Epilogue Welcome To Oakridge
~HAZEL~
SIX MONTHS LATER…
The grand opening of "The Knotted Spoon" is scheduled for Valentine's Day, which Mila insists is "peak romantic dinner energy" and I insist is "setting ourselves up for chaos."
We're both right.
The second floor of the bakery has been completely renovated—Rosemarie's Rise on one side, serving specialty coffees and pastries to a morning crowd that's grown beyond anything I imagined.
The Knotted Spoon on the other, Mila's domain of savory perfection and candlelit dinners that already have a two-month waiting list.
Our house—mine and my pack's—is finished.
Three bedrooms, each with ensuite bathrooms because apparently that's what happens when you let three Alphas design a house.
A kitchen that's bigger than my entire first apartment.
And a dedicated nest room with a skylight that lets us watch stars while curled together in carefully scented comfort.
Korrin's trial ended last month. Guilty on all counts. Fifteen years minimum, with the possibility of more if the civil suits gain traction. I didn't attend—didn't need to. Nash handled everything, and Reverie documented it for those who wanted to know.
I was busy baking.
That's what I do when life gets overwhelming or scary or too real. I bake.
And now, standing in my expanded bakery on Valentine's Day morning, watching couples line up for heart-shaped cookies and specialty drinks, I realize something:
I'm not just surviving anymore.
I'm thriving.
The modeling work continues—seasonal campaigns, the occasional catalog shoot, enough to be fun without being overwhelming. Reverie's holiday vlog series was nominated for some kind of influencer award. Miss Bea started a book club that meets in the bakery every Tuesday.
And my pack—
My pack is home every night. In the nest they built, in the house we designed together, with pets who've decided that personal space is a myth and love is measured in purrs and tail wags.
"Boss!" Mila sticks her head into the kitchen. "We've got a line around the block and someone's asking if you do wedding cakes?"
"Do we do wedding cakes?"
"We do now!"
This is my life.
Chaos and flour and three Alphas who still wear those ridiculous security shirts when they think it'll make me laugh.
And it does.
Every single time.
Because this—this messy, imperfect, absolutely perfect life—is everything I never knew I was allowed to want.
And I'm never letting it go.
Welcome to Oakridge Hollow.
Where the coffee's hot, the cookies are fresh, and second chances come with a side of forever.
Ready for the next baked adventure in Oakridge Hollow Universe? PREORDER THE NEXT BOOK…
KNOTTY CHRISTMAS WISH
(Reverie Bell, Nash, and her social experiment holiday pack. Turn the next page to read the blurb)