Just a Proposal by London Casey

Epilogue

Tyler

I openedthe shower curtain and stared at Olivia for two seconds before she saw me.

When she did, she screamed.

She flung a soap laced washcloth at me, which hit me in the chest.

“You scared the hell out of me, Tyler,” she groaned.

“And now you just ruined the moment.”

“What moment?”

“Lucy is downstairs and I was coming up here to pay you a visit. She probably heard the scream though…”

“Oops,” Olivia said with a smirk.

I loved seeing her wearing nothing but the engagement ring.

Her body was just…

I growled in my throat.

“Goodbye, Tyler,” Olivia said.

“Love you, sweetheart,” I said.

I shut the shower curtain and exited the bathroom.

It was those little moments right there that made it all feel like home. And it made every little ounce of stress worth it.

Downstairs, Lucy was packing a bag.

“I can’t wait to hang with Aunt Mila!” she cried out. “We’re going to paint and play piano and sing.”

“Oh yeah?” I asked.

“It’s a full day, Daddy,” Lucy said.

“She should be here any second…”

I walked to the kitchen and saw the folder on the counter.

Each time I saw it, I shook my head.

Richie had gone through the folder two dozen times and all the paperwork was legit.

Kate had two lawyers.

One was to fight for custody of Lucy.

The second lawyer was to handle some finances for Lucy.

The first lawyer was fired. That came as a result of Olivia fighting Kate.

I still wasn’t sure that was a completely true statement, but that’s what Kate told me.

Kate’s endless want and need to hurt me sent her digging into the Justa family’s finances. Meaning she knew about the restaurant. And the ranch. And what was happening to both. And of all things she could have done, she threw money at the ranch. There was just one catch to it all.

Her money would be used for whatever Crosby needed… and any and all equity it purchased and grew would go into Lucy’s name.

Meaning that at her young age, Lucy basically owned the ranch. And it meant when Lucy turned eighteen, she would have a - hopefully - successful and lucrative business sitting there. Even if the ranch didn’t produce a penny, the value of the land would go up. And if John Lovor thought for a second he was going to get one of the Justa’s to sell… he was wrong. And if he dared to go and ask Kate about her share, she would probably threaten to cut his balls off.

Kate couldn't provide as a mother to Lucy.

That was what Olivia was here for.

Olivia was going to raise Lucy and they were going to have the mother-daughter relationship Lucy deserved.

And at the end of the day, Lucy would know about Kate. Maybe there would come a day when Lucy would want to find Kate and ask her questions. But that wasn’t happening today or tomorrow.

The financial gesture was what Kate felt was the best decision for her and for Lucy.

Aside from that, there was paperwork giving up all rights to Lucy.

Seeing that broke my heart.

But there was a note from Kate.

A simple note.

Never one for big speeches and romantic gestures…

It’s Olivia’s turn to do all I can’t. If you need money for the legal bullshit for the adoption, text me. I’ll fight Olivia again, and if she beats me, I’ll give you the cash.

That made me shake my head.

I didn’t need any financial help from Kate.

I didn’t even need her getting involved with the ranch, but I understood what it meant to her and to Lucy.

We were just a short time away from signing the paperwork which would then make Olivia Lucy’s legal guardian. Her mother.

I put my hand on the folder and let out a long sigh.

There was relief in the sigh. But a lot of pain too.

It wasn’t a fairy tale, as it was never meant to be one.

Life wasn’t a fairy tale.

Even if Olivia made it feel that way sometimes.

“Daddy?”

I turned and saw Lucy with her little pink rolling suitcase next to her.

“Hey, kid,” I said.

“I’m ready to go. Where is Aunt Mila?”

I looked at my phone. “That’s a good question.”

Mila was late.

Not by a minute either.

She was now ten minutes late.

And thanks to me messing with memory lane again, I was almost running late.

I grabbed my phone. “Where the hell is your aunt, Lucy?”

“Daddy…”

“Yeah, yeah,” I said. “A dollar in the jar.”

My eyes were glued to my phone.

Where the hell are you, Mila?

* * *

Olivia

I finished my shower and wiped my hand to the foggy mirror.

I stared at my reflection and just felt… different.

My wet hair. My face. My eyes.

The cuts and bruises from Kate, which looked worse than they felt.

The sense of family waiting downstairs.

Tyler and I sitting on the couch at night, debating which show to watch. Talking about what to make for dinner the following night. Talking about work, life, the past, the present, and the future.

I thought about the adoption paperwork.

Lucy was going to become mine.

She would never truly be mine but that was okay.

Before signing anything, I told Tyler that Lucy would never be hidden from her past. She would know someday about Kate, and whatever happened after that, I would be by her side and at her back. I would never be selfish with Lucy’s love.

And I hoped that someday Lucy would find Kate and learn more about her.

I never truly understood Kate.

It wasn’t my job to do so.

Kate was gone, and she was going to stay gone.

The only time we’d ever hear from her or have to deal with her was if something happened with the ranch. Even that was short-term until all the legal stuff was worked out which would put Lucy’s name on the ranch. And since Tyler and I were her legal guardians, it would then all go through us.

It was forever busy in the Justa family, but it was a good busy.

A happy busy.

I left the bathroom and in the bedroom I found my phone on the bed where I had thrown it. Along with my clothes for work.

All I wanted to do was be at the restaurant and at home.

That was my life.

And my life was perfect.

My phone’s screen lit up with a text message.

From Mila.

You’re the only one who will understand this…

I lifted an eyebrow.

I replied to her message.

What’s going on?

Mila began to respond.

I shivered and reached for my clothes.

Before I could begin to get dressed, Mila texted me back.

When I read the text message, I shut my eyes.

I had to hurry and get dressed…

… to get ready for the next Justa family crisis.

* * *

Mila

Do the right thing, Mila.

That voice was the problem.

I took a deep breath.

I know what I had promised my brother. And my niece.

It wasn’t that I wanted to hurt them. Or that I wanted to hurt anyone.

Lucy would be fine. There were enough in the family to help out.

Worse case, she could go to the restaurant and hang out there.

As far as Tyler went… he owned the family construction company.

Did he really need to be involved so heavily all the time? He had employees. He had managers or whatever to handle things.

And then Crosby… he was just playing cowboy all the time.

He could change out of his cowboy boots and climb off whatever woman he was sleeping with and go help too.

This was just…

I took another deep breath.

There was only one person I could talk to.

Or at least text.

I hated to put that kind of pressure on Olivia’s shoulders but I felt I had no choice.

She was the only one who listened to me about my dreams. And about Jett.

So I sent her a text message.

Then another.

The second one was the important one.

From there, I swallowed hard and tucked my phone into my pocket.

My right hand curled around the handle of the suitcase, then I walked toward the bus.

A tall, skinny man smiled at me and ushered me onto the bus.

I told myself it was going to be okay.

I wasn’t running away from Gardner or my family.

I was just going away.

To finally chase my dream.

The message I got the night before… I just couldn’t ignore it… I had to do this… no matter what happened next in my life…