceiling of lights continues, glowing amongst the apple trees and guiding my way.
When I get next to the tire, nearly as big as I am, I freeze.
Holy shit.
When a gut feeling tells you something is going on, you’re probably right. But in this case, I’m glad I didn’t think too hard about why everyone was acting so strangely today.
Blinking a few times doesn’t rid me of the breathtaking view in front of me.
Colten is in a navy suit that stretches across his muscles with a burgundy tie, the ink from his tattoo peeking above the collar. Standing on a circular carpet, his hands are clasped in front of him, with large jars of sunflowers decorating the perimeter around him.
It’s almost been a year since we found ourselves sitting in that truck, making promises that we never wanted to let go of. But this smile—the one on his face right now—makes me breathless. Because with this one look, I know what’s ahead is a sweet, sweet, sweeter life.
But it’s not just him. Behind him, making a half circle around the carpet, are Cameron, Brennan, Jessica, Tristan, Elena, and Rossco. The family who took me in, who I now consider my own. They stare at me with grins on their faces as I stare blankly from nerves.
I wanted this. Knew I wanted him from nearly the beginning when he sucked me up in this whirlwind life. And though every nerve ending in my body crackles and bursts like vibrant fireworks exploding against the night sky, I already know my answer.
“Yes.”
The grins on the twins’ faces show me that I didn’t say my response in my head like I thought I did. Crap.
Colten smirks. “I didn’t ask you anything yet.” His teasing tone sends sparks flickering between my thighs.
Stepping onto the carpet, he holds his hand out, palm up, waiting for me. I place my hand in his as he tugs me forward, my chest crashing into his with the impact of two waves in the sea colliding with each other. I expel a sharp breath.
“Well,” I stutter. Come on, Taryn, get yourself together. “Whatever you ask me, my answer will be yes. I always seem to say yes to you.”
He lifts a hand, his thumb caressing my cheek. “I can be very persuasive that way, can’t I?”
I hum in agreement, nodding.
I purse my lips, trying to hide my smile, glancing at the Lindenvale kids. Elena can barely contain herself. Cameron has his arm around Tristan, and Jessica and Brennan are staring at me like they never thought Colten would be here, experiencing a moment like this.
“So, if I ask you to stay here forever, with us.” He pauses, waiting for my answer.
My eyes flit to his. “I would say yes.”
“If I told you that someday, I want to see you have my children…”
“I would say yes, because I dream of that too.”
He groans. “If I ask you if you’ll let me love you until we both cease to exist—”
“I would say living a long life with you is all I want,” I say honestly.
His fingers move to the skin below my jaw, tilting my face higher. “If I asked you to marry me, right here, right now, what would you say?”
The heart encased inside my chest flutters, the butterflies in my stomach with wings of fire burning me from the inside out. My anxious body shakes at his question, and I wonder if the vibrations are transferring through the ground because his frame is damn near trembling as much as mine.
I smirk at him, my lips buzzing. “I would ask you where the officiant is.”
Without another word, Cameron steps forward, taking a piece of paper out of his jacket pocket as Jess steps forward with what looks like a marriage license and a few pens.
“Oh, you are completely serious,” I breathe, glancing at his siblings in shock before looking back into Colten’s eyes.
His hand lowers from my face, and at the same time, his body gravitates toward the carpet. Getting on one knee, he reaches into his pocket, removing a black velvet box.
God, yes. A million times yes, and he hasn’t even asked me yet.
He opens the lid, revealing a large band with emerald-cut diamonds all the way around. The stones reflect the glow of the string lights above us, making my eyes widen. The ring is gorgeous in every way an object can be. A promise that will tie me to him for eternity.
He blows out a breath, the box shaking in his hands.
“I’ve practiced the words I wanted to say to you a million times, but I’m so nervous I can’t fuc—remember,” he catches himself, and I chuckle.
Colten’s soft smile is so handsome that I take a mental image of this moment.
“I love you, Taryn Meyers, and I want to love you every day of my life. I want to celebrate all the good and love each other through all the bad. Because when I was at my lowest, you showed up, a ghost in my darkness, and showed me how beautiful a future could be if I don’t let other people’s pasts define mine. ”
A tear cascades down my cheek, and Colten rises to wipe it away with the pad of his thumb before taking the ring out of the box. “Even when we’re both torn from this world, my ghost will dance with yours.”
My eyes hold his as he places the ring on my finger. “Is that a promise?”
“Yeah, Little Ghost. It’s a promise.”
THE END