Page 112 of Unforgettable

“He officially won us over when he asked for our blessing,” Wyatt tells Scarlett.

She looks at me, her eyes shining and her smile so bright.

“He didn’t tell us until after the fact that he already had Grinny’s,” Theo says, rolling his eyes. “So, I guess it’s a good thing we didn’t have any objections.”

My parents and Pappy are beside themselves, and Ivy can hardly stand still, she’s so excited to be a flower girl.

We eat and talk and dance, and at the end of the night when we’ve had a lot of wine and so much laughter, Grinny taps her glass.

“I’d like to make a toast to the most beautiful couple and to share a couple of secrets with you all,” she says.

That gets our attention and we all turn to look at her.

“First of all, I would like to announce that the Alpine House is yours if you want it, Scarlett and Jamison.”

“Grinny!” Scarlett gasps.

Grinny waves her hand like it’s nothing. “It’s too much house for me. I’d prefer to have your condo, if that’s an option,” she says, laughing.

“Whatever you want, Grinny,” Scarlett says. “Thank you.”

“And there’s something I never told anyone about when I met your grandmother, Jamison,” she says, her smile so sweet when she looks at us. “Something that I’d thought about over the years but couldn’t see how it would ever happen.”

She presses her lips together, her eyes filling with tears.

“You see, the two of us made a plan that day. She knew she didn’t have long…and she cared about what happened to her grandsons.” She looks at Zac. “She said she hadn’t spotted anyone around here for you, but it looks like she worked that one out from heaven.”

Everyone laughs and Zac pulls Autumn closer to him, looking so damn happy.

“But when your grandmother saw my Scarlett, she said she just had a feeling about her. And that if there ever came a time when it seemed like Scarlett might need a kind, hilarious, and…I believe her words werea little too handsome for his own good kind of guy…to keep her grandson Jamison in mind. And so I did.”

Scarlett gasps, turning to look at me. I stare back at her, just as shocked, not knowing where this is going.

“The funny thing about it is, I didn’t see how this could ever come to be. I was so angry that Granddad hadn’t given you the lodge, angel, I could hardly see straight. I believe he knew better than anyone that you could handle running the lodge, but it was his silly notions about what he wanted for your life that got in the way. You know how he wanted you to just get married and settle down…give us a bunch of grandbabies.”

Everyone laughs and Scarlett nods, rolling her eyes but smiling.

“But then I saw who the buyers were, and well, I knew it was meant to be.” Grinny laughs, shaking her head. “Since your grandmother and I had exchanged names and talked specifically about you, Jamison, I laughed out loud when I saw your name on the title. I figured since your Gran had done her part from up above, getting you here, I’d better do the rest.”

She points at Scarlett and makes a face. “So it’s reallymeyou should’ve been angry with all along…I’m the one who made the sale contingent on Jamison coming here for the first six months.” She lifts her hands up. “I knew once the two of you spent any time together, the rest would work itself out.”

Scarlett still looks stunned, but she starts laughing and can’t stop. I’m laughing too and feel winded. She leans into me and I wrap my arm around her shoulder.

“Did you know about this?” she asks, barely able to get it out.

“No…I had no idea.” We start laughing again.

“Thankfully, it all worked out!” Grinny says, holding up her glass. “To meddling grandmothers and the most incredible love stories!”

Our families cackle and everyone clinks their glasses together.

I tilt Scarlett’s chin up and kiss her plush red lips senseless.

When we pull apart, she’s dazed, and I lean into her ear to say, “I don’t think our grandmothers could’ve predicted us falling into bed with each other within an hour of meeting, do you?”

Her head falls back as she laughs and I kiss her neck and hair. She puts her hands on either side of my face, her forehead on mine.

“I’m glad we did it our way,” she says softly.

She gives me a quick kiss, a promise of more to come, and lifts her glass to say, “Thanks for the help, Gran and Grinny! We’ll take it from here!”

We kiss again and I feel all of my dreams aligning because of this woman by my side.

I plan to give her an unforgettable future.

THE END

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