Epilogue

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It Just Feels Right

Hope Ford

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EPILOGUE

CASSIE

“I still can’t believeyou planned all this without me knowing.”

“Do you like it?”

I look around at all the other booths and then back at mine. “Baker, this is the best booth here.”

He puffs out his chest with pride. I’m not joking, though. He really did create the best booth at the carnival. It’s all pink and shiny. I have no idea how he came up with the idea, but it’s perfect.

He puts an arm around my shoulder. “I pulled some strings and got my booth right next to you too. I can’t have all these single dads hanging out over here. Not on my watch.”

I slap him on the chest with a laugh. “What a joke. You have made it clear to everyone in Whiskey Run that I’m taken.”

He laughs with a shrug. “Well, you can never be too careful. I can’t have someone thinking they may have a chance.”

I turn in his arms and wrap my arms around his waist. The gymnasium is full of people, but I don’t care. Like Baker, I have made sure to tell everyone that he’s mine.

I lean back and look at his tanned face. “Our spring break was weeks ago. I can’t believe how tan you still are.”

We spent a week at the beach, and it was perfect. It was another surprise that Baker sprang on me. He leans down and kisses my forehead. “And your burn is finally fading.”

The memories come in fast and hard. “Yeah, well, it’s not your fault. You were applying sunscreen to my body every chance you got.”

“I had my motives.”

I can’t help but laugh.

“So do you like the booth?”

“Like it? I love it.”

He pulls me in between our two booths so we’re out of sight. Everyone is still setting up and paying us no mind.

He wraps his arms around me and kisses me fiercely. “I love you,” he whispers when he pulls back.

“I love you too.” These last few months have been amazing. I did end up moving in with him, and I have not regretted it once. Our parents’ marriage is over, but they’ve both moved on and are fine. My mom moved into Jasper, and we really don’t see her a lot. Ryan still lives in the same house a few streets over. He and my sister Brook come to dinner at our house every Sunday.

I settle in his arms, content in just staying here right where I’m at. That’s probably one of my favorite things about Baker is that he knows how to hold me. “I have one more surprise.”

I smile as the sounds of kids coming into the gymnasium start to echo off the walls. “You’re spoiling me, Baker Johnson.”

He kisses me again. “I hope so. So do you want to see your booth in action?”

“I do.”

He leads me to the front of the booth, and the kids from my classroom are all standing in a semi-circle outside of the booth. They’re lit up and excited, and I can’t blame them. This carnival is going to be amazing. “Hey guys! Are you ready to have some fun?”

Colby calls out, “Yes!”

I raise my hand to give him a high-five, and he slaps it excitedly.

“You guys want a turn? Officer Johnson is just about to show me how our booth works!”

Kaitlyn, always the rule follower, throws her hand up. “Miss Waters, we want to watch you.”

I point at myself. “Me? All right, kids, I’m going to show you how it’s done.”

I turn to walk inside my booth and am still amazed at everything that’s in it. There are things everywhere. Different knick-knacks, puzzles, pictures, song lyrics. Everything is red and pink, and there’s a big sparkly chandelier hanging in the middle. “Okay, I’m ready.” I turn to the kids standing outside of the booth and give them all a thumbs-up.

Baker starts to go over the rules. “Okay, welcome to Treasure Quest. You have five minutes to solve five puzzles. I’ll give you clues, and you have to walk around the room and find the answer or solve a puzzle. You answer correctly, you win the treasure.”

I clap my hands together excitedly. “I’m so ready for this.”

“Okay, hint number one. This place has our favorite dessert.”

I jump up and down excited. “Cinnamon Blaze cake.”

He laughs. “Yeah, but you have to find the place we get it.”

I start to pace around the room, and when I spot the baseball hat with the Red’s Diner logo on it, I raise it up to show him.

“Good job. Okay, hint number two. This is the date when we first met.”

My eyes widen. Okay, I start to calculate it, thinking in my head and when I have the answer, I announce it to him. “September tenth.”

He laughs again and points to the booth. “You have to find it. You better hurry.”

I search the room, and my eyes land on the clock that is set on 9:10. “The clock, the clock. It’s set for 9:10.”

The kids all cheer in excitement, and I ram my hands in the air in victory.

Baker reads the next card. “You got it. Hint number three, this is where we went on vacation together for the first time.”

I search the booth, walking back and forth taking everything in. Finally, I stop in front of a framed picture. It’s one I took on our last night on vacation. It’s a perfect sunset with the waves crashing in.

I hold it up, and he nods in approval. “Good job.”

“Okay hint number four, we’re almost done. Find the thing that you’re always losing and so I carry one with me so you’ll have it.”

I bite my lip and smile. “A hair tie.” I look around and find a scrunchie lying on the very bottom shelf with some books. I grab it and hold it up. “Found it.”

“Okay, last one. What’s my favorite thing about you?”

I can feel my face heat and I give him a look. Surely he’s not talking about that here in front of all these people. He laughs easily. “The other thing.” He looks at his watch. “You better hurry. You have one minute.”

I shake my hands in excitement and start searching the booth. On one corner is a mirror and in front of that mirror is a red heart. That’s it. That has to be it. He’s always saying he loves my heart.

I pick up the box and gasp when I turn to him. Baker is on one knee and grabs my hands holding the box. “Cassie Waters, I love you, and I want to spend the rest of our lives together. Will you please do me the honor of being my wife? Will you marry me?”

He opens the heart box, and inside is the most beautiful diamond ring I’ve ever seen. Tears are rolling down my cheeks as I tell him “yes” over and over. All the kids start to cheer as Baker puts the ring on my finger. He stands up and encircles me in his arms. His kiss is firm and sweet. He whispers to me as he pulls away, “Tonight when it’s just the two of us, we’ll celebrate.”

“I can’t wait.”

I look at my ring, and Kaitlyn, unable to control herself, screams, “Show us, Miss Waters!”

I walk out of the booth, and it’s then I realize that Brook, Chloe, and Ryan are here, and they saw the whole thing. I walk through the crowd of kids, showing them my ring as they all ooh and ahh over it. My sister hugs me tightly, whispering into my ear, “You deserve this, sis.”

Ryan congratulates his son, and Baker pulls him in for a big bear hug. After all the congratulations, the carnival gets into full swing. Baker was prepared and has all kinds of questions for my booth so the kids will be entertained all evening.

When he’s stripped down to his swimming trunks for the dunking booth, I have to take a second to catch my breath. “Really? Really? You have a booth where you’re going to be half naked all night?”

He laughs. “Yeah, you going to be able to control yourself?”

I shake my head. “You better hope neither Charlotte or any of the other teachers see you like that.”

He looks almost guilty. “Cassie, you do know that I raise most of the money because the female teachers buy all my tickets to dunk me.”

I gasp. “I did not know that. Are you kidding me right now?”

He looks sheepish. “It’s not a big—”

I lean in and kiss him before whispering, “Just remember who you’re going home with tonight.”

He laughs. “How could I forget? I have the most beautiful fiancée in Whiskey Run, and she’s all mine.”

I kiss him again. “And you’re all mine.”

Thanks for reading!

If you’d like a bonus epilogue of Baker

and Cassie’s story five years later,

download it here: Baker and Cassie