Epilogue

Epilogue

Heron – (Six Months Later)~After four long months of begging and pleading, I had finally managed to convince Eliza to move in with me. She’d still been holding onto her dream of owning her own home, but after pointing out that I was the type of guy that had to be the provider in the relationship, she had relented, though she’d also insisted on paying her fair share of the household expenses. It’d been a rough push-and-pull there for a second, but we’d finally found a compromise; I paid the mortgage and all the bills, she paid for whatever else came up in life.“Okay, I think everything’s ready,” she muttered, studying the kitchen island.“The guys should be here soon,” I said, smiling at her as I entered the kitchen.“I can’t believe it’s come to this,” she chuckled.When the first bake-off had gone viral, Eliza had become an overnight success. Her channel had blown up, and the second bake-off had been followed by so many people that we’d had coach show up as a surprise guest to judge the cupcakes. After that, everyone on the team had wanted a chance to appear on the show, but we had cut it down to once a month, instead of weekly. Though Eliza still did her weekly shows, she’d gone from baking to what we had discussed on our first date. She tried things, then scored them on their difficulty, helping other people prepare themselves for what they were getting into.“Well, the guys at the fire station are tired of feeling left out,” I grinned. “So, this should be one hell of a bake-off.” It was Rapiers against Fire Station No. Fifteen. “Hey, really quick…before the guys get here.”Eliza looked up at me. “Oh, God,” she groaned. “What are they planning now?”I laughed “Nothing,” I quickly assured her. “It’ll be fine. Everything’s fine.”Eyeing me skeptically, she said, “I’ll believe it when I see it.”“I just wanted to give you something really quick before everyone gets here.”Her lips twitched. “I’m pretty sure you already gave me that this morning.”“There’s no law saying I can only fuck you once a day, baby,” I replied wolfishly. “And though that idea has some real merit, that’s not what I want to give you.”“Pity,” she quipped before facing me as she leaned against the island.“Hey, don’t ever let it be said that I don’t live to make you happy,” I retorted. “I’ll call the guys and cancel right now.”Eliza smiled. “We can hold off for a few hours. I have faith in us.”Getting back to the subject at hand, I said, “I love you.”“I love you, too.”“Good.”Without another word, I grabbed her left hand, then slipped a one-carat diamond solitaire engagement ring on her finger. It wasn’t fancy or intricately designed because that wouldn’t have been Eliza. My girl was transparent, honest, and direct. Something huge or complicated would have made her too nervous to wear it.Staring at her hand, she asked, “Is that what I think it is?”“Yep.”“And you chose now to do this, why?”“In a few minutes, we’re going to be surrounded by my family and friends, and I wanted this episode to be the one that’s separate from the others,” I answered.Her russet-colored eyes looked up at me. “I’m confused.”“By what, baby?” I asked, tucking a random lock of hair behind her ear.“You didn’t ask me anything,” she muttered. “So…is this a marriage proposal?”“I didn’t ask because it’s only been six months, and I can see logic trying to make you reasonable,” I answered. “So, we’re just going to be engaged, and you can take your time planning the wedding for when you’re ready.”“Okay, that sounds reason-”“As long as we’re married within the year,” I stipulated.“This is the weirdest proposal ever,” she remarked, eyeing the ring on her finger.“It’s also the only one that you’ll ever get,” I told her. “You’re mine forever, Eliza Dodger.”The End.