“It’s not so hard.”
“No, it isn’t.” He squeezes my hand and calls up to my mom. “Yes, ma’am. I’d love to stay for dinner.”
“‘Ma’am’?” I ask, eyebrow crooked.
He shrugs. “What can I say? When you’re in the South, you learn to speak Southern. Come on. Let’s go up to the house.”
My parents greet Stone with hugs, and as we’re walking inside, he says to my dad, “Sir, that’s a pretty amazing jazz collection you’ve got.”
“Thank you.”
“You wouldn’t happen to know a CollectorPrep561 on eBay, would you?”
Surprise flits over my dad’s face before he says, “Why do you ask?”
Stone leans in. “I’ve been looking for you. You’re a hard man to pin down. I’ve got a proposition you might be interested in.”
Stone tugs me to him and we go inside. My heart is so full I think it might pop.
Epilogue
Coco
One year later
Since Stone and I got back together, I’ve had the best time of my life.
“Are you ready?” he asks as we pull up to the resort.
He’s wearing a slate-gray three-piece suit with a blue shirt. His sandy hair is brushed to the side, and he’s clean shaven, his eyes sparkling.
I’m wearing a flowy pink dress and heels I might break my neck in, but it’s worth it for this moment.
“I’m ready,” I tell him.
He kills the engine and gets out of the SUV, coming around to open my door. The parking lot is already half full. We’re running late, which is pretty typical of us.
But that’s okay. Why rush when you want to live?
It’s been a few months since I’ve been up to visit the resort, and the place is stunning.
It sits on twenty-five acres of gorgeously landscaped trees and grass, and features a pasture for visiting unicorns, luxury cabins, a farm-to-table restaurant. There are also magical gardens, several pools, and nature trails perfect for hiking.
The place is enchanting, and I’m thrilled to be a part of it.
Pane and Rowe are already outside. Rhett’s here, too. So’s Natalie, who runs up and hugs me when we arrive. Stone’s mother is also here. She stands by Pane, looking regal and terrifying at the same time.
“You sureyou’reready?”
He winks. “Yes, I am.”
An hour later, we’re in front of the entire town, and Stone walks up behind a lectern. He taps the mic to make sure it’s on and then says, “First, I want to thank everyone for supporting the build of the Summit at Mystic Meadows. This town has come to mean so much to my brother and me. It’s where we’ve made our homes and where a new generation of Maddoxes will grow up.”
He nods to Rowe, who is clearly pregnant. She shoots a tender look of love up at Pane, who beams down at her. They’re great people. After Stone and I got together, I was able to explain everything to Pane, who was more understanding than I thought he would be. His position was simply that he’d wanted to protect his brother, and I understood that. They love each other so much. Watching their relationship has helped me improve my own with Brittany.
Stone continues, “Our hope was always to keep the magic in Mystic Meadows and help it flourish, and if it wasn’t for one particular person in Zoning and Development, we would have failed that. I’d like to thank Coco Higginbotham for her contribution.”
Everyone claps and I nod, smiling. My gaze washes out down the hill, where the ley lines hum with strength. Magic flares inside me and the lines hum in unison. We’re connected, and that’s how it should be.
