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“Look at how beautiful that baby is,” I gush, resting my head against Liam’s chest as we stare down at Lucy’s new foal. She’s so tiny, and she has a dark brown coat that shines.

“I think she’ll fit in perfectly.” He presses a kiss to the top of my head as he pulls me closer to his chest. His heat radiates off me, and I absorb it like I’m freezing. I can feel his soft heart beat against my back and it grounds me. The butterflies in my stomach tell me I’m exactly where I need to be. That I didn’t make a mistake in my decision to move forward with him.

“Me too,” I agree, enjoying this warm feeling that’s pumping through my chest.

I never thought that I’d have my happy ending so soon, but Liam and I are together and happy. I recently gave up my apartment and moved into the farm house on the ranch. My mom is already going crazy, asking for grandbabies, but I keep reminding her that I’m not ready for that just yet. I just accepted the fact that I’m in love and in a real relationship. Babies? Maybe in the distant future. I love having Liam by my side every night, and terribly miss him when I’m traveling to the location of the new clinic.

With the money I made working for Liam and overseeing Lucy’s pregnancy, I managed to get enough to build my second clinic an hour away. A lot of my time is spent driving back and forth, but it doesn’t bother me at all. For the first time in a long time, I feel like I’m finally getting closer to that vision I’ve always had in my head; having my own chain of veterinary clinics, working a ranch with a cute cowboy by my side who loves me.

It’s always been my dream to own a whole chain of clinics, covering the state and maybe, even one day, the country. But all that starts with one little step. I’ve hired two more vets for my clinic here in town, and the new location will have two as well, along with a full staff.

I feel like I got my happy ending, but at the same time, I feel like my life is just starting. I know Liam and I will have many happy years together, and I can’t help but to look forward to them. I want to be in this relationship. I want to plan our wedding, go on a honeymoon, have kids, and grow old together.

“Come on. Let’s go inside and make lunch,” Liam says, taking my hand and tugging me toward the house.

He drops my hand to slide open the barn door, and when he does, there’s a group of people standing on the other side; my mom and dad, my sister, Aria that’s been away at college, Amy, Tyler, and Dillon the new vet. They’re all holding balloons.

My mouth drops open. “What is this?” I ask, stepping out. I turn to look back at Liam who is still standing at the doorway to the barn, but my eyes fall to see him kneeling on one knee, holding out a little black box.

“Will you marry me, Ves?” His blue eyes glisten as the setting sun shines against them. A light breeze blows, causing his neatly styled dark hair to move with it. He’s wearing a hopeful smile, but I know him well enough to see that there’s more than hope in his eyes. There’s also a little bit of nervousness.

Liam and I have come a long way. I went from being a girl with a dream, who didn’t want any relationship; to moving in with him and dedicating my time to making this commitment work for the both of us. We still have our ups and downs, but we both know that what we have is special and worth fighting for. Looking back now, I can’t believe how easily I almost gave up.

I suck in a deep breath as my eyes zero in on that shiny ring. “What? Liam?” I look at all the people gathered behind me.

Tears fill my eyes as goosebumps prickle my skin. Covering my open mouth with my hand, I nod, and everyone behind me cheers.

Liam smiles wide as he gets off his knee, rushing over to pull me against his chest where his lips find mine. His tongue sweeps out, twisting with my own.

“I love you, Ves,” he whispers against my lips.

“I love you too, Liam.”

He takes the ring from the box and slips it onto my finger. Everyone behind us cheers louder. They clap and throw confetti that blows around us with the light wind.

“You do realize that now you have to call me your fiancée, right?”

I laugh and nod my head. “I’d be happy to.”

His lips press against mine again while his hands cup my cheeks, holding me close to him.

My parents interrupt our kiss, Dad shaking Liam’s hand and Mom pulling me in for a hug. She’s so happy that there are tears in her eyes and her cheeks are flushed.

“I’m so happy you came around to your senses,” she says, wiping away her tears.

I laugh. “You finally got your way.”

Mom moves in to hug Liam, and Dad steps over in front of me, pulling me for a giant bear hug. He pulls away and his dark eyes zero in on me. “I like the guy, Vesper. I really do. But if he hurts you, I know where to get the equipment to bury his body.”

I laugh loudly, smacking his shoulder. “I don’t think we need to go that far, Dad.”

He holds up both his hands, palms facing me. “Just letting you know. Keep that in your back pocket in case you ever need it.”

I roll my eyes with a shake of my head. My little sister, Aria, walks up and pulls me against her for a hug.

“Congrats, big sis.”

“Thank you,” I tell her, looking her over. It’s been so long since we’ve seen each other. She usually skips coming home for vacations. Her hair that used to match mine is now bleached blonde, and she wears it in long, loose waves. She’s wearing a pair of skinny jeans with a pair of gold sandals, and a long, flowing shirt. It’s a long way from her usual sweats that she used to always wear.

“You’re really growing up. You know that?”

She blushes and rolls her eyes.

I wrap my arm around her shoulder and pull her closer. “Before you know it, it’s going to be you getting married.”

“Ha,” she loudly mocks laughter. “No way will I ever get married. I’m going to spend the rest of my life traveling the world and taking my pictures.”

“Staying young and free forever, huh?” I tease her.

“Absolutely. There’s nothing worse than getting tied down. I mean, you’re only twenty-six, Ves.” She looks up at Liam. “But, I guess if I had to get married, a sexy billionaire would be my first choice too.” She laughs, and I playfully push her away.

“Everyone, please come into the house for some champagne,” Liam says, motioning toward the house.

He wraps his arm around my shoulders, pulling me closer to him as he leads the way. I happen to catch a glimpse of Amy and Tyler over my shoulder. Her face is pink and he’s wearing a wide smile. It makes me wonder if he’s asking her out. They did seem quiet taken by one another on that one date we went on. Amy needs someone to make her settle down. She’s still just as wild as she was when she was a teenager. She goes out, drinks, has her random flings, but nobody has been able to keep her attention for long. I have a feeling that Tyler is the perfect guy for that.

Liam leads us all into the kitchen where he pulls out a bottle of champagne and pops the top. I squeal with delight when it pops, causing the rest of us to giggle. Liam pours us all a glass, and we all lean around the island to cheers.

Liam looks at me. “To us.”

I smile and agree.

“To my baby girl that I didn’t think I’d ever get rid of,” Dad jokes, causing everyone to join in on his laughter.

“To many healthy grandbabies,” Mom adds on.

“To someone else babysitting those grandbabies,” Aria says.

Amy and Tyler are too busy holding their own conversation at the back of the room to add anything else on, but I don’t mind. I’d rather see them find the happiness that Liam and I have finally found.

Mom and Dad turn to have their own conversation, and Aria pulls out her phone while sipping her champagne. Occasionally, I notice her eyes drifting toward Dillon who is sitting at the table, looking at the screen of his phone. Leaving Liam and I to have a few minutes alone.

“You have no idea how happy you’ve made me today,” he says, pulling me closer to him, my chest pressing against his.

I smile and wrap my arms around his neck. “I think I do.”

“Yeah?” His eyebrow arches. “Care to prove it?”

“How?” I ask, brows furrowing together.

He shoots me a grin, his eyes quickly flashing from mine to the other room.

My face heats up as I gently smack his chest. “My parents are here,” I whisper.

He glances over at them. “It looks like they’re pretty busy. I bet nobody would even notice if we slipped into the other room right now.”

I look around the room. They all did seem pretty occupied. “Okay, but you better be quick.”

He takes my hand and quickly pulls me into the dining room, down the hall, and into the little bathroom tucked away at the back of the house.

His hands find my hips and he pulls me against him, lifting me up and setting me on the counter top.

“I love you, Ves,” he whispers against my lips.

“I love you too, Liam.”

His mouth presses against mine, and he kisses me deeply, making me wonder why I ever wanted to wait for this.

Dreams are good, but that’s what they are; dreams. It’s a goal that’s something to work toward. There’s no guarantee. And they’re not written in stone. Being here with Liam, moving forward in our relationship, it’s only now that I realize that this is my real dream. Expanding my clinic, that’s just extra. Work won’t love me and keep me safe. Love does that. Love should always come first. And I plan on spending every day of my life putting Liam and our love first.