Forever Starts Now

by London, Stefanie

  “That sounds wonderful.” Tears pricked her eyes hot and sharp, but she blinked them away.

  “And that all starts with coming back here and supporting the woman I love.” He lowered his forehead down to hers. “I wasn’t ready to say it before I left because I needed to figure things out, but that didn’t mean the feeling wasn’t there already. Because I did love you then, Monroe, even if I didn’t have the guts to say it.”

  “Then say it now,” she whispered.

  “I love you, Monroe. More than anything.”

  …

  Was he mad? This whole thing—the costume, standing in the town square declaring his love in front of strangers, laying everything on the line…who was he right now?

  A new and improved Ethan.

  A man who knew love, who knew the power of truth, who knew that life was what you made it. A man who knew that mistakes could be overcome and that forgiveness was golden.

  Monroe looked up at him, her beautiful brown eyes wide and glimmering, her curly ginger hair ruffled by the wind, and her freckles standing out loud and proud and pretty as always.

  “I love you, too, Ethan.” She ran her tongue along her lips. “But how do I know that you won’t get bored here? How do I know that you won’t want to go back home?”

  “Because I am home,” he said. “Will I want to go back to Australia to visit people there? Yeah, of course. But can I see myself growing old with you and having babies and dogs and setting down roots in Forever Falls? Hell yeah I can.”

  Putting his wishes out into the world was like a weight being lifted off his chest. He felt unshackled. Free. Ready.

  “Are you sure?” she whispered.

  “Monroe, I have never been more certain of anything in my whole life. Even when the rest of my world felt like it was crumbling, being with you was the only thing that felt right. You’re my safe harbor.”

  “And you’re my superhero,” she said, a grin spreading across her lips. “Literally.”

  “You like the costume, huh?”

  “It’s very sexy, especially when you get your guns out.” She laughed.

  “I’ll see if the costume place will let me keep it.” He waggled his eyebrows.

  “Will you just kiss her already!” someone yelled from the crowd.

  And what a crowd they’d drawn. People were standing around waiting to see what happened. Ethan looked at Monroe and she nodded, a flush spreading across her cheeks that filled his heart with joy.

  And when he lowered his head to hers, Monroe melted into him. Her hands clutched at the fake armor of his costume and she tilted her head back, lips parting. Their kiss was sugary sweet, and he swept his tongue into her mouth, holding her so tight it was a miracle she didn’t gasp for air. But he never wanted to let her go, because this woman had seen him through his darkest times.

  Her light and gold heart had been an anchor when he’d felt like the universe was ripping everything from him. The crowd around them cheered and Monroe pulled back, laughing, her face that adorable shade of deep rose-red that he loved so much.

  “And you all lived happily ever after,” a little girl said, scurrying up to them. “Can I have a photo now? We’ve been waiting aaaaages.”

  Laughing, Monroe stepped back and motioned for him to keep the people happy. But he shot her a look. “This isn’t over yet,” he said.

  “No, it’s not.” She grinned. “But I have to get back to work. I’m running a very successful business, you know.”

  “That’s my girl.”

  “I am your girl.” This time it wasn’t a question.

  “And I’m your Thor.”

  “Forever?” she asked.

  “And always.”

  As Ethan crouched down to take a picture with the curly-haired little girl, he looked at her chubby face and eager smile, and he knew that there was so much more that life had to offer.

  Love. Family. Hope. Truth.

  And everything else good in the world.

  Epilogue

  One year later…

  The grand reopening of the Forever Falls Inn had come quicker than Monroe could believe. It felt like yesterday that she’d made a deal with a handsome stranger on a secret mission. And now here they were, standing in the event space at the newly renovated inn.

  The room was filled with people, dressed in Forever Falls’s version of fancy clothing. Ethan was in all black, from the sweater hugging his broad chest, to the dress pants making his long legs look even longer. Next to him was Lottie, who wore black pants of her own and a checkered button down, never one to put on airs and graces even for the grand re-opening of her own business.

  But Monroe had never seen the older woman smile the way she was now, beaming like actual rays of sunshine were coming out of her.

  “Monroe, these cupcakes are unreal.” One of the guests approached, a woman that used to frequent the diner when Monroe worked there. “Tell me I can book you for my daughter’s birthday party later this year.”

  “Give me a call and we’ll see what we can work out.” Monroe slipped her a business card. “But I’m almost booked out for about the next six months, so call me this week okay?”

  “I will. Thanks.” The woman pocketed the card and headed back into the crowd.

  Monroe let her staff member look after the dessert bar which was filled with all manner of treats—mini cupcakes, truffles, neat squares of cake decorated with a tiny fondant version of Lottie’s business logo, cake pops, and more. Monroe was half working, half playing a supporting role tonight.

  Since his return to Forever Falls, Ethan has struck up a relationship with Lottie. It was a rather unexpected friendship as well as working partnership. Lottie had hired him on to help her finish the renovations on the inn but to also do all the tech stuff she hated, like building a website and figuring out how to implement a proper booking and payment system from this century.

  In turn, she’d told him more about the woman who would have been his grandmother and had shed light on questions that Ethan still had. In many ways, Lottie had almost filled that grandmother role for him, and Ethan became the grandson she never had. Seeing the two of them together could warm even the coldest of hearts, because the love they had for one another was about the most beautiful thing Monroe had ever seen.

  “Hey, it’s our resident sugar pusher!” Ethan laughed and held out his hand, motioning for her to join him and Lottie as they chatted with some of the local business owners they were hoping to partner with for the inn. Monroe recognized a local artist and one of the men who ran a furniture restoration company. “I hope you’ve all had a chance to taste something from the dessert bar.”

  “Oh yes, the chocolate cake is delicious,” one of the men piped up. “I bought one of your cakes for my wife’s birthday last month and I swear we devoured the whole thing in a single sitting.”

  “I’m so glad to hear that.” Monroe grinned. Ethan slung his arm around her shoulders and squeezed, his pride radiating.

  Despite her fears that Ethan might one day change his mind about his life in Forever Falls, the two of them had grown closer every day. She’d never felt so loved and supported by a partner as she did now. He was her biggest fan—even if she was jealous that he could seemingly eat endless amounts of cake without putting on a pound—he was her best brainstorming partner, her cheerleader, and her shoulder to cry on after a tough day.

  Whatever fears she might have from time to time, they were certainly getting quieter.

  “I’m going to steal Monroe for a minute to show her upstairs,” Ethan said to Lottie. “Are you okay down here to keep things going?”

  “I’m not used to having quite so many people around here,” Lottie grumbled. The grand opening party had been Ethan’s idea for drumming up business, and the older woman had needed some cajoling.

  “I’ll keep you
company,” Loren said. She’d been standing with her husband off to the side, but clearly keeping an eye on things. “If that’s okay with you, Lottie?”

  She nodded. “Yeah, that’s good by me.”

  Ethan smiled and grabbed Monroe’s hand, intertwining their fingers as he led her toward the stairs. Now that it was all refinished, the polish gleamed, and the old place looked grand and loved once more.

  “It’s almost like two families coming together,” he said. “I’m honored both your sisters came by and brought some friends.”

  “Of course! We’re all here to support one another.” She squeezed his hand. “Loren’s friend is getting married next year, and she was thinking the inn might make for a fun ‘classy bachelorette party’ location.”

  They ascended the stairs, some of them still squeaking as old buildings were want to do, and when they made it to the top, the hallway was lit with the gentle glow of antique glass lamps. Every bit of this place sparkled.

  “You’ve put so much work into this inn,” Monroe said. “I’m proud of you and Lottie for breathing new life into it.”

  “And to think she wanted to tear it down at one point, even though it had belonged to her family for generations.” Ethan shook his head. “I think when she had me working on it the first time, it was just to spruce it up enough to sell it, but after I came back and asked for a job, she changed her mind.”

  “You’ve already had a lot of impact on the people in this town.” She smiled.

  Ethan hadn’t only been working with Lottie, but he also taught a computer class at the local community center for older folks who wanted to learn how to use spreadsheets and some more intermediate programs. His students had taken to calling him “Thor” and he leaned into the role, keeping a mini Thor hammer on his key chain and making all his in-class exercises superhero themed.

  Everybody loved Ethan, though not quite as much as she did.

  “What did you want to show me?” she asked.

  “Well, when we were deciding on the themes for each of the rooms, we uh…decided to call this one Mary’s Room.” He pushed open the door and inside was a modest, but beautiful guest room decorated in pale blues. “This was her favorite color, apparently.”

  Monroe couldn’t speak for a moment. She knew Ethan had wanted to learn more about the Brewers and Lottie had helped him connect to the more positive parts of his family history. On the wall of the guest room was an old sun-faded photo of a woman and a young boy with blond hair and a cheeky smile.

  “That’s them isn’t it? Mary and Matthew.” She walked closer and took in the details. There was something of Ethan in Matthew’s smile, an inhibited joy. “This is a lovely tribute.”

  She turned around, her mouth already open to ask more questions, but her breath halted in her lungs as she saw Ethan down on one knee, a box in his hands.

  “I wanted to do it here,” he said. “Because I felt like I figured out who I was in this place. I felt like I connected with my past and in doing that found my future, and you’re a critical piece of that puzzle.”

  “Oh my gosh.” She pressed a hand to her heart, and it was beating wildly.

  “I can’t see a future without you in it, Monroe. You’ve opened my eyes to the important things in life, you’ve given me hope that I could heal and get past the bad things that happened. I owe you everything for the life you’ve helped me grasp.” He sucked in a breath. “Monroe Roberts, it would make me the happiest man alive if you would say yes to forever. I want you to be my wife, my lifelong partner, the mother to my future children. And I want to stand by you as you soar to new heights and achieve everything your heart desires. What do you say?”

  “Yes.” The word barely got out of her before the tears did and it was only when a cheer erupted at the door, Loren and Taylor both squeezed into the frame and keeping everyone else behind them, that Monroe realized Ethan had planned every little detail. “I want to be your wife.”

  He got up and grabbed her, throwing both arms around her, the velvet box in one hand as he kissed her long and deep.

  “Show her the damn ring!” Taylor shouted from the door, and there was laughter and cheering behind her.

  “Oh yeah.” Ethan laughed, momentarily embarrassed. “I was too interested in kissing you that I almost forgot the most important bit.”

  He opened the velvet box and showed the contents to Monroe. Inside was an old-fashioned ring, with a gold band and a platinum setting nestling three diamonds—the center one slightly larger than the other two.

  “It belonged to my grandmother. To Mary,” he said, still unsure whether he was supposed to call her by name or not. “Lottie said it was right for you to have it. That it’s what she would have wanted. I know the diamonds aren’t too big—”

  “Stop, it’s perfect. You know I don’t care about that stuff.” She held out her hand and it trembled as he slid the ring onto her finger. “It’s precious and beautiful and it means something. That’s what matters.”

  “You’ve made me so happy, Monroe. You have no idea.”

  “I have some idea, because I imagine it’s as happy as you’ve made me.” She pressed up onto her toes, admiring her ring as she slipped her hands over his shoulders and kissed her fiancé with everything she had. “I love you, Ethan. I’m so glad you found your way here.”

  Lottie pushed her way into the room and without a word wrapped them both into a brief but tight hug. Then she stepped back, looking a little embarrassed at the display of affection. “She would have been proud of you, boy.”

  “Thanks, Lottie.”

  The older woman nodded. “All right, well that’s enough mushy stuff. And don’t go thinking you’re going to defile any of my nice rooms now, okay?”

  Monroe flushed and Ethan threw his head back, a laugh rushing out of them. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”

  “I would,” Monroe said with a wink. “But I guess we can wait until we get home.”

  “Good thing there’s a party already going on downstairs. We need to celebrate.”

  “We’ve got our whole lives to celebrate,” she said, unable to wipe the smile off her face. “And I tend to treasure every single moment.”

  When Ethan’s lips found hers again, it was like her heart was made of champagne and glitter.

  This was love—this giddy, unnamable, irrepressible feeling. Being with the man she cherished, surrounded by family both blood and found, in a place where hope and new life had breathed into the walls and floors. Forever started now, and she would never let herself be closed off to it ever again.

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  Acknowledgements

  With each and every book I write, it feels like the list of people to thank grows stronger. To my husband Justin, I couldn’t do any of this without you. Thank you for bringing me endless coffees while I’m on crunch, for picking up the slack when the deadlines roll in and for always being ready to help with a brainstorming session.

  To my writer friends: Taryn, Amy, Tara, Jen, Heidi, Lauren and Becca, you all make doing my dream job even better. Thank you for the laughs, for always being ready to share ideas and knowledge, for the craft talks and plot fixing, and for making me feel less alone at my desk. I’m so grateful to have you all in my life.

  To my mum and dad, thank you for always fostering my love of books. To Sami, Albie, Melissa, Michael, and Violet—I’m grateful to be surrounded by such creative people. You all inspire me!

  Thank you to the Ladies Supper Club, to the “…Station” group, to the friends I’ve made through Strengths and the wonderful people I met through the RAGT. You all make my world brighter.

  Thank you to my agent Jill Marsal and to Liz Pelletier, Lydia Sharp, and the rest of the team at Entangled Publishing for helping me bring this story to life. There are so many hands that touch a story before it
ends up on shelves, and I am grateful to every single person who works on my books.

  Most important of all, thank you to my readers. I am grateful for each and every person who picks up one of my stories, for all the people who write to me letting me know they enjoy the worlds I create and to all the people who love romance as much as I do. You’re all amazing.

  About the Author

  Stefanie London is a USA Today bestselling author of contemporary romances and romantic comedies. Her books have been called “genuinely entertaining and memorable” by Booklist and “Elegant, descriptive and delectable” by RT magazine. Her stories have been nominated for multiple industry awards, including the Romance Writers of America RITA® award.

  Originally from Melbourne, Australia, she now lives in Toronto with her very own hero.

  You can find her at stefanie-london.com

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