Epilogue
Claire
Fall had transformed Maple Valley. The orchard that had been bright and green during the summer was now painted in gold and deep red.
Apples hung heavy on the branches, and the air smelled like woodsmoke and cinnamon from Harmony’s bakery.
I pulled my sweater tighter around myself as I stepped outside the cabin.
The mornings were colder now, but I loved the feeling.
Fall had always been my favorite season, even before Maple Valley became home.
Home. The word still made my chest feel warm.
I had spent the last few months building a life here.
Working the orchard. Helping Phoenix at the brewery when things got busy.
Submitting applications to environmental science programs for the following year and living with Asher.
That part still felt a little unreal sometimes.
I was about to head toward the orchard when I noticed something on the porch railing.
A small, folded note, my name written across the front in Asher’s handwriting.
Curious, I picked it up and opened it. Inside was a message that read, grab your boots and head over to the place where your day begins and where sweetness lives.
“What are you up to, Asher Thorne?” I muttered.
I already had a feeling. With my boots on, I headed toward the first place that came to mind. The smell of butter and sugar hit me the moment I stepped inside the bakery. Harmony looked up from behind the counter, immediately smiling. “Well look who followed the clue.”
“You’re in on this,” I said.
She laughed. “Maybe.”
“What is he doing?” I asked.
Harmony slid a warm apple turnover onto a plate and pushed it toward me. “You’re going to need the energy.”
I took a bite despite myself. “OMG, heaven.”
She leaned against the counter, clearly enjoying my confusion. “He told me to give you this.”
She handed me an envelope. I opened it immediately to find another note. Somewhere the water remembers our quiet.
My heart skipped. The lake clearing. The same place Asher had taken me camping. Harmony’s eyes softened as she watched me.
“You’d better hurry,” she urged.
“Why?”
“Because I think someone’s getting nervous,” she hinted.
A flutter of nerves hit as I made my way over to the lake. It was calm when I arrived, the water reflecting the fiery colors of the trees. The clearing was empty at first glance. Then I spotted something tied to one of the trees. Another envelope. I laughed under my breath.
“Okay, this is actually adorable.” I opened the note.
The barn knows all the secrets.
“Oh, my heart,” I whispered and made my way over to the barn.
When I walked inside, Jonah and Marc were sitting on overturned crates like they had been waiting there all morning.
Jonah grinned the moment he saw me. “Took you long enough.”
Marc shook his head. “We had bets going.”
“You’re both ridiculous. I had stops along the way,” I pointed out.
Jonah held up an envelope. “You want the next clue?”
“Yes.” Excitement surged inside me. He handed it to me with exaggerated ceremony. I opened it.
The place where the apples grow.
My chest tightened. The orchard hill. I looked back up.
Jonah leaned closer and lowered his voice dramatically. “You’d better go.”
Marc nodded. “Someone’s been pacing for the last hour.”
The orchard hill was quiet when I reached it. The sun was beginning to set, casting warm golden light across the rows of trees. And there he was. Asher stood at the top of the hill beside a wooden apple crate. When he saw me, his nervous smile gave him away immediately. I walked toward him slowly.
“You did all this?”
He rubbed the back of his neck. “Maybe.”
My chest felt so full I could barely breathe. “You involved half of Maple Valley.”
“They volunteered,” he ensured.
“Not surprising.” Everyone here was like one big family. I stopped in front of him.
“This was really sweet.”
For a moment, neither of us spoke. The wind rustled through the orchard trees around us.
Then Asher reached for my hands. “You came to Maple Valley looking for answers,” he said quietly.
“And instead, I found you,” he smiled softly.
“I spent years thinking I had my life figured out. Fighting. Winning. Moving on to the next challenge.” His fingers tightened around mine.
“But everything changed the moment you walked into the orchard.”
My heart started pounding. Then he dropped to one knee. My breath caught.
“Claire,” he said.
“I love you. You’re my home. You’re my future. You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me.” He opened the small ring box. “Will you marry me?”
Tears blurred my vision. “Yes,” I whispered. “Yes! Yes! Yes!” I said louder.
He laughed as he slid the ring onto my finger. The moment he stood up, I threw my arms around him. “You completely surprised me,” I said into his shoulder.
“That was the plan.”
I pulled back just enough to look at him. “You know I’m never leaving Maple Valley now.”
“Good,” he said.
“Because neither am I.”
He kissed me as the sun dipped below the orchard trees. For the first time in my life, I knew without a doubt that I had found exactly where I was meant to be.