Keeton came out of all that hate and disgust as a man with such a kind heart. He truly was the best version of himself and even though he gave me the credit for that, I knew different. Whether he met me or not, he still would be the beautiful man he is today.
And the strangest thing happened.
Keeton had become one of the guys.
Not only did he talk to my father like they were lifelong friends, but to my uncles too.
Days would go by that I hadn’t talked to any of them, yet Keeton heard from them daily.
The sick jokes they all passed around through text messages had now branched out to Keeton as well. The best part about it all was the smile that would take over Keeton whenever the cell phone would chirp and it was one of the guys.
I loved his happiness.
No one deserved it more than him.
His life had already been filled with too much sadness.
Epilogue
Two and a half years later
Keeton
“I need you to understand just how much I love your daughter.” My heart raced as I looked out toward the open grassy area I would now call my home.
After I graduated with my degree in Computer Science and Engineering, I continued to work at the garage and do side jobs using my degree. I didn’t want to settle at a job when I knew I wouldn’t be staying, I was only stalling until Olivia was completed with school. Two weeks ago she graduated with her teaching degree. And it was two weeks ago we packed up everything and moved to Livingston to settle. It had been our plan since that first summer I spent here with her family.
They may have terrorized me and put me through test after test to prove my love for Olivia, but here I was. I had since then fallen in love with not only Montana, but the Sawyer family as well.
I finally had that family I craved for so long.
“I want to ask your permission to marry Olivia.” Just the idea of calling her my wife brought a smile to my face every time. I wanted to share my life with her. I wanted to see her carry my children and together we would shower them with so much love they never got the chance to feel unwanted. “Nothing would make me happier than having your blessing, sir.”
And I meant that.
Ryan intimidated me in the beginning, and if I’m being honest, he fucking put a fear in me I never wanted to feel again. But over time he and I developed a closeness I now treasure. He was someone I looked up to and valued, just as I did Noah and Jackson, too. They had all become a huge part of my life. I’m thankful every day I was in the student commons that day when the spicy brunette set the arrogant jock in his place.
It could have been any other man who caught her attention, but it was me, and I knew just how lucky I was.
Olivia was the most beautiful person I knew, and that ran so much deeper than just looks. She was the best thing that had ever happened to me.
“I know she’s safe with you,” Ryan said, and I looked away from the woman I loved as she ran around with her brothers and little sister in the open land before us. “All I’ve ever wanted for her was her happiness. You make her happy.”
“She’s such an amazing person,” I said. “She makes me a better man; without her I don’t know what I’d do. But I know I never want to find out.”
“You have my blessing,” he assured me with a slight nod of his head. “Having the both of you back here in Livingston is a blessing.”
“This is home,” I told him. “Not just for Liv, but me too. I’ve never in my life ever felt the sense of belonging I feel when I’m here. You’ve all become my family.”
“Even after all the shit we put you through, huh?” Ryan asked with a chuckle.
“If you hadn’t put me to the test, I wouldn’t have the respect I have for all of you,” I told him. “It doesn’t take much to pick up on the love you have for one another. It’s admirable the way you all have one another’s back, the way you watch out for one another, and love each other. But that girl right there,” I said, pointing toward Olivia. “I’ve never loved anyone more than I love her. I need you to know that, Ryan. There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for her. There isn’t anything I wouldn’t go through to keep her safe. She means more to me than anything else ever has.”
“I know,” he replied. “Otherwise I wouldn’t be allowing you to marry her.”
He offered a smirk, and our moment was suddenly broken by loud squeals and laughter that was moving in closer.
Olivia smiled brightly as she eyed me and then her father.
“Why do the two of you look so serious?” she asked as I placed my arm over her shoulder and pulled her in closer.
“Just guy talk,” Ryan assured her before I could say anything. “Which leads me to the next thing we need to discuss.”
Now Olivia wasn’t the only one looking at her father with curiosity.
Amber at his side, wearing a matching smile, made it obvious she already knew what Ryan was referring too.
“You remember this spot, Liv?” Ryan asked as he looked out in front of him, as if he was remembering some fond memory. “What happened in this very location?”
I looked back at forth between the three of them, waiting for someone to clue me in. Both Amber and Olivia were batting their lashes as they fought back tears beginning to fill their eyes.
Olivia didn’t speak, but chose to nod her head in response.
“This was the very location that I married Olivia’s mother,” Ryan said, mainly directed to me, because everyone else already knew what memories this spot held.
Amber was one hell of a woman. I had to give her that. All the times I have been around her, never once did she ever appear offended when Ryan and Olivia took a stroll down memory lane. Most of the time she smiled and laughed over the stories they told.
She was a god-damn angel, that’s all I had to say.
The woman had a heart of fucking gold.
“I want you and Keeton to have this spot to build your future,” her father added, catching me off guard. I looked up at him just as he continued. “Gran, Jackson, and Noah agree. Gramps would have wanted you close, Liv. This piece right here was always meant to be yours. It was the spot your mother and I had chosen for you, and the spot I want you and Keeton to now share.”
I felt my throat burn as I watched Ryan grow emotional for only the second time since I’ve known him.
“I want to watch the two of you build a life together. I want to be able to see my grandkids grow up and be just across the lake from it all.” A tear ran over his cheek and Amber tightened her hold on his waist. “All I’ve ever wanted was for you to have the kind of love I’ve had, first with your mother and now with Am. And sweetheart, you got that.”
“Dad,” Olivia whispered as her body shook against mine.
“Your happiness will always be something I’ll strive for, but now I have the help of this guy.” He nodded his head in my direction. “And something tells me if you have him by your side, I won’t have to worry so much.”
His words meant so much. And he was right; I would always make sure Liv knew how loved she was, and nothing would ever tarnish her light because her happiness meant the world to me.
This would be the spot we would begin our lives together. It would be the spot we built our home and began filling it with the kind of love only Olivia has shown me.
I felt like the luckiest guy in the world.
The love I had for this girl was overwhelming and consuming, and at times I felt as if I could barely catch my breath, but nothing had ever felt so good. I welcomed the ache she gave me every time she flashed that smile or the way she looked at me. It was as if I was the greatest person she knew.
That was an amazing feeling.
***
Olivia
“I can’t see a damn thing,” I said as I took another cautious step forward.
“Well that’s the whole point,” Trinity said with a laugh.
She had forced me to put on this damn blindfold before shoving me into the cab of my own truck and forcing me to not peek.
This entire thing had Keeton written all over it. I was excited and a bit terrified.
“Just keep your panties on, we’re almost there,” she insisted.
“Almost where?” I pushed for answers I already knew I wouldn’t be getting. Apparently Trinity was a terrific keeper of secrets. I thought of torturing it out of her by threatening to tell the new officer at the station that she secretly fantasizes about him and his handcuffs, but I chose to leave it be. She was still very timid when it came to men.
Trinity had a terrible experience with a man that used her inexperienced and kind heart against her. He sucked her in, tore her down, and then spit her out. Damn selfish pig deserved to be castrated for the hell he put her through. She still had terrible trust issues when it came to men. But there was something intriguing about Chase Douglas that had caught her eye, even if she shied away every time he smiled at her.
In time, I hoped she would find a way to let go of her past and find happiness like I had with Keeton. It was something I found myself wishing for often. Trinity was such a sweet, generous and fun person; she deserved her own happy.
The truck slowed to a stop and I was so lost in my world of matchmaker that I found myself reaching out to brace myself against the dash. “Hold on, girl, Keeton’ll be pissed if I show up with you sporting a bloody lip or something.”