Undeniable You (Sapph in the City #4)

Epilogue

Jo

I didn’t wait six months to get a ring and even when I told the moms and our friends that I was proposing, they still asked me “what took you so long?”

I planned a grand gesture to propose at one of Larison’s book club meetings. It was the perfect place, since everyone we cared about was there. There was food and we were at her store and I had the ring burning a hole in my pocket the whole time I waited for my moment.

Just as I was ready to stand up and call for everyone’s attention, Larison said it was time for a break but before that happened, she had to make an important announcement.

With a trembling smile on her face, she walked toward me and pulled me to the front of the room. Before I knew what was happing, she was getting down on one knee and telling me how much she loved me and she couldn’t wait any longer to tell me that she wanted to be mine. That she wanted me to be hers.

My mouth dropped open, and I didn’t know what else to do but to also get onto one knee as everyone burst out laughing and clapping. I pulled out my ring and told her how much I wanted her to be mine and for me to be hers. Our words were so similar that it was like we’d thought of them together.

“I can’t believe this,” we both said as we shakily shoved the rings on our fingers.

Everyone had gotten out their phones to film us, so we watched it back as we were hugged and congratulated, and someone passed out sparkling cider because the store didn’t have a liquor license.

“We’ll have champagne later,” I said to Larison as we kissed again, the chaos and celebration around us fading as all of my focus narrowed in on the woman I loved.

“Juniper is going to be so mad she missed this,” Larison said.

“We can reenact it for her,” I said.

We’d recently started working with a new babysitter for Juniper, another student I’d met when I’d started classes again. Juniper adored her, and she’d allowed Larison and I to have more time together kid free.

Becoming a parent was still terrifying every day. I’d had to expand my mind and think about so many things. I had about a thousand new worries that sometimes kept me up at night. Larison sometimes woke up and talked through them with me. She’d been doing this longer than I had, so I leaned on her when things got hard and she did the same.

The two of us just worked together. Our family was beautiful and thriving and now we had a wedding to plan.

Larison’s bookshop had only been open a short time, but business had been strong and steady. She’d gotten a ton of local media attention and every day new customers walked through the door excited that there was a safe place that catered to romance readers. Online sales were strong too, and Larison had decided to do a monthly book box with books she selected and swag curated for each month. Her book club meetings were always packed.

The only problem was that she ran herself into the ground managing everything. I’d been begging her since the store opened to hire even one part-time employee to help her, but she was determined to do everything on her own.

Then I reminded her that she didn’t have to do everything, that she had so many people who wanted to help her.

Sophie had been dropping hints that she wouldn’t mind getting a part-time job to supplement being an intern, and one of these days Larison was going to realize that the perfect employee was right there. Sophie was the perfect person to handle customer service requests and phone calls and to help sell the books. Larison would figure it out. She was smart.

“I can’t wait to marry you,” I whispered in her ear.

“I can’t wait to marry you either,” she said.

“You’d better not be making any plans to elope,” Allison said, glaring at both of us. “You would break my heart, and your mom’s heart. We don’t care what it costs, we’re throwing you a proper wedding.”

I glanced at Larison and grinned. We had expected this exact response from the moms. We might not be married yet, but just as I’d taken Juniper as mine, they’d decided I was theirs as well.

This Christmas there would be a matching set of pajamas for me and we would be going over to their house soon to take a family picture for their Christmas cards.

So much had changed for me in such a short time. I’d needed a job and I’d ended up with a fiancée and a daughter and a whole family.

“We’re not going to elope, we promise,” Larison said.

“You promise?” Allison asked.

“Yes,” Larison said, sighing and holding up both hands. Allison grabbed them and they made one of those all-fingers promises.

“You too,” Allison said, turning to me. I squeezed her hands and then she pulled both of us in for a hug.

“My girls.”

Lara joined us, all fired up to talk wedding planning. She had already been thinking about this for a long time and started showing pictures on her phone and talking about styles and colors and trends.

“Give them a little space,” Allison said with a laugh. “They just got engaged.”

Someone connected to the speakers and started playing “Chapel of Love” by The Dixie Cups. Larison pulled me into her arms and we danced together, swaying as everything else faded away but the two of us.

“Perfect proposal?” I asked.

She leaned down and pressed her forehead to mine.

“Completely perfect.”

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