Epilogue - Colton - Nine Months Later

Clay and I rose to our feet, our hands clapping and our mouths whooping. Watching Callie walk across that stage to receive her Master’s Degree was one of the proudest moments of my life. The graduates tossed their caps into the air before the ceremony ended, and everyone began to file out of the auditorium. I grabbed my brother’s arm and wrenched him towards the exit. I knew Callie. She’d talk with her friends before she even came out onto the lawn. The quicker we could get outside, the quicker I could get into the exact spot I wanted her to find us.

In the middle of the front lawn underneath the shade of her favorite reading tree.

“You ready?” Clay asked.

The graduates finally started to file out of the auditorium as I drew in a deep breath.

“Honestly? I thought the hard part would be talking with you about this, brother.”

“You know what she’s going to say.”

“And yet it settles my mind in no way, shape, or form,” I said.

Clay chuckled. “Trust me, I know what you mean. But the best thing you can do is not overthink it too much.”

“Colt!”

Callie’s voice ripped me from my conversation with my brother. My eyes whipped over to hers and I watched her run across the lawn. She had her cap in her hand and her gown fluttered behind her, trying to catch up with the speed at which she dashed. I held my arms out for her and she leapt into them. I hugged her so tightly I thought she’d stop breathing. My heart burst with pride. My stomach swelled with joy. My Callie, the psychologist.

My Little Callie, the graduate.

“I’m so proud of you,” I murmured into her skin.

I set her down and she promptly threw her arms around Clay.

“I’m proud of you, Callie. You know that, right?” he asked.

“I do. And I know Mom would have been as well,” she said.

“You’re damn right she would have been,” I said.

She turned to me and smiled as I slipped my hand into my pocket.

“So, how do you feel?” Clay asked.

“Relieved. Like I can breathe. Like all of these plans I’ve slowly been set into motion can finally come to fruition. That last class this semester really gave me some trouble. I wasn’t sure I was going to make it out alive,” she said.

“And speaking of future plans…”

Clay nodded his head as I pulled out the small ring box, then settled myself down onto one knee. Callie turned around before her eyes widened, and her back turned to her father quicker than I’d ever seen. Her jaw dropped with shock. People turned around and began staring at us. It was the best opening I could have been given, and I wasn’t going to squander another second of it.

“Yes,” Callie said.

Everyone around us chuckled as a broad smile crossed my face.

“Then let me get this out before you tackle me, okay?” I asked.

She nodded her head while drawing in a broken, bated breath.

“I know you’ve got plans for your life, Callie. Big plans. Great plans. Plans for your own business and your own future. To stand on your own two feet and conquer the world, just like me and my brother did. And I want to experience that journey with you. This next phase? The one that comes after this? I want to experience it with you at my side. And the one after that. And the one after that. Until we’re old and gray and done moving forward. Until we’re sitting in rocking chairs, living off our retirement fund, and recalling memories just like this one. I love you, Callie. I’ve always loved you. And I’ll never stop loving you. Callie Roper, will you marry me?”

I watched her look back at her father and Clay nodded his head. The nod of approval both of us had been secretly hoping for over the past nine months. Callie whipped back around and threw her arms around me, falling into my grasp. I wrapped my arms around her and felt her fall to her knees in front of me as her eyes slowly found mine.

She went to go part her lips to answer, but I held up my finger. Just to silence her one last time so I could get this exactly right. I slipped the ring out of the box and took her left hand within mine, then looked into her eyes as I slid it against her skin. I didn’t stop until it bottomed out against her hand. And then, I let her speak.

“Will you, Callie?” I asked.

And the resounding kiss that followed catapulted everyone into a celebration.

People around us cheered as she grabbed my cheeks. She crashed our lips together and my hands fell to her hips. I cloaked her in my arms. Tasted her tongue on the tip of mine as people clapped around us. I heard cameras going off and shudders closing at rapid speed. I heard Clay whistling and I heard Callie giggling.

Felt her giggling against my lips.

“Yes, Colt. I’ll marry you,” she whispered.

A silent answer, just for the two of us to hear. And it was perfect in every way.

When I stood from the ground, I took her with me. Rose her up and supported her in the way I knew I always would for the rest of my days. I spun her around as laughter fell from my lips. I could no longer contain the excitement and happiness that spread throughout my body. I held her close. I didn’t want to let her go.

But I knew this wasn’t the only surprise waiting for her today.

“Okay. Okay. Okay. Time for Dad to have his moment,” Clay said.

I felt Callie furrow her brow as I settled her down. I steadied her on her feet and watched as a tear of happiness cascaded down her skin. I brushed it away with my thumb. Cupped her cheek and held her gaze just a second longer. I gazed into her brightened amber stare and memorized that look in her eye. I ran my fingers through her raven locks and committed the feel of them to memory. I wanted to waste nothing of this moment. I wanted to remember every single detail so I could recall it to her every night for the rest of her life. I wanted to be able to tell her of this moment if she ever had a point where her memory failed her. I wanted to be able to read to her our life story every night while regarding me as nothing but a stranger, if that was our fate.

And when I was done, I kissed the tip of her nose before turning her around to face my brother

“Hey, Dad,” Callie said.

“Hey there, sweetheart,” Clay said.

“I’m engaged,” she giggled.

“I can see that. How does it make you feel?”

“So happy, Daddy,” she whispered.

“Well, then I can only hope to have the same reaction.”

“Wait, what?”

Callie looked back at me, but I nodded my head. Beckoned for her to turn back to her father as Clay pulled an envelope from behind his suit coat.

“What’s that?” Callie asked.

“This is your graduation gift from me,” Clay said.

He handed her the envelope and saw the nervousness rush behind my brother’s eyes. I kept assuring him this was the one. The property Callie had settled on. But despite my reassurances, I saw how worried he was that Callie might not like it. That she might not approve of going above her head yet again with something like this.

“Oh my gosh,” Callie said as she read through the paperwork.

My eyes flickered up to Clay as he hung onto her every word.

“Oh. You. Did. Not!” Callie exclaimed.

“Is that good or bad?” Clay asked.

“Tell me you did not,” Callie said.

“I’m… not sure anymore,” I said, furrowing my brow.

But the second a smile crossed her face with tears in her eyes, the two of us relaxed. Callie launched herself at Clay, and the two of them shared a moment together they both deserved. I stood there watching, her engagement ring glittering in the sunlight as she openly cried on Clay’s shoulder. It warmed my heart to watch them. To see the joy and the happiness that overcame them both.

“I can’t tell which one she’s more happy about,” I said.

Callie scoffed and shook her head before she settled back down onto her feet.

“Did you have anything to do with this?” she asked me.

“I may have sent your father some suggestions, yes,” I said.

“This paper says it’s purchased. Not rented. It said you purchased this building on one of the premier up-and-coming spots in Los Angeles,” she said.

“Okay, so I told your father what to purchase. So sue me,” I said, shrugging.

“Dad, please tell you didn’t outright purcahse it,” Callie said.

“Of course, I did. You’re my daughter. Consider this our investment in your future. You didn’t need the money we set aside for school because you were determined to do this on scholarships. So, we took that investment and, well, invested it,” Clay said.

“And with some savvy moves on my part over the years, that money grew into a nice chunk of change,” I said.

“That I then used to buy you this. The new home of whatever it is you’re going to name your practice,” Clay said.

“We didn’t dip into anything that wasn’t already yours, Callie,” I said.

“This is too much,” she whispered.

“If anything, Little Callie, it’s not enough,” I said.

I took a snapshot of that moment. Of the way she looked up at me with that piece of paper in her hands. She had the promise of our future together sitting on her hand, the hope of her practice seated between her fingers, and her eyes trained on me. The sunlight that came out to play for her graduation ceremony at Stanford shimmered in her raven locks, and for just a moment, she had the entire world just within reach. I grinned down at her. I watched a tear of happiness leak down the side of her face. I reached up and brushed it away, dusting it off her face so it wouldn’t streak her makeup.

“Why don’t we go get some food, hmm? To celebrate,” I said.

“Or, we could go home and have my favorite meal there,” Callie grinned.

“You‘re really going to make me cook for you as much as you want, aren’t you?”

She giggled and wrapped her arms around my waist before my eyes found my brother’s.

“What do you say? Steak and potatoes at your place?” I asked.

“Better your cooking than mine,” Clay said.

“You can say that again,” I murmured.

“But if you really don’t want to cook, Colt, you don’t have to,” Callie said.

I gazed into her eyes, watching as she peeked up from my chest.

“What did I tell you the last time we mentioned this?” I asked.

Her brow ticked with confusion, pulling a chuckle from my lips.

“When ‘he who won’t be named’ dropped those ridiculous charges, you wanted to celebrate. This exact dinner, with a nice bottle of wine. That was what you wanted. And what did I tell you over the phone?”

She rose up and planted her lips against my cheek as Clay piped up.

“What did you say?” he asked.

I chuckled as I held Callie against the crook of my body.

“He told me he’d cook it every night if I wanted him to, Dad.”

“That wasn’t exactly what I said.”

“Then what exactly did you say?” Clay asked.

“‘Every night for the rest of your nights’. I told Callie I’d cook her that meal every night for the rest of her nights, if that was what she wanted. Just like I’ll love her every night for the rest of her nights, because that was what she wanted, too,” I said.

“Then by all means, you two, lead the way,” Clay said.

It was the very last signal I needed to know he approved. To know he was on our side. To know I hadn’t severed our family because of how I felt. Because of what Callie and I wanted for ourselves. The horizon looked closer as the three of us headed for the car. The sun shone brighter as it beat down upon our bodies. My step felt a little lighter as we walked across the lawn with Callie’s hand nestled into mine.

And for the first time in my life, absolutely nothing was missing.