Epilogue #2
“Noah.” Her breath hitched. “What are we doing here?” Following his lead, she took off her helmet and placed it on the handlebars.
His eyes burned as their feet crunched on the tiny pebbles. Why was he so emotional? It probably had something to do with this being a once-in-a-lifetime moment with her. One he needed to draw out just a little bit longer.
“I saw this place on Airbnb and thought it would be a fun surprise. Plus, this is where I first wanted to kiss you desperately, you know.” His eyes widened with a playful grin, while inside, he was a hot mess of jitters and angst. With still no call from Baz, he realized he may have to improvise.
“Babe, me too. That mustache of yours was way too sexy.” She laughed, leaning up to press her mouth to hers.
“Wait, is this song from Jerry McGuire?” she said, turning toward the portico.
Her face was dappled in the sunlight, which made his heart skip a beat or two.
She was the most beautiful woman Noah had ever dated, by far.
It was her natural looks and her slender but sporty body, but it was also her ability to rise above with grace and humility.
And there was also the matter of her kindness, which was vast and endless, even for strangers.
“D, wait.” He rushed in front of her as her feet began to move.
“What?” Her laugh bubbled over. Either she was just excited about their getaway, or she knew.
“Listen, baby. Just listen to the song.”
And she did. She closed her eyes and opened her ears, and hopefully her heart too.
He tugged her hand to his chest, feeling his heart thud wildly under her delicate touch.
It was his love letter in this song. It spoke of a path, a secret garden, a house, a hammer, and parts of ourselves we keep hidden, even in love.
The only difference was that Noah knew he didn’t know everything about Dahlia, but he knew enough.
And if she said yes, they’d have all the time in the world to bridge that gap.
Her eyes released and met his glassy gaze.
Growing up, Noah had often heard “men don’t cry” from the men his mother brought home.
But this one did. It was only a matter of time before the waterworks began; he could feel it.
It was the perfect storm; he had the girl, the home, the secure life he’d always dreamed of, and a love he’d never believed he deserved after feeling abandoned by his mom.
“Come, baby,” he said in a quiet tenor she wasn’t used to. Her smile matched his tender warmth. Hand in hand, they walked up the steps, hearing the soft tap of their shoes on aged wood.
Dahlia gasped before she hit the last step.
Feeling her hand slip away, Noah turned to face her.
Both hands were covering her mouth, and she was visibly shaking as she glanced over the gorgeous porch picnic before her eyes.
It had a low table in the center surrounded by pillows, poufs, and blankets.
Lanterns of all shapes and sizes, as if they’d been collected over time, flanked the refined but bohemian vignette.
And flowers as far as the eye could see.
There was food too, courtesy of his sister.
It was indeed Instagrammable, thanks to Gretchen and Uncle Bruce.
He had to remember to go overboard with his thanks when seeing them later.
“Noah, you did all this?” Delight and surprise danced across her face.
“I may have had a little help,” he said, pulling her up the rest of the way.
“It’s …” She shook her head as an ocean welled in her pretty caramel eyes. “Gorgeous, beautiful, stunning, spectacular.” She took a breath. “And I love it to pieces.”
Before she could say or do anything else, he planted her in front of the window, behind the canopy of climbing white roses.
The smell of musk and citrus floated through the quiet country air.
There wasn’t a car or person in sight. It was like the rest of the world was muted to this one moment.
His hands were trembling and his heart pounding as he took her hands in his.
“D, it’s crazy to think how much my life has changed in a year.
Last May, I was lost, drifting anchorless in the cold, bottomless ocean.
I was broken and unfixable, but something told me if I could fix a few pieces of old furniture, then maybe, just maybe, it would fix me.
Then I came to Meadow Lane, thanks to Lil.
” He winked. “And you barged into my barn.”
She laughed through her tears. “Your barn, huh?”
He nodded. “And into my heart. You found me, and in your kindness and our fucking extraordinary connection, I felt whole.” He lowered to one knee, with the song still playing on a loop in the background.
Their eyes met as little whimpers fell from her lips.
“I wasn’t looking for you, and yet somehow you found me.
I know this has been a whirlwind romance, but if there’s anything we’ve learned from Lil and Gene, it’s that when you know, you know. And baby, I know.”
She stood there silently, shaking.
“Dahlia, you complete me in every possible way.” He pulled the box from his pocket and, with trembling fingers, opened it.
It was a simple princess-cut emerald set in platinum.
It wasn’t a conventional ring by any means, but it had a story.
And once she knew it, it would mean that much more.
“Will you marry me and walk through this life with me?”
“Oh, Noah,” she cried. “Yes, yes! There’s no one else I’d want to walk this life with.”
She’d said yes, even with the knowledge that they’d probably be spending the summers apart for the next few years at least. Noah chalked it up to blind faith, something he’d known nothing about before last summer.
He slid the ring onto her finger and kissed her hungrily, like the rest of the world was still on pause.
It was a kiss that awakened the beast inside him and tented his faded blue jeans.
There was plenty of time before the small gathering at the Hive for him to make a mess of her.
But for now, he would take his time and savor each moment.
“The ring. I love it, babe.” She held it out—the vibrant green looked pretty with her short pink nails.
“There’s a story.” He went on to tell her how it was Gene’s mother’s.
On the day Gene was supposed to meet Lil to say goodbye, he was going to give it to her as a promise for their future.
But her father showed up instead, leaving him for dead.
Noah had had a two-carat oval diamond on hold in the city, but Gene insisted.
He knew Dahlia would want the heirloom; that was the kind of woman she was.
Dahlia cried and laughed at the full circle moment. To think a chance encounter seven decades ago between two people who weren’t supposed to fall in love could lead them here, to one another.
They cuddled, talked, ate, kissed, christened the kitchen and bed. Their bags arrived courtesy of Bruce, and they finally got dressed.
Dahlia was surprised by the celebration that followed at the Hive.
Being the center of attention suited her, and she beamed as she mingled, chatted, and showed off her ring.
Noah couldn’t help but want more of that for her.
The crowd was intimate. His stepdad, Don, had flown in from Colorado and settled in at his uncle’s after they left.
Bruce and Garrett brought him to the party, but Harry stayed home.
There was Daisy, who’d arrived with Kara, Tony, and the boys.
And there were Penny, Gretchen, and, of course, Gene.
This day was turning out to be a plethora of surprises, including the offer Gene made on the first cedar shake house on the property, which was built in the late 1800s and faced the bay.
It was the grandest and Dahlia’s favorite architecturally.
With a cash offer, they were all but sure he’d get it.
Little by little, their family was growing, and that tickled something inside him that no longer felt like a lost boy.
Later that evening, after the sun faded, they all walked to the bay for the small fireworks show, including Gene.
For ninety. he was a rockstar and didn’t miss a beat.
He even talked about setting up a garden at the new house on Meadow Lane.
Dahlia begged him to tell everyone about his friendship with Sinatra that began the year after Lil left.
He said he, too, felt adrift, and Frank took him under his wing.
“The rest was showbiz history,” he said with a lighthearted chuckle.
He seemed happy, and after all he had been through, it was a miracle.
There were lawn chairs set up on the beach, something Bruce, Garrett, and Don did on their way through. It was touching to see everyone come together for them in this way. They all oohed and ahhed over the display as light chatter ensued.
Just as it was ending, Noah felt his pocket vibrate.
He stepped away behind the beach grass. With a quick glance, he saw it was from Baz.
The words on the screen would ultimately decide what kind of life he, Dahlia, and the kids they may someday have would have.
He blew out a breath in both anticipation and fear. And opened the text.
You got it, kid, your hometown wish. They said yes.
Noah wanted to scream; he was so overjoyed and relieved. He couldn’t help but go into a full karate chop as he came back into view.
“What’s going on over there, brother?” Gretchen asked from her comfortable spot next to Penny as Dahlia rushed to his side. No one but his now fiancée knew about the show.
“You’re not going to believe this, but I got my own renovation show. D knew, but I know this is a surprise to the rest of you.” He planted a kiss on her forehead as she squeezed harder around his waist.
There were offers of congratulations from everyone, and now he was the one at the center of attention, beaming with pride as Dahlia looked on with a knowing grin.
It was one that said she couldn’t be happier for him.
But there was also a sprinkle of confusion written on her face—one he needed to extinguish right away.
“But there’s something else. It’s going to be filmed here on the North Fork.”
Dahlia looked up with wide eyes. “Noah? But how?”
“I told Baz it was out here or nothing.”
“But why?” Her eyebrows furrowed in concern. “This is a dream job offer! I told you we would get through anything.”
“Because this is home.” He smiled at her with a certainty he could have never claimed last year at this time and tugged her tighter.
His eyes wandered over the faces lit now by only the moon and a few beach lamps.
Home. It was a simple word, yet it encompassed everything he loved.
He wasn’t about to give that up for a TV show. Not now, not ever.
If there were a choice, he’d always choose his family.