Epilogue
Roland
The apartment smelled like vanilla and sizzling butter.
A bird trilled somewhere near the open kitchen window, the warm breeze carrying in the scent of pine and blooming wildflowers.
Outside, the grass had gone lush and green, and sunlight dappled across the clearing like gold coins tossed from the sky.
Inside, Levi was teaching Sydney how to flip pancakes.
Or rather, he was trying.
Levi stood beside Sydney at the stove, patient and amused, a hand hovering near the handle of the pan as she prepared to attempt the flip again.
“Ready?” Levi asked, brow raised.
Sydney nodded solemnly. Her tongue poked out at the corner of her mouth in fierce concentration, her pink strawberry-print apron dusted with flour. “Okay. I’ve got it this time.”
Roland, lounging a few steps back with his sketchpad in his lap, bit back a smile. He didn’t want to distract her, but he was definitely going to draw that expression later. The crinkle of her nose, the narrowed eyes. Their little warrior.
She flicked her wrist. The pancake flipped.
And landed squarely on the floor with a tragic flop.
There was a beat of silence.
“Oops,” she whispered.
Levi burst out laughing and scooped her up like she weighed nothing. “Close enough for a gold star, baby.”
Sydney giggled, her legs wrapping instinctively around his waist. “Can we say the pancake jumped?”
“Sure can. I saw it, that pancake had a rebellious streak,” Levi said, kissing her cheek.
Roland shook his head, smiling as he continued to work on the rough sketch for their new home.
It had been a few months since that terrifying night in the snow. Since she’d chosen to stay. Chosen them.
And in that time, she had grown into herself more than either of them could’ve imagined.
Her Little side flourished in their home, in the quiet rituals of bubble baths and story time, of cuddles and hair bows and stuffies arranged just so.
But her Big side thrived too—her virtual assistant work picked up steadily, the lost clients quickly replaced with a few that were in the US, so she shared a time zone with them.
But no matter how she’d grown, or how much she’d healed—this last in a big part thanks to Dr. Cat—she was very much still the same girl that they’d fallen for.
She still blushed when people complimented her accent.
Got flustered when someone said she was brave, and tried new things with a gusto that Roland was envious of.
Just then, a knock sounded at the door, followed by a singsong voice: “Helloooooo? Is it pancake time or playtime?”
Little Chloe popped her head in, red curls bouncing, backpack slung over one shoulder and a glitter tiara slightly askew.
“Both!” Sydney chirped, wriggling down from Levi’s arms. “Come in, Chlo-Chlo!”
Chloe kicked her shoes off and ran in with the joyful chaos only a seasoned Little could bring. “I brought stickers and the new coloring book Megan’s Daddy made for us!”
“Let’s do it in the grass!” Sydney said, already bouncing toward the front door.
“Don’t forget sunscreen!” Levi called, grabbing the small bottle off the counter and stopping both Littles before they could head outside.
They spilled out into the warm afternoon, barefoot and giggling. The coloring books and crayons were spread across a blanket, stickers fluttering like confetti. Roland followed with a camera to grab a few photos before settling with his back against a big tree.
He and Levi sat in quiet companionship for a long moment, sipping coffee and watching the girls play.
Sydney’s laughter rang out across the clearing, bright and unguarded. Her dress ruffling in the breeze, hair wild and alive in the sunlight.
Roland let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding.
“I used to think we’d never find someone who fit in the space between us,” he said softly, his voice almost lost in the wind.
Levi’s eyes didn’t leave Sydney. “It’s because we were trying to make someone fit,” he said, just as quietly. “Sydney didn’t try to fit. She just made a new space. A perfect Sydney-sized hole.”
Roland nodded, throat thick. “Yeah.”
As if she heard them Sydney looked up from the blanket. Chloe was busy arranging stickers into a sparkly flower garden, but Sydney wasn’t looking at her. She was looking at them.
Her eyes softened.
She smiled. Not the giddy, playful one she wore so often, but something slower. Quieter.
She looked at Levi, then at Roland. And in a voice barely above a whisper, she said, “Love you both.”
And that was all that was needed to be said.
The End