Epilogue
DAKOTA
Alice zips up the back of my dress and lets out a little sigh like she’s been holding her breath the whole time.
“There,” she says, stepping back, hands on her hips. “Perfect.”
Perfect.
Right.
I turn toward the mirror, and I don’t even recognize the woman staring back at me. The lace glimmers in the light, soft and shimmery, the veil draping just so over my shoulder.
My hair’s curled, my cheeks flushed, and, okay, I actually look kind of like a bride. Which is wild. Because I am one.
Or, I guess, about to be three times over.
I smooth the fabric down, my heart doing that weird little hummingbird thing it does when I get too emotional.
“I look… wow,” I mumble, blinking at my reflection.
Alice grins in that warm, proud mama way that makes my throat tighten. “You look stunning, sweetheart. They’re going to melt when they see you.”
“Clint might actually faint,” Violet says from behind me.
She’s perched on the windowsill, sipping a mimosa and looking way too smug for someone who’s supposed to be my calm bridesmaid.
I shoot her a look over my shoulder. “You think?”
“Oh, totally,” she says. “Reid will whistle, Sawyer will cry, and Clint will try real hard not to, but will definitely tear up. Big cowboy softie, that one.”
I laugh, pressing a hand to my chest. My heart feels too full. “You really think I’m ready for this?”
Violet hops down and comes to stand beside me, looping her arm through mine. “Dakota Fletcher, you were born ready for this. You just needed to find the right people to stand beside you.”
Alice nods, misty-eyed. “You’ve built something beautiful here, honey. Don’t ever forget that.”
I swallow hard, trying not to cry because I just finished my makeup. “I still can’t believe this is happening. I mean… I’m actually marrying them. All of them.”
Violet grins, eyes sparkling. “You’re marrying three men who’d do anything for you. That’s not crazy… that’s magic.”
“Magic,” I repeat, laughing softly. “Yeah. That’s one word for it.”
I glance around the little room, Alice’s sewing kit on the dresser, Violet’s bouquet on the nightstand. The room smells of lavender and hairspray and something sweet, like the wedding cake waiting outside.
Alice brushes a stray hair from my shoulder and exhales. “You ready to go, sweetheart?”
I take a deep breath and nod. “Yeah. I’m ready.”
But my voice comes out soft, because under the nerves, there’s this incredible calm. My heart already knows it’s safe.
Alice opens the door, and sunlight floods in, golden and warm. Outside, I can hear faint laughter, music, the wind brushing through the pines.
It’s so Colter Creek it almost hurts.
Violet picks up my bouquet and hands it to me with a wink. “You’ve got three cowboys waiting for you. Don’t keep ’em hanging.”
I laugh. “Three cowboys. What a sentence.”
“Your sentence for life,” she teases.
“Yeah,” I whisper, smiling. “And I wouldn’t change a thing.”
When we step outside, I see them. Clint in his dark vest, Reid with his sleeves rolled, Sawyer fussing with his tie because of course he is, with Charlie right beside him in a matching suit because that’s the one he wanted. And when they look up, when they all see me, time sort of… stops.
Every late night, every storm, every heartbreak, it all led here.
To them.
To us.
Under the canopy strung with fairy lights and wildflowers, Colter Creek feels like it’s holding its breath. The whole town showed up, of course they did, but somehow, it still feels it’s just us.
The pines rustle gently, the creek babbles behind the ranch house, and everything smells faintly of hay and sugar and home.
Clint’s the first to step forward, his hat in his hand, his smile soft but a little shaky. He looks at me as if he’s still not sure I’m real.
His thumb brushes along my knuckles when he takes my hand, and the warmth of it anchors me.
“Hey, darlin’,” he murmurs, low enough that only I can hear. “Didn’t think I could get nervous, but… you do that to me.”
I grin through the lump in my throat. “Good. Keeps you humble.”
The small cluster of laughter ripples through us, and it breaks the tension in the best way. Even the officiant chuckles quietly before clearing his throat and lifting his hands.
“Friends and family, we’re gathered here today at High Ridge Ranch to celebrate love… the kind that grows slow and strong. The kind that weathers storms and comes out shining brighter.”
The words feel like they’re meant for us. Maybe they are.
Clint’s eyes never leave mine as the vows begin. He’s steady and solid, his voice deep and sure when he says, “You’re my home, Dakota. Always have been. And I swear to never let another storm take you away again.”
Reid’s grin softens when it’s his turn. “You made this place feel like more than fences and feed. You made it alive. And I’m gonna spend every day making sure you never forget how loved you are.”
Sawyer’s hand trembles slightly when he speaks. “You made me braver. You taught me that family isn’t always something you’re born into—it’s something you choose. And I’ll choose you, every day, for the rest of my life.”
By the time it’s my turn, my throat’s tight, tears spilling over before I even start. Charlie’s little voice from the front row pipes up, “Mommy, don’t cry! You’re pretty!”, and the laughter that follows is so pure it makes the moment even sweeter.
I take a shaky breath. “Clint, Sawyer, Reid… you’re my heart. You’ve shown me what love looks like when it’s patient, kind, messy, and real. You’ve given Charlie the kind of home I used to dream about, and given me the courage to stop running. You’re my forever. All of you.”
Charlie trots up then, holding a small wooden box that Clint carved himself. Inside are four simple rings, glinting softly in the sunlight.
Clint takes the gold one, sliding it onto my finger. Sawyer and Reid follow. Silver and rose gold, one after the other, my hands trembling as each ring settles into place. I put the steel one on Clint last.
And then Clint pulls me close, brushing his thumb against my cheek.
“Mrs. Parrish,” he says with that rough, teasing warmth in his voice. And then, softer, “My girl.”
The kiss isn’t wild. It’s gentle and sure, the kind that feels like home. Reid whoops, and Sawyer laughs into his shoulder, shaking his head fondly.
As the crowd claps and cheers, the warmth of the moment wraps around me in a soft blanket, but it’s not over yet.
Reid’s mischievous grin is the first thing I see as I pull away from Clint, his hazel eyes sparkling with that playful gleam that’s always there when he’s up to something.
He doesn’t waste a second, his hand already reaching for me as he pulls me in for a kiss. Quick and teasing, his lips brushing mine with that signature flair he carries.
“You’ve got me wrapped around your finger, sweetheart,” he murmurs with a wink. But I can feel the sincerity there, too.
Sawyer’s right behind him, his hands warm on my shoulders as he tugs me back to him. His kiss is deeper, slower. He’s savoring this moment, trying to keep it locked away forever.
I feel his heart beat against mine as he pulls away, his breath soft in my ear as he whispers, “I’m not letting go of you, Dakota.”
Violet starts crying outright now, fanning herself.
“I told you Clint would cry!” she hollers from the front row, and Clint just laughs, swiping at his eyes before tugging me back in for another kiss.
After the ceremony, the ranch transforms into a celebration. The Silver Bit’s old jukebox hums out a country tune under the stars.
Reid teaches Charlie how to two-step in the grass. Sawyer holds me close during the slower songs, his hand warm at my waist. The men steal me away every chance they get, kissing me under the fairy lights.
It’s not just a wedding. It’s a promise.
A home rebuilt.
A life finally begun.
And when Charlie yawns and climbs into Clint’s arms, curling against his shoulder, I can’t help the smile that pulls through my tears.
This beautiful, wild, impossible love is ours.
Forever.
The end.