Epilogue


    Jake


    I’m sitting on my bed, my hands folded behind my head against the headboard, watching Amber with quiet patience. She’s sitting cross-legged in the middle of the bed, a pen in her right hand and her left hand moving across the touchpad of her laptop. A notebook sits in front of her, and she occasionally jots something down. Her eyes are fixed on the screen, her brow furrowed in concentration, and every now and then, she bites her bottom lip. A smile tugs at my lips as I catch the familiar sight of her scrunching her nose in thought.


    ‘How’s the menu coming along?’ I ask her.


    ‘I still haven’t decided on what pie I''ll be baking,’ Amber sighs. ‘I’m trying to come up with something original.’


    ‘You know we’ll love anything you make, right? You’re the only one of us who actually knows how to bake anything at all,’ I remind her dryly.


    ‘That doesn’t matter! I want to make something special, since I already ruined Christmas,’ she protests.


    Next weekend is Easter, and Amber and Nate have been coordinating on an elaborate Easter brunch for everyone. Amber’s been stressing about it for almost two weeks now—looking up recipes, making grocery lists, and then scrapping everything to start over again just a few days later. I shake my head in amusement. I’ve told her a thousand times not to worry so much, but she’s determined to make this the best Easter brunch ever. The main reason behind her stress is that we spent Christmas with her parents instead of my family.


    About two weeks after their unexpected visit to Ray’s ranch, and a week after Amber and I got back together for real, Amber’s father called to apologize. He told her that nothing was worth losing their daughter over and that they wanted to patch things up. Then he invited her to come home for Christmas, but Amber said she’d only come if she could bring me along too. Amber fully expected him to refuse, but to her surprise, he said I was welcome to join them.


    My family was bummed, of course, since we’d already made plans to celebrate Christmas together. Amber felt incredibly guilty about it, but I was the one who suggested we go to her parents. If my parents were still alive, there’s no way I’d ever pass up the chance to have a relationship with them. My family graciously agreed to celebrate with us a few days later, and as a result, Amber and I spent three nights in St. Cloud.


    To say it was awkward would be an understatement. The invitation clearly came from Amber’s father, because her mother was far less welcoming. Amber and her mother got into a fight right off the bat—her mom refused to let us sleep in the same room, let alone in the same bed. Amber’s father and I tried to mediate, but things almost escalated until I volunteered to sleep on the couch for the entire visit. I wasn’t going to risk eternal damnation by having sex in that house anyway. All those crosses and Jesus figurines scattered around were a giant mood killer. It honestly freaked me out a little bit.


    I still had to convince Amber to stay, though. She was ready to go back home before we’d even gotten our bags out of my truck. I think my efforts actually earned me some points with her dad. Eventually, Amber reluctantly agreed to let me sleep on the couch, but not before loudly promising, in front of her mother, that she’d make it up to me as soon as we were back home.


    Although her mother was determined to not like me, her dad made an effort to make things right with Amber and get to know me better. He’s actually not half bad, if you can overlook the excessive religious stuff. I kind of just rolled with it while we were there. We all went to Christmas Eve Mass together, which was long and freezing. On Christmas Day, we volunteered at their church, serving a Christmas lunch to the homeless, which was actually a pretty cool thing to do. All things considered, I think Amber’s relationship with her parents will work itself out, even if it’ll take time before things are less tense. However, they might not be too thrilled about what I plan to ask their daughter today.


    ‘Take a break and come sit with me for a moment,’ I suggest, reaching for Amber’s hand.


    ‘But I’m not done yet,’ she protests.


    ‘I don’t care. You’re probably just going to change everything again tomorrow anyway,’ I laugh.  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    ‘That’s probably true,’ Amber admits, letting me pull her onto my lap. She straddles my legs, and I lean in for a kiss. My hands slide from her hips to her waist as our kiss deepens. I hold her tighter, pulling her close so she’s firmly pressed against my chest.


    ‘Okay, consider me effectively distracted,’ Amber sighs happily, her hands wandering down to my crotch.


    ‘That wasn’t actually my intention,’ I smirk.


    ‘You could’ve fooled me,’ she mumbles through our kiss, moving to unzip my pants.


    ‘I actually wanted to run something by you,’ I tell her seriously, breaking our kiss before I get too caught up in the moment. Even after a few months together, I still can’t get enough of her.


    ‘Alright, what is it?’ Amber asks, her curiosity piqued. She pulls back slightly, sitting up straight to look at me.


    ‘Back when I became foreman, Ray offered me the foreman’s apartment above the stable. You know, the one Gary used to live in?’ I ask her. Amber nods to confirm she knows what I’m talking about. ‘It’s a lot bigger than this cabin. The living room has a nice view overlooking the ranch. There’s a separate bedroom and bathroom, and even a decent kitchen.’


    ‘Why didn’t you take it?’


    ‘Because I didn’t really see the point at the time,’ I answer, affectionately tucking Amber’s hair behind her ears. ‘I only used the cabin to sleep in when I couldn’t make it home for the night, or when I had to be at the ranch really early. It seemed like a waste to move to a bigger apartment if I wasn’t going to be there much anyway.’


    ‘That makes sense,’ Amber nods.


    ‘But now that I’m staying at the ranch more often to spend time with you, living in that apartment would be kind of nice. Especially if I wouldn’t be living there by myself,’ I continue, looking at Amber expectantly.


    ‘Wait, what are you saying?’ Amber’s eyes widen in surprise.


    ‘I’m asking you to move in with me,’ I smile at her, though my heart starts racing in my chest.


    ‘What? Are you…? Is…? Are you serious?’ Amber cries out in disbelief.


    ‘Well, yeah…’ I say hesitantly, a familiar pang of insecurity creeping in. I’ve been with a lot of people in the past, and I know what’s out there. I know for sure Amber is the one for me. But I’m her first in so many ways, and sometimes I worry she might decide there’s someone better for her. I know it’s all in my head, though. Amber has never given me any reason to doubt her, so I resolutely push those fears aside. Gently, I run my fingers through her hair.


    ‘I mean, things between us are pretty great, right? I love waking up next to you, and I’d really like to do that every day. I’m hoping–’


    ‘Yes!’ Amber interrupts me with a squeal of delight. ‘Yes, yes, yes! I would fucking love to move in with you!’


    ‘You would?’ I laugh, genuinely relieved by her enthusiasm.


    ‘Are you kidding me, Jakey? Yes! Of course I would!’ Amber bounces up and down my lap in enthusiasm. She throws her arms around my neck and kisses me fiercely.


    I pull her closer, my heart swelling with a deep sense of satisfaction, knowing that soon I’ll be able to fall asleep and wake up next to my incredible girlfriend every single day.


    ‘And you wouldn’t mind living together at the ranch first?’ I ask her, wanting to be sure. ‘I figured this could be a good place for us to start. The apartment is right next to the house, so you’d still be there to take care of the kids early in the morning. Plus, we’d barely have to pay rent, just some utilities, so we could save up to buy a decent place of our own in a couple of years—when the Jenkins kids are older,’ I add, hesitating.


    I know that means, eventually, Amber won’t have a job on the ranch anymore, and I’m not sure if she’s thought about that yet. It’s probably a few years away, but still. Amber surprises me, though.


    ‘I think it’s a great idea,’ Amber assures me with a smile. ‘Actually, it’s something I’ve been thinking about lately, too. I’ve been thinking about going back to school. I took a few courses in early childhood development back at St. Cloud before I got this job, and I’ve been looking into transferring those credits to a community college in Madison. I want to take more evening courses and get my degree, so I’ll have options once Ray and Marjorie don’t need a nanny anymore.’ Amber looks at me, her eyes sparkling with excitement. ‘What do you think?’


    ‘I think that’s really smart,’ I say genuinely, smiling widely. I love seeing Amber so enthusiastic about things. ‘I’m so proud of you, baby! Look at us—you going back to school, us moving in together, all grown-up,’ I grin, pulling her closer and grabbing her ass tightly.


    ‘Yes! Although…’ Amber suddenly looks at me, her face shifting into a concerned expression. ‘There’s something we need to talk about first. Something you need to know before you decide if you still want to move in with me.’ She bites her bottom lip, her nervousness clear.


    Okay, now she’s got me nervous!


    ‘What is it?’ I ask, a hint of worry creeping into my voice.


    Amber closes her eyes for a moment, takes a deep breath, and then looks at me with the most earnest expression on her face.


    ‘If we’re going to move in together, I need a dog. I’ve always wanted one growing up.’


    ‘You fucking…!’ I burst out in laughter, a wave of relief flooding through me.


    I wrap my arm around Amber’s lower back and flip us over, lowering myself on top of her. I position myself between her legs, kissing her deeply.


    ‘If you want a dog, we’ll get a dog,’ I promise her. ‘You can have anything you want, as long as you promise to never fucking leave me.’


    ‘I’ll never fucking leave you,’ Amber promises, her voice unwavering. ‘You’re mine,’ she asserts, her hands gripping my face with fierce determination.


    ‘I am,’ I confirm. ‘You’re never getting rid of me, baby!’