Daylight

Epilogue

                  4 Years Later

      "Grab Gracie!" I shout, reaching for her tiny little arm.

        Nathan lunged over grabbing Gracie before draping his arm across my shoulder, tugging me closer until he could kiss the top of my head. Nathan has spent the last two months reassuring me, giving me affection because he knows I won't listen to him."This was a horrible idea. Why did you let me do this?"

        "You wanted to do this, remember you said 'I never have bad ideas unless its with names or food"

        "Okay, okay," I say."You've made your point." I said, moving in front of him, leaning against his chest, as we both looked up at the Make Your Memories Last sign above the coffee shop door."What if nobody wants to buy our coffee from me because I'm not a family business?"

        "We are a family business. I'll write it on the window with a Sharpie if you want me to."

        "I'm not sure, me, you, Gracie, and the dog count as a family business."

        Nathan presses his lips to my neck, drown to the warm smell of my perfume. I know he hates how hard my pulse is hammering. Me being nervous or what Nathan says 'Nervous Grace' is what he sees the least, but buying an old cafe store in Sunnyside Springs has given me lots of things to be nervous about.

Nathan:

        "Thank you everyone for being here today. Really thank you. I can't believe it. I know a lot of you have traveled a long way, and I've promised those of you that I'm really terrible at making pancakes." It depends on the cakes."Thank you to the people of Sunnyside Springs for welcoming us into your community. I know it wasn't easy at first, but Nathan and I feel so at home here. For everyone else who might not know, many years ago, I made a joke of opening an office near our old campus. Apparently nobody forgot."

        Everyone in the room laughs, and out of the corner of my eye I spot her dad playing with Gracie."Thank you to everyone who helped get the cafe ready. My wonderful father-in-law for spending all his time making sure things were perfect; my friends for helping get rid of that awful magnolia color, and for helping to make hundreds of tiny stars. Thanks to my dad for sending me carefully curated lists of coffee I should buy."

        "God, this is turning into an Oscar speech. I'll wrap it up. It's no secret that I love coffee and books. I love stories about people I don't know, and places I haven't been to. I've lived a thousand lives between a thousand pages, but no story, no page has ever made me as happy as you do, Nathan Grant." Everyone awws, and I feel the tips of my ears turn pink."Before I met you, I hadn't considered what my happy ending might look like. I wasn't sure I'd get one. You're my happy ending, Nathan. I fell in love with you in Maple Elm, and watching you build our life here made me fall in love with you a million times more. Thank you for giving me a life that feels too good to be true. Thank you for letting me bring home a dog even when you say no. Thank you for welcoming our baby girl into this world. Thank you for letting me live my dreams every day.

        I want to rush over there and kiss her until her lips turn pink, but this is her job now and I don't want to embarrass her. Instead, I raise my glass in her direction."To make our memories last."

        She raises her glass."And unlimited pets."

        "No," I immediately responded, but it's too late.

        "To make our memories last and unlimited pets," the room echoes.