Christmas Home (The Coming Home #6)

53. Epilogue – Ruther

A full year had passed since the night I’d finally found the courage to tour my ancestral home.

Now, the meeting house, barn, and my new home were just about finished as we once again moved into the holiday season. All had turned out exactly as planned, and on budget, which was a feat all its own. I loved the re-creation, and my extended Quaker family had even agreed to visit the following spring to dedicate the meeting house and honor the Quaker history in this area.

I’d already decided I wanted to move into my new house with the man I’d only grown to love more fiercely than I ever thought possible. Clyde was my light. A piece of me I didn’t know was missing until we found each other.

From the outside, we couldn’t appear to be more different—my New England roots and his Southern ones—but we genuinely fit together like a glove. I couldn’t wait to start my life with him, and if the past year was any indication, it would be an amazing life.

Ten homes were under construction in the community, and all had contracts on them. There was a waiting list a mile long for when we could get the other homes done. Cliff and Randy weren’t the fastest builders, even with Todd’s and Amos’s help, but they were beyond thorough, and I knew the homes would stand the test of time.

Because of my family’s history here in this part of the country, I appreciated knowing we were leaving something here that would last the course of time.

I’d spent way more than I should’ve on new Christmas decorations for the community, and no, I didn’t use our revenues from the city. Like the meeting house and barn, I felt they should come from me.

Since the fire had occurred on Christmas, I’d long associated the holiday with my own personal hell. All that changed last year, when I spent my first Christmas here in town with Cliff. Now, promoting the holiday, contrary to my parents’ commitment to ignore it, felt healing by bringing happiness instead of ugliness and shame.

But the main reason I purchased the new decorations myself was because it brought my guy so much joy. I’d told Clyde my idea about it all during the summer, on the anniversary of the first day we met. I didn’t know if he’d picked up on that, and honestly, it didn’t matter. The timing was more for me than him.

One of the things I liked about the Quakers is they believed every day was holy. Every day was worth celebrating. That’s how I felt about my days in Crawford City and with Clyde.

Funny enough, it turns out my boyfriend’s a full-on Christmas nut. He loved helping me shop for the replacement decorations. I thought he’d go for the garish multicolored lights but instead, he selected all-white decorations that formed Christmas-themed designs.

“I want them to accent the town, show off all its sides,” he’d said when I questioned him. “Crawford City is colorful enough that it doesn’t need all that to make it special.”

I agreed. It was colorful enough without garish decoration, especially the ugly stuff we put up last year.

I then put together my proposal and presented it to the town council. It was a fifty-fifty split about getting rid of the old decorations, but the mayor intervened. “The old decorations are a fire hazard, and I’m guessing they won’t be making bulbs for them much longer. Not to mention the fact that they cost a fortune to use. The lights Mr. Crawford is proposing to donate are all LED, meaning it’ll cost about a quarter of the electric bill we usually pay.”

That seemed to sway the council enough to pass my proposal.

Afterward, Emanual pulled me aside and asked if we could make some sort of winter wonderland with the old lights so the town could say goodbye properly in the new park we’d donated to the community.

“That sounds like a great send-off. Why don’t we ask Clyde to head that up?”

“You’re going to get into trouble, young man. Don’t be volunteering your sweetheart without his permission.”

I laughed. “I have a method to my madness. Clyde is obsessed with all things Christmas, especially when it comes to this town. I think this is gonna be our season.”

Emanual smiled and nodded. I knew he remembered last year when Clyde was nearly overwhelmed by the Christmas concert and lighting events.

We pulled the same ragtag group of volunteers together again, along with Cliff, Randy, and their families, to help put the new decorations up and retrofit them to where the old ones used to go.

Clyde was beside himself with excitement over it all. He kept finding me and did a happy dance and squeal before kissing me silly every time a new decoration went up. I loved seeing him so happy and in his element.

The winter wonderland was a credit to Clyde’s creativity. He disassembled the decorations or created ways to prop them up. Then with help from me and the guys—which caused Corey to cringe since we were pulling our crew off to do this instead of finishing houses—we got the wonderland put together.

“You did an amazing job here, sweetheart,” I told Clyde as we took in the masterful finished product. “You should be proud of yourself because I sure am.”

“We created something beautiful out of what was considered ugly. That’s the magic of this place,” he said, snuggling into my side.

I knew I’d be funding more decorations next year because now that I’d seen Clyde’s winter wonderland, I wanted to ensure it became a new Christmas tradition here in town and for us.

Just like last year, Solace joined Roth for the lighting ceremony. The difference was, after we finished lighting the downtown, refreshments would be offered at the meeting house, and Roth and Solace would perform there.

That was all how I’d arranged it, not letting anyone in on my secret plans. Because Mrs. Cole had adopted us, well, okay, she’d adopted Clyde, and Corey and me by extension, we ended up joining her and several of our friends for Thanksgiving at the mansion that’d always been such a terror.

It still surprised me that I could be there and not feel the panic that had plagued me most of my life. I had so many things to be thankful for in the past year, that being the least of them.

We all gathered on the square in front of the library. I was amazed at how many more people were here than last year. Several hundred, if I were to guess. I hoped Mrs. Cole had enough cinnamon rolls. I shook that off, knowing if anyone suspected how many people would be showing up tonight, it would be her.

When the lights flipped on, excited gasps came from the crowd. Clyde had been right, the white decorations showed off the beautiful architecture of the town. It was like we’d stepped into a Christmas movie.

“As you all know,” Emanual said, addressing the crowd, “there’s been some sadness about losing the decorations we’ve all enjoyed these past fifty-plus years, but even the most beloved things wither with age.”

Amos, standing at his side, leaned in and said into the mic, “Or get better with age, like me.”

The crowd chuckled. “That may be,” Emanual said, pulling his husband into his side, “but our Christmas lights weren’t enjoying the same fate. To say goodbye in a reasonable fashion, though, our beloved Clyde and his sweetheart, Ruther, have set up a special wonderland over at the new meeting house and museum. So, if you all wander over there, we’ll have another lighting ceremony, and Mrs. Cole will pass out her delicious cinnamon rolls and hot cocoa.”

I followed the crowd over to the park, smiling with anticipation. Corey looked at me expectantly, and I shrugged. I even wanted my buddy and business partner to be surprised. I knew he’d probably figured out I was up to something, but I was hoping his crush on Solace would distract him long enough for me to do what I had planned.

As soon as the crowd was gathered, Emanual gave me a nod, since I’d talked him into letting me announce the lighting and acknowledge Solace and Roth.

I climbed onto my new home’s front porch that we were using for a stage and waited to get people’s attention. “As you all know,” I began when people had settled, “things have happened quickly since I came back to town last year. In fact, I only recently came to the realization that Crawford City had always been my hometown, even if I never felt that way growing up. But I do now, and that’s a testament to all of you, my friends, and the friends I’ve yet to meet. In the past twelve months, not only did we begin this project and finish the public buildings, which, hopefully, make you all proud as the years flow by, but we were also blessed with the presence of a newcomer. Clyde, can you come up here for a moment?”

Clyde turned from where he was helping Mrs. Cole set out the refreshments. “What’re you up to, Ruther?” he asked loudly, getting a snicker out of the crowd.

“Go on up there. Don’t keep the man waiting,” I heard Mrs. Cole chastise him before shoving him my way.

Clyde walked onto the makeshift stage warily, looking out at the crowd, probably to see who was in on this and if it was some kind of good-natured prank.

“You’ve changed our world, including all this. It only makes sense that you should be the one to flip the switch.”

He smiled wide and took the switch. “On the count of five,” I said, mimicking what the mayor had done last year. When we hit one, he flipped the switch and nothing happened.

“Oh, crap,” he said, causing me to laugh.

“Oh, wait,” I said, pulling a box out of my pocket. “I think maybe this will work better.”

He looked perplexed as he took the box from me, and as he opened it, the lights came on. I knelt on one knee, so pleased I’d set up a remote start button because he immediately gasped, first at the ring, then at the beautiful lights around us.

“My sweet and handsome Clyde, you’ve made my life so much better and happier. I’ve loved you since we first met and have only learned to love you more as time passes. Will you be my husband?”

No one moved, as if the townsfolk were holding their collective breath while we all waited to hear my sweetheart’s answer.

Clyde stared at the ring, then down at me as tears filled his eyes. “Well, give him an answer,” someone in the crowd yelled, tugging a laugh out of him.

“Patience, Joey. Give a man time to enjoy the moment,” Clyde hollered back through his tears. He pulled me up and smiled maybe wider than I’d ever seen on his handsome face. “With all my heart, Ruther. Yes!”

The crowd roared their approval as I pulled my sweet fiancé into my arms. We stepped back, and I slipped the band onto his finger, then he flashed it to the crowd to another cheer.

“Now,” he said, taking the microphone from me, “you all go on and enjoy the party. I’ve got me some kissin’ to do.”

They cheered again as he handed the mic to Roth, who readily took it, and then Clyde pulled my face down for a deep kiss before wrapping is arms around me in a tight embrace.

“You’re so sneaky,” he said, pulling me off the porch and out of view of the crowd before hugging me again. “I had no idea.”

“That was the plan, glad you didn’t say no.”

I knew as soon as Roth and Solace were finished performing, hundreds of townsfolk would descend upon us to offer their well-wishes. I welcomed it, actually, because it meant that people cared. Cared about Clyde, about me, about us as a couple, and about us being firmly planted in this town. But right now, in this moment, all my attention was firmly locked on the person I loved most in this world.

Clyde grabbed my hands and brought them to his lips, kissing my knuckles. “I love you so much, Ruther. Thank you for being patient with me and for wanting to be in my life.” He glanced back at the home that was covered in lights and decorations and wiped another tear. And you proposed to me at your Christmas house.”

I took a deep breath as tears slipped down my face at his loving words. We both looked a mess with our tearstained cheeks, but neither of us swiped at our tears. We were long done with hiding our emotions from one another.

“Clyde, I meant every word of my proposal, and then some, and I’ll spend the rest of my days trying to convey my love in every way I know how. You’re not only the love of my life, but you renewed my love of life, something I hadn’t felt for most of my existence. You and, being here in this town with you did that. You were wrong about one thing, though.”

Clyde looked at me quizzically, obviously replaying his own words back in his mind, then apparently giving up. “And what might that be, fiancé?”

I grinned at my new moniker, and couldn’t wait until it changed to husband. “You’re wrong about me proposing to you at my Christmas house.”

Clyde furrowed his eyebrows and looked from me to the ring on his finger to me again, and shrugged.

I leaned down to kiss his forehead tenderly, then met his eyes. “It’s not my Christmas house any longer. It’s our Christmas home.”