Chapter 15 - NOT TONIGHT, NOT EVER AGAIN
Five years after Audrey Palmer met Dominic Serrano on a southbound train, the Palmer family gathered for another dinner.
This time, the occasion was different.
Audrey and Dominic were engaged.
The proposal had happened quietly.
No cameras.
No public spectacle.
Dominic had taken her back to the station where they'd first parted.
He'd brought a soft pretzel.
Audrey had laughed.
Then he'd knelt.
"Audrey Palmer."
She covered her mouth.
"I've spent most of my life knowing exactly what I wanted."
His voice trembled.
"Then I met a woman who made me realize how much I still needed to learn."
Audrey's eyes filled.
Dominic continued.
"You never asked me to be powerful."
He smiled.
"You asked me to be honest."
She laughed through tears.
"And occasionally to know which direction the train was going."
Dominic laughed.
"That too."
He took a breath.
"Will you marry me?"
Audrey smiled.
"Yes."
Then added:
"But you're not planning the honeymoon transportation."
He laughed.
"Agreed."
Now, at the family dinner, Richard raised his glass.
"To Audrey and Dominic."
Everyone smiled.
Ethan stood.
"I have something to say."
Audrey raised an eyebrow.
"Should I be worried?"
He laughed softly.
"No."
Then became serious.
"For years, I treated my sister's life like entertainment."
The room quieted.
"I made jokes about her being alone. I made bets. I acted like marriage was the only way to measure whether she'd succeeded."
Audrey looked down.
Ethan continued.
"I was wrong."
He swallowed.
"And when our family needed someone to tell us the truth, she was the only one brave enough to do it."
Audrey's eyes filled.
Ethan raised his glass.
"To my sister."
Everyone stood.
Audrey laughed through tears.
Then Dominic leaned toward her.
"Twenty dollars."
She turned.
"What?"
He smiled.
"That's what they bet."
She laughed.
"Don't start."
He leaned closer.
"I would've bet everything."
Audrey smiled.
"On what?"
Dominic looked at her.
"That the woman on that train was worth knowing."
She kissed him.
Across the table, Caleb groaned.
"Please. We're eating."
Everyone laughed.
Later that evening, Audrey and Dominic stood outside beneath the stars.
The house behind them glowed with warm light.
Audrey leaned against him.
"Do you ever think about that train?"
Dominic nodded.
"Often."
She smiled.
"Especially the part where you got lost?"
He sighed.
"I was temporarily misdirected."
She laughed.
"Still using that?"
"Still accurate."
Audrey looked up.
Then asked:
"What would've happened if you hadn't bought the pretzel?"
Dominic considered.
Then smiled.
"I would've found another reason to see you."
She laughed softly.
"That's very confident."
He nodded.
"I had thirty seconds of data."
Audrey smiled.
"And what did the data tell you?"
Dominic took her hand.
"That you were worth taking a chance on."
She leaned closer.
For years, Audrey had walked into family dinners feeling as though she had something to prove.
Now she understood that she never had.
Her worth had never depended on arriving with someone.
But she was grateful she'd found a man who understood that.
And when they walked back toward the house, Dominic opened the door for her.
Audrey smiled.
"Ready?"
He nodded.
"Always."
May you like
She stepped inside.
And this time, nobody was betting against her.
