I imagined I would have all of that by now, to be honest—mostly because of that weird expectation that if you’re not married with kids by the time you’re twenty-five, you’re washed up. But I’m also realistic. I can be patient.
“I imagined I’d never have the chance to be a father, but I always knew I wanted to do things differently than what I had,” he explains. “I guess what I’m saying is, I hope one day we can do the whole marriage and kids thing,” he admits—and again, I’m left speechless by his openness.
I can’t imagine it’s easy to share something like that—especially when you aren’t sure where the other person stands. But based on what he said, it’s clear he’s thought about kids and marriage, with me no less.
I’m still trying to wrap my head around the idea that my life is about to change. And yeah, there’s a very real chance that Gage and I are already on the path toward the future he just painted for us.
Imagining our children running around the ranch—Hank teaching them how to care for the cattle, Mason pulling pranks with them—pops into my head suddenly. And I realize the future isn’t so scary after all.
It’s actually quite beautiful.
“I want all of it,” I reply.
He meets my eyes, and suddenly, the fears I had about whether our futures align dissolve. “It will take time, of course, but I definitely want the whole thing,” I add—reminding him that we can still take things slow, that we don’t have to rush into the future.
He nods and holds his hand out to me. I take it, and we walk out of the barn together as the sun rises over the ranch, casting us in shades of purple and orange.
What a symbolic way to start my future here in Bell River—riding out to our spot, talking about what our life will look like, walking hand in hand as the sun rises on a brand-new day.
Not for nothing, but you can’t get that back in Austin.
Epilogue - Gage
Months pass by, and to say things have changed would be an understatement.
Sloane officially moved to Bell River within the first month of us making our relationship official. She also decided to make over the house so it matched both of our styles, but when I told her I didn’t have a style, she quickly quipped that she already knew that.
The house is exactly as Uncle Sam left it. I didn’t feel right changing anything at the time, but now that Sloane has moved in permanently, she says we need to make it our own. I tend to agree with her, especially if we’re living here for the rest of our lives.
We should be comfortable where we are, and it should reflect us.
Things have begun to settle. Horizon Group seems to be a thing of the past, and the condos they were building just beyond our land have been taken over by another developer—one who’s actively working with Bell River to make the area more desirable.
It helps that they’ve even had Sloane on a contractual basis to assist with Bell River planning and land use. It’s been a proud moment for me to watch her settle in here and find her footing.
Tommy did what he set out to do. He got involved with the county commissioner, filed a complaint, and brought the attorney’s office in.
Monty was able to create a lawsuit on our behalf, but if not for Tommy, the county wouldn’t have been made aware of how severe Horizon Group was to our community and the neighboring ones.
I still remember the day Sloane tells me, after she gets off the phone with her dad, that Horizon Group filed for bankruptcy and officially lost all credibility after settling outside of court.
That’s just the short version of all the lead-up to today.
When I walk outside the house with my cup of coffee, I spot Sloane far down the hill near the crops.
She managed to convince me to expand the fence to our full acreage, but I don’t think she expected how muchspace we have. Her response is that she’ll find a use for it. And I don’t doubt that.
She picks some of the ready crops below and places them in a basket, and I take a moment to admire her in her element.
The love I have for her has grown tenfold, and it’s because of the little things she does that seem mundane to others, but beautiful to me.
The light she brings to the ranch every day is what lets me get up in the morning, have a cup of coffee, and feel stress-free.
With these new beginnings come fixes, too.
Hollis Carter Ranch has officially been renamed in the county registry, and Sloane’s list of upgrades has been completed. Naturally, she was right.
The money we’ve saved since the solar panels and the new water main were put in place is proof she knew exactly what she was doing, replacing outdated systems, and solidifying our water supply into one reliable source.
