What. The. Actual. Fuck.
“Little sister!” Tanner exclaims. They all hug me tight. I marvel at the fact they’re so dressed up. All of them. Suits with ties, cleaned up facial hair and sparkles in their eyes.
“When I met you, Aria, I knew you were special. And when Bubba saw that same spark, something inside me told me you were going to be perfectly fine,” says Nate.
“You’re the only woman who put Zoey before herself. We know why you left that night. It was to protect our girl.” Joey grins at Zoey who holds tightly onto my hand.
“You tamed an untamable beast,” Logan adds.
“You gave him his heart back,” Tanner concludes.
“You guys…what’s happening?”
“Come on, darlin’! Time’s a-wastin’!” Momma singsongs at the back door. I reluctantly pass the boys, and they end up joining the party behind me. It reminds me of Love Actually—Oh my god!
Momma catches onto my realization and gently pats my hand as she leads me out to the back patio. Daddy sits at the table with Troy in his lap. Troy belly laughs when he takes Daddy’s hat off. It’s weird to see my dad smile so big—especially since this baby wasn’t welcome a few months ago.
“Have a seat, Peanut.”
I glance behind me and everyone is gone except Momma.
I sit down beside her. Troy immediately starts to reach for me when he sees me. My big baby is a total sweetheart which has given me relief. He’s nothing like Charlie.
“I met Derek a few years ago. I knew Nate first, but then I found out Derek married Emily and moved here, so I offered him a job. You were gone already, and he was always a hermit. There was no way the two of you would come together.”
“But then I surprised you by coming home.”
He chuckles and shrugs. “I always said you’re unpredictable. You keep everyone on their toes.”
That’s one way to put it.
“He loves you, you know.”
“Yeah? What makes you say that?”
“Look around, Aria.”
He motions behind him, and it’s then I realize the giant tent behind us. I move to stand up, but Daddy stops me.
“I’m sorry for not giving you enough credit. I’m sorry for constantly comparing the three of you. It’s not fair to you. But I want you to know, Aria Louise, I love you. It’s impossible to tell you how much. You deserve happiness. You deserve life.”
He gently kisses my forehead and helps me up.
“Come on. I think you know what’s next.”
Momma grabs my other hand and leads me up to the tent. The townspeople fill the tent, half of them staring at me with contempt, the other half smiling because they’re too smart to listen to the busybodies around town. Jackie meets me at the edge of the tent wearing a beautiful, black, floor length gown.
“Hey, you.”
“Jackie…”
“I didn’t think he was in this for the right reasons. Not at first. But I know he’s a good man. And he loves you fiercely.” She wraps her long arms around me. Derek stands in the middle of the tent, his hair closely cropped, wearing a tux.
He’s so handsome. I’m the lucky one.
“We all do, Peanut. Jay couldn’t make it, but he knows this is happening. We love you so much. You deserve the world.”
Daddy gently nudges me along, and when we’re halfway to Derek, they drop my hands. I turn in confusion and they silently urge me on. Derek reaches his hands out to me. I can’t help it. I run the rest of the way and jump into his arms and sob.
“Did I do it right, Daddy?” Zoey asks, appearing beside me.
“Yeah, babe. You did great.”
Zoey grins mischievously and stands beside Derek.
“I lied to you.”
No, this is going so perfect. Don’t ruin it.
He sets me down and pushes my flyaways behind my ear.
“I didn’t leave to see Joey. But, I did bring them here for this. They’re a part of our story just like this town is.”
Tears stream down my face, my makeup is ruined for sure. I hope nobody is taking pictures.
“I didn’t want to get married again, Ace. I thought marriage was a prison sentence. But then you came wandering into a barn wearing flip flops and walked right up to a psycho horse I was sure was going to break your toes. My life has been changed ever since then—for the better.”
He wipes the tears from my eyes with his thumbs, his grin so wide and proud.
“You haven’t had the easiest life. I wanted to remind you that you have people around you who love the shit out of you. You deserve someone who will tell you how much you’re loved, valued, and appreciated every single day of your life.”
He sinks to one knee.
God, I was expecting this! Why am I crying?
“Aria Louise McKenzie, yes, I asked Tanner ages ago to find out what your middle name is, will you make me the happiest and luckiest man in the world by being my wife?”
“And my mom?” Zoey adds.
“Yes. Absolutely I will.”
EPILOGUE PART TWO
ANNIE
Derek slides the ring on Aria’s finger and the sigh of relief amongst our family crushes the tent like a tidal wave. Aria is safe. She is with a man who loves her for exactly who she is. She’s a mom and a great one at that!
A year ago, this was a pipe dream. The way she came home, battered and broken, I honestly thought she would never return to the land of the living. The sister I knew to be quiet, yet confident was a shell of her former self.
And now, she’s the embodiment of pure happiness. I can’t be happier for her.
My phone vibrates in the pocket of my dress. I don’t need to look at the screen to know who it is. It’s my own love of my life. The man I’ve kept close to my chest because my family won’t understand. They’ll stick their noses in where they don’t belong, not to mention shame us for practically being family.
I was fourteen years old when I realized I had feelings for Jay Parker. He was my extra brother, the honorary McKenzie even though his real last name is the equivalent of cursing in front of your momma.
“Hey, handsome,” I answer.
“Hello, beautiful. Did she say yes?”
I giggle. “Of course she said yes. She’s got the fairy tale ending and she’s the happiest I’ve ever seen her.”
Jay sighs dreamily. “Good. I want her to be happy.”
My stomach knots, because I want to be happy too. I don’t want to keep our relationship in the dark much longer. I want to be able to shout my relationship to the world.
“You’re going to get your fairy tale ending soon, baby. I promise you.”
“I love you, Jay. It doesn’t matter when I get it.”
“But it’s not enough,” he counters, though the smile in his voice is contagious. “I’m getting out on VEERP.”
My eyebrows raise and my heart soars to my throat. Voluntary Enlistment Early Release Program is what it’s called. It means he’s coming home.
“Are you serious?”
“What do you say, McKenzie? Is it time to come out of the closet?”
AUTHOR’S NOTE
-Phew!- I never thought I would be strong enough to get Aria’s story out there. To say that it took every morsel of will power and strength I had, is an understatement. But, it’s out there. It’s finally out there!
We covered some heavy topics in this story. And with that, I wanted to include some resources if you ever feel that you need them. I know a lot of the time we feel alone, that there isn’t a soul out there who understands what we’re going through.
I can confidently tell you that is not the case. Someone understands. Someone has been through it. And someone will always be there to hold your hand.
I hope you were able to find comfort in Aria and Derek’s story! As for me, I’m so glad they can finally stand in the sun!
National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 800-273-8255
The National Domestic Violence
Hotline: 1-800-799-SAFE (7233)
Planned Parenthood: 1-800-230-PLAN (7526)
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
There were so many times I wanted to quit this book. However, with every book, it isn’t just written by an author. They lean on the people around them. They gain strength and encouragement from their friends, family, and colleagues. So, without further ado:
To my husband, Taylor - My dude! Thank you so much for being my rock through this book. I know this unearthed a lot of unprocessed trauma for me which made for some interesting conversation. You have no idea how much I love you, and how much I appreciate you being my constant. You’re the bomb dot com!
Jessica - Jess, thank you so much for being my sounding board. You have read the early versions of this story and if it weren’t for your kind and encouraging words, I probably wouldn’t have finished this. Thank you for always being there for me, and especially holding my hand through all of this!
To my betas, Jessica, Scarlette, Andrea, and Lauren - You guys! Thank you so much for beta reading this beast! I was so nervous sending this to you and your feedback and suggestions are appreciated and loved!
Kimberly Steinke - Oh my gosh. Where do I even begin? I’m so happy I came across you in a Facebook group! Thank you so much for loving Aria and Derek, and reading this for me. I appreciate all you do and your feedback has made this book what it is!
To my editor, Amy Briggs - Amy! We did it again! Thank you so much for everything you do. Your expertise and (hilarious) comments on my manuscript has been life changing. Thank you for putting up with my 10,000 emails and holding my hand!
To Brieanne - Brieeeee! Thank you for proofreading this for me! You’re my bestie for the restie, and my confidant. Thank you for letting me lean on you this past year. I love and appreciate you!
To Janet - Janet! Thank you so much for working in tandem with Brie! Your notes were so helpful! Thank you so much for your feedback!
Laura Mowery - When I joined Instagram at the beginning of 2021, I was petrified of reaching out to other people. And when I found out you were also a Marine Wife, well, I felt like our stars aligned! Thank you so much for listening to me vent and distracting me from my own self doubt. So happy I get to call you a friend!
Last, but not least, my friends and family - Thank you all for supporting me through this new journey as an author. Writing was something I always kept under wraps in fear of being judged. But you guys have really rallied for me, and you have no idea how much that means to me. Thank you for the preorders, for sharing my work with your friends, and being there for me. I love you.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dillon Bancroft is a Contemporary Romance Author based in Tampa, Florida. She was always considered a dreamer, and was constantly scolded as a student to get her head out of the clouds and pay attention.
She is a mother to two crazy girls and wife to a former Marine who has enhanced her vocabulary in the worst ways, but has supported her in all of her hair-brained ideas.
She is a sucker for second chance romances, puppies, and cheese Christmas movies. She watches entirely too much TV and quotes very obscure lines in popular TV shows.
LOOKING TO CONNECT?
Do you want to stay in the know and receive behind the scenes musings, deleted scenes, and upcoming project updates? Make sure to sign up for my newsletter and follow me on social media!
Email: [email protected]
LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/dillon.bancroft
Website: www.dillonbancroft.com
Bancroft Boulevard Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/bancroftblvd
ALSO BY DILLON BANCROFT
Back and Forth
Make Me Dream (The Sage Creek Series Book 1) Page 36
