Epilogue
One Year Later
LANDON AND BAILEY LOOKED out the window of the seaplane as it descended over the water, minutes away from landing in Moose Falls.
There was no mistaking the majestic mountain ranges, the multitude of snow-covered trees, and the view of Kachemak Bay from up in the air.
Unmistakable signs that they were back where they belonged, in Alaska.
As the plane dipped lower and lower, reaching its final descent, Landon felt little butterflies in his stomach.
He’d been away for a year with Bailey at his side, reestablishing everything that have been taken from him.
The end result hadn’t been perfect, but he’d managed to restore his good name and get a measure of justice.
Abbott Laboratories had been exposed, and they would no longer be in existence.
A lawsuit had bankrupted the institution and tarnished its good name.
For Landon it was a bittersweet ending. He had been happy that everything he’d worked for hadn’t been stolen away from him, but all the good that the laboratory had done had been trashed by greed.
Sacrificing scientific discoveries for profit over patients was unethical. He wasn’t sure that he would ever get over that. So many of his colleagues had been honorable and brilliant scientists. Yet the system had been rotten at the core.
And although he loved being a scientist, Landon would never again be part of that type of system.
From this point forward, he was charting his own course.
He was using his inheritance money from Hattie to open up a laboratory in Moose Falls.
It would be small at first, but he hoped to bring on additional scientists and create something wonderful.
At his core he was still a scientist.
Bailey reached out and touched his arm. “We’re about to land,” she said, grinning.
The woman he loved had been his staunchest supporter over the past year, constantly lifting him up and supporting his quest for justice.
And in that time he’d only fallen further and further in love with her.
And she with him. They weren’t rushing to get married, but both of them knew that they were endgame.
Soul mates for life. And Bailey would be helping Xavier and Caleb run Yukon Cider in his place since she knew the cider lab—the heart and soul of the company—more than anyone else.
That way, they would still be honoring Hattie’s legacy as Stones, with his future wife in the mix.
Hattie had made it clear what she wanted of him—to continue to do what he loved as a research scientist.
“I can’t wait to see everybody,” he said.
Although they had visited a few times over the year, he’d still missed out on big moments like watching Micah’s first steps, going to Jaylen’s football games, and seeing Lily lose her first tooth.
He needed his brothers as much as the very air he breathed.
They were always at their best when they were together.
“It’s going to be wonderful. I’m looking forward to meeting Lynn’s new man.” Bailey smiled as she said, “I knew she would find someone great. She just needed to put her own needs first.”
Their families had been thriving, along with Yukon Cider.
The holiday line was rolling out, and both he and Bailey would be home in time to launch it.
All their hard work was paying off with record preorders and buzz surrounding it.
In their absence, Fritz had really stepped up to make the line a success.
Once the plane landed, a car service picked them up and whisked them to Hattie’s house, where they would be staying until they’d found a home of their own.
Bailey had rented out her house for the past year and would continue to do so until they found their own home.
He was dreading going back to the place where Hattie had been so full of life and wisdom and love.
It was overwhelming just thinking about walking through those doors and not seeing her.
Over the past year there had been an ache in his heart that he imagined would dull with time but would never be completely healed over.
It was a space that Hattie had carved out for herself.
He thought of her each and every day. He tried to be more like her, more devoted, more passionate, more loving.
Bailey seemed to think that he was already like that, but he wasn’t quite sure.
He knew that Hattie had changed him in ways that he couldn’t even put into words.
She was indelibly tattooed on his heart.
Bailey, sensing his somber mood, reached out and squeezed his hand.
“I’ve got a joke for you,” Bailey said.
Landon let out a groan. “No offense, but these science jokes are so corny.”
“Those are the best kind.” She paused dramatically. “What did one ion say to another ion?” she asked. He loved the fact that her lips were already twitching with laughter even before she delivered the punch line.
“I’m clueless,” Landon said, shrugging.
“I’ve got my ion you,” she said, bursting into laughter.
He tried to keep a straight face, but he couldn’t do it with Bailey cracking up beside him. “Pretty good one,” he said as she leaned her head on his shoulder.
“Everything is going to be all right,” she told him. “It’s okay to miss her and to feel that void. It just means that she left a mark on this world. On us. That’s what I’ve tried to do with my dad’s memory.”
Landon knew everything she’d just said was true. All they could do was hold on to the memories and keep moving forward.
“What will we tell our kids about how we fell in love? Will we tell them the truth?” Bailey asked. “That we were pretending until we really caught feelings for one another?”
Just knowing that he and Bailey were planning out their future buoyed his spirits.
Hattie had been their biggest cheerleader.
He truly believed she was looking down on them and giving them a huge thumbs-up.
“I think we could just tell them that we fell in love because of Hattie, because that’s the truth.
She’s going to be a huge fixture in our stories. ”
Thoughts of their future kids always made him grin. He hoped they looked like Bailey—dark curly hair and mocha-colored skin. And freckles scattered across their faces.
At that moment the driver pulled into the driveway of the three-story light-blue Victorian. The house was adorned with a multitude of pine wreaths and twinkling white lights. The decorations were very subdued, but the house still shone the way Hattie would have wanted.
It was hard for him to imagine walking back into the house and not seeing her.
He did know that she was there in every floorboard, every bookshelf, every glimmer from the sun that streaked through the library windows.
She would always be there in Caleb’s laugh, Red’s smile, and Xavier’s eyes.
And she was in him as well in more ways than he could count.
He had a lump in his throat the size of a golf ball. Bailey reached for his hand and squeezed hard. “She’ll always be here, Landon. She’s just a memory away.”
As soon as they stepped onto the porch, the door swung open, and the sounds of childish voices rang out.
“Uncle Landon, Aunt Bailey!” Lily and Jaylen were there in the doorway, throwing themselves against their chests and hugging them for all they were worth.
Then Xavier and Caleb appeared, with Xavier holding little Micah in his arms. Landon quickly took Micah away from Xavier and cradled him against his chest.
“Hey, little buddy, what have they been feeding you? You’re such a big boy now,” Landon said, easily slipping into the role of uncle.
Xavier and Caleb went to get their bags while he and Bailey were greeted by the rest of the family—Red, True, Sophia, and Jacques.
They were led to the living room, where Bailey let out a cry as soon as she spotted her three sisters and her mother.
Landon got choked up just watching the reunion.
This was what life was all about, being surrounded by loved ones.
No matter how far he roamed from Moose Falls, this place would always be his home. With these people.
He placed Micah down on the floor and watched him wobble precariously around the room.
“Thankfully he looks just like True,” Caleb said. “He sure dodged a bullet.”
“Ha ha. Very funny,” Xavier said. “Micah looks just like me and you know it.”
“And that’s a blessing,” True said, picking up Micah and placing a kiss on his cheek. “He is Xavier’s mini me. Isn’t that right?” she asked, nuzzling noses with her son.
“We’re happy you’re back,” Red said. “It hasn’t been the same without you.” He placed his arm around Landon’s shoulder. “I’m happy to have all of my boys back in one place.”
“We’re happy to be here,” Landon said, pulling Bailey onto his lap in the velvet love seat. “There’s no place like home.”