Epilogue

“Hey, let’s go easy on the teasing, there.” I batted Marlowe’s hand away from my hair. My sisters insisted on playing Barbie Doll with me before the Farewell to Summer dance. It felt more like a new beginning to me, or maybe a reset. This dance wasn’t going to be any black-tie affair. It was going to be the way my mother would have wanted it.

Marlowe didn’t listen to me and continued her assault on my hair. “It looks so much better with a little volume.”

I rolled my eyes in her vanity mirror. I looked around at all the cosmetics and hair products she kept on it. If this is what it took to be beautiful, forget it.

Macey, meanwhile, was filing my nails and complaining about how little care I put into them.

“You both realize I work in a steel mill, right?”

They looked at me like, so?

“Stop your complaining. You can dress up for Sawyer for one night.” Marlowe pulled out a large can of hairspray.

“He doesn’t care about that kind of thing.” It was one of the reasons I loved him.

“Tonight’s special.” Macey smiled at me.

Yes, it was. We were celebrating the twenty-fifth anniversary of this dance and doing a tribute to our mother.

“Fine, just go easy on that hairspray.”

Marlowe ignored me and fogged my head. I had to admit, once it cleared, my curled hair did look good. I even felt a little glamorous.

“How’s everything going at the store?” I asked.

Both of their tall frames deflated. Macey even sighed. “Dad says he’s going to find a buyer for the store, but he’ll try and find someone who will keep us on as employees.”

“That’s good.”

“I guess,” Marlowe growled.

“Let’s not talk about the store.” Macey jumped up and grabbed the dress I would be wearing tonight. The girls had found it in mom’s old things that the wicked witch had hidden in the attic. The wicked witch who no longer lived here. She wasn’t all that happy about it and swore to take Dad for everything he had. Thankfully, Dad had been at least smart enough to have her sign a prenup. I wasn’t sure what was more awkward for Sawyer and me—that our parents were married or that they were getting divorced. I was more than happy about the latter, though I tried not to convey it around Sawyer.

We also didn’t talk much about his sleazeball brother, who had a warrant out for his arrest not only here but in Vegas too. Poor Sawyer was sick over it. His brother was more of a swindler than we previously thought. His ex-wife’s family was on the lookout for him too. The construction company he’d work for was owned by his ex-wife’s family and they too had some missing money, but it was a lot more than four thousand dollars. Ashton was never mentioned around my sisters. I think they were both still struggling with the idea that they had been so fooled, and it kind of grossed them out that they’d had relations with the same guy. I knew I was still ill over it, which was why I was choosing to push it out of my head for the night. This night was all about what was good in my life.

Macey held up a lacey mauve dress with spaghetti straps. Mom had worn it to the very first Farewell to Summer dance. It was my honor to wear it, as long as the Spanx was going to hold up. I had no idea how Mom had looked so good after giving birth to twins earlier that year.

“Pink really isn’t my color.”

“Actually, it is.” Marlowe smoothed one of my curls until she was pleased with it.

“Let’s get you in Mom’s dress,” Macey’s voice cracked.

I looked at my sisters through the mirror. They were already dressed to perfection with their hair up and makeup done. Macey was in a long, flowing maxi dress, and Marlowe was wearing a strapless dress. Both casual but classy. “I think us together makes her very happy.”

Both the girls smiled before hoisting me up. “She’s going to be happier once you get dressed.” Marlowe always knew how to ruin a sweet moment.

“Fine. Why are you both in such a hurry?”

They looked between themselves and did their twin talking with no words thing.

Marlowe didn’t answer but unceremoniously started disrobing me.

“Sawyer will be here soon.” Macey took Mom’s dress off the hanger.

That was always good news for me, but we had some time, or so I thought. Dad knocked on the door. “Is she ready?”

“Just about,” Macey called.

I yanked up the Spanx over my abdomen. Who needed to breathe? “What’s going on?”

“Nothing,” Marlowe lied in a high-pitched voice.

I shimmied into Mom’s dress, and by some miracle we were able to get it to zip up. I slipped into some semi-comfortable bone colored heels with a bit of a sparkle to them, and stood in front of Marlowe’s standing mirror and stared at myself, but I only saw my mother staring back at me. Macey handed me a tissue. “Don’t cry yet—you’ll ruin your makeup.”

“Yet?” I dabbed my eyes.

Marlowe stared at me too. “You know, you’re beautiful.” She walked off with Macey and let Dad in.

Dad walked in tall and proud in his jeans and a plaid button-up, just the way Mom would have wanted him to. His smile was back and the light in his brown eyes hit me. Dad had returned. He stopped and stared at me. “Honey, you look as beautiful as your mother did the night she wore that dress.” A sheen of mist covered his eyes. He held out his hand to me. “I have the privilege of escorting you to the dance.”

“Now? It doesn’t start for an hour.”

He gave me a wink. “You aren’t in charge of everything tonight.”

I placed my hand in his strong capable one. The one I had needed all my life and had missed so dearly this past year. “What’s going on, Dad?”

He pulled me to him and wrapped me up. “Emma Bear, I love you. I want you to remember that you will always be my little girl.”

“Are you dying?”

He chuckled in my ear. “Not that I know of.”

I leaned away from him. “Why is everyone acting so weird?”

He took my hand. “Come see for yourself.”

Without a word, Dad led me out of the house. My home. No more mohair couches, thank you very much. The comfy leather ones had returned, along with all our family pictures and the pink door and the ridiculous wreaths with poufy bows Mom loved. Once we made it to the porch, a string of paper lanterns lit a path filled with pink rose petals all the way to the barn. In the light of dusk, it was a beautiful sight.

“What’s all this?”

Dad said not a word, but patted my hand and led me down the beautiful path. The closer we got to the barn, I could hear Grady’s band playing an old country song, “You and I.” It was a beautiful duet about two people in love who looked forward to building their dreams together. It reminded me of the man I wanted to build my future with. The man who was standing at the end of the lighted path in front of the open barn door in a dark suit and tie wearing a big grin. Dang, did he look good, even if I told him this was no longer a black-tie affair, I’m glad he still went with it. My pulse was racing. The way his eyes looked me up and down made me catch my breath.

Dad kissed my cheek before handing me over to the love of my life and walking into the well-lit barn.

Sawyer took my hand with such love. “I wanted the first dance tonight.”

“I didn’t know there was any doubt that all the dances belonged to you.”

His free hand cupped my face. I leaned into it. “You are so beautiful.”

“You know I’m totally Spanxed up here, right?”

He shook his head at me. “Come dance with me.”

He led me into the barn where most of our family and friends waited. Jenna, Brad, Aspen, Kellan—and even my new best friend Shelby was there holding her hands to her mouth and crying as if this were the happiest day of her life. Frankie, Ray, and all the employees who had previously quit were employed once again by the Ranch and smiling at us. You don’t know how happy I was to see the table full of Frankie’s cupcakes. Dad stood near Warren and Bridget in front of the punch table. I had to admit I was surprised to see them there. I had wanted to invite them but left it up to Sawyer to extend the invitation. As much as I had grown to love the two, Sawyer was working on his relationship with them. I was happy to see he had extended the olive branch. My sisters ended up near Shelby, and immediately I could tell the girls were thinking this was someone they could be friends with.

Everyone was looking at Sawyer and me with bated breath as we made it to the middle of the wooden dance floor. It made me feel a tad self-conscious. Grady’s band quieted to a low hum and all the lights except for those that lit the dance floor magically turned off. That was Sawyer’s cue to drop to one knee. We were in our own world, just him and me. He didn’t have to say a word. The makeup my sisters had caked on me was toast. I hoped they used waterproof mascara.

Sawyer took my hand. “Em, I know technically we haven’t been dating all that long, but for the last year this is all I’ve wanted to do. I’ve known from our first phone call that you were the one for me.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a familiar ring, but there was something unfamiliar about it. He held the beautiful diamond ring deftly between his fingers. “Your dad gave me both of your mother’s rings.”

I seriously lost it, like there-was-no-hope-for-the-makeup lost it. I recognized the gold band from my mother’s first wedding ring and the round diamond from her second. They were so beautiful together. Like they were meant to be one.

“Emma Elaine Loveless, I love you, will you marry me under the pergola?”

Words escaped me when I realized I would no longer be loveless. My mom whispered I never was and to hurry up and answer the man. I nodded my response furiously.

“Is that a yes?”

“Yes!” I shouted, making everyone laugh.

Sawyer placed the ring on my finger before standing up and kissing me like we were alone. A dipping me down, parting my lips, tingles everywhere, and hands for days kind of a kiss. Holy crap, I wanted to be alone with him. When we came up for air, I realized everyone was clapping and the music had started again. Sawyer pulled me close to him. We began to sway to the beat of the music.

I skimmed his lips with my own. “You realize we’re still related.”

“I guess that makes me your wicked stepbrother,” he groaned low in my ear.

I played with the curls in the back of his hair while I stared into his beautiful amber eyes. “You’re not so wicked.”

His hand glided down my back, entering the danger zone while he pulled me as close as he could. “Believe me, Em,” he whispered in my ear, “I can be wicked. Very wicked.”