Epilogue
They say time flies when you’re having fun, and I couldn’t agree more.
Right under two years had passed since Colin had proposed to me, and a few months shy of the same amount of time since we’d said I do. Our wedding was smooth sailing, even though we planned it faster than anyone assumed possible. So much time had already been spent apart; we didn’t want to wait any longer. It was a private ceremony at the beach with Emily and Everett standing beside us as we said our vows. Colin’s parents and a few of his buddies from back home had shown up, but for me it was only Emily. She was the number one person I needed there, since my parents were both gone. We wanted to keep it simple, with just our closest loved ones and the sun going down over the ocean. Thankfully, the weather permitted, and there wasn’t a single cloud in the sky as the blue faded to bright pinks and oranges. It was a dream come true and so much more.
“You feeling okay?” His warm hand brought me back to reality.
“Yeah,” a weak smile adorned my lips. “Just a little tired is all.”
“Do you need to lie down? We’ve been on the go for three weeks straight, I’m sure you’re exhausted.”
“I’ll be okay. If I lay down I probably won’t get back up until sometime tomorrow,” I teased.
He gently kissed my lips and helped me up.
“You know I can handle this on my own, you don’t have to be there.”
My hands instinctively went to my hips and I narrowed my eyes. “Colin Maxwell Banks, do you really think I’m going to let you go out there without me? What kind of wife would I look like if I did that? This is a huge milestone, and I’m not going to miss out on a single bit of it.”
He closed the distance between us and pushed his hands into the sides of my extra curly hair. “Have I ever told you how sexy you are when you get bent out of shape?”
I slapped his chest. “Don’t be silly.”
“No, baby, I’m dead serious.” He kissed me deeply, causing my body to push into his.
“Don’t you dare start something you can’t finish right now,” I mumbled against his lips.
“They can wait.” He waved a dismissive hand toward where the crowd had gathered outside.
“Colin…”
“Okay, okay.” He removed his hands from my body, kissing me once more before stepping back. “But as soon as this shindig is over, you’re all mine.”
“I can’t wait.”
I slipped my hand into his and we exited out the back entrance so the news people wouldn’t stop us on the way to the podium.
“I was beginning to think I’d have to come hunt you down.” Emily linked her arm with mine.
“Have you seen how many people are out there?” Everett chimed in as we reached him.
“Yeah, it’s more than I could’ve ever imagined.”
“You’ve done a wonderful thing here, Colin. You should be proud.” Emily smiled and squeezed his shoulder. “Actually, you both should be proud.”
“I’ve only been the sidekick; Colin’s been the man behind it all.”
“Couldn’t have gotten here without Mabel’s son, James.” He looked around. “Where is he, by the way?”
“He’s running a few minutes behind, but should be here any moment,” Emily rattled off.
“You’d be good as a personal assistant,” I teased.
“I’m pretty much that as it is.” She shrugged her shoulders. “Free for some, and under paid by others.”
We erupted with laughter.
“They’re ready for you all,” my cousin Libby smiled brightly.
“Thank you,” Colin and I replied almost simultaneously.
“Good luck.” Everett slapped him on the shoulder and squeezed me to his chest.
“We’ll be right out front.” Emily hugged both of us, and we watched as they hurried into the crowd.
The two of them were meant to be together, it was obvious to everyone around them. They seemed to only be friends. I wanted to call them on their bullshit, because I knew better. But Emily swore they weren’t anything more. I kept telling her it was going to happen and she kept telling me I was crazy. But I know love when I see it, and those two were head over heels for one another. Even Colin agreed.
“Ready?” He smiled down at me and I nodded.
“On behalf of Jonesborough, we’d like to welcome Colin and Arbor Banks,” Libby announced.
With a gentle kiss to the back of my hand, we stepped through the curtain divider the city had provided and the crowd cheered. Pride filled my chest as we both waved and awaited them to fall silent again.
“Thank you.” Colin cleared his throat. “My wife and I would like to thank each of you for coming out to the grand re-opening of Marlee’s Bed and Breakfast. This place was a staple in the beginning of our relationship, and in so many others’ lives. It felt right to open it back up for others to experience. As many of you know, Mabel Guthrie was the original owner. She was a woman with a kind soul and a loving personality. She’d do any and everything for each of her guests. If you needed something that she didn’t have here at Marlee’s, she’d make a special trip to get it for you. I met Mabel in the last few years of her life. She took me in like her own son, making sure I was accommodated when my couple-night stay turned into a couple weeks. She helped me find a place to rent when I decided to make Jonesborough my new temporary home.” Colin paused, clearing his throat once more. “When Mabel passed, she asked me to make her a promise: To always follow my heart no matter where it led me. No matter how hard the road seemed to be and no matter how long it took to accomplish any of my dreams. I made her that promise. Most likely I wouldn’t be standing here today speaking to each of you with my beautiful wife, and a healthy baby boy on the way.” Colin rubbed my overly large belly and the crowd cheered. Laughter fell from my lips as Emily blew kisses at us from the crowd.
“Marlee’s is a place for families, couples, and business people passing through the area. It’s for all walks of life to find their little slice of peace and quiet without paying an outrageous amount. It’s the type of establishment that houses memories for centuries, and shares them in photographs with others. Those are only a couple reasons why I’ve held it near and dear to my heart. So without further ado, I’d like to bring Mabel’s son, James Guthrie, to the stage.”
Everyone clapped and I silently held my breath, hoping he had arrived. Colin had said all he could say, it was up to James to do the rest. A few long seconds passed before the tall, shaggy-haired blond stepped through the curtains with a large smile on his face and his hand waving in the air. He gave me a hug and shook Colin’s hand, congratulating us on our bundle of joy, who we hadn’t named yet.
“Thank you, Colin and Arbor.” He paused. “Wow! It’s humbling to see so many familiar faces and unfamiliar faces in the crowd. My mother would’ve been proud to know so many people loved Marlee’s just as much as she did. I’d like to thank the Banks’ family for making the property great again. It spent too many years abandoned and losing its life. Mainly because I didn’t think I could emotionally handle taking on such a business like my mother had. Her passing was something I wasn’t prepared for.”
Colin pulled me tight and kissed the top of my head, knowing James’ speech was hitting me hard, between pregnancy hormones and the loss of our daughter.
“But now that Marlee’s has been given a second chance, I know my mother couldn’t be happier to know it’s in perfect hands. I look forward to managing the business and welcoming all the future guests!”
The crowd roared to life as James stepped back to us.
“We aren’t finished yet,” I whispered to James and winked.
Libby stepped up to the microphone.
“Not only is this ceremony to announce the grand re-opening of Marlee’s, but we’d like to call James back up to the podium here.” James stepped up beside Libby. “On behalf of Jonesborough, we’d like to present you with this certificate to label Marlee’s as a historic landmark, and to rename the highway out front in honor of your late mother Mabel.” James looked as if he’d seen as ghost as he took the framed certificate from Libby’s hands, thanking everyone in the process. We all clapped as he smiled widely, taking in what the certificate stated.
Colin and I waved goodbye to the crowd as Libby finished up the speech. We were no longer needed on the stage and my bladder was screaming for a bathroom break.
“I will never get over Libby being a part of city council.” Emily shook her head.
“Walk and talk.” I motioned toward the back entrance of Marlee’s.
“That bad, huh?”
“I’m about to water the grass.”
She chuckled. “But seriously, though, how did she do a one-eighty from being a ruthless bitch to someone people actually like?”
“I guess getting married and having two sets of twins will do that to you. She finally realized she needed to grow up, I suppose.”
“Glad some people do.”
I gave Emily a sideways glance as I excused us through a group of people.
“Something bothering you?”
“Everett.” She rolled her eyes.
“Wanna talk about it?”
“It looks like the bitch from your past is now haunting my future.”
I raised an eyebrow at her.
“I have two words for you…Samantha Gillens.”
“What?” I yelled so loudly, I almost pissed myself from the intensity.
“Shhh….” She placed her hands on my shoulders to stop me. “I’m sure she has family around here.”
“Of course she does, but what in the hell is she doing messing with you, or Everett for that matter?”
“Apparently, she moved to Los Angeles early last year, which is good because she isn’t around here to try and mess with this place, but bad because she thinks she can sing.”
“Okaaay.”
“Instead of getting her lovely little daddy to represent and sign her to his label, she’s been on Everett’s nuts for the past two weeks. All but propositioning him to take her under his wing. I’m seriously about to cut a bitch.”
I couldn’t hide the giant smile that spread across my face. I crossed my arms over my chest, resting them on my belly and laughed.
“You’re laughing!” She tossed her hands in the air and spun in a circle. “It’s not funny, you know!”
“Oh, I know.” I paused. “I’m laughing because I knew you were in love with him. It wouldn’t bother you if you weren’t.”
“Of course I’m in love with him, Arbor! I just can’t find the right way to tell him.”
“I believe you just did…” I pointed toward the doorway between the front desk and the waiting area. Everett stood with his arms at his sides and a confused look on his face.
“Please don’t say he’s behind me,” she whispered.
“Then I won’t say it, but I do still have to pee. I’m sorry to leave you like this but it’s an emergency.”
I hurried off before the shit hit the fan between the two of them, also knowing that I wasn’t going to last a second longer if I didn’t relieve myself.
“Oh my goodness, I’m exhausted,” I mumbled as I drug myself up the stairs.
“I’d carry you but if I dropped you…” Colin rubbed my back as he walked slowly beside me.
“I know, I’m a total heifer right now, it’s okay.”
“If you say that one more time I’m going to hurt you.”
“Promise?”
He chuckled. “Babe, you’re all belly. Even if you weren’t you’d still be the most beautiful girl in the world.”
“You’re trying to earn some brownie points tonight, aren’t ya?”
“Just being honest.” He reached the top of the stairs and stopped for a breather. “Now close your eyes.”
“What?”
“Trust me.”
I huffed and closed my eyes, knowing Colin wouldn’t steer me wrong.
“I always trust you, even against my better judgment.”
He placed his hands on my shoulders and turned me to the right. I walked slowly as he guided me, the muffled chatter of guests around us. We’d decided to stay at Marlee’s for the night instead of driving back to Indiana. Mainly because we were both dead on our feet, but also because Everett had arranged the tour bus driver to pick us up bright and early in the morning in Jonesborough. Colin’s first official tour was set to kick off in Chicago in two days. Life couldn’t have been better for us.
“Stay right here.” His hands disappeared from my shoulders and I heard the click of a door unlocking before they rested back on my arms and gently guided me forward.
“I really don’t understand the need for me to keep me eyes closed.”
“Arbor Banks, don’t you dare open them.”
“I’m only saying…”
The scent of lavender filled my senses as the door clicked closed behind us.
“Okay, you can open them now.”
I blinked a few times to clear the blur from my eyes and they quickly filled with tears. A large Jacuzzi tub separated a sitting area and where the bed sat in our room. But that wasn’t what filled my eyes with tears. Colin had candles lit all around the room, much like the night he’d proposed to me. This time instead of two dozen roses, petals made a pathway to the four-poster bed.
“First, let’s get you out of these clothes so you can enjoy a warm bubble bath.” His hands slid beneath the hem of my tunic and over my swollen stomach.
“What if I want my husband to help me relax beforehand?”
“I think he can handle that.” He gave me a wink and pulled my top over my head.
He lowered me onto the bed and disrobed me, leaving himself fully clothed. I couldn’t see past my belly lying on my back so I turned to sit up against the stack of pillows. Colin spread my legs while planting soft kisses against my skin, beginning at the arch in my foot and making a path to the apex of my thighs. My hips bucked when his warm breath blew across my most sensitive area. It had been a while since we’d been together, as my pregnancy had been a tough one. Sick off and on, tired all the time, and just not feeling sexy, but this time I didn’t care. My body was craving the touch of my husband and he was about to give me just that.
Colin lifted his head, “I know you didn’t notice because your eyes were closed, but does this room look familiar at all to you?”
Like a ton of bricks it hit me as my eyes focused on the bed posts, the position of the window, and the dresser. They were the same as the room we spent our first night together in. The only difference was the updated Jacuzzi tub, the lighting, and the walls were covered in a grayish blue instead of wallpaper.
“Is this our room?”
“I made sure it would be vacant tonight.”
“Oh!” I grabbed the side of my stomach.
“What? Is everything okay?” Colin shot up from between my legs and was at my side in an instant.
“He kicked me pretty hard is all.”
Colin chuckled.
I took his hand and placed it over the spot where our son had kicked. His tiny foot was still pressing hard into me. Colin glanced from the spot where his hand laid to my eyes.
“That’s so amazing.”
“It truly is.” I smiled. “We need to name him, Colin. He’ll be here in a few short months.”
“I have a suggestion.”
“You do?”
He nodded.
“Well, spit it out already.”
“First,” he slipped from the bed and turned the water on in the Jacuzzi, “how about we get you in the bath, I’ll call for room service, and then I’ll finish what I started.”
“Only if you’ll tell me the name suggestion you have.”
“Once you’re in the tub.”
I extended my hand for him to help me up. Since I was already naked it was easier to slip into the warmth of the water without fuss. My head rested against the rim of the tub as the soft glow of the candles flickered around me. Colin sat on the edge of the encasing, gently massaging my shoulders.
“Naming a child is hard.”
“Yeah…”
“But the other night while I was watching you sleep I thought about different men in our lives, and how they helped mold us into the people we are today. Even though I never met your father, I know if he wasn’t a good man, it wouldn’t bother you like it does that he’s no longer here, same with your mother. It didn’t take me long to come up with Jacob Alexander Banks. I’ve been a little leery about whether or not you’d like it, though.”
The name bounced around in my head as I closed my eyes.
“It’s absolutely perfect, Colin, a combination of my father, Jacob Kenton, and yours, Alexander Banks. Why hadn’t it crossed our minds sooner?”
I bubbled with laughter as he turned the faucet off.
“Are you sure?”
“One hundred percent sure. I loved my father with all my heart, just like you do yours. Two wonderful men molded together in our son. It truly is perfect, just like little Jacob Alexander Banks will be.”
Colin leaned forward and pressed his lips to mine. I lifted a soapy hand from the water and fisted the front of his shirt, not wanting him to pull back. He granted me permission by opening his mouth and I slipped my tongue in, massaging his with my own. He groaned as our kiss deepened and the moment quickly ended.
“You need to enjoy your bath; we can indulge in other things once you’re out.” He leaned over and pressed the button for the jets.
Once the water began massaging my achy body, the argument I had on the tip of my tongue faded away. I sunk further into the water and closed my eyes. The smallest things that could make a person feel good were amazing when pregnant, a relaxing bath being one of them.
Colin’s voice caught my attention as he ordered dinner for us. He knew exactly what I’d like, chicken alfredo with extra garlic bread. If he didn’t already have my heart I’d think he was trying his damndest to get it.
My mind drifted to the past five years of my life, what a whirlwind they’d been. So many ups and downs, trials and tribulations, but in all I wouldn’t trade a single one. If there was anything I’d learned over those years, I’d learned that no matter how hard you try to run from the past, it’ll catch up to you at some point. Happiness comes when you least expect it, so grab it when you can. Be present in each moment as if it’s going to be your last, because it just might be. I smiled as so many memories, good and bad, flashed behind my closed eyes, wishing I could relive each one. Knowing that my life had truly just begun, I no longer cared if love was fair. Because the heart wants what it wants—and my heart had Faith, Jacob, and Colin.
THE END