Page 76 of Falling for the Unexpected

Epilogue

Kyle

Ten Months Later

“Ky, I’m hungry!” Stella shouted as she jumped onto our bed, effectively waking me up. I didn’t think I’d slept past seven in the six months since Simone and Stella moved in. I had never been a morning person, but even the early wakeup calls didn’t make me regret asking the two of them to live with me.

I had wanted them to move in with me shortly after we got back together, but walking away like I did had hurt Simone more than I’d even realized. I had to work hard to earn back her trust before she would consider taking such a huge step. I couldn’t blame her. Almost everyone in her life had abandoned her and she worked hard every day learning to trust those of us who loved her.

“Let’s go make breakfast while we let your mama sleep,” I suggested, climbing out of bed and carrying Stella down to the kitchen.

It was Saturday and I had a whole day planned for Simone and me. First, she was going to drop Stella off at Jim and Marla’s for Brad’s visitation. After his overdose, Brad entered a ninety-day, inpatient rehab facility. He was lucky to have the support of his family and I think it was one of the largest factors in helping him with his recovery. Once he completed the program, he moved back in with his parents and continued participating in drug treatment classes.

I still wasn’t his biggest fan, but I could see that he was making an effort, especially when it came to Stella. It would be a long time before we ever trusted him with her by himself, but for now, our arrangement was working.

While she was gone, I was going to get everything ready for our ‘beach date’. Simone’s birthday was coming up in a couple days so we were having our own private celebration today. I was hoping it would be her most memorable birthday yet.

“What’s going on down here?” Simone asked as she walked down the stairs into the kitchen. Even in a robe and her hair a mess, I thought my girl was the most beautiful woman in the world.

“We’re making pancakes,” Stella announced from where she was kneeling on the barstool, stirring the batter I had put in front of her.

Simone walked over to her daughter and placed a kiss on the top of her head before meeting me by the stove and to give me my morning kiss as well. I loved that we had settled into a routine. When I bought this house a couple years ago, the idea of a family filling it seemed like a distant dream. I never expected it to happen so soon. Now I woke up every morning to the faces of the people I loved more than anything in the world. I couldn’t imagine my life any other way.

After breakfast, the girls finished getting ready and headed out. As soon as they left I started making the lunch we would be eating on the beach. It was early October, so it wouldn’t be too crowded out there today. The forecast was calling for sunny skies with temperatures in the upper sixties.

I made a simple cold pasta salad and prepared a cheese and cracker platter. I packed up the food, along with some water and a bottle of champagne and glasses into the picnic basket I had purchased recently.

I ran upstairs and took a shower knowing I only had a little bit of time before Simone would be back. I changed into a pair of black cargo shorts and a gray T-shirt. We were going to be sitting on the sand so I wanted to be comfortable. As I came back downstairs I heard the garage door open and saw Simone walk in.

“Are you ready to go?” I asked, picking up everything we needed off the counter. I hadn’t told her what we were doing today, but she could probably guess by the basket and huge blanket I was carrying.

“Sure,” she said, eyeing everything in my arms. “I guess I’m dressed okay?”

I looked her up and down in her blue maxi dress and cardigan. “You look perfect,” I told her honestly.

I held her hand as we walked down to the sand. We found a perfect spot away from the few other beachgoers. I spread the blanket out for us and sat with Simone between my outstretched legs.

I pulled a small portable speaker from the basket and started the special playlist I had made for today. The first song was the one that had been playing at the club when we had kissed out on the dance floor the night of her birthday.

We opened up the food and snacked on that for a little bit while the songs continued, each of them holding special meaning for us. I had never felt so much peace in my life as I did now holding the love of my life in my arms, just looking out at the water.

Finally the moment I had been anticipating was here. Train’s “Marry Me” started playing in the background. I don’t know if Simone noticed right away so I remained quiet just listening to the music. When the song came to an end, I gently turned Simone around to face me. When I looked into her eyes I could already see them glistening with tears.

I wasn’t kneeling in front of her, but our position felt more intimate this way. I wanted to be able to continue holding her when I laid my heart out to her.

“Simone, I love you. Being with you has been the happiest time of my life. I can’t imagine my life without you or Stella. I want to be the man you both can depend on. The man who will protect you and never let you go. The one who will love you for the rest of our lives.” I paused, having rehearsed this speech, wanting it to be perfect when I delivered each line. “Will you marry me?”

I opened the black velvet box I’d had in my pocket so she could see the diamond ring I’d picked out. She was quiet for a few moments but then her eyes met mine and I could see the love and joy I had for her reflected back at me.

“Of course I’ll marry you,” she said, placing her hands on both sides of my face, kissing me. She then pulled back so I could put the ring on her finger. “I love you, Kyle.”

I continued to kiss her, hoping she could feel every ounce of love I was putting into it.

Falling for Simone may have been unexpected, but it was the best thing to ever happen to me.

The End