Epilogue

epilogue

One year later…

“What are we doing?” Brinley asked, peeking her head from between the seats.

Savannah nervously blew out a breath as she sat in the car. Fallon was already at her mother’s grave, and Savannah had opted to give her some alone time there before she and Brinley joined. But it was really because she needed the extra time to get her head on straight.

She was so damn nervous.

And all for what? A ring in a bunch of flowers. But it was more than that. It was what this meant and it was the fact that Savannah was willing to take this step again and move herself toward full commitment to a relationship. She wasn’t sure she could have done it for anyone other than Fallon.

But in the last year and a half, they’d proven that they were ready for this.

The rain was awful, but Savannah knew that Brinley wouldn’t stay quiet or still for much longer. “Mom. What are we doing?” Brinley repeated.

“We’re giving Fallon some time with her mother. Just like she did for us when we were at Uncle Conrad’s grave.”

Brinley wrinkled her nose at that thought. “I don’t like coming here to see him. It’s creepy.”

“It’s not creepy,” Savannah fired back. “But if you don’t want to come here, next time, you don’t have to. I’m not going to force you to do something like this. But you said you wanted to come and give him some flowers.”

“Yeah, but Fallon is like…talking to her mom. Look at her.”

Savannah raised her gaze, eyeing Fallon’s form. She was, in fact, talking to her mom. She stood out in the rain, no umbrella, and stared down at the headstone. Her lips moved as if she was having a full-blown conversation with the headstone. Savannah had no clue what she was saying, not that she needed to know, but it was interesting to watch as Fallon talked to her mom like she was alive.

It really was sweet, and it explained why when she’d stumbled upon Savannah that first time that she was so upset.

“That’s just what she does, Brin. Nothing wrong with talking to a grave. I talk to Uncle Conrad at his all the time too.” It wasn’t entirely the truth. She’d more ranted and yelled at the jerk he was for dying for those first few months and then she’d stopped talking to him entirely there. But it had been cathartic and well worth it.

They’d already visited Conrad, so they really were just waiting for Fallon to give Savannah the signal that they could join for a little bit and then all the focus would be on Savannah and Fallon and that damn ring she’d stuck in the bouquet of flowers.

Why did she ever think this was a good idea?

“Mom.” Brinley’s voice was sharp. “Fallon’s ready.”

“Fuck,” Savannah mumbled, ignoring the fact that Brinley could definitely hear her. “I’m not ready for this.”

“Yes, you are.” Brinley put her hand on Savannah’s shoulder. “We talked about this.”

“When did you get so smart, kid?” Savannah tossed Brinley a grin and shook her head.

They had indeed talked about this. Savannah had come up with the main idea of when and how this would happen, but she’d included Brinley in as much of it as she could. She had to. With Brinley there the high majority of the time now, there was no way that she could make such a big decision and not have Brinley be involved.

“I’ve always been smart.” Brinley picked up the flowers, very nearly toppling the ring out of the top of them and handed them to her mom. “Now get out there already.”

“Fine.”

Savannah took the flowers and pushed open the door. If the rain could hold out for another twenty minutes, then this would be the perfect proposal. If it couldn’t, well, it was exactly like the beginning of their relationship. It’d start off cold and wet.

Bubbles formed in Savannah’s stomach as she walked closer to Fallon. Those nerves were setting in immensely now that the time for avoiding had run out. She was nervous—which was ridiculous because it wasn’t like they hadn’t talked about this.

Fallon talked about everything. She wanted it all out in the open to ease her own nerves.

So yes, they’d talked about getting married.

About when it would happen.

About the fact that they were waiting until Savannah’s lawsuit against Forrest was finished.

And it was, finally, closing in on the end of that.

She could see the light at the end of the tunnel, which was why this was happening now. Today of all days. When they were visiting their loved ones, and eighteen months after meeting and the start of a very rocky but life-changing relationship. Savannah’s ankle twisted when she stepped off the pavement and onto the grass. Cringing, she took another step forward, the insanely damp grass cushioning her step but making it feel like she was going to sink into the ground.

Wet winters were nothing to be messed with here.

But again, that was how they’d met, and this was exactly how Savannah had wanted to start something new.

She clutched the flowers tightly in her hand as she balanced her way unevenly toward Fallon. When she finally got there, Savannah let out a sigh of relief right before her nerves ramped up again. She could do this. Absolutely.

Fallon instantly took her hand and squeezed, but she didn’t bring Savannah into the conversation that she’d been having with her mom. As if it was her own private thing and Savannah should just have been happy to witness it from afar. Which she was, honestly. She didn’t need to know every little detail.

“Here.” Savannah handed the flowers over to Fallon, hoping that she’d see the ring right on the top.

“These are lovely, thanks.” Fallon bent down and went to put them on the grave.

“Wait, those aren’t just for your mom.” Savannah clenched her molars. She should have worked this out better. She should have figured out how to say the right words and do this in a way that Fallon would understand. She was better than this. She was the queen of giving gifts—the right gifts in the right ways. Yet this time, she had stumbled massively. She added, “There’s a gift for you in them too.”

Fallon furrowed her brow, glanced up at Savannah and then back down at the flowers. She stared at them for what felt like an hour before she finally popped back up with the flowers in her hand and looked at Savannah. “What gift?”

Savannah looked down at the bouquet and did not immediately find the ring that had been precariously perched on the top of a rose.

“Fuck.” Savannah cringed and started looking around on the ground. She should have tied the ring to the flower. She should have tied it to the tie around all of the flowers. She shouldn’t have just set it on top where it could so easily fall off. “Oh my God.”

Squatting down, Savannah put her hands onto the ground and started to brush the blades of grass around as if she’d be able to find the ring somewhere nearby. Except she’d walked a good distance from the car, and it could still be in the car. Cursing up a storm in her head, Savannah started wildly looking for the ring.

Fallon stood awkwardly next to her, no doubt confused because she didn’t even know what Savannah was looking for. And Savannah didn’t want to tell her because it would ruin the surprise. And oh hell, the surprise was already ruined, wasn’t it?

Standing up, her cheeks red, Savannah shook her head and looked directly at Fallon. “I was trying to ask you to marry me.”

“What?” Fallon’s voice shook. She pushed the flowers away from her and immediately started looking at them with a fine-tooth comb.

“I put the ring on the rose, but it must have fallen out, because I don’t know where it is. But it’s not there.” Savannah clenched her wet fingers by her sides. “And well, I was going to ask you to marry me.”

“Here? In the cemetery?”

“Seemed fitting,” Savannah mumbled, already tilting her head down to the ground to keep on looking. She started back the direction she’d come, but Fallon’s hand on her arm stopped her.

“You were going to ask me? Or you still are?” Fallon’s eyes glittered mischievously.

“I…” Savannah stopped. Her mind ran through a million things at once, but it landed on I don’t need a ring to propose.

She didn’t need a gift to make this right. She just needed words.

“I am asking.” Savannah turned around, facing Fallon and taking her hands. “I’m asking you to marry me. I know we’ve talked about it, and I know that you love me, and I love you, and that we’re basically already doing this marriage thing right now, but I want that final commitment. I want to know that you’ll be with me in life and in death, and I want you to know that I want that for you too.”

Fallon’s lips pulled upward into a huge grin. Her eyes lit up, her body instantly relaxing. She moved in swiftly, covering Savannah’s lips with her own as she dropped the flowers to the ground. She cupped Savannah’s cheeks and kissed her hard.

“Yes.”

Relief flooded Savannah. She’d known what the answer would be, but hearing it put all that extra anxiety to bed. She wasn’t that different from Fallon, needing the extra security and reassurance that a good conversation between them could bring.

“Mom?”

Savannah didn’t want to pull away, not from this moment. It was a brief pause on the world of pain that brought them together, the chaotic first year and a half of their relationship, and the outside forces that put so much stress on them. This was simply them, together, and celebrating that they’d made it, and they would continue to make it from here on out.

“Mom!” Brinley’s voice was insistent.

Pulling away, Savannah clasped Fallon’s hands tightly in her own as she glanced down to find Brinley standing next to both of them, a serious expression on her face.

“What is it, baby?”

“The ring…” Brinley growled and held up her closed hand. She opened it, and there centered on her palm was the diamond ring that Savannah had bought.

“Where did you—”

“You dropped it by the car in the grass.” Brinley shoved the ring in between them, probably not sure who was supposed to take it and do the deed of placing it on Fallon’s finger.

Savannah had probably dropped it when she’d first slipped in the wet grass. Taking the ring quickly, she faced Fallon and slid it onto her finger. It nestled perfectly against her skin, shining brightly even in the overcast and rainy day.

As if on cue, the clouds opened up and the light mist that had been falling for the last hour became a much heavier rain. Brinley ducked down instantly, the cold water hitting her head. Fallon laughed and pulled Brinley into her side, dropping a kiss onto the top of her head before shooing her off to the car. Brinley ran away with delight.

“Figures we’d get wet today,” Fallon said as she moved back in and kissed Savannah again.

“Yeah.” Savannah couldn’t find any more words to say. She was so entranced with the woman in her arms. She had been pretty much from the moment they’d met—her strength, her tenacity, her convictions. Savannah wouldn’t give it up for the world. And she was loving every minute they’d had together so far.

“So we’re getting married, huh?” Fallon asked, taking the flowers and setting them down in front of her mother’s headstone. Then she looped her arm in Savannah’s and immediately started back toward the car.

“Yes, yes we are.”

“Good.” Fallon laced their fingers together. “And I assume since Brin brought me the ring that she knows.”

“God does she. She helped me pick the damn thing out.”

Laughing, Fallon and she walked easily. “Good. Then let’s get married next week.”

“Next week?” Savannah squeaked.

“Yeah. Unless you really want a big wedding again.”

“I’d like Kyla to be there, and the kids. And Monti and Tia if you want.”

Fallon slowed her step, furrowing her brow as she thought. “Yeah, that’d be nice, having some family around.”

“So how about we get married in a month or two, when we can find a date to get everyone together.” Savannah’s stomach was doing that bubbling thing again. She’d figured that Fallon would hold off on the actual marriage part for a while, considering she’d taken months to decide that she wanted an actual relationship with her. But Fallon had never ceased to surprise her. So perhaps this was just another one of those.

Fallon chuckled lightly and pressed a kiss to Savannah’s cheek. “That sounds perfect.”

“Then that’s what we’ll do.” Savannah kissed Fallon deeply, not caring that they were going to be soaked head to toe or that the rain was cold against her skin. This was exactly what she wanted—Fallon, Brinley, and her all together as one family. And she was finally going to get it.