Briar slides up next to me and puts an arm around my shoulder. “She staying?”
“Yep.”
“For how long?”
“Forever, if I can help it. She’s agreed to help with the training facility, and she says she wants to slow down on the competitions. We haven’t worked out everything yet.”
“It’ll take some time, but I’m glad you got your girl. Look at us, settling down like Mama wanted. Now she’ll be begging for more grandkids.”
I pat her arm. “That’s all on you and Oakley, I’m afraid.”
“We’ll certainly have fun practicing, even if nothing comes of it.”
“Ew.”
“Briar Calhoun, have some class.” Mama taps her arm before wrapping me in a hug. “I’m so proud of you, Juni. And so happy for you. You already seem lighter. Happier.”
Addison cracks a smile and gets down on Hudson’s level to answer whatever question he’s asking, and my heart is fit to burst with joy. I know we don’t have all the answers, and I’m sure life won’t always be easy sailing. I’ll still have bad days, and I’ll have different hurdles to jump over, but I know I’ll always have the best support system by my side, holding my hand through it all.
“I am. And I think this is just the beginning.”
Epilogue
3 years later…
My heart mimicsa hummingbird with how fast it’s beating, and I’m worried I’ll sweat right through my jumpsuit. I don’t know why I’m so nervous. I knew we’d end up here eventually. I’ve been counting down the seconds until I can call Juniper Calhoun my wife.
I proposed about a year after we reconnected at the rodeo, right in the middle of the field of wildflowers where I first realized she’d stolen my heart. Juniper didn’t see it coming at all, even though we’d talked about it before. In the chaos of getting the arena built, getting training sessions going, and tourist season picking up, I think she figured I’d wait until things died down.
I thought about it, but I couldn’t wait any longer, and I don’t regret it one bit. The look on her face when I pulled out the silver band engraved with tiny flowers was priceless. We were both crying when she said yes, and at Christmas, she proposed back with a simple silver band with our initials engraved on it.
Life’s been busy but wonderful. I spend most of the summer out on the trails or teaching riding lessons, and in the coldermonths, when lessons slow down, I spend them training my few year-round clients and helping wherever I’m needed on the ranch. I’ve done a few rodeos over the years, but I’m kept so busy I don’t have time to miss it.
I’m endlessly in awe of how much Juniper has improved when it comes to her anxiety around leaving the ranch. We managed an entire week away to visit Mary in Nevada. She still struggles sometimes, and we’ve cancelled a few plans at the last minute because she was overwhelmed, but I don’t care. Her well-being always comes first.
Being the one she goes to when her depression or anxiety gets bad is the greatest honor of my life, and I hope I’ll always have the privilege.
Right after we got engaged, her friends, Bea and Clayton, went through something that shook Copper Creek to its core. The aftermath of that, paired with how overwhelming wedding planning was for Juniper, caused us to push the wedding date back twice.
She’s more important than a piece of paper, so I was happy to do whatever she needed so today could be everything she dreamed of. Now, the day is here, and it’s perfect.
Juniper wanted to get married in the field of wildflowers, but she ultimately decided that having that many people there wouldn’t be good for the ecosystem. Instead, we’re having the ceremony in the yard behind the main house.
Hudson walks the rings down the aisle under the direction of a very pregnant Oakley. She’s six months along with twins, and we’re all anxiously awaiting their arrival. Briar and Oakley got married in secret at the courthouse about a year after they met, and now they’re our neighbors. I never thought I’d enjoy living so close to someone’s family, but they’ve welcomed me as one of their own.
It’s why I’ve decided to change my last name to Calhoun.
The music from the string quartet changes, and our guests stand, turning in as Juniper appears at the end of the aisle.
A breath catches in my throat, and the vision of my girlwalking toward me with the biggest grin on her face gets slightly blurry as tears gather on my lash line. She’s a vision in white, her simple lace dress hugging every dip and curve of her body. Her hair is down in beachy waves, adorned with a crown made of wildflowers.
I can’t stop myself from meeting her halfway down the aisle, cupping her face in a kiss that earns some cheers from the crowd.
“That’s supposed to be at the end of the ceremony,” she whispers against my lips, trying to chastise me. Her smile gives her away.
“I didn’t want to wait that long. You look… stunning doesn’t even cover it. I’m so damn lucky.”
“Thank you. You look incredible, too. Can you make me your wife now?”
