by Holly Rayner
Epilogue
A Year Later - Marissa
“It looks like you’ll fly into Austin on Tuesday afternoon,” Marissa said into the phone while peering down at the itinerary she’d printed out just moments before. “Two-fifteen, it says here.”
“That will be perfect!” Linda said with excitement. “Hopefully Joshua will be just waking up from an afternoon nap, and he’ll give me one of those smiles that makes my heart melt.”
Marissa grinned and looked over at Joshua. He was just over a year old and had a smile that could light up a room—plus big, sky-blue eyes to match.
Joshua waved the toy in his hands in Marissa’s direction and made a few soft cooing sounds. A little river of drool gushed from his tiny lips, and he began giggling playfully.
“He’s been so happy since we moved into the new house,” Marissa said to her mother. “He’s sleeping through the nights, even. I think he likes his new nursery.”
She walked over toward Joshua’s high chair, which was next to the kitchen table. Marissa took a seat on one of the high-backed kitchen chairs and reached into Joshua’s high chair to tickle his little tummy in just the way he liked.
“I really can’t wait to see your new place,” Linda said. “Remind me one more time, dear, what are the colors of your kitchen? Did you go with the blue and white design that you were talking about? I have some dishes that I want to bring out to you, but I don’t want them to ruin your color scheme. They’re bright yellow… a set from your Nana.”
“We did go with blue and white,” Marissa said, looking up from her giggling son and around the bright, sunlit kitchen in which she stood.
The house that she and Colt had purchased in the suburbs of Austin was bigger than any home she’d ever lived in. The kitchen alone was as big as the apartment unit she used to have when she was a teacher in Dulcett. “I think yellow would fit in well,” she continued. “It would add a pretty splash of color… but don’t worry about bringing dishes on the plane, Mom. That would be a hassle.”
“Good point,” Linda said. “Maybe I’ll pack them in bubble wrap and ship them instead. Oh, honey, I am just so excited to see your new place. The pictures you’ve been sending are lovely. And I can’t wait to give you a big hug! It feels like ages since the wedding.”
Marissa laughed. “Mom, it was just two months ago! It hasn’t been that long. I almost feel like I saw you yesterday—time has been flying by, here.”
“That’s because you’ve been moving into the new house,” Linda said. “Moving is always stressful.”
Marissa disagreed with her mother’s statement, but she was too happy to argue the point. She kept tickling Joshua’s tummy as she thought happily over the last year, which had been one of the most blissful and stress-free years of her life.
She had recovered quickly from her C-section, thanks to Colt’s attentive care. She and Colt had shared a first date under the old oak tree in Peabody, and it was absolutely magical: two tall tapered candles on a checkered red-and-white blanket, a basket of good food and wine, and a canopy of leaves and stars overhead. It was not long after their star-lit picnic that Colt had proposed.
Marissa looked down at her engagement ring. It flashed in the sunlight that was pouring through the kitchen window and over to the table where she sat. The tear-drop shaped pink diamond was set amid a cluster of smaller, yellow diamonds in a setting of white gold. Colt had proposed to her while they were out on a walk. She could picture clearly the way he’d looked, down on one knee in front of her, with the prairie and a soft, stunning sunset behind him.
Not long after that, they’d moved to Austin and into Colt’s penthouse. Since both she and Colt wanted Joshua to have a big yard to play in as he got older, they began searching for a suitable house.
Suitable! Ha! Marissa thought, as she looked around the mansion she now found herself in. The house was so beyond merely “suitable.” It exceeded her every expectation. It was more than big enough for their family of three. Colt often joked that they’d have to have five more children if they wanted to fill all of the rooms. Marissa always countered this statement by negotiating. “How about two more?” she would say.
“Four,” he liked to respond.
Their negotiations often ended when she finished with “Three, and that’s my final offer.”
Though this routine had become a bit of a joke between them, Marissa knew she honestly would love to have four children. The number sounded perfect to her.
But that was all far down the road. For right now, she was happy watching Joshua grow and change from day to day. He was a healthy, happy baby, and his presence in her life filled her with joy.
“…the linen cupboard, but I don’t know where it’s gotten off to since then,” her mother was saying. “I think your father put it somewhere when he emptied out the closet in order to paint it. I suppose I’ll have to ask him. But if I do find it, I’ll add that to the box of dishes that I send. It’s my housewarming gift to you.”
“Hm?” Marissa said. “Sorry, Mom, I missed part of what you said.”
“Did the connection cut out?” her mother asked. “I hope you didn’t move so far out into the country that you don’t have good phone service. I count on my phone calls with you—I live for updates about my little angel!”
“The connection is good,” Marissa said. “We’re not that far out of the city. It was me—I was daydreaming.”
“You’ve been so happy since starting your family,” Linda said. “So dreamy… I love seeing you like this, honey. For a while there, you were so serious and stressed. I used to worry about you, but I don’t anymore. It’s like you stepped into a whole new life.”
“I did,” Marissa said. She stood up and walked over to the sink. Joshua continued to chew on his toy happily, and Marissa reached for one of the dishes in the sink so that she could load it into the dishwasher, nearby.
“Are you doing okay without working during the day?” her mother asked. “I know that your father went a little stir-crazy when he first retired and had the whole day to fill. Do you miss teaching?”
“I’m not retired,” Marissa said. “I’m only thirty-one! I’d like to get back into education eventually, but maybe in a different capacity. I’d like to advocate for teachers and to work on getting some grant money for rural schools. Colt suggested that I start up a non-profit. He says he learned a lot when he took over his parents’ company and that he could help me get it started. This would all be down the road, though. For right now, I’m staying busy with getting us settled into this place and taking care of Joshua.”
“Is Colt back to work full-time?” Linda asked.
Marissa nodded and looked out through the window just above the sink. It gave her a view of the expansive front yard and the driveway that curved through it.
“He’s working, but his schedule is flexible,” she said. “Some weeks he works more than others. He’s hiring a few more staff members to take over some of the duties he was doing before, so he can spend more time with Josh and me.”
Just then, she saw Colt’s brand-new silver SUV pull into the driveway. “Actually, Mom, he just pulled up. Is it okay if I let you go?”
“Of course, dear,” Linda said. “Give Joshua a kiss from me, and I’ll see you all this Tuesday.”
Marissa hung up the phone and then walked over to the high chair to scoop up Joshua. He started babbling as she cradled him to her chest.
“What was that?” she asked him gently, as she walked toward the door. Joshua was getting more and more vocal. “I know you want to say ‘mamma,’” she teased him, as he started teething on the toy he still held in his pudgy, tiny fist.
She exited the kitchen and then walked down a long hallway. Just as she reached the expansive entryway, the front door opened and Colt stepped inside. He removed his cowboy hat as soon as he stepped in and scuffed his boots against the entryway mat as he said, “There’s my beautiful wife! And my little man…”
He sm
iled broadly and walked over to Marissa. He leaned down over her and delivered a soft and gentle kiss to her lips. When they parted, he stroked Joshua’s cheek and said, “You two sure are a sight for sore eyes.”
“Tough day?” Marissa asked sympathetically.
He sighed. “Long meeting with the board,” he said. “At least Bradley was there to add some humor. But let’s just say I’m happy to be home. Oh!” His eyes widened with excitement, as if he’d just remembered something. He reached into the front pocket of his plaid button-up shirt and pulled out a small, ivory-colored box. “I did get some good news today—a call from a jeweler that I hired to make a custom piece.”
Marissa bounced Joshua on her hip a few times. He continued to make happy-baby sounds. “What kind of piece?” she asked.
Colt’s eyes sparkled. “Well, I’ve noticed that you still wear that tulip charm from our day at the Botanical Gardens,” he said.
Marissa used her free hand to pull the little tulip charm out from beneath the collar of her tank top. “Of course I do!” she said. “I love this necklace. It reminds me of when we first met…” her voice drifted off as she let her fingers run over the worn tulip charm, chipped paint and all.
“I know you love it,” Colt said. “But I thought—how about something a little higher quality? In the same shape and the same colors.” He held the box out and opened the lid.
Marissa peered in with curiosity. There, on a rippling pool of cream-colored satin, she saw a beautiful necklace, crafted in the shape of a tulip. The piece was made with the exact same gemstones that were in her engagement ring—pink diamonds for the petals and smaller yellow diamonds for the leaves and stem. A delicate white gold setting and chain completed the necklace.
She gasped. “Colt—it’s gorgeous,” she said quietly. “I absolutely love it. Thank you.”
“May I?” Colt asked.
Marissa nodded. She stepped in closer to Colt so that he could remove the worn tulip charm from around her neck and replace it with the new necklace. His hand brushed the back of her neck as he fastened the clasp. She shivered with pleasure and awe.
At times, her new life still felt surreal.
“How did I get so lucky?” she whispered as she looked into Colt’s blue eyes. “Thank you.” They kissed again. This time, the kiss was longer and deeper than the one that Colt had greeted her with.
When they parted, Colt spoke. “Thank you, Marissa. You’ve given me everything I ever wanted. I feel like the happiest man in the world.”
“And I feel like the happiest woman,” Marissa said honestly. She looked down at the little one in her arms. Joshua was gazing up at Colt with adoration. He still had the teether in his mouth.
“And how about you, little man?” Marissa asked her son playfully. “How do you feel about all of this? Do you think you’re a lucky little guy to have this amazing daddy?”
Joshua removed the toy and grinned. “Dadda!” he proclaimed.
Colt’s brows raised up. “That’s me!” he said happily. “Yeah, my little man! Dadda! That’s me!”
He wrapped his arms around Marissa and Joshua, so the three of them were together in one big family hug.
This is love. This is happiness, Marissa thought, as she surrendered into the embrace.
The End
I hope you’ve enjoyed Colt and Marissa’s story! Subscribe to my mailing list and get news, freebies and more!
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