Epilogue

One Year Later

Maggie

Sunday family dinners have become a big event in the Chandler house, bigger than they used to be, mostly because there’s an explosion of people present every single time. Mom and Dad put on a big feast, usually something roasted or grilled, and we all drink a few bottles of wine in celebration of, well, life, love, and all around happiness.

“I’ve never seen a baby drool so much in my life!” Mom laughs as she wipes Harley’s face with a wet cloth. “Is she teething, Charlotte?”

“Yep, definitely teething and definitely cranky all night.”

Just to prove her mother right, Harley lets out a wail, her tiny fists clenching at the cloth that Mom has.

“Uh oh, better pass her on to her auntie Maggie,” Dad says from the deck. “She’s revving up for a tantrum.”

I already have my arms up, ready to take the squirmy little beast. “Oh, Harley, no crying or else you’ll make me cry.”

I’ve got her on my knee, and we’re face to face. Harley lets out one last cry before finding something much more entertaining: my necklace.

She reaches up to give it a tug, her little fingers curling into the gemstone. “No you don’t!” I tug it away and slip it into my shirt where she won’t be tempted. “Liam gave that to me for my birthday, and you’re not getting your goopy little mouth on it.” I tickle her pudgy belly.

Harley starts to giggle.

“You remember Liam, right? He’s the one who gives you rides on his shoulders and lets you poke his face.” We giggle together while everyone else is yammering on. I don’t know if she understands what I’m saying or if she just has gas, but whenever we’re together, she’s always happy. Babies are the best. No judgment. No high expectations. No putting on a show. “One day, I’ll tell you the story of how Liam and I met, and you’ll wonder why your aunt waited so long to ask him out.”

The doorbell rings.

“When will that boy be comfortable enough to just walk in?” Dad grumbles.

“Well, you did arrest him, Dad,” Amelia says. “I’m guessing that he’ll never just want to walk right in.”

“Water under the bridge!” Dad shouts. “We’re practically family now.”

“Hello, everyone.” Liam hands Mom a bottle of wine and bouquet of flowers before swinging down to give me a kiss. “Who is this gorgeous little creature on your lap? This can’t be Harley, can it?”

Harley beams, showing off her glistening gums. I swear the kid is more in love with Liam than I am.

“We’re here!” Uncle Bernard shouts as he walks into the house, Grandma at his side.

They haven’t really been apart since the reunion, and everyone can see just how happy they both are. Like true love can actually last a lifetime and still be as strong as it ever was.

Harley tugs at my hair, gripping a chunk in her meaty fist. “Ouch!”

“Oh no, little lady, you can’t pull your auntie’s hair.” Liam untangles her fingers then takes her from me, and Harley, being the smart girl she is, curls herself into his chest, laying her head on his shoulder immediately like that’s all she’s been waiting for since he arrived.

I laugh. “How do you do that?” I swear he’s like the baby whisperer. Every time Harley gets into his arms, she settles immediately.

“Oh, Liam, you look so good with a baby in your arms,” Mom says.

“Yeah, when are you two going to get started on the baby thing?” Charlotte is laughing as she says it, so I don’t take it as a dig.

There hasn’t been many digs in general these days. I mean, what’s there to criticize? My job is going well, the company is growing, and I’ve got a great guy who is filthy rich and super successful. I snicker to myself. It was a surprise when I found out just how rich his is, but that’s not why I love him. He’s kind and considerate, and he takes care of me. He knows just how to crank me up and never leaves me wanting. And he cooks, quite well actually, and Grandma was right: a man who can keep you from being hungry is a man to keep. What more could a girl ask for?

My student loans are nowhere close to being paid off, but I’m making a dent. Liam, of course, has offered to help, but I turned him down. I need to do this on my own, and he respects that. That doesn’t mean we don’t go on some wickedly awesome weekend getaways, though…on his dime. I’m proud; I’m not stupid.

I open my mouth to answer Charlotte, but before I can say a word, Liam speaks first. “Well, don’t you think we should get married first?” His voice carries, and every conversation stops.

You could hear a pin drop, I swear. My heart starts hammering. Marriage? What? All eyes are on him, wondering, like I am, what the heck he’s talking about.

“What? Isn’t that they way you guys do things around here? Wedding, then honeymoon, then babies?” Liam is holding Harley in the crook of his arm, rocking from side to side. She’s got her thumb in her mouth, and her eyes are droopy.

“Well, if someone was keeping score, then I’d say yes. That’s how Charlotte did it. Amelia got the wedding part and the honeymoon out of the way,” Mom says as she holds her arms out for Harley.

He passes the nearly sleeping baby to my mom, and she takes a seat next to Charlotte.

“Hmmm, a honeymoon would be nice. Somewhere in Europe where there are naked beaches, right, Maggie?” Liam winks. “That would be a fun adventure.”

My face gets hot. I jump up and crowd into him, shushing as I wrap my arms around his waist and grin up at him.

Uncle Bernard chuckles. “Oh yes, there are some wonderful beaches like you describe in the south of France, you know?”

“We should go, darling. I’d like an adventure,” Grandma says.

“Mom,” my mother gasps.

Liam lifts his hands to my face. He’s looking down at me with that penetrating gaze of his, and I’m melting as usual. “You know how much I love you?”

Before I can respond, he’s kissing me so thoroughly that I kind of want to drag him into the other room and have my way with him, family dinner be damned.

My dad laughs from the deck. “Sheesh, you two, get a room.”

We pull apart, and my legs are wobbly, but Liam doesn’t let me go. He’s got me. His hands are still on my face, and he’s got this look in his eyes. It’s intense. I shiver.

He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a ring box. “Something I’ve learned from you, Maggie, is that sometimes you just gotta take a chance and ask the question.” Then he gets down on one knee, one hand now on my hip, and flips the box open. “Maggie, my coffee shop girl, I love you more than I could ever say in words. You saved me. You make me a better man. How about you marry me and we show your sisters how it’s really done?”

Uncle Bernard gasps.

My dad makes a whoop-whoop sound. “That’s what I’m talkin’ about!”

And I just stare because that ring is freakin’ huge, the biggest diamond I’ve ever seen, and Liam is asking me to, to—

“Maggie?” Liam is smiling. Harley is suddenly awake in my mother’s arms, and her eyes are locked on the diamond. She lunges, her fat little hand out to snatch it, but I beat her to it.

“Oh no, you don’t! This is my man.”

Liam takes the ring out of the box and slips it on my finger. It looks good there. I can tell Harley is jealous.

“That’s a yes, then?” Liam says.

I wrap my arms around him and kiss him with everything I’ve got. Every ounce of love I feel goes into that kiss, and when I’m done, I know he’s breathless. “That’s a hell yes, Liam Doyle!”

Carpe Diem, because sometimes you just gotta take a chance and ask the guy to be your pretend boyfriend, then see where life takes you.

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