Epilogue
(Aria POV)
The valley was quiet again. No forklifts, no shouting, no clatter of bins. Just vines standing tall in the pale wash of dawn, rows running neat as pages in a book.
I tugged the laces of my boots tighter. Steel-toed. Scuffed now, broken in. My boots.
A hand slid into mine, warm, steady. Marcus stood beside me, coffee steaming in his other hand, his gaze sweeping across the vines like he was seeing them anew.
“This,” he murmured, “is the best part of the day.”
I leaned against him, smiling. “The quiet before the chaos?”
He kissed the top of my head. “The reminder that we get to do it all again. Together.”
My chest tightened with happiness that still felt a little unreal. A year ago, I’d been in sandals, fumbling with tote bags, trying to prove I wasn’t just some kid. Now, I was here, my hand in his, not hiding, not apologizing. Our rings, the symbol of our love and commitment.
Behind us, the farmhouse lights flicked on. Dad’s silhouette moved across the window. For once, he didn’t look like he was watching. Just… letting us be.
Marcus squeezed my hand, pulling me closer. “Channel one,” he said softly, the ghost of a smile in his voice.
I laughed, remembering that first radio, that first warning. “Channel one,” I echoed.
The sun broke over the ridge, gilding the vines in gold. I felt it on my face, warm, alive, a promise.
I didn’t know what came next. Grad school, maybe. Bigger dreams, probably. But I knew this…whatever I chose, Marcus Hale would be beside me.
And I wouldn’t be late.
The End
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