Stuck With the Grumpy Single Dad

20. Epilogue Matt

Epilogue: Matt

[ Eight Months Later]

I stand in the lobby of the newly finished Hotel Lindsay.

It’s not really a hotel, nor does it quite qualify as an inn. Even so, this little bed-and-breakfast is sweet enough that I don’t think anyone will be pedantic about the name.

In the quiet foyer, I look around at the final touches—fresh flowers on every available surface, the gleaming hardwood floors, and the soft lighting that Mabel suggested would make the place feel warm and welcoming. She was right, of course. She always is.

Tomorrow, this place will be filled with people. The grand opening is set for the start of tourist season, and a small army of locals have convinced me to host a soirée to kick off Hotel Lindsay’s first summer. Gigi Lee is catering and, as far as I’ve been warned, almost everyone in town has been invited. I should feel nervous. I should be thinking about the logistics, worrying about the guests who will walk through these doors, and stressing about making sure everything runs smoothly .

But, weirdly, I’m not.

Instead, all I can think about is how much has changed in the past year. How much I have changed.

When I first moved here, I had a plan. A strict, orderly plan. I was going to fix up the old manor, throw myself into the work, and keep my head down. That’s what I always did. Work was my escape, my way of dealing with everything difficult in life. The girls were my other main focus, the good part of my life. I didn’t let myself think about anything else.

But then there was Mabel.

Maple Leaf . The woman who had been part of my life for nearly twenty years without me even realizing it. The woman I fell in love with through letters, without ever laying eyes on her.

I make my way down the grand hall toward the French doors, gazing out past the glass to where the cliffs of Mermaid Shores stand tall against the backdrop of a bright, early May sun. Mabel and I are having a picnic out there this evening. It’s something we do often—just the two of us, away from the bustle of everything else. It’s become our little corner of the world.

Tonight, I have a plan. Not the kind of plan I used to make about keeping to myself, doing the bare minimum when it comes to social interaction, and keeping myself in a lonely cycle. This one is about taking a chance, about opening up the part of myself I’ve always kept locked away.

I take a deep breath and let it out slowly. My heart is already hammering away like a drum beat. I’m nervous, but not in a bad way. These are the kind of nerves that come when you know something big—something good —is about to happen.

“Dad? ”

I turn around to see the girls standing at the foot of the staircase, their faces lit up with excitement from the finishing touches they’ve just seen upstairs.

That’s another thing that’s changed. My girls are thirteen, going on fourteen. Daddy is now simply Dad . They are strong and intelligent and fiercely independent. They know how to cook better meals than I could ever dream of concocting.

Mia and Ava have been buzzing about the grand opening for weeks, and I can see it in their eyes now. Last night, they told me they’re proud of me, proud of what we’ve built together, and it took everything in me not to cry.

“What do you think?” I ask them, gesturing around the lobby.

Mia grins as she runs over to the check-in desk, trailing her fingers along the glossy mahogany surface. “It looks amazing. Way better than it did when we first moved in.”

I laugh as Ava nods in agreement. “Yeah, it’s perfect. Better than perfect, actually.”

I smile. The hotel is named after their mother, but it was actually Mabel’s idea. It felt like the best way to honor her memory, especially since she’s the one who inspired me to start this renovation in the first place. Finishing up this place over the past year has been cathartic, a way for me to say my final goodbyes and realize that it’s okay to move forward.

I always thought I was doing the right thing by focusing on the girls and nobody else, but our lives have been a thousand times better with Mabel around. Mia and Ava love her to death, and Mabel is a natural when it comes to bonding with them. In fact, I really can’t believe I ever thought that she, of all people, could possibly hate children.

“Are you nervous about tomorrow?” Ava asks, snapping me out of my thoughts .

I chuckle. “A little bit, but I’ve got a good team. After all, you two will be here to help, right?”

“ Duh ,” Mia says, rolling her eyes like it’s the most obvious thing in the world. “But, you know, tomorrow’s not the big deal. It’s tonight that’s important.”

I raise an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

She gives me a knowing look, and Ava snickers beside her. “Dad, we know you’ve been planning something. You’re not exactly subtle.”

I snort. I guess I should’ve known they’d pick up on it. If they knew about Maple for so long, I bet it required almost no effort at all to figure out what I’ve got planned for tonight. They’re my daughters, after all. They know me too well.

“Well, maybe tonight is a big deal,” I admit. “I don’t want to jinx anything, though.”

Ava grins. “Don’t worry, Dad. You’re going to do great.”

I come forward and ruffle their hair, one by one. They huff and grumble, but they let me do it.

“Alright, you two,” I say, giving them a playful nudge toward the door. “Go on. I’ve got a picnic to get to.”

They giggle as they head out, already chattering about a summer camp I signed them up for in Boston. I take one last look around, letting the satisfaction fully settle in. The manor is done. It’s ready.

The best part is that I didn’t rush it.

Instead of throwing myself into the renovation, desperate for any excuse to distract myself from an endless spiral of troubled thoughts, I forced myself to slow down. I took my time, and Joe worked with my new pace without complaint. I spent more afternoons at the beach with the girls, more evenings having dinner with Mabel, more mornings just living. And now, it’s all come together in a way I never could have planned .

I grab the picnic basket I packed earlier this afternoon and head out toward the cliffs, the cool evening breeze hitting my face. The sun has sunk lower, casting a golden glow over everything. The air is warm and earthy from the weeks of rain that just passed. Everything seems like it’s bathed in an aura of something mystical, like I’ve stepped out of the manor and into one of the girls’ favorite fairytales.

And then I see her.

Mabel has already set up the blanket near the very crest of the cliffside, her red hair loose and flowing free down her back. Her emerald eyes sparkle as she looks up and waves at me.

My heart does that thing it always does when I see her—a little skip, followed by a rush of warmth that pours down my spine.

“Hey, you,” she says as I approach, her smile lighting up her whole face.

“Hey, beautiful,” I reply. Thankfully, it comes out smoothly, even though I can feel nothing but nervous energy bubbling up in my chest.

I settle down on the blanket beside her, resting the basket between us. Mabel starts rifling through and unpacking the assortment of things I shoved in there. If she notices something strange about how particularly fancy tonight’s selection is, she doesn’t mention it. Instead, she chats idly about her day at the restaurant, regaling me with an entertaining story about the first influx of tourists that have come to town early this season.

I admire her as she talks, her hands moving gracefully and her laughter dancing on the cool breeze. There’s no pretense with Mabel. What you see is what you get, and I love that about her. I love everything about her.

I’ve loved her for a long time. Loved her before I even consciously knew it.

After a while, she looks up and catches me staring, her smile fading into something softer, more intimate. “You’re quiet tonight.”

I clear my throat, my heart racing. “Yeah, I’ve… I’ve been thinking.”

She raises an eyebrow, waiting for me to continue, but I don’t know how to start. I don’t know how to begin explaining that I want her to be a part of my life for the rest of our lives. That the twins see her as a mother already, and that they have already suggested that they would love to be officially adopted by her. That Mabel fits so flawlessly, so naturally, into my life that I can’t believe we went twenty years without trying to find each other.

I thought I’d have this grand speech prepared, this perfect way to tell her how I feel, but now that we’re here, the feeling is coming a lot more easily than the telling.

So, I do the only thing I can think of.

I reach into my pocket, my fingers brushing against the small velvet box hidden there. My breath hitches in my throat, and I feel the weight of the moment settle over me.

“Mabel,” I begin, relieved when my voice comes out stable and sure. “There’s something I need to ask you.”

She stops mid-bite, a chocolate-covered strawberry hovering a few inches from her lips. “What is it?”

I take a deep breath. “Mabel Lee—my Maple Leaf—you’ve changed my life in more ways than I can even put into words. You’ve made me see things differently, helped me slow down, reminded me that there’s more to life than work and dull responsibilities. You’ve been there for me, for the girls, and I can’t imagine a future without you in it.”

She blinks, slowly lowering the strawberry back to the container. “Oh, Matt… ”

Before she can say anything else, I shift up onto one knee, pulling the small box from my pocket. Her eyes widen, and I hear a sharp gasp slip past her lips. So far, however, she doesn’t look freaked out. In fact, from the shimmer in her eyes, I know that she is just barely holding back a rush of emotions.

“I love you,” I tell her. “I’ve loved you for years, even before I knew who you really were. And now that I do, I don’t ever want to lose you. I don’t want to spend another day without knowing that you’ll be by my side, always. And, in turn, I want to be by your side. I want to give you everything. I want to listen to your stories and laugh at your jokes. I want to live a good, long life with you, Mabel. I want to raise my daughters with you and, if you’d like to, I think I’d also like to grow our family—through adoption—if that’s still something you want. The point is, whatever life you want to lead, I want the honor of helping you build it.”

She stares at the box. A tear slips out of the corner of her eye. She doesn’t say anything, rendered speechless. I don’t know if that’s a good sign or not, but there’s no going back now.

I open the box, revealing the simple yet elegant diamond ring I spent weeks picking out. “Mabel Lee, will you marry me?”

For a moment, she doesn’t say anything. But then, slowly, a smile spreads across her face—a smile so full of love that it takes my breath away and carries it out to sea.

“Yes,” she whispers. “Yes, Matt. Of course, I’ll marry you. ”

The End