Epilogue

Ava

Six monthslater

"Ava! You're back!"Mia jumps off the school bus and runs to hug me. "It's so boring without you here!"

"Sorry, kiddo! I've got one more interview to shoot, but I won't leave for a long time after that!"

I've been traveling all over doing interviews about the story I wrote for TravElegance. The story was huge. Almost overnight, the phones were ringing off the hook, asking about the ranch. The magazine blew up online. Ryder had the brilliant idea of having me go to different news shows to promote the article and the ranch. It's been amazing! But I hate being away from Travis and Mia so much.

"Can't you cancel it?"

"Nope. I'll only have to be away for one night this time—and it's the last one! Whispering Meadows is blowing up because of the story I wrote. We need to ride this wave as long as we can. Before you know it, the ranch will be booked a year in advance."

"Hello, ladies!" Travis meets us on our way back to the house. "How was school, Mia?"

"School-y," she says with a smile.

"Hilarious. How was your vocab test?"

"Easy peasy. Got 100."

"That's great! I knew you could do it. Do you have a lot of homework?"

"Kind of. But I was wondering if I could take tomorrow off since Ava is back? We could spend a nice long weekend all together?"

"Ha! Good try. Ava is here to stay. You don't need to take time off from school to see her."

"Then quit hogging her!"

Travis and I laugh. I'm glad Mia has become so attached to me. I really do enjoy spending time with her! Although it would be nice to have some more private time with Travis. Maybe that's part of what makes this relationship so different from others I've been in. It's not just about us. We have to work to create time for just us.

"Go do your homework. If you finish before dinner, we can take the horses for a ride after we eat.

"Really!? Ava, will you come?"

"Sure, if Earl is up for it."

"OK, I'll definitely finish my homework before dinner."

"Good." Travis winks at Mia. I suspect they're up to something!

"Mia! How was school, dear? I have a snack waiting for you in the kitchen." Roberta meets us at the front door.

"Fine. I'll take my snack with me. Gotta get my homework done! Thanks, Roberta!"

"Do you have everything you need for dinner?" Travis asks Roberta.

"I sure do."

They're acting weird. They're definitely up to something. Travis hardly fusses over dinner when we've got a full house. I can't imagine why he suddenly cares so much about dinner for just us tonight.

The last time Travis and Mia acted like this was when they asked me to give up my apartment in the city. They wanted me to move to the ranch full-time. I was a little nervous about it at first, but after the week I spent here with Travis, I hated sleeping in the city. It was so loud, crowded, and smelly! Plus, there was no Travis. I hate sleeping without him.

Luckily, Ryder lets me work remotely. He finally recognized how much I helped him get the magazine up and running, so he promoted me to Co-Founder and Editor-in-Chief. I can pick the stories I want and assign the ones I don't want. It's been amazing. It allows me to write what I want while having the flexibility to help out around the ranch.

We've been working to get all the little cabins up and running. So, aside from the guest rooms in the house, we'll have six separate cottages for people to rent. Maybe more someday.

As promised, Travis, Mia, and I go for a ride with the horses after dinner. Mia leads, Travis is in the middle, and I'm at the back. Earl is slow but steady and sturdy, so I don't mind. I'm not in a rush anymore.

We take an unfamiliar trail, and when we get to a clearing, Mia hops off Shadow and ties her to a tree. Travis jumps off Bigsby and helps me off Earl. Mia takes them by the reins and leads them to the tree with Shadow.

"What is going on here?"

"Oh, nothing. I'm going to go over here and take some pictures of these flowers," Mia says, holding her little Polaroid camera.

"Ok," I say suspiciously. When I look back at Travis, he's down on one knee.

"Travis! What is this!?"

"Ava, I don't want to wait any longer. I don"t want to lose you. You're the best thing that has happened to me for a very long time. I love you. I'm so in love with you. I want more than just this kiss. I want all of your kisses forever. Will you marry me?"

"AHHH!" I can't help but scream. "Yes! Of course! Let's get married!" He slides the ring onto my finger. I pull him up and kiss him.

"Yay!! I told you she'd say yes, Dad!" Mia runs over to hug us. "I think I got some awesome pictures!"

"I knew you two were up to something."

"Let's go tell everyone the news!" Mia yells, heading over to the horses.

"Ok," I pull Travis into me. "But first, just this kiss."