by Elsie James
“We didn’t want you to have to work so hard.” Mom’s casual explanation feels like a brush off and it’s infuriating.
“I like working hard. You didn’t like that he grew up near us and not on the hill. You didn’t think he’d make anything of himself?” There’s something she’s not saying, I can tell.
“We just thought that your life would be easier with someone like Spencer. That’s why we always pushed you two together.” At least she can admit it. “What we did was wrong, and I can see that now.”
“You think you were wrong about Greyson?” I repeat her words, processing them.
“Oh, I know we were. The day he showed up with the ring, I told your father—”
“What?” I cut her off. “He showed up with a ring?”
“It was right after you left for the University. You were trying to get settled into your new life and having such a hard time. Greyson showed up at our house. He wanted our blessing to marry you. Of course, he was always a nice boy, but he was never going anywhere. Dad thought he saw too much of himself in Greyson. And you were on your way to bigger and better. You had your scholarship and I just couldn’t bear to see you give it all up for him. Dad told him no and asked him to stop contacting you. When he said he wouldn’t, Dad made it clear that it was not a suggestion.”
“Mom, what did Dad say?” I think I’m going to be sick.
“Dad told him you were going to give up your scholarship to move back to Peony Pointe and be with him. Dad said if he really loved you, he’d back off and let you live your life with Spencer. He showed them the picture of you two.” There you have it. We were sabotaged by my own parents.
“But none of that is true. I worked so hard for that scholarship and I’ve always wanted to teach. I never would have given that up, and he wouldn’t have asked me to. Spencer and I were hardly friends at that point.”
My head spins with the realization that all the time I spent angry at Greyson should have been directed at my parents.
“I thought you could see the world, live a life of extravagance and leisure. It’s what your sister did, and look how happy it’s made her.”
“I’m not her, Mom. That life was never what I wanted and because of you, I lost the man who could give me exactly what I needed.” Tears spill over, cascading down my face. “Why didn’t you tell me? Maybe not at the time, but why not sometime after?”
“I’m telling you now. I’m sorry.” I can’t accept her apology right now. She cost me Greyson, and that infuriates me.
“You need to leave. I need time.”
Mom stands giving me a quick hug and I close the door behind her.
Being in the silence of my apartment is too much for me. I need to find Greyson and apologize. If only I had tried harder to reach out to him, asked a few more questions. Instead, I let my parents railroad me into a life with Spencer that I never wanted. Life without Greyson is lonely. Finding my car keys, I open my front door and fly down the stairs. I need to talk to him. But before I reach my car, he’s already there. Greyson stands holding a single white rose. I take a step toward him. Relief floods me.
“Want to take a walk with me?” He asks, holding out his hand to mine.
“Yes, I do.”
We start out on the four mile trail around my neighborhood. Greyson squeezes my hand firmly and doesn’t let it go.
“You have to know that Chasity is crazy, right? There’s nothing between us.”
“I know. I mean, I figured. I just got so upset. You told me you’d be at work but you weren’t, and then I came to your place to talk to you and I saw you leaving with a woman who looks a whole lot like me.”
“You saw me leaving. No, Rach, let me explain. I’m sorry I lied to you. I—” He starts to explain but I cut him off. I need to get this out first.
“You bought a ring? I never knew. I only just found out about it, about all of it. My parents kept it from me and for all these years, I’ve blamed you. And I know you’re not innocent in all this, but now I can understand where you were coming from. It couldn’t have been an easy decision for you.”
Greyson stops walking and turns toward me. Taking both of my hands in his, he stares into my eyes.
“It’s my own fault. I respect your parents and they’re entitled to their opinion, but I didn’t have to accept it. I should have fought for you back then. So, that’s what I’m doing now. I love you, Rach. I always have. My world with you in it is filled with color. I never recovered from losing you the first time and I can’t go through that again. I want to take you on walks and hear all the stories about your students. I want to be by your side from now on.”
My eyes fill with tears as my heart swells. I’ve waited a lifetime to hear Greyson choose me.
“I’m sorry too. I assumed the worst of you and you deserve someone who will fight for you. I love you too, Greyson. I forgot how it feels to be loved by someone who truly knows you until I saw you again.”
“I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I wish I could get back the years that should have been ours but I can’t. All I can do is make sure that from now on, you’ll never have to wonder where my heart is.”
Greyson pulls me toward him. His lips land on mine. We continue our walk. A bright yellow post stands in the ground between the sidewalk and the grass. A wooden box with a glass door is affixed to the top of the post and it’s filled with books.
“This is new,” I say as I touch the handle. “A free tiny library,” I read the sign. “Take one or leave one.”
“Do you like it?” Greyson asks.
“Yes, this is brilliant. With the library closing downtown, this will allow my students access to books. And it’s on my daily walk. I can make sure it stays full of new adventures for them to go on. I love this!”
“Open it,” he says seriously.
“What? Greyson, did you do this?” My eyes widen at the thought.
“Open the door.”
I swing open the glass door by the handle to find amongst the stack of children’s books, a book with my name on it.
“I made this for you. Everytime you walk by it, you can trust that I’m thinking of you. It’s my way of helping you share your love of reading with your students.”
“You’re so sweet.” He is. Everything about this man makes me smile.
“Open the book.” He smirks at me, a hint of magic in his eyes.
I open it to find a hollowed center. Two keys on a circular keyring sit in the recess. “Keys? But to what?”
“To our house.” A broad grin crawls across his face.
“What?” In shock, I look up at the tiny house that sits on the back of the lot with the large front yard. A sold sign hangs from a post in the yard. On it is a picture of a realtor who looks an awful lot like the brunette I saw leaving his house.
“She’s your realtor?”
“Becky, yes, I started to tell you. She’s married to one of the guys at the station. So it was convenient to work with her, and she did a good job.”
“I saw her leaving your place and I thought…” I trail off, relieved and a little embarrassed.
He places both hands on my shoulders. “You can trust me.” I believe him.
“I sold the Hideout. This is my place now, our place if you’ll accept it. I want to give you the life we dreamed up together years ago on all those late nights we spent in my tiny apartment. Come in.”
Turning the handle, he pulls me into the house. There are creaky, old wood floors warmed by a cheery light blue paint on the walls accented with bright white trim.
“This is our home, or it could be if you’ll say yes. Here is our bedroom, and this room is yours.”
He points at the door at the end of the hall, and I wonder what else he could possibly have to offer me. All of my dreams have come true already. I turn the handle and am blown away. The tiny room has floor-to-ceiling, built in bookshelves full of my favorites.
�
�I talked to the director of the library. They let me take anything I wanted for you. So, I went to the romance section and piled them up. And here, this whole shelf, these are children's books for you to refill our Tiny Little Library. There should be enough here to keep it full for a long time.”
An overstuffed armchair big enough for two people sits in the corner of the room. Next to it is an old wooden table that I recognize with a single drawer and a dangling metal pull handle.
“I had an end table just like that in my room growing up. I kept my favorite books in the little drawer.”
“It is your table. When I went to talk to your parents, I asked them if I could take it. They said yes. There’s one more thing I had to ask them. Open the drawer.”
Walking to the table, I slide open the drawer. A black square box sits inside the drawer. My hands tremble as I take it out. I turn to look at Greyson. He stares at me with a surprising intensity.
“Rachel Dawson, will you marry me?”
Epilogue: Rachel One Year Later
The library is in its final days before officially being closed to the public. Miraculously, Juni’s husband has secured financing to renovate the building so it will only be out of commission for a few short months. But today, the building stands as I’ve always known it. Old and in need of work, but to me, it’s never looked more beautiful. The rows of old books are illuminated by the warm glow of candlelight that bounces from the beveled glass windows. An aisle of white rose petals leads to an ancient oak librarian’s desk that serves as an altar.
I stand looking in the mirror at myself in my wedding dress. It’s simple and elegant, just like I always imagined. I think back to the days when we first moved into our house. Greyson making me smile by hanging my plants on hooks placed at exactly the right angle to catch the sunlight. The way he surprised me with cheesecake.
But it’s not really about that. My love for Greyson is about the four additional tiny free libraries we’ve installed in our community. They way he holds my hand as we go on our walks to fill them together every evening. The way he has never waivered about his feelings for me. It’s the way he pours into me so I can pour into my students.
At the end of the white runner, anchored by Tarik and Juni, stands Greyson. My heart, my past, and my future all wrapped up in one stunning package. I make my way down the aisle as our friends and family look on with pride. The officiant holds a beautiful ceremony that brings everyone in the room to tears.
“I’m proud to announce for the first time as husband and wife, Greyson and Rachel Hale.”
We lock hands and walk into our new life together. At the reception, I ask our event planner to substitute my champagne for apple cider. It’s my turn to surprise Greyson.
SERIES EPILOGUE
Five Years Later:
Gram’s 100th Birthday
Peony Pointe Series
By Elsie James
Epilogue Chapter 1: Jessa
“I’d like to thank you all for coming to honor this magnificent woman.” Michael stands at the front of the garden room at Bellissima Vineyards. After all these years his smile still gets to me. Microphone in hand he continues to address the group. “Welcome to Gram’s 100th birthday party. What better way to celebrate than in a beautiful garden with all of you?”
Gram sits on a white whicker chair at the front of the room beaming. She’s surrounded by enormous arrangements of pink peonies we brought over from Petals.
Michael continues, “During my long…long…long engagement to Jessa,” laughter trickles through the crowd. “Gram helped us plan our ceremony. But more than that, she helped us plan our lives.” I chuckle to myself as I think back on the two years I spent preparing for our wedding. I smile at the memory of Michael patiently standing beside me through the whole process. My husband is brilliant and every word of his speech is true, Gram has shown me how to live a life that matters.
Michael continues speaking with his easy smile and natural charisma, “The privilege of my life is to live everyday surrounded by the two most beautiful women I’ve ever known. Having grown up with Gram, it’s not hard to imagine why there are so many people here today.” He turns to Gram and continues, “Each of us has a story we could tell about the impact you’ve had on us. I’ll keep it short before i get too teary up here. I just want to say it means a great deal to me that you paused your lives to be here today and I know it does to Gram too.”
Gram nods her head with a smile. She adds an inaudible, “Yes.”
Michael concludes, “There are refreshments, please help yourself. And come on up and chat with Gram. I know she wants to hear from each of you.”
Michael puts the microphone down and walks toward me. “You were right sweetheart, this is the perfect place. The green house would’ve been a little chaotic with this many people. Anyway, when I’m there I want to think of our wedding day. And Gram deserves a party that’s all hers.”
“She does.” I nodd. A tear escapes as I reflect on how grateful I am to have her in my life. Gram radiates pure love.
Michael puts an arm around me as we look around the room at the sixty guests. It’s a change of pace from our quiet life at home. Without any children of our own, so much of our time is spent peacefully with each other. But it’s never lonely. The life Michael and I have built together is rich with family, friends and adventures all over the world. We have Gram, my mom, and all of the people here in this room with us. I never thought I could have a career and a family life, but with Michael I do. It’s more than I ever dreamed. Michael kisses me sweetly on the head.
“They did such an outstanding job for her, it’s beautiful in here,” I say. Wooden rounds of oak anchor the glass jars of wild flowers to the center of every table. A four foot wooden structure displays cupcakes with sugared roses on top intermixed with fresh floral arrangements. “Working with Gram so closely it was easy to design an event around all of her favorite blossoms. Ainsely took it from there and she did not disappoint.” Ainsley and I make eye contact from across the room and she smiles at me. I squeeze Michael’s hand and then let it go. “I’m gonna go say hello.”
“Of course,” Michael replies. He gives the back of my thigh a squeeze as I walk away.
When I reach Ainsley we wrap our arms around each other.
“You’re so sweet for letting us use the space.” My eyes dart to the pomander balls suspended from the ceiling. With it’s windowed walls that look out into the green vines of the vineyard it really is the perfect location. “You did a brilliant job.”
“Thanks. But of course with the little Leonardo in preschool, and the twins still not sleeping through the night I was too busy to plan this myself. Kelsy took it over. She’s been the best addition to my events team. I can’t take any credit.”
“I’ll have to thank her,” I say. “I’m glad she’s working out. You have so much on your plate right now.” Ainsley is handling motherhood like a total pro. The twin girls nestled together into Ainsley’s double stroller coo and smile at each other. I smile at them adoringly. “Ainsley, they’re perfect.”
Epilogue Chapter: 2 Ainsley
“Hey Babe, I’ll take them. I’ll push them through the vineyard for a bit.” Shane places one hand on my shoulder. He grasps the handle of our stroller with his other hand and gently glides the girls back and forth.
“Thanks. Where’s Little Leo?” I ask. Shane gestures to the doorway. Our four year old rambunctious boy bounces with energy near the kid table.
“Your dad’s over there, don’t worry. You catch up with your friends.” Shane kisses me on the head. The way he dotes on our children fills me with joy. He’s an incredible father and our kids are lucky to have him.
I look down at my girls as Shane gets them settled for their walk. When Leo was born I was sure he’d be a girl. I had to have the entire nursery repainted. Determined not to make the same mistake the second time, I told myself I’d accept whatever was meant to be. But when the doctor told Shane and I that
we had girls, and twins at that, my heart burst with joy.
I sit at the table with Jeffery, our family driver and his beautiful wife.
“No kids today?” I ask.
“Nope. They’re with Grandma. So I get this lady all to myself.” Jeffery looks lovingly at his wife and I smile with my friends.
“Well you’re a lucky guy,” I say.
“Oh, I know.” Jeffery says with a raise of his eyebrow.
A familiar hand squeezes my forearm and I smile.
“Hey. How are you? The kids look so cute today in their matching garden party attire.” My sister Amelia smooths the back of my hair.
Having three children so close together has taught me so much. Patience, selflessness, and best of all an appreciation for my sister. She and my brother-in-law Colton are incredible. The first two weeks with the twins, Amelia and Colton took Leo to their family cabin. It gave Shane and I time to acclimate to life with twins. Leo came back with stories of fishing, hiking, and all sorts of other things I’d never want to do. But I hear nature is good for kids and I’m sure glad he gets to experience it with those two.
“They slept for almost four hours last night, so that’s a win,” I say.
“That’s a win?” Amelia chuckles.
“It really is, but I guess you’ll find out about all that soon enough.” I pat her pregnant belly. My sister carries herself with a grace you wouldn’t expect of someone who half way through her first pregnancy. She’ll be the best mom. She’s had so much practice mothering Hunter and I over the years. Our husbands have taken a liking to each other, the four us together are quite a team.
“You should go sit in the shade. Get off your feet for a bit.” I have to admit, it’s nice to be the one giving advice for once.
“I will.”
Amelia takes a step and Colton, true to his character, is immediately by her side. With a glass of ice water in his hand he guides her lovingly to a chair. I’m thankful she has someone so protective of her. I settle into my chair, thrilled to have a few moments with no children touching me. I love my kids but wow is it an adjustment. I mean, we have a nanny, don’t be crazy. But still Shane and I are committed to being as hands on as possible as parents. An arm drapes around my neck from behind as I sit in my chair at the table.