His last words made her eyes widen, and a sparkle shone in her eyes as she fought tears. She was silent for so long that Travis had no idea what she was going to say—if anything. When she finally did speak, he wasn’t sure how to take it.
“Is this a trick, Travis?”
“No. I promise you that you have my heart, Taylor. You have my soul. I’ve been a fool for a lot of years, and I can’t promise never to make mistakes, but I can promise to always love you and be there for you. Just please end my misery. Make me a better man; tell me when I’m wrong. Do anything you need to do, just as long as you stay by my side.”
With the crowd rushing by them toward the start line once the final announcement was made, he dropped to his knees before her. From his pocket, he pulled out the black box he’d been carrying all week, since their disastrous dinner date, and he opened it. A brilliant diamond set in a simple band shone up at her.
“Travis?”
“The proposal is real, Taylor. My love for you is real.” His throat was scratchy as he waited for her answer.
“And if I don’t answer until after the race?”
“I’ll be right here waiting until you come back.” He’d never been so sure of anything in his life.
With tears welling up in her eyes, she dropped to the ground in front of him and threw her arms around his neck, clinging tightly as her body shook. “You really mean that, don’t you?”
“Yes, I do. I want you to do whatever will make you the happiest.”
“Then nothing would make me happier than to be your wife, to go home with you and start that track, and to begin our family.”
“What?” he asked in surprise. “What about your race?”
“I don’t need to do it anymore. When I got here, I realized that I was so busy trying to prove the world wrong, trying to do what I was told I couldn’t do, that I forgot to think about what I really wanted. Yes, I’ll always love racing, but now I know that I don’t want to risk my life for a thrill anymore, not when I’ve found something that brings me just as much joy. I loved planning that track, and I love you.” She looked up at him with a radiant smile.
“Are you sure, Taylor?”
“Oh yes. I have to admit I’m scared. I don’t want to get in another accident and end up in a wheelchair, or lying in a bed with no comprehension of who anyone is, or even dead. I want to be with you, with my family. I want to open that track. Nothing has excited me that much in a long time. When I met with the sponsors and everyone was so receptive, my dreams continued to grow, but I was afraid that I was letting myself down, that I was settling. I’ve always wanted to do the opposite of what people told me I needed to do. Sitting here today, I realized that, but I was still too afraid to let it go. Your words, your believing in me and standing by my side no matter what—that’s all I really needed.”
“I love you, Taylor, and I promise to never stand in the way of your dreams again.”
“I love you, too, Travis.”
The race started and ended without her, and Taylor had no regrets about it. The next chapter to her life was beginning, and she knew it would be even more beautiful than the last one.
EPILOGUE
“Can you believe Taylor’s a mother?” Eileen said with a sigh.
“She’s just beautiful, simply beautiful,” Maggie said to her friends.
“It looks like you have a wonderful family now, Maggie,” Bethel said.
“Yes, Maggie does, so it’s far past time we work on my boys,” Martin said as he looked out at the track. “With only one of them married, I’m very much lacking in the grandchild department.”
“Oh, don’t you worry, Martin,” Eileen said. “We’ll come up with a great plan for the rest of your children.”
Taylor was teaching a group of preteens how to land properly after a jump, and even the motorbikes couldn’t drown out their laughter. The track had been open a year now, and it was thriving. The summer camps were booked solid for two years.
The four friends—Maggie, Eileen, Bethel, and Martin—sighed when Travis walked onto the track after the lesson. His and Taylor’s three-month-old son was snuggled safely in Travis’s arms.
“They make such a wonderful couple,” Bethel sighed.
“Yes, they do,” replied Maggie. “I remember when Travis first started coming around with Bryson. Taylor had such a crush on him then, but I never thought the two would one day fall in love. I’m very grateful they did, as I already loved him like a son.”
“It all worked out beautifully,” Eileen said.
“So which child are we going to work on next?” Maggie asked. “To this day, Taylor has no clue that I knew Travis was already up at that cabin. I think she would lecture me even now if she found out I’d been matchmaking. She’s quite independent and likes to think she did this all on her own.”
Martin looked around to make sure none of his four sons were nearby. “Oh, if any of the kids found out we were meddling in their lives, they’d kill us on the spot.”
“They won’t find out,” Bethel said, and then her face lit up. “Hey, I have a great idea!”
“Well, spit it out,” Eileen told her.
“Sage is finishing with medical school. She needs to begin her residency soon, and I think it’s time for her and Spence to work together.”
Martin leaned in. “Ah, I like the way you think, Bethel. I’d love for us to officially be family.”