Epilogue 1
A Year Later
Katerina
Fall and winter bled into a chaotic spring. It had been a whirlwind of progress, late nights, and profound joy.
My first year of medical school was everything I’d hoped it would be: demanding, exhausting, and intensely rewarding.
Managing a full course load while staying on with the hockey team took every ounce of discipline I had.
When the team made a deep run into the playoffs, my schedule officially went off the rails with travel, back-to-back games, and helping to keep the team taped together.
While I was on the road during the playoff push, Trent was back home, pulling double duty.
He didn't just keep his construction company running; he spent every free evening at our future house, finishing the final touches he knew I was too stressed to worry about, hanging the custom light fixtures, installing the kitchen backsplash, and finishing the trim in what was now my designated study nook.
He sent me regular updates and a few sweaty selfies because he knew how much it bothered me that I had barely stepped foot into the house when exams blurred into the playoff push and then the playoffs.
When I’d finally made it home after our season had wrapped, I found a note on the island from Trent asking me to meet him at our house.
Quickly showering and dumping my bags to deal with later, I excitedly rushed over to the house and my boyfriend, whom I missed.
When I walked through the front door, the house was completely finished.
Fresh paint, restored hardwood in some places, new in others, warm sunlight streaming through the windows, and not a single speck of construction dust left in sight.
That was three months ago, and we were now living in the home we renovated together.
Today was a quiet Saturday afternoon. Trent was in the backyard, playing with Leo, who was now a thriving, energetic fifteen-month-old who kept Cynthia and Davis on their toes.
Gideon was inside our kitchen, loudly claiming he was an expert at grilling steaks for tonight's family dinner while taking credit for the granite countertops he hadn't helped install.
I laughed, remembering the picture Trent had sent me of Gideon supervising, with a beer in his hand.
I stood at the kitchen island, leaning back against the polished stone, holding a cold glass of lemonade and watching the sun set over the back lawn.
I was so happy and absolutely at peace. We had moved on from our past and were enjoying our life together, built honestly from the ground up.
A feeling of warmth washed over me as Trent walked through the back sliding door. He wore a dark t-shirt, jeans, and that easy, grounded smile that still made my heart do a familiar, happy flip.
The rest of the evening passed in a blissful blur of laughter, shared stories, and Gideon almost burning the first round of steaks before Davis stepped in to salvage them.
Watching our house fill with the people we loved, listening to little Leo babble in the yard, and seeing Trent’s parents so happy, felt like the final piece of the puzzle sliding into place.
By nine o'clock, the gathering had finally wound down. Gideon left with a plate of leftovers, and Davis and Cynthia headed home to put Leo to bed.
The house was completely quiet, for the first time all day, the gentle summer breeze rustling the leaves outside the open kitchen window.
I leaned against the counter, a dish towel in hand, wiping down the clean island while Trent loaded the last few glasses into the dishwasher. The familiar intimacy between us was something I treasured.
Trent shut the dishwasher door, wiped his hands on a towel, and turned around to look at me. The look on his face made my pulse jump.
"What?" I asked softly, a small smile curving my lips.
Instead of answering, he reached into his back pocket, pulled out a small, familiar yellow sticky note, and walked across the kitchen to slap it right over my heart.
I looked down, reading his clear, bold handwriting:
Location of the rest of our lives (equipped with a man who loves Kat more than anything).
My breath hitched. I looked back up at him, my heart thudding hard against my ribs. "Trent...?"
Trent
I didn't wait another second. I reached into my pocket, pulled out the small black velvet box I’d been carrying around for months, I still kept Kat’s first engagement ring as a reminder of our past, but bought her something new that felt perfect when I saw it, and dropped onto one knee right there on the hardwood we’d laid together.
Kat gasped, her dish towel slipping from her fingers to the floor, her hazel eyes widening in shock.
"I've spent the last few months trying to plan the absolute perfect moment," I said, my voice thick with emotion as I flipped the box open, revealing the diamond ring inside.
"I thought about taking you on a vacation, or taking you out to a fancy restaurant on the riverfront.
But then I realized... we don't need perfect grand gestures. We never did."
I reached up, taking her trembling hand in mine and smoothing my thumb over her knuckles.
"I looked at you tonight while we were cleaning up after dinner, in this house we rebuilt from the ground up, surrounded by the life we created... and I knew I was going to burst if I didn't ask you right now."
Tears welled in Kat’s eyes, sparkling under the warm kitchen lights.
"I once gave you a ring out of panic, and duty," I whispered, looking straight into her eyes so she could see every drop of truth in my soul. "I promised myself that if I ever got the chance to do this again, I would do it right."
I squeezed her hand gently.
"Today, it’s just me, completely and unconditionally in love with you. You're my best friend, my partner, and the only person I want to build a life with."
A single tear spilled over her lash line, but her mouth curved into a breathtaking, radiant smile.
"Katerina Sterling," I murmured softly. "Will you marry me?"
Kat didn't hesitate for a single second.
A breathless laugh burst from her lips as she dropped to her knees right in front of me on the kitchen floor, throwing her arms tightly around my neck.
"Yes," she whispered, her lips finding mine in a deep, sweet, completely unhurried kiss. "Yes, Trent. A thousand times yes."
I wrapped my arms around her waist, holding her close against my chest, wrapped up in each other in the centre of our home, ready for forever.