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The Beginning
Epilogue
Lavender
Groaning, Choyce crossed his arms over his chest. Having a romance movie marathon was the last thing he wanted to do, but since it was Lavender’s turn to pick their date activity, he didn’t have a choice. She’d been back in Memphis for a year, and like she expected, staying in the apartment didn’t last long. As soon as her lease was up, she was ready to move in with Choyce.
While she thought she was the only one with a secret, Lavender was completely caught off guard when she learned Choyce had purchased her a building to open her new restaurant. She was three months from opening, and she was more excited than she’d ever been in her entire life. Owning someone else’s business was one thing, but having her own restaurant and being able to take care of everything from start to finish had been an experience that Lavender was truly grateful for.
Her restaurant, Quick Soul, would have been opened sooner, but Lavender wanted to take some time to be there for Jasmine and her nephew, Jazz. A bout with postpartum depression positioned Jasmine to need all the help she could get, and Lavender was happy to be there for her sister.
“If you don’t stop pouting, I’m not going to let you have any cookies,” Lavender threatened, holding back her smile.
Ignoring her, Choyce took the plate of cookies that she held and shook his head.
“How many of these movies will I have to watch?”
“Hmm… three?”
He sucked his teeth, and Lavender was unable to hold her laugh in.
“Aight, but I’ma need more than cookies.”
“Well, what else do you need?”
“You,” he replied, pulling her down to his lap and kissing her tenderly.
“You know you can always have me.”
“Mhm.”
Sitting her next to him, Choyce grabbed the remote off the coffee table and cut the TV on. Very rarely did they spend time in the front room, but that was typically where they watched movies to avoid things turning physical in bed.
“You still don’t believe you’re going to have your own happily ever after?” Choyce asked, eyeing her intently.
Shrugging, Lavender considered his question. When she told him that she loved romance novels and movies so much because of the fairytale happily ever after ending, she didn’t think they would have gotten this far. Well, her heart wanted them to, but her mind and inability to release the pain kept her from thinking it would actually happen.
Now, there was so much love and peace filling her heart it seemed crazier to not get that happily ever after with Choyce.
“I…” Her eyes shifted toward the TV. A montage of videos and photos of them spread across the screen.
“I figured I would make our love a movie so you would believe you deserve that happily ever after.”
Lavender’s head shook softly as tears fell from her eyes. Each memory, each photo, every video… they all squeezed her heart as it warmed. Giggling quietly, she wiped her tears, captivated by the movie Choyce had created. She was so engrossed in the screen that she hadn’t realized Choyce had moved until she looked down and saw him on one knee.
“Babe…”
“Yes?”
She laughed as he wiped her tears. “That’s what I’m supposed to say.”
“You’re going to say yes?”
“Yes! But you have to ask.”
Choyce’s head bobbed once as he inhaled a deep breath. He licked his lips and took her left hand into his.
“Some of the last words that my mother said to me were to remember that I always had a choice. With a lot of things, that’s proven to be true. I stand by what I said when you first came back, Lavender. I never had a choice when it came to you. My instinct has always been to love, care for, protect, and honor you. That was the case then, and it’s the case now, too. I am forever bound to you. I love you so much, Lav. Will you marry me?”
“I love you, too. Thank you for choosing me.” On her knees, Lavender wrapped her arms around his neck. She brushed her nose against his and pecked his lips. “For saving me. For loving me. I promise I will always love, honor, protect, and care for you, too. Yes, I will marry you!”
His smile was sweet, and the kiss he gave her was deep. As their tongues swirled around each other and hands explored one another’s bodies as if they were uncharted land, watching a romance movie was the last thing on Lavender’s mind. She already had the romance and love, but now, she finally had a happily ever after of her own. It may not have been a fairytale, but it was real, and it was raw, and it was hers.
The End!
