Epilogue
Eight Months Later
Annie signed the contract and slid it across her desk to Brynn. Brynn signed her name as well.
“There’s no turning back now, Chandler. So I hope you’re sure about this.”
Her friend smiled. “It’s time I step outside my comfort zone, too,” Brynn said. “I’ve always loved this place, Annie. I’m honored you trust me with half of it,” she added. “And with all the special events we’ve already had and the ones we have lined up for the next half a year, I’m predicting a mild uptick in revenue.”
“A mild uptick?” Annie said, brows raised.
“Please,” Brynn said. “With a financial genius like me in charge for the next six months, this place will be wallpapered with dollar bills when you get back.
“That’s super tacky,” Annie said. “Please don’t do that. It won’t go with the furniture. But if you want to redecorate your office? Have at it!”
Brynn swatted her on the shoulder.
Annie held out her hand, and the two women shook. “Partners,” she said.
“Partners,” Brynn echoed, and then she pulled her friend in for a warm hug.
Annie frowned. “Maybe I should postpone the trip, though. I mean, this is still so new, and it’s going to mean more hours for you while you’re planning the wedding and—”
“Annie.”
“Yeah?”
Brynn grinned. “You’re coming back between each tour stop. I’ve got Tabitha and the new guy we hired. I’m here all the time as it is. Now I’ll just push the merchandise a little harder. Plus you’ve got a wedding to attend in December. Actually, we’re going to see each other too much in the next six months. Can we cut back on the visits?”
Annie giggled, and both of them stood and headed for the door, hand in hand.
“I’ll be back every month,” Annie said, convincing herself that would be enough, that everything would be okay, that she wouldn’t miss Brynn and Jeremy and Jamie terribly, that this adventure with Wes—this was what came after the end of a romance novel. This was the start of their ever after.
Brynn kissed her on the cheek. “Now let’s go enjoy the party.”
They exited the office together, and then Annie followed Brynn down the stairs to the usually cozy reading nook on the first floor of Two Stories. Tonight it was bustling with caterers serving hors d’oeuvres, flutes of champagne, and, of course, bottles of Jamie Kingston’s brews. She waved to Wes who smiled at her from behind his signing table, a line of patrons already forming just minutes after they’d opened the doors.
“I don’t want to release the book in New York,” he’d told her a few months before. They were lying in bed, and he was tracing lazy circles around her belly button, driving her mad like he always did.
She’d looked at him like he was crazy. “That’s the place to release a book, Wes. That’s where your publisher is, your agent. They’ve got you all set up to do that great indie store.”
He’d shaken his head. “I’ll still do a stop there, but it’s not the place to launch the book.”
And she’d known without him saying anything more, and her eyes filled with tears as he kissed her.
“The book launches where the story began—with you. And it’s too late to say no because Max is already ironing out the details, so I hope you’re up for the extra business.”
She watched him now, about to embark on the biggest adventure of his life, and he wanted her to be a part of it. His dad and Sarah stood nearby, proudly holding their already signed books. Annie’s mom waved from where she stood next to Theresa and Dad, the three of them apparently heading to a show at the Steppenwolf after the event. Doug and Dan had a coffee cart set up by the register, another partnership they were trying out. They’d sell coffee at the big events and would in turn give Two Stories shelf space at Hot Latte so that patrons who were looking for something to read might be inclined to buy a book—and to head down the block to see what else was available. Who knew? That could be her next partnership. When she returned, of course.
Everyone was here for her and for Wes—for his big night.
He stood when she got near, and her heart swelled to see him so happy, to be this happy herself. Wes Hartley wasn’t a placeholder. He was all too real, and as much as that scared her, she’d also never felt more alive than when he was near.
“Folks,” he said, reaching for Annie’s hand and pulling her close. “This is Annie.”
There were mild gasps, and some ooohs and aaahs. Annie’s brows furrowed.
“What’s going on?” she asked.
He grabbed the display book from his table and handed it to her. She’d read the book more than once, but in all the craziness of the past couple of months—of drawing up the papers for the partnership, getting ready for six months of on and off travel, she hadn’t actually held the printed book in her hand. In fact, Wes never showed her an advance copy, and when the shipment came in a few days ago, he’d whisked her out for a celebratory drink while Tabitha and Brynn did the unpacking.
“I didn’t want you to see the dedication until now,” he said, a nervous grin on his face.
Annie’s heart always seemed to speed up when he was around, but now it beat in overdrive.
“I don’t—” she stammered. “I’m not sure I can read it in front of”—she leaned closer to him and whisper shouted—“all of them.”
Quiet laughter filled the room, and while Annie didn’t think anyone was laughing at her, she knew there was a punch line she wasn’t getting.
He kissed her cheek and took the book back from her. “Okay. I will.”
The patrons applauded. The small catering staff paused. Brynn had found her way to where Jeremy and Jamie stood against a shelf opposite the table. All their eyes were on Wes and Annie now.
He opened the book and read.
“For Annie.” He looked up at her and grinned. She chewed her lip nervously. “For Annie,” he said again. “We’re not in Kansas anymore. Wherever we go from here, you’ll always be home. The light that guides me. My Emerald City.”
He looked up, and she wasn’t sure if she was seeing him through the moisture welling in her eyes or if she detected a hint of wetness in his, too. He handed her back the book, and as she took it, he dropped to one knee.
The whole room was one collective gasp, Annie included.
“Marry me, Annie.” She was sure he was holding up a ring, but she could barely see it through the rapidly falling tears. “It’s time for our happy ending,” he said.
She knelt down in front of him, glad Wes had insisted the party be casual, and only now realizing his perfectly fitted button-down was green. But now she wondered if the biggest moment of her life so far was going to happen while she was wearing jeans and a T-shirt that said carpe read ’em.
Well, she wasn’t wondering for long. Because hello? Wes was freaking proposing.
Her mouth formed the word yes, but instead she cried out, “Wait!”
He froze. The whole room seemed suspended in the moment.
“No happy endings, remember?” she said.
Wes blew out a breath, and she realized she must have scared him. He reached for her left hand, and she offered it to him willingly.
“No endings,” he said, sliding the ring down her finger. “But a hell of a lot of happy,” he added.
She nodded. “I’ll say yes to that.”
And then he kissed her to the sound of applause and catcalls from Jeremy and Jamie and Brynn.
“You know I have zero point of reference for how to do this, right?” she said in between tear-soaked kisses.
He shrugged. “That makes two of us.”
“Yeah, but my mom will probably show up at our wedding with a guy half her age she met online that day. And my dad and Theresa just told us they have an open relationship and—have I mentioned how messed up I learned my teen years were?”
He cupped her cheeks in his hands.
“I love you, Annie. Didn’t you say that was all that mattered? That love would conquer all?”
He pressed his lips to hers, and her eyes fell shut as she nodded. “I did say that,” she whispered against him. “I always thought those were three simple words, but I underestimated them—what it meant to say them. Or to have them said to me.”
“They were the hardest words to say—until I said them to you.”
“I love you, too,” she said and felt his lips part into a smile.
“Then I guess we have an agreement,” he said. “No endings.”
She leaned her forehead against his.
“I guess we do.”
There’s No Such Thing As a Happy Ending
This post is going to be short and sweet, everyone. But I promise to post from the road and let you know how the book tour is going. For now I just want to say thank you for supporting the blog, for supporting my store, and for championing love in all its forms. Reading romance has taught me that love certainly does conquer all—but not at once. With every little obstacle, love has to work its butt off to triumph again and again and again. The key is to never back down from the fight. Happily ever after is real. I learned that from stories and also from my own life. But most of all, I learned there are no happy endings. Only what comes after.
The Beginning
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