Epilogue

Four Months Later

“Santa came,” Ty screamed when he ran into Michael’s bedroom on Christmas morning. Kelly was coming out of the bathroom. She’d gotten up already and Michael was standing there dressed. She’d been warned that Ty would be up at the crack of dawn to come in and get them.

She was probably more excited this year than any other year for Christmas.

It’d been a great few months.

Things had settled down with her and Michael. She was spending most weekends at his house and life couldn’t be much happier in her mind.

Ty didn’t talk about his mother and often made comments to Kelly about them being a family.

“I can’t wait to see what he brought you,” she said and ran out of the room with Ty and down the stairs.

Ty was giggling the whole time as she tried to playfully shove him out of the way to see the tree.

The laughter in this house she needed in her life. She’d like to think she played a good part in it being part of Ty’s life.

“Dad!” Ty screamed.

“I’m right here,” he said. “You two took off running before I could get out of the room.”

“Hey,” she said. “We’ve got some excitement for the holidays.”

“So I see,” he said, winking at her. “Go on, Ty. Get to opening your gifts.”

She and Michael sat back and watched and took pictures while Ty opened a ton of gifts from Santa, Michael and her.

When the room resembled an explosion of wrapping paper and toys, she and Michael started to hand out their gifts to each other.

“Dad says you’ve got to start with your stocking,” Ty said.

“I do?” she said. “From Santa?”

“No,” Ty said, giggling. “Santa only fills the stockings of kids. Dad filled yours.”

“Oh,” she said. “I didn’t know that. Let’s see what he brought me.”

She pulled out some nail polish and lotion, candy and lottery tickets. Fun things. Then she got to the bottom and there was a ring box.

Before she could open it, he pulled it out of her hand and got on one knee. “I want to do it too,” Ty yelled.

She all but broke into tears when Ty got on one knee next to his father. “Kelly, I’m not good at long speeches. I’m just better off saying what I think and feel. I love you. I want you to be my wife. I’m asking if you’ll marry me.”

“Don’t answer yet,” Ty said. “I need to ask if you’ll be my mother.”

Her hands went to her face and she burst out crying. She never expected Ty to say that. “Yes,” she said as she sobbed. “Yes, to you both.”

Ty rushed her before Michael could put the ring on her finger. “Will you move in with us now?”

“I will,” she said. “If you want me to.”

“Yes,” Michael said. “I do.”

“Those words are for later,” she said, wiping her tears and looking down at the diamond solitaire on her hand.

“Just practicing them now to make sure I get them right,” he said.

She moved over and kissed him. “I think we both got it right.”

“I’ve got another one down,” Jolene boasted into the phone later that night.

She was thrilled that Kelly texted Cade the picture of her and Michael engaged and said to share it with his mother.

She’d go into the office the first day Kelly was back from her vacation and hug her.

“Did Kelly and Michael get engaged?” Diane asked. It was only Diane on the phone right now. She’d call Carolyn next. It was the end of the day and they’d be home relaxing after hosting all their children and grandchildren.

The families were bursting at the seams and she couldn’t be happier.

“They did,” Jolene said. “I’ve only seen the picture and have no details yet.”

“Which has to be killing you,” Diane said. “But you didn’t have a lot of information or a big hand in this one anyway.”

She frowned. “Don’t remind me. But I helped out where I needed to.”

Kelly had been nice enough to let her know that her advice had helped. She knew it would anyway. No bragging or boasting or anything.

“That is the way to do it,” Diane said.

“What’s going on with you and Ryder’s friend?”

“Things are going well with Hyde. I think. Same thing. The guys are the ones that seem to have a bigger hand in this one and I’m just getting the information as it comes in.”

“At least I don’t feel so bad then,” she said. “But take a page from my book—maybe sometimes it is good to sit back and let them figure it out on their own.”

“Jolene,” Diane said. “Are you drunk? Did someone take over your body and mind?”

She burst out laughing. “No. But I’m not too old to learn that there is more than one way to get things to come out the way you want them.”

“That is more like it!”