Coming Home to the Mountain: Complete Edition

Epilogue

Epilogue

ANCHOR

T hank God I didn’t leave Home that morning when I left her house. As I was leaving town, I saw that park her great-great grandfather built and knew Lemon was the one for me.

I was scared, a man who had no roots, but I had a woman who did. Who was willing to grow a family tree with me—and I realized how much I longed for that. I made a dash for that hospital, grabbing a bouquet of roses on my way, ready to declare my truth—that Lemon was mine.

After we decided to get married, the next question everyone had was, when?

The where was easy.

Lemon and I agreed that Stout Lake was the perfect place to say I do .

After all, it's where we met.

However, setting a date was a little bit more complicated. Between birthdays and anniversaries and graduations and dance recitals, it was hard to find a day in the upcoming months where everyone Lemon loved was free.

Eventually I had an idea. "How about the 4th of July?"

When I tossed it out, I half expected Lemon to say no way, she's not sharing our romantic date with the rest of the country, but her eyes lit up.

"The 4th of July on the lake is always the best," she said with a grin. "Anchor…" She wrapped her arms around me, kissing me. "You're brilliant."

Her parents agreed. Apparently the Rough family has been going out to Stout Lake every year since forever for a big old 4th of July party.

Fireworks, barbecue, swimming in the lake, the whole nine yards.

Since Lemon and I are not exactly fussy people, we didn't need a church wedding and tuxedos and high heels.

It all seemed too good to be true, but it wasn't.

All those fears I had about joining a family that had its shit together faded when I realized that I actually had won the family lottery, I didn't need to be scared of being enough. They accept me with open arms, just as I am.

Everyone in Lemon's family has their own problems, their own issues that they're working on. They're no different than me in that.

The only thing we are different in is that they've always known since the beginning that the people they loved most in the world had their back, and thankfully, most of them haven't had to suffer the same kind of loss I had as a little boy.

I say most of them because Plum and Reuben have experienced deep, heartbreaking loss, and it trickled through to everyone in the family in turn.

Reuben's wife Lou Anna was someone everyone loved and adored. Losing her when Plum was just two years old was a heartbreak this whole family was never prepared for. And I hope the family doesn't have to experience it again anytime soon.

Today, the wedding is here, and the sky is blue, it’s getting hot with the sun shining bright, and there is a bluegrass band on the lawn, getting everyone in the party spirit.

"How you doing?" Reuben asks, joining me in the kitchen of my lake house. The men are here getting ready for the ceremony that's going to start any minute. The ladies are over at the Rough house.

"I'm doing okay," I say. "A little nervous, but I think that's mostly because I don't like so much attention."

"Says the guy who was a reality TV star," Reuben says with a grin.

Reuben and I get along well. Lemon’s other brothers may like to tease her and joke about the fact she's uptight, but Reuben doesn't ever treat Lemon like that. He is more gentle, softer with her, and it endeared him to me right away.

Of course his little girl Plum made it easy, but she's not here right now. She's with the ladies getting ready, probably in her flower girl dress.

I’m dressed in my wedding clothes and am just waiting until it’s time for me to see my bride. Even though we're not wearing tuxedos, Lemon did say we had to have ironed khakis and polo shirts.

"When I got married," Reuben says, clearing his throat, taking a swig of his beer, "I wasn't nervous; I was excited. Lou Anna was pregnant with Plum and I know everyone thinks we got married just because we were going to have a baby, but I knew I was going to marry her even before that."

I nod, never having heard this from Reuben. His brothers are in the living room, joking around, laughing, passing around a bottle of whiskey per the family tradition. But Reuben and I have stepped aside and I can tell he's trying to give me some brotherly advice, which, to be honest, I appreciate more than he could know.

I don't have any brothers. I don't have any family here. The fact he gets that makes me grateful that he'll be my brother-in-law.

"Anyways," he says, "I fell hard for Lou the day we met, just like you fell for Lemon. Everyone thought we were crazy because we were so young. I mean, we were only 18. They thought it was probably reckless what we were doing. But now that she's gone," he says, running a hand over his beard, "I'm happier than ever that we took that leap of faith when we did, because I cherish the memories we have, you know? You never know how long you have on this earth. So when you have the chance to lean into love, I figure, hell, you got to go in, all in. Which is what you’re doing now, with Lem."

I squeeze his shoulder. "I appreciate that, Reuben. You lost Lou Anna, what? Three years ago?"

He nods, "About four now. Crazy right? Time passes quickly. It flies by and being a single dad to Plum has only made time fly faster."

"You okay being on your own?" I ask him, not knowing how to phrase, do you want to get married again , without coming off as insensitive.

He gives me a crooked grin. "Yeah. I'm not opposed to falling in love. I just haven't met the right girl. The right woman who could be a mom to Plum."

I smile. "She'd have to be pretty special."

He nods. "Hell yeah. Plum’s my whole world."

"Maybe you'll find her this summer," I say.

Reuben chuckles, "I won't hold my breath. A woman that could make me risk the good thing I've got going with my little girl would have to come out of nowhere."

"I came out of nowhere for Lemon, and hell, she came out of nowhere for me."

"Fair enough," Reuben says, "Then you never know. Maybe this summer, love will find me too. But in the meantime," he says, his eyes on me, "you've got to go say I do . I think everybody's waiting on you."

Just then, Red comes into my house through the back door. "You boys about ready to get the show on the road?"

Lemon’s brothers stand, smooth the fronts of their pants. Red shakes his head at them. "Hope you haven't been drinking too much, boys; this is your sister’s big day."

"Nah, we've been doing good, Dad. I promise," Bartlett says.

Mac laughs. "Lemon would wring our necks if we weren't walking the straight and narrow for her wedding day."

"Well, you better come out here now because the Rowdy boys, they're ready to throw down, so we better get the business out of the way so the party can begin," Red tells his sons.

I chuckle, having only met the Rowdy cousins a few times: Cash, on that first day I met Lemon's brothers. The rest of the Rowdy crew are all different levels of rambunctious. And if I feel overwhelmed with the fact I have five new brothers-in-law, it hasn’t even sunk in that the Rowdy family is now my family by marriage.

"Thanks, Red, for everything you have done for me and Lemon, to make today special." Red gives me a hug. "Son," he says, "I'm happy as hell to have you in the family. Now you better treat my girl right. I need her in my business."

"I don't think she's going anywhere, sir."

"You got to stop calling me sir. You hear?" Red says with a grin. "Now, you ready for this?"

We walk out on the back porch. On the lawn next door is a beautiful archway for us to say our vows under, flowers everywhere. White chairs are lined up in rows. Lemon's entire family is here: grandma, grandpa, aunts and uncles, cousins, brothers, sister, sisters-in-law, everyone. Half of Home, really.

I take my place next to the pastor. "Thank you again for being here, especially on a holiday."

"My whole family's here," Pastor Andy says. "Wouldn't miss the Rough family 4th of July party. It's a tradition."

I grin, realizing how lucky I am to be marrying a Rough. This family, it plays for keeps, and Lemon, she's my forever.

When she walks down the aisle, I catch my breath. Maybe that's corny to say, but I do. She is a vision in white, flowers in her hair, a smile on her face that is wide and her eyes bright blue. I shake my head in awe, thankful and grateful and wondering how the fuck I got so lucky.

The ceremony happens quickly. I say what I'm supposed to, but really I'm just aching to kiss my bride. When Pastor Andy tells me it's time, I lift her chin with the hook of my finger and I draw Lemon's lips to mine. I kiss her softly. Then more deeply as the whole damn family begins to hoot and holler just like Lemon warned they would. The Rowdy boys, probably the loudest of all.

I take her hand in mine as we're announced as husband and wife, and then we walk down the aisle. But really it feels like we're floating. That's how happy we both are.

We head straight to my bedroom loft in my lake house and I lock the door.

We had this planned. We told everyone we just needed a little bit of time to ourselves after we said I do.

God knows there's going to be a roaring party for the rest of the day and night.

Alone in the space where we first made love, I draw my wife to me. Her dress is loose and lovely, a sundress really. She slips off her sandals. "I know everybody's going to be waiting for us to cut the cake and have a dance and all that. But..."

"But what, baby?" I ask, drawing my wife to me, unable to stop myself from kissing every inch of her neck, aching for so much more.

"But I don't exactly want to go do all of that just yet."

"Well, we're not going to. We told everybody we needed a little bit of time alone."

"I want more than time ," she says. "I want you." She presses her hand to my cock and it throbs in my khakis.

"Really?" I ask. “Now?”

She smiles. "We should consummate this marriage, shouldn't we? It’s only right."

"Well, I wouldn't want to do anything wrong," I say with a grin, lifting up the hem of her dress. "Fuck, baby," I say, "You're not wearing panties?"

She shakes your head. "No, I wanted to be ready for you." She unbuttons my pants, and I push them down, drawing my girl, my wife, to the bed. "I want you so bad."

"You have me," she says. "Forever."

"Should we go out in the rowboat later for old time's sake?" I ask. "The lake's still, no rough waters today."

She laces her fingers with mine. Her eyes search my soul as my cock enters her slowly with a need and desire that she understands entirely.

"Let's hope there'll be no rough waters in our future. And if there are, you and I, Anchor, we can get through anything together."

I fill her up and I hold her, knowing she is mine. Our bodies move as one, our hearts beat in time. Lemon Rough is more than my wife; she's my home.