Everwood

When he read her text he felt like his world had fallen apart again just as it had when his mother passed away. He sat there too stunned to move or even think. She claimed to love him but not enough to try. A flood of emotions washed over him from anger to sadness to disgust to self-pity and more. He decided he would never play the violin again but his resolve lasted less than 24 hours. Shania had shown him that music was his first love although he couldn't be certain whether he loved her or playing more.

He dove into his music with a vengeance playing 6-8 hours a day seven days a week. His father had taken the liberty of contacting his former coach in New York and flew him out to hear Bryce play.

"He's already back to the level he was at before he quit and he's only going to get better. Much better. I would say that as soon as the school year is over we take him out on tour." Before Dr. Harper could ask, the man told him, "Yes, he's that good. He can have a solo career for a while, and then down the road, should he so choose, he could become a key member of a world-class orchestra."

Bryce's only purpose in life now was to press on with his music and two days after graduation and a lot of advance advertising, he was on a plane to Chicago where he gave solo performances to a sold-out audience three straight days. From there he flew to Los Angeles and then to Miami and by August, he was back in New York City.

Within the world of classical music, the name Bryce Harper was becoming very well known, and money was flowing in so fast he had no idea how much he had nor did he care. As the months ticked by, the other thing he didn't know was the woman he still loved had given birth to a beautiful baby girl the following spring while he was traveling through Europe and then to Sydney, Australia.

Shania had followed his career and watched every concert recorded and posted on line. Her heart ached and the ache only grew worse when their daughter was born, but she vowed she would never stand in the way of his success.

While sitting on the couch in her parents' home, she would hold her daughter in her arms as Bryce played. "That's your daddy," she would say sweetly as they listened together.

Bryce had played every weekend for over a year before finally deciding to take a month off and return to Everwood. Shortly after arriving he found himself with the time to really think about her for the first time since he'd received her final text. Since that day, he'd blocked her out of his mind completely. Nothing but his music had made it's way to his brain. Yes, she was always in the background, the memory of her driving and sustaining him, but he would not allow himself to think about her. He knew that doing so would be much too painful and pain was something he'd had more than his share of. But now, thoughts of her flooded his mind every waking moment.

His father had opened his own private practice several months ago, and Tatum was doing well after a lengthy bout of deep sadness when she learned her special friend wouldn't be returning.

One evening at dinner Bryce announced without warning, "I'm going to Nebraska."

Bryce opened up and told his father everything once they were alone later that evening. In spite of all that had happened in that very short space of time, his father tried to talk him out of it using every possible reason he could think of but it was all to no avail.

"I have to see her, Dad," he told her. "I've blocked out my feelings so completely for so long, but they've come back with a vengeance. I have to talk to her and hear it from her. If she doesn't really love me then fine. I'll go back on tour knowing the truth."

"And what if she does but she still can't or won't act on her feelings?" he countered.

"That's a risk I'm willing to take. Not knowing is far worse than anything I can imagine and that includes hearing what you just said. So...I'm leaving tomorrow. Is there anyway you could drive me to the airport?"

Bryce had a rental car waiting for him when he arrived in Lincoln the next day. He got in and drove straight to the address he'd memorized and that was now forever seared into his brain.

After a long, beautiful summer spent in various places and a great first week back in Colorado, it was getting cold again in the midwest. He turned the heat on as he drove and soon closed in on her neighborhood then exhaled deeply as he turned onto the street where her parents lived. He didn't even know whether or not Shania was still there, but this was where he would begin his search if she wasn't. Or this would be where it would end had the unthinkable happened which meant her being with someone else.

And that's when his heart stopped. He saw a woman with blonde hair in a heavy coat pushing a stroller and although he hadn't yet seen her face, he knew. "Oh, my God," he thought as he pulled up behind her.

Not wanting to scare her by honking the horn or even rolling down the window, he quickly pulled the car to the curb and parked. He shut off the engine then jumped up and ran to catch up with this woman with the long, blonde hair.

He was maybe three or four steps behind her when he called out, "Excuse me? Ma'am?" his heart pounding out his chest.

The woman stopped but didn't move.

"Ma'am?" he said again. "I was wondering if you might have the time."

She still hadn't moved so he walked toward her. As he stood next to her he saw tears in her eyes then looked at the tiny baby swaddled in a pink blanket.

"Honey? This is your daddy," Shania said barely able to speak.

"Is she...is this beautiful little girl...is she..."

"Yes, she's yours, Bryce," Shania said, the tears falling freely. She turned toward him and through her tears said, "I'm so sorry. I...I just couldn't destroy your dream with..." She lost it and Bryce took her in his arms and held her.

"Shania? I still love you. I never stopped loving you. I love you with all my heart. All I need to know is if you love me, too." He pulled back and looked at her then glanced at his daughter before turning back to the love of his life. "Do you?"

She was sobbing so hard her body was shaking. "Yes," she told him. "I never stopped loving you, either, Bryce. I loved you so much I couldn't...do this to you." She nodded toward their daughter as she continued to cry uncontrollably.

"Shania? You wouldn't have done anything to me but make me the happiest man on earth to know you were having a baby. Our baby."

"But you'd have quit playing. I know it," she said, tears streaming down her face.

He looked down at the chubby, rosy-red cheeks and said, "May I?"

Shania nodded as she tried to stop crying.

Bryce picked her up and smiled like she'd never seen him smile before.

"Hey, there! Hi! How are you? I'm your daddy and I love you very much!"

She smiled at him and Shania thought she saw a tear in Bryce's eye. "What's her name?" he asked.

"I...I named her after your mother, Bryce. I hope that's okay," she said wiping her tears away.

"Priscilla? Is that your name pretty girl? Are you Priscilla..." He looked at Shania.

"It's Harper," she told him. "I wanted her to have her father's name."

"She's so beautiful," Bryce said unable to take his eyes off of her. "Just like your mommy. Yes you are!" he cooed.

"Here, I'll take her," Shania said finally in control of her emotions again or least close to it.

"I want to be a part of her life," Bryce told her mother.

"I'd like that," Shania said forcing a smile.

"But not just hers," he said as he put one hand on his daughter's back and another on Shania's arm.

"I came here to ask you something, Shania. I...I didn't even know for sure if you were still at your parents' house, but I had to find you. I couldn't live another day without knowing."

"Shania, I love you even more now than I did when you left. Do you...do you really still love me?"

She was crying again but managed to say, "Yes," and nod at the same time. "Of course I still love you. But Bryce, nothing's changed. You have your music—which I love, by the way—but we would just hinder..."

Bryce gently put a finger to her lips then said, "Shhh." He reached into his pocket and produced the biggest diamond ring Shania had ever seen. He knelt down right there on the sidewalk a block from where she grew up and asked her to marry him.

"Do you mean it?" she said, her entire body trembling from the cold and the raw emotion she was experiencing.

"Yes! Yes, I mean it. I love you so much and I love our daughter and I want to spend the rest of my life with you both. Shania Lancaster, will you marry me?"

"On one condition," she said through this second bout of tears. "You can't stop playing."

"Done," he said smiling happily at her.

"Then...yes, I will marry you Bryce Harper! A thousand times 'yes'!" She held out her hand and let him slip on the ring.

He stood up and while hugging his daughter, finally kissed the woman he loved like no other again. "I am so in love with you. And I love this beautiful little girl so much!" he said.

Shania laughed as she cried while Priscilla cooed happily.

"Come on, let's get our baby home," Shania said. "I want you to meet my mom and dad."

In spite of his apprehension, her parents not only didn't have any animosity toward him, they embraced like their own son and welcomed him to their family. Bryce spent a full week with them as Shania prepared to fly back to Colorado with him and their baby girl.

She and Bryce found the perfect home in Everwood not ten minutes from the Harper House and once they were settled in, he went back out on tour. He came home for Christmas and flew her parents out to Colorado for their wedding which was a small, private affair held in the Harper House with Tatum serving as Shania's bridesmaid along with her former roommate, Daria.

At Bryce's insistence, Shania returned to school in January (after hiring their own nanny) and in June, Shania finally received her BS in nursing. She stayed home for two more years to raise their daughter while Bryce continued to tour, then went to work for Dr. Harper at his practice which had grown into a clinic where two other MDs practiced with him.

Bryce quit touring as he realized that as much as he loved the violin, he loved his beautiful wife and daughter even more. He wasn't about to let their daughter grow up without a father like he'd had to do. No, that was something he simply could not and would not put her through.

Financially, there was no need to continue playing. They had more money than they could have ever imagined, and with Shania working at a job she dearly loved they would be able to save and invest most of the money he'd earned.

Now, Bryce was able to stay home full time and spend every day with the newest love of his wife knowing the other love of his life would be home each night. Nights they spent together loving each other and raising their daughter.

Moving to Everwood hadn't been Bryce Harper's wish, but doing so had fulfilled his dreams more than anything he could have ever hoped for or imagined.