Epilogue
DARIO
ONE YEAR LATER
"Stop fidgeting." I adjust my tie for the tenth time, catching Judith's amused expression in the mirror. "I hate these things."
"Says the man who suggested renewing our vows in front of the entire town." She steps behind me, slender hands replacing mine at my collar. "Stand still."
I obey, watching her concentration as she perfects the knot. Her hair has grown longer over the past year, wild curls tamed into an elegant updo for today's ceremony. The simple white dress she's chosen hugs curves I know intimately, still can't get enough of even after a year of marriage.
Real marriage. Not the arrangement we started with.
"There." She smooths the tie against my chest, eyes meeting mine in the mirror. "Presentable."
"Barely." I catch her hand, pressing a kiss to her palm. "You sure about this? Not too late to run away to the cabin and skip the whole town celebration."
Her laugh, warm and free, still hits me right in the chest. "After everything Sage and Luna have planned? They'd hunt us down."
"I can take them."
"Sure you can, mountain man." She turns in my arms, reaching up to trace my jawline. "But you won't, because you love this town almost as much as I do now."
She's right. Somehow, over the past year, Crimson Hollow has become home in ways I never expected. Not just a place to live, but a community with people I care about. People who care about us.
"Fine." I concede with mock reluctance. "For the town."
"For us," she corrects softly. "To celebrate what we built."
My thoughts drift to the day everything changed. The confrontation with Marc at The Velvet Antler. Judith's declaration of love that caught us both by surprise with its intensity. The weeks that followed as we figured out what we wanted together.
"Still thinking about Marc?" Judith asks, reading my expression with the ease of long intimacy.
"Thinking about how we handled him." I pull her closer, appreciating how perfectly she fits against me. "How you handled him."
The memory brings a satisfied smile to my face. After our confrontation at The Velvet Antler, Marc hadn't given up easily. He'd filed his complaints as threatened, trying to invalidate both our marriage and my land transfer.
But he'd underestimated us. Underestimated Silas's legal expertise. Underestimated Micah's investigative skills. Mostly, he'd underestimated Judith's resolve.
"Remember his face when you presented those financial records?" I chuckle at the memory.
"Hard to forget." Judith's smile turns wicked. "Almost as good as when Silas presented the evidence that he'd been working with Northstar all along."
That had been the turning point. Micah's team had uncovered communications proving Marc had been collaborating with Northstar Development weeks before he showed up in Crimson Hollow. Had taken payments to try to secure my land through Judith. Corporate espionage, clear as day.
"Your testimony sealed it." I press a kiss to her forehead. "The judge never questioned our marriage after that."
"Because it wasn't a lie anymore." Her eyes soften. "Hadn't been for a while."
The legal battle had ended abruptly. Marc's father, horrified by the evidence of his son's dealings, had intervened.
The complaints were withdrawn. Marc was sent to the family's European office, effectively exiled from Toronto's business circles.
Last we heard, he was in Geneva, rebuilding a career far from us.
"He did us a favor, in a way." Judith's fingers toy with a button on my shirt. "Forced us to admit what we were really feeling."
"I would have gotten there eventually." I defend myself with mock indignation.
"Really? When?" She raises an eyebrow. "After another month of brooding silently by the fire? After another week of pretending December 26th wasn't approaching?"
"I don't brood." The familiar argument brings matching smiles to both our faces.
"You absolutely do." She rises on tiptoe, pressing a kiss to the corner of my mouth. "It's still very sexy."
A knock at the door interrupts us. Silas pokes his head in, expression amused as he takes in our embrace.
"If you two can untangle yourselves, there's a town waiting to celebrate your vow renewal." He checks his watch. "Ceremony starts in twenty minutes."
"We'll be there." I promise, not releasing Judith.
When the door closes, she laughs against my chest. "We really should go."
"One more minute." I tilt her face up, studying features I know better than my own now. "Need to remember this."
"Remember what?"
"How happy you make me." The admission comes easily now, where once it would have felt like weakness. "How right this feels."
Her expression softens, those dark eyes warming. "Who knew a classified ad for a temporary wife could lead to this?"
"Best business decision I ever made." I bend to kiss her properly, tasting her smile.
The past year has transformed us both in ways neither of us expected.
I've learned to share decisions, to consider her in plans that once would have been mine alone.
She's flourished here, launching a successful marketing consultancy that serves clients from Crimson Hollow to Vancouver, while maintaining her independence.
We've found balance. In the bedroom, she still surrenders to my dominance, finding freedom in submission. Outside it, we're partners in every sense, each bringing strength to complement the other.
"Okay, really time to go." She pulls back reluctantly. "Before they send a search party."
Hand in hand, we leave the preparation room in the community center, stepping into the cool spring air.
Crimson Hollow's main square has been transformed for today's ceremony.
Flowers spill from every available surface.
Twinkling lights hang between buildings though it's still daylight.
Rows of chairs face a simple arch where Silas waits to officiate.
Nearly the entire town has turned out, I realize with surprise. From Sage and Jabari near the front, to Luna managing the music, to Micah and his brothers in the back row. Even the Ridge brothers have come down from their timber operation, uncomfortable in suits but present nonetheless.
"Quite the turnout." I murmur as we approach the aisle.
"People love a good love story." Judith squeezes my hand. "Especially one as unlikely as ours."
As we walk forward together, no traditional processional, just two equals approaching a future they've chosen together, I reflect on how much has changed in a single year.
The cabin has expanded, a new wing added to house Judith's home office.
My workshop has grown too, accommodating the apprentice I finally took on.
The playroom remains our private sanctuary, though now decorated with items we've chosen together, each with meaning beyond the physical pleasure they provide.
We reach the arch, facing each other under dappled sunlight filtering through newly leafed trees. Silas begins the ceremony with warmth and humor, recounting how he witnessed our "whirlwind romance" from the beginning.
If only he knew how accurate that description had been.
When it's time for vows, I speak first, words I've practiced for weeks yet still feel inadequate.
"Judith. When you answered my classified ad, I thought I was getting a business arrangement.
A temporary solution to a legal problem.
" My voice carries clearly across the hushed gathering.
"Instead, I found a partner. A match. A woman strong enough to surrender in the bedroom and stand her ground everywhere else. "
A few knowing chuckles ripple through the audience, but I focus only on her.
"I promise to never make decisions that affect us both without consulting you first. I promise to respect your independence while protecting what we've built together. I promise to show you every day that control and care can exist without possession or dominance."
Her eyes shine with unshed tears as I continue.
"Most of all, I promise to love you as completely and thoroughly as you deserve. In all the ways you need. For as long as you'll have me."
When I finish, she takes a steadying breath before beginning her own vows.
"Dario. I came to this mountain looking for escape, for safety from a relationship that diminished me. What I found was a man who makes me feel more myself, more complete, than I ever thought possible."
Her voice strengthens with each word.
"I promise to trust your strength without fearing it. To speak my truth even when it's difficult. To build our future as equal partners, respecting the unique gifts we each bring to this marriage."
Her smile turns mischievous. "I promise to challenge you when you need it, support you when you don't, and surrender to you in all the ways that make us both stronger."
Silas guides us through the exchange of rings we didn't have during our courthouse ceremony a year ago. Simple bands of wood and metal I crafted myself, hours spent ensuring they were perfect.
"By the power vested in me by the Province of British Columbia, I now pronounce you husband and wife." Silas's smile is genuine. "Again."
Our kiss is met with cheers and applause, the celebration spilling into laughter as we turn to face our community. Our friends. Our home.
The reception unfolds across the town square, tables laden with food prepared by every household, music provided by local talents. I find myself constantly searching for Judith in the crowd, drawn to her like a compass finding north.
Late in the evening, as the celebration continues around us, I pull her away from a conversation with Sage and Jabari, leading her to a quiet corner beneath strings of lights.
"Happy?" I ask, though I can read the answer in her expression.
"Complete." She corrects, arms circling my neck. "Who would have thought temporary could become forever?"
"I did." I admit, surprising us both. "Not at first. Not consciously. But from that first night in the playroom, some part of me knew."
"Knew what?"
"That I'd never let you go if I had any choice in the matter."
Her smile warms me more than the spring evening. "Good thing I never wanted to leave."
Over her shoulder, I spot the newly installed sign at the edge of town. "Welcome to Crimson Hollow," it reads. "Where temporary visitors become permanent residents."
The tagline had been Judith's idea, part of her marketing campaign for the town's tourism initiative. Every time I see it, I'm reminded of our own journey from temporary to permanent. From arrangement to love.
"Take me home." Judith whispers against my ear, bringing my attention sharply back to her. "I want to celebrate privately."
"What about our guests?" I glance at the festivities still in full swing.
"They won't miss us." She presses closer, intent unmistakable. "I want my husband all to myself."
The possessive statement hits exactly as she knows it will. With a nod to Silas across the square, I lead her toward the truck, her hand warm in mine.
As we drive up the mountain, the lights of Crimson Hollow glittering below us, I feel a contentment I never thought possible.
The land is secured, safely in Wallace hands for another generation.
The woman beside me is my wife in every sense that matters.
The future stretches before us, full of possibilities neither of us could have imagined when she first answered my classified ad.
Some arrangements, it turns out, are meant to become permanent. Some business transactions evolve into something far more valuable than either party anticipated.
And sometimes, a temporary wife becomes the forever love you never knew you were searching for.