Epilogue – Maya
Six months later
And when we thought The Lazy Moose wouldn’t see another wedding, it did. Today.
Our wedding.
I stood at the entrance of the barn-turned-ceremony hall, the scent of fresh-cut hay and late summer wildflowers filling the air. The doors stood open, spilling afternoon light. Buffaloberry Hill had never looked more magical.
And neither had he.
Noah Lucas. My cowboy. My impossible, made-of-flint, forever.
He stood at the end of the aisle, broad-shouldered in a suit that didn’t belong in the city. Not on him. His top button was undone, the tie abandoned along with traffic, tall buildings, and everything else he’d left behind.
Beside me, Dom adjusted the cuffs of his fitted dress shirt.
“You sure about this?” he muttered. “You really want me to give you away?”
I arched a brow. “You getting cold feet, Powell?”
He scoffed. “I’m far too young to be giving a bride away.”
“Bullshit.”
“Language,” he chided. “There are children.”
I grinned. “With you, I’ll make an exception.”
He offered his arm, and I took it with the grace of a princess. Just for today, I allowed myself to be royalty.
Behind me, Sheryn fluffed my veil with a wink, then handed me the bouquet Claire had made herself. Fiery wildflowers and purple thistle, tied with twine and a ribbon the color of dusk. It wasn’t traditional. It was perfect.
Claire had called it The Montana Promise. Whatever that meant, it smelled like something that lasted.
“Is it true you’re retiring?” I asked Dom. He’d brilliantly defended the crew who’d helped me get the HERF gun, but word was he’d been thinking about stepping away from the law.
“Maybe.”
“Montana scarred you that bad, huh?”
He gave a quiet laugh and tapped the back of my hand. “Even lawyers have to take care of their hearts.”
Noah had told me about his heart attack.
“Then move here. Embrace the slow life.”
“As if. But hey, why are we talking about me?”
I just smiled.
Dom leaned in as we stepped forward. “Watch your step.”
I nudged him. “If I fall, you’re coming with me.”
His chuckle was still lingering when the music started.
As best man, Elia stood tall beside Noah, wearing the kind of grin that said he knew every single thought running through the head of the man about to marry me…again.
In the front row, Logan sat between Claire and his wife, Riley, their smiles calm and quietly proud.
Just before I stepped under the wedding arch, I glanced at Sheryn, who was glowing in her matron-of-honor dress. She caught my eye and gave me a wink, a promise that we’d be recapping all of this over cake and champagne.
Finally, I reached Noah. He took my hands in his, his eyes soft, the way I’d seen a hundred times. And still, it made my knees go wobbly.
“You look beautiful, Blue,” he murmured. “Technically, you’re in white, but you’ll always be my Blue.”
The vows weren’t just words. We’d already lived them. We’d done this once before, but this time, there was no edge of fear and no rush to outrun the past. Just him. Just me. And the certainty of forever.
When the officiant finally said the words—
“You may kiss the bride.”
Noah didn’t hesitate.
He grabbed me, dipped me slightly, and kissed me. Lingering and thorough, as if he were staking his claim all over again.
The Lazy Moose roared with cheers.
Hank wiped at his eyes, though he’d later blame it on hay fever and swear he wasn’t crying. Mrs. Appleby didn’t bother hiding her tears. She wept, her eyes locked on us as if we were her favorite chapter finally getting its ending.
The ceremony was everything I never thought I’d have. Intimate, breathtaking, and filled with the people who had become my family.
As the light thinned and the sky deepened, the fairy lights took their cue, string by string, until the whole barnyard flickered to life. The dance floor, marked by scuffed planks and laughter, waited beneath the first shy stars of Montana’s wide sky.
The music started, slow and sweet.
Noah took my hand, pulling me against his chest. “Déjà vu?”
I huffed a laugh, remembering the moment. The first time I’d known Noah Lucas wasn’t just some cowboy with a soft spot for strays. “Almost,” I quipped.
He twirled me, then brought me back to him as he always did. “What’s different?”
I looked at him, all in. “This time, I’m wearing your ring.”
His eyes went tender. We both knew it wasn’t about the ring. It was about everything that came before it, and everything we’d dared to keep.
He kissed my forehead. Then, because he had to be Noah about it, he dipped me deep and showy, one arm beneath my back like we were gunning for a ten from the Russian judge.
The crowd whooped.
Others drifted onto the dance floor, couples swaying in the rhythm that made us forget how long the day had been.
I spotted Mrs. Appleby dragging Hank out by the arm, shaking her head but already moving to the beat.
Sheryn and Nick moved as if they were the ones who just got married.
Claire spun beneath Elia’s raised hand, laughter trailing her as Riley and Logan carved their own path across the floor.
And then, out of the corner of my eye, I caught someone near the edge of the lights. Someone who should be a stranger here, but she wasn’t.
Leah Belrose. My mother. She stood near the edge of the celebration with her shoulders drawn in, as if deciding whether to stay or turn around and disappear.
“Noah,” I whispered, tense against him.
He followed my line of sight. “Go talk to her.”
“What? You know who she—?”
“Go,” he said again, already guiding me forward. His hand rested on the small of my back, then dropped away, letting me go.
I stepped toward her. Half a glance back, I see he hadn’t moved. Just watching, giving me space.
I mouthed, Thank you, without any sound.
He dipped his chin.
She stood stiffly, her hands twisted together. Her mouth twitched with what might’ve been a smile, but it never fully formed.
I stopped a step away. “What are you doing just standing here?” A tear slipped loose before I could stop it.
She lifted her hands, then dropped them again. “I didn’t want to intrude.”
“You wouldn’t be,” I said. “You know my mother is always welcome at her daughter’s wedding.”
Her eyes dropped to the grass. “Not after how I left it. Not after what I said.”
I shook my head, unsure where to even start.
She beat me to it.
“Maya,” she quavered. “I spent years blaming you because it was easier than facing everything else. You’ve always fought for the people you love. I just…I couldn’t see past my own guilt. I shut the door on you. I’m so sorry.”
I stood there, caught between wanting to say a hundred things and not knowing which one mattered most. So, instead, I reached for her.
And she met me halfway.
I stepped into her arms and held her like I had all those nights when I was small and scared and thought she could fix anything.
And for a second, she did.
Her embrace was fierce. Familiar.
“Forgive me, Maya,” she sobbed.
“I’m sorry too, Mom,” I said into her shoulder, my tears spilling fast. “For Dad. For all of it.”
“It wasn’t your fault. None of it. It was just how things happened.”
I nodded, still tucked into her. The guilt might never leave, but having her beside me now? It changed everything.
I stared at her face, memorizing every change, every familiar line.
“The necklace,” I whispered. “I sold the diamonds. My lawyer traced the certificate back to Nana. But it’s gone now. I thought we were too.”
She scoffed. “And you think I give a damn about that necklace? Maya, that necklace means nothing. But you mean everything.”
My soul tore open.
“I love you, Mom.”
“And I love you, Maya Bel,” she said. “Wait, you’re Maya Lucas now.”
I was always her Maya Bel, and she knew it.
When I stepped back, she gazed at Noah and said, “Go on. He looks like he’s about to fall apart waiting.”
I strode toward him, light on my feet and full of joy and gratitude.
He wrapped his arms around me, holding me as though the world had tilted just enough to let us fall into this moment by grace alone.
“Mrs. Lucas,” he murmured against my skin.
I tipped my head up, leaning in. Hot mercy. No matter how long I’d known him, he still stole my breath. Joy, relief, and something deeper swelled inside me. I tugged the lapel of his blazer, let my lips brush close, and whispered, “You’re in so much trouble tonight.”
He smirked that smirk, telling me he was already halfway there.
My life had built me up, torn me down, taken, and returned my freedom. But now? Now I was exactly where I belonged.
Because he and I? We were here for keeps.
Thank you for reading Stolen for Keeps! I hope you fell for Noah and Maya’s story as deeply as I did.
Up next is Swept for Forever—and it’s Dominic Powell’s turn. The charming, unflappable lawyer is about to meet his match in a woman that could unravel everything he thought he knew.