AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The girls and I park in the gravel driveway, ensuring that I’m hidden from the guests and while we wait for my dad to come retrieve us to walk down the aisle.
The exterior of the house has gone up, and we opted to have the wedding in what will be our backyard, under an oak tree. In Kansas, the weather is unpredictable at any time of year, but in the fall you just never know. It could be anywhere from seventy degrees and sunny, to thunderstorms, to a snowstorm. We regularly experience every season over the course of a weekend, so it was a bit of a gamble. However, I had my heart set on getting married in our backyard, where we got engage and where we plan to make so many more precious memories. Thankfully, it’s a beautiful day and everything is going according to plan. It’s crazy to think how easily things fall into place, when it’s meant to be.
The trees surrounding the house have turned colors and we have a backdrop of yellows, oranges and reds behind the wooden arbor Andrew and Dad built together last weekend. The arbor is perfect for us to be married under, and then Andrew plans to hang a porch swing from it later so we can enjoy it for years to come.
A knock on the window interrupts my daydreaming. I turn and smile at my dad in his white button-down shirt with his blue jeans as he beams back at me. Carefully, I climb out of the car and Avery fixes the jumbled mess that my skirt has come. I glance at my silhouette in the reflection of Avery’s car. I just can’t believe it’s finally happening.
The girls give us a little bit of space, and I look up at my father. I see tears in his eyes as he looks down at me proudly. “You look beautiful.” He tells me before moving in for a hug. “I’m so glad my heart didn’t take me out and make me miss this.”
Sierra quickly rushes to my side and holds up a finger. “Mr. Burris, I love you, but please don’t make her cry. I don’t have time to redo her makeup and she’s been right on the edge of it all day.” She teases.
“Fine.” He laughs in response, shaking his head. He turns to me and says, “Well, kiddo. We better get going then.”
And just like that, I start down the path to my very own happily ever after.
Epilogue
I bend down over the playpen to lay a blanket on top of our sleeping three-month-old, Molly Anne. She has a faint smile on her face while she is smacking her lips and dreaming about whatever babies dream of. My stomach flutters every time I see her sweet face, and I could look at her all day long. To be honest, staring at her is just about all I’ve done for the past several weeks. She’s the perfect mixture of her father and I, with my green eyes and her daddy’s nose, and dark hair that matches up both. I can’t wait to watch her grow up and see what her personality is going to end up like.
The last six weeks have gone by in a blur. Honestly, that could be said for the entire last year. Just a couple of weeks after we got home from our honeymoon, I opened a box of Christmas scented candles for the store and it about took me out. I immediately had to run behind the counter to throw up in the trash can because of the overwhelming scent. A pregnancy test from the drugstore across the street confirmed we were, in fact, expecting. We had apparently brought home more than just a shot glass and some sand from Mexico. We weren’t really ready to try, but once we were married, we weren’t really doing much to prevent it from happening, either. It was just another clear indication of what was meant to be.
The pregnancy went smoothly and after a 22 hour labor, Molly Anne was born at the beginning of August. Thanks to my mom and a couple of high school girls, the store kept running smoothly while I stayed at home with her for a few weeks. After that, I peeked in and helped a little, all while baby wearing Molly, of course.
I just started working full time again this week. Just in time to gear up for the store’s One-Year Anniversary Celebration next month. The growth of the store over the last year has been beyond my expectations and even my wildest dreams. While the physical store is still doing great, our online presence is even bringing in a substantial income. I owe that all to my high school employees, who started using TikTok to showcase our products while I was on maternity leave. I never imagined that the store would be this profitable, or that I could support two part-time employees.
The office spaces upstairs are rented out and bringing in additional income. One is being used by Sierra. She opened her own salon space, allowing her to work for herself. She’s already busy enough that she’s had to bring in a second stylist to cover her expanding client list. The other office is being rented by Ava. Her real estate business is booming, and she is in the works of starting her very own brokerage firm, at the age of twenty-three.
Cody and Sierra are almost done building their house and we are all so excited to be neighbors while we raise food, babies, and animals alongside each other.
The bell on the door lets out a loud jingle, alerting me of a customer and bringing me out of my daydream. I make my way out of the break room to find Andrew waiting for me at the counter.
“How are my girls?” He asks, as I close the space between us and he pulls me into a hug, kissing my forehead gently.
“It was a good day.” I say, checking my watch and walking over to lock up for the day. “We are just about ready for the Fall Festival and our one-year anniversary.” I tell him, hands on my hips, feeling accomplished.
“You are Superwoman, I swear.” He tells me, just as he leans down to kiss me again, until the door interrupts us by swinging open.
In walks Avery with Juliet on her hip and Derek following behind her.
“Ready for our double date?” She asks with a grin, as she squeezes Derek’s hand.
“Yep. Let me grab Molly and lock up and then we can go.” I say.
I turn around one last time to look at my group of people standing in the middle of my store, and my heart wants to just explode. All my life I was searching for my place in the world and it was here in Fawn Creek all along. There really is no place like home.
