Page 42 of Daddy's Naughty Bartender
I pull back to stare at him. "The one with the wraparound porch and the barn?"
"That's the one. Figured we needed more space. For Josh's workshop. Emily when she visits. Maybe an art studio for you to start painting again." His eyes are soft, certain. "A real home, baby. Our home. If you'll have me."
"You're asking me to move in with you?"
"I'm asking you to build a life with me. Officially. Permanently." He pulls a small box from his pocket. With a ring.
"Wear this for me," he says softly. "We don’t need to plan the wedding, yet. We don’t need to come up with a date. But, I want you to know I’m fully committed. Fully dedicated to you.”
The room fades away. There's only Jason, only this moment, only the choice that isn't really a choice at all.
"Yes."
He places the ring on my finger with steady hands. When I look up, I realize the entire bar has witnessed it. My children, my friends, half the town.
And I don’t see judgment, I see smiles. Understanding. Acceptance.
Josh starts the slow clap. Emily joins. Then Susie, the Naughty Girls, even Betty Henderson's church friends. The applause builds until it shakes the rafters.
"I love you," Jason murmurs under the noise.
"I love you too. Always."
"Forever," he corrects. "I'm never letting you go."
"Promise?"
"Promise." He spins me around to face our domain: our bar, our people, our life. "Look what we built, baby. From ashes and judgment and fear, we built this."
He's right. We've built something beautiful. A business that honors the past while embracing the future. A family that bends but doesn't break. A love that challenges expectations and rewrites rules.
"No regrets?" I ask.
"Only one." He grins. "I should have ordered two paddles. That one's going to see a lot of use."
"Jason!"
"What? You're the one who hung it in public." His hand finds the small of my back. “You're my brave girl. My perfect match. My cherished love. Ready to scandalize Prairie Harbor for the next fifty years?"
"With you? Always."
The Gathering Place still stands, better than ever. But now it has a partner, just like its owner. Different but complementary, traditional but evolved, proof that sometimes the best things come from the most unexpected combinations.
Behind the bar, the paddle catches the light, our secret in plain sight. A reminder that strength comes in many forms, that submission is a gift, that love is worth fighting for.
And as Jason pulls me in for a kiss that earns whoops and hollers from the crowd, I think Mark would approve. Would want this, his widow not just surviving but thriving, his children seeing that love can come again, his bar transformed into something even better.
"Hey, Mom?" Josh calls out. "Can you make your famous Manhattan for the livestream? The internet wants to see the legend in action."
I laugh, already reaching for the rye. "Sure thing, baby."
"I'll help," Jason says, moving behind the bar with me.
And there, in the space where I found myself after loss, where I built strength from sorrow, where I learned to let someone else be strong for me, we make drinks and make memories.
Together.
The paddle on the wall shines in the light, promise and presence combined.
Just in case.
