Epilogue
Six Months Later
The backyard is full of laughter and squeals when Ethan and I walk through the gate, his hand lightly grazing the small of my back. Sophia spots us instantly. Her little face lights up as she breaks away from the heard of children running circles through the yard with big bubble wands.
“Uncle Ethan!” she yells, barreling toward us. “Aunt Margot!”
Ethan smiles, crouches, and catches Sophia with a little grunt as she collides with his chest. He scoops her up and spins her around once before returning her to the ground.
“Happy birthday, kiddo,” he tells her.
“Thank you!”
I echo the sentiment, and Sophia turns towards me, outstretching her arms. When I bend over, she wraps them around my neck in the sweetest little hug. Then she’s grabbing my hand, tugging me towards the pastel castle-shaped bounce house in the middle of the yard.
Ethan laughs and interjects. “Later, munchkin. We’ve got to say hi to everyone first.”
“Okay,” Sophia huffs dramatically, but it’s all for show. Not even a millisecond later, she’s flinging herself back into the shuffle of the other kids, laughing as a bubble pops right on top of her head.
While Ethan watches her with a big grin, I watch him with a single thought in my head: I wonder what type of dad he’ll be.
We’ve talked about the future—marriage, kids, all of it.
Not as an abstract concept or a ‘maybe one day’ either; we’ve discussed the details and already started making plans.
But if I’ve learned anything over the past year of my life, it’s that even the best laid plans can be thrown off course.
“Ready to make the rounds?” Ethan asks casually.
I nod, and he grabs my hand, leading me further into Rachel’s backyard. Of course, saying hi to everyone includes Rachel. She’s by the food table, arranging cupcakes as we approach. When she looks up, her smile is warm and genuine.
“Hey guys,” she says, pulling me into a hug I don’t expect. “Glad you could make it.”
She smells faintly of citrus and sunscreen.
When she releases me and takes a step back, her hand slips into the one belonging to a tall man in aviators.
Rachel introduces him as Daniel, her boyfriend, and the word slides easily into the conversation, like it’s been waiting to be spoken for a while now.
The next round of hugs come from Ethan’s parents. His mom squeezes me a little too tight and too long, but I don’t mind. When Emma and Garrett join us a minute later, she receives the same treatment from their mom.
She’s feeling sentimental today, and that’s understandable. She missed Sophia’s last two birthdays, and she’s shedding an occasional happy tear over the fact that she won’t be missing any more of them.
Garrett seems to think his mom is being a bit theatrical, so she reminds him for the millionth time, “We’re supposed to be spoiling her, she’s our only grandchild… for now.”
All of us laugh off this very blatant hint. My laugh comes up a little erratic and forced, but thankfully, it dissolves into the other sounds of the birthday party raging on all around us.
We all splinter off after that. Their parents wander off to refill their drinks, Garrett pulls Ethan aside to talk shop, which leaves Emma and I to occupy the picnic table. She slides into the seat across from me, looking all fresh and glowy from her honeymoon to The Dolomites in Italy.
I glance down at the wedding band on her finger and smile. “I still can’t believe you married your boss.”
Her laugh is closer to a snort. “Well, it looks like you’re next. We’re going to be sisters after all.”
“Ethan and I aren’t even engaged yet,” I remind her.
“Oh please. He already took you to pick out a ring.”
“But he hasn’t proposed. It could be years before he does…”
Emma drops her chin, giving me an incredulous look. “Right. That sounds like Ethan.”
Okay, that’s fair.
Ethan has put his days of being Denver’s Most Eligible Bachelor far behind him.
These days, he’s made it perfectly clear to everyone we know that he’s crazy about me and only me.
I’m convinced the only reason he hasn’t proposed is because he hasn’t found a grand enough way to do so yet.
Whatever he’s planning, I’m thoroughly scared.
I’d be happy for him to pop the question while we’re lying in bed or cuddled up on the sofa, honestly.
“Okay, so maybe not years,” I concede.
Emma laughs. “It better not be. We need to have kids at the same time so they grow up together.”
I nod and force a smile. Emma notices, squinting as she evaluates my odd behavior.
“Wait… is there something you’re not telling me?” she asks, tilting her head to one side.
For a second I think she might be onto me. Then I realize that she’s staring pointedly at my left ring finger, as if she’s trying to discern the start of a tan line. She thinks we might secretly be engaged.
“No,” I laugh, shaking my head. “Of course not. I’m sure Ethan and I will get engaged soon. Don’t worry.”
When I glance over at Ethan, our eyes connect and he smiles.
My heart swells a little, and I realize just how badly I want to marry that man.
Then I look around the yard at all the people who have embraced and supported us—his parents, Emma, Garrett, Sophia, and even Rachel—and I feel…
settled. Whole. Like everything is happening exactly as it’s supposed to, exactly when it’s supposed to.
By the time we get home, I’m exhausted but buzzing, my pulse racing in my veins. Ethan drops his keys in the bowl by the door and tugs me against him, lips brushing mine.
“You okay?” he murmurs.
I nod, and my stomach flutters as I look up into his eyes. It’s now or never.
My chest expands, swelling against his as I take a deep breath. “I know this is a little out of the blue,” I say quietly. “But, um, you know how we’ve talked a little about having a baby? I was wondering if maybe… you would want to start trying soon?”
My nerves go wild. This is the worst possible way to bring it up. What if he says he isn’t ready? Or worse, that he’s changed his mind entirely?
Ethan pulls back, searching my face. His eyes soften as the corners of his mouth tilt into a smile. “I’m ready whenever you are.”
“Really?” My smile wobbles into place.
He nods, brushing some hair back from my face.
“Okay, can you just…” I pull away from him. Ethan gives me a confused look. “Can you just stay right here?”
I hurry down the hall to the bathroom and open the drawer where I left it in a little plastic bag for safekeeping. My hands shake as I pick it up and stare at the small plastic stick that’s about to change everything.
My period is five days late. I’m usually pretty regular, so I figured I’d take a test. It was more of a precaution than a possibility—or so I thought.
Then two little lines appeared. After the initial shock wore off, my heart soared so high.
The only thing that could make it come crashing back down is Ethan’s reaction. I truly don’t know what to expect.
We weren’t trying for a baby. We’ve talked about it a little, but only in vague, hypothetical terms. Ethan has a complicated history when it comes to this sort of thing.
Sure, he says he’s ready to start trying now, but he probably assumes it will be a year or two before we actually conceive.
He probably thinks he’ll have time to ease into the idea.
And he will… but only nine months.
On the way back to the foyer, I pause in one of our living rooms, now a library that Ethan created for me.
A book catches my eye and sparks an idea.
I pull it from the shelf, running my fingers over the gold letters that read Our Story—forever my favorite book.
This is our next chapter; I just hope he’s ready for it.
With a deep breath, I tuck the little baggie with the test inside, close the cover, and rush back to the foyer.
My pulse is hammering in my ears and butterflies are ricocheting in my stomach.
Ethan is still standing there, looking somewhat amused. His face transforms to pure confusion when I hold out the book.
“Just, um… just open it,” I say.
Ethan flips it open to the middle, where the pages are held widely apart by a plastic stick. I watch his expression transform.
“Is this real?” he asks, looking up at me.
I nod, happy tears prickling the corners of my eyes.
For a beat, he just stares at me, completely stunned.
Then his expression transforms one last time into the widest smile I’ve ever seen.
He scoops me up, spinning me like I weigh nothing at all.
We both laugh as I wrap my legs around him and nestle my face in the crook of his neck, letting a few tears fall onto his collar.
When he carries me into our bedroom, the cats scatter from the bed. Ramona lets out an indignant noise of objection as she saunters out into the hall. Ethan chuckles as he lays me down gently on the bed. His lips find mine, reverent and hungry all at once.
Afterwards, we lay there exhausted and spent, but still buzzing with emotion.
There are a million things we need to talk about, but there’s no hurry.
We just enjoy the quiet moment together.
Ethan’s fingers carve a gentle path up and down my back, giving me little goosebumps in their wake.
He’s lost in thought, and even though I’m dying to know what he’s thinking, I let the silence wrap around us like an old friend.
I hear him wet his lips eventually. His voice comes as a murmur against my hair. “I’ve been concocting this grand plan, but I don’t think I can wait any longer. This moment just feels too right.”
Ethan rolls aways slightly, reaching for something in the drawer of his nightstand. He pulls out a little black box and turns back towards me. A vintage opal engagement ring catches the light that filters through our sheer bedroom curtains.
My heart flutters, and I get my wish—a simple engagement in a quiet moment shared with no one but ourselves. And in that perfect moment, I know that our story is just beginning.
***
Thank you so much for reading Unfinished Business.