Epilogue
XANDER
E li scheduled a meeting for first thing on Monday morning after Thanksgiving. I was nervous because I suspected this had something to do with my performance at the resort. I didn’t think I’d done anything to warrant being let go, but what if I hadn’t done enough to prove myself?
I stood at the sink, shaving, my attention split between the upcoming meeting and Tori who’d just walked into the bathroom. I rested my hand on the lip of the sink as she slipped her arms around my waist.
“Don’t worry about it. Everything’s going to work out.”
“And what if it doesn’t?” Her dad had only recently decided to include her in the sale of the practice. He was selling a percentage of it, and he would retain his portion until she could pay him in installments. It allowed him to continue practicing in whatever capacity he wanted to for a few more years. It was the perfect arrangement. But what if things didn’t work out for me?
“If your brothers don’t see what they have, then we’ll figure something out. I’m positive there’s someone else out there that would appreciate your talent.”
I covered her hands with mine. “I love that you support me.”
“We support each other.” Then she pulled back, turning on the water in the shower.
I wished I had time to join her in the shower, but I was running late. I finished shaving, then called out to her. “I’m going to get dressed and head out.”
“Good luck, and don’t forget that no matter what happens, we’ve got this.” Her voice was a balm to my soul.
“Love you,” I said to her, my heart full.
“Love you more, Xander.” Her voice followed me into the bedroom where I pulled on my work uniform of fleece, hoping I’d hear good news this morning. Then I got into my truck and drove to the lodge.
Despite Tori’s pep talk, my stomach was in knots as I walked through the lobby, calling out greetings to everyone and stopping briefly to chat with Marcus about his plans for dinner. Checking the time, I excused myself and hurried to the conference room where Eli preferred to hold official meetings.
Oliver and Eli were already seated at the table, their laptops open in front of them.
“Good morning,” I said, my voice only slightly wavering. I could do something else, but this was what I wanted. I enjoyed working with my brothers and continuing the legacy my parents had built.
“Morning,” Eli and Oliver parroted.
“You wanted to talk to me?” This wasn’t just about business. I’d been summoned.
“We wanted to talk to you about your progress,” Eli said, and Oliver nodded.
Irritation shot through me. I was tired of being judged in this situation. I stopped him by raising the palm of my hand. “I have to say something. Mom and Dad gave the lodge to us to run, all of us. That includes Killian, Walker?—”
Oliver frowned. “Of course it does.”
“You haven’t called one of them back and asked them to pledge their loyalty to the resort. In fact, neither of them does much of anything here.”
“Well, Killian’s competing, and Walker’s enlisted. You know that.”
“But I’ve worked here nonstop since I was a kid. Whether I was in high school or taking college courses, I’ve been here.” I tapped my fingers on the table. “Yet for some reason, I still haven’t proven my loyalty. I get that I hadn’t taken an interest in the business decisions, but that has changed. I feel more confident in my role here and my business ideas, but I’m done proving anything to you. I’m good at my job. The guests love me, and if you can’t see what I bring to the table, then I’ll figure something else out.”
When Oliver and Eli remained silent for a long awkward moment, I stood, ready to walk out.
Eli stood too and said, “Wait.”
I turned and placed my hands on my hips. “What is it now? What hoops do I have to jump through to prove myself to you and Oliver?”
Eli let out a breath. “We weren’t going to do that, and we’re sorry if the last few weeks felt like we were testing you.”
I didn’t answer, just waited for him to continue.
“We wanted to tell you that we want to have papers drawn up indicating that each of us owns an equal share of the company. That includes me, Kylie, Oliver, Killian, Walker, and you. Oliver has a son, and Walker might have a daughter. We’re continuing to expand as a family. We need to have this in writing, so there’s no question.”
I hadn’t expected that. “Mom and Dad are okay with that?”
“We talked to them, and they’re on board. They trust us to run the lodge and resort as we see fit. And I’m not talking about me and Oliver. You’re right; they intended for us to run it together. All of us.”
I nodded tightly and resumed my seat. “I’m listening.”
“We don’t want there to be any question that we’re co-owners of the property and the business. Any one of us is welcome to build a home on the property or to utilize his or her talents to participate in the business. If Killian and Walker retire from their respective positions, then we’ll find something for them to do here. If Kylie wants to officially walk away and run her nonprofits, that’s fine too. But regardless, they are co-owners,” Oliver said.
“We’re sorry if we put pressure on you, if we made you think that you didn’t have a place here. We were wrong to approach it the way we did,” Eli added.
“Then why did you?” I asked.
“It seemed like you weren’t invested in the business, but we can see now that we misjudged you. You’re great with the guests, and you pull more clients in for lessons and adventures. The guests rave about you online and consistently request you over anyone else. You also offered Christopher a job here, which is what Mom and Dad would have wanted. You represent the Wilde ideals, and we’re sorry if we didn’t see that before and made you doubt yourself and your abilities.”
“Thank you.” I was surprised that they’d done a one eighty. Not only had they changed their minds about me, but they also wanted to ensure that all of us were officially co-owners of our business.
“Any Wilde who wants to contribute is welcome,” Oliver said.
“That’s a business I want to be part of.” I was prepared to move on and find something else, but my heart was here at Wilde Ski Resort. This was my dream.
“We’d like to continue our community outreach by offering college scholarships to local youth and jobs to those who need them, like Christopher. What you’re doing with him far exceeds giving him a job. You’re a mentor to him.”
“I hadn’t thought of it like that.” I had taken Christopher under my wing and showed him how to ski, teach, and even interact with the guests. Eventually, he’d be able to direct his own lessons, and I hoped he’d carry the skills he learned into college. I was positive Noelle wanted the same things for her brother.
“We’d like to continue the winter festival every Saturday leading up to Christmas. We were able to secure the carriage and horses for December so we can continue offering buggy rides.”
“Do you think I could use them one night? I owe someone very important to me a ride.”
Eli nodded. “That can be arranged. We’re happy that you’ve decided to continue working here. After the way we behaved, we know it’s possible you could have walked away.”
“I can see how my attitude before made you think that I wasn’t all-in with the resort. I made the necessary adjustments, and I feel better being more involved with the day-to-day business decisions. It made me see that this is where I want to be.” And it forced me to get closer to Tori, leading to our relationship. I couldn’t be upset about that. Not when I was happier than I’d ever been. I had everything I ever wanted.
T ori held a to-go mug of hot chocolate that I’d just made for her. She gazed out at the snow that was coming down. “You’re not staying at the lodge for the storm?”
“Not for this one.” The nerves kicked up in my stomach. Would she like my surprise?
Tori frowned as I turned toward her. “Are you sure that’s a good idea? You’ve only just secured your position with the business.”
“Eli wants to put everything in writing regarding the ownership of the lodge and resort, especially now that Walker might have a daughter. He doesn’t want there to be any question that each brother, including Walker, is considered a co-owner. Besides, I already cleared it with Eli and Oliver. They have it covered.”
“If you’re sure. It feels like we’re playing hooky.”
“We have something very important that we need to do this weekend.”
Tori turned to face me. “I’m looking forward to it.”
We bundled up and then walked down the stairs of my apartment for what I hoped was the last time.
I’d already arranged for the walls in our new house to be painted and the furniture we’d picked out to be delivered. I hadn’t told Tori that the house was ready to move in because I wanted it to be a surprise. And I needed Mother Nature to work with me so that we could take a carriage ride.
At the bottom of the stairs, the horses dug into the snow with their hooves, snorting so that their breath was visible in the cold air. When one grunted, Tori’s gaze lifted from her feet. “Why is there a horse and carriage in our parking lot?”
“I wanted to take you for a ride. We weren’t able to do that during the winter festival. I didn’t want you to miss out.” I’d already talked to Eli and Oliver about getting some time during the next festival to spend it with Tori. I was invested in the business, but there was a balance that we all needed to find with our new home lives and work.
My new neighbor Terry held the reigns of the horses and waited while I helped Tori into the seat. When she was covered with the blanket, Terry stepped down, handing me the reigns. “They’re all yours now. Take care of them.”
“Thank you for letting us borrow them for a bit.”
“My son will stop by with his snowmobile later to take them home.”
I was lucky that Terry’s property was adjacent to our new house. It made borrowing the horse and carriage convenient for everyone.
When it was just us, I snapped the reigns like Terry taught me, and Tori lifted her hot chocolate mug to her lips. “I can’t believe you did this.”
“We’re just getting started.” I directed the horses down Main Street. The streets were empty because the snow was falling heavily. A few people came out of their houses or pushed their faces against the windows to watch us go by.
Wreaths hung on the light poles, and there was a decorated tree at the town center. The town had a magical feel to it.
“Where are we going?” Tori asked once we cleared the downtown area.
“I can’t tell you. It would spoil the surprise.” I’d worked hard to get the house ready for us to move in without telling Tori about any of my plans.
When we reached our lane, the trees were wrapped in white twinkling lights, just like I’d envisioned when we toured the house initially. And as we cleared the trees, our new home came into view. I’d had the outside of the house painted a fresh white with black shutters. Each window held a small wreath with a red ribbon. It was like something out of a story book with the snow coming down.
I stopped the horses parallel with the porch.
I got out and moved around to Tori's side of the carriage. I’d text Terry and let him know he could collect the horses and carriage. “Are you ready to move into our new house?”
Her eyes shone. “We can move in today?”
“Everything is ready for us.” There were a few pieces of furniture we’d have to figure out what to do with, but I’d bring over everything else later.
The fridge was stocked, the shed filled with wood, and I’d bought a generator. I was prepared to get snowed in for the weekend, and I couldn’t think of a better person to spend my time with.
I attempted to help her down, but she fell into my arms, making us both laugh.
When her feet hit the ground, she said, “I can’t believe you did all of this.” The snow fell around us. “We’re not done yet. I have a few more things to show you.”
Tori’s eyes widened. “I’m not sure how you managed this without me finding out.”
I laughed. “I had a lot of help.”
She pulled me down to kiss me. Her lips were cold and tasted like chocolate. I couldn’t wait to test out the new bed we’d picked out for our room.
I unlocked the wooden door and pushed it open. The wreath on the door swayed with the motion. Inside, it smelled like gingerbread.
“You baked?” Tori asked as she stepped inside.
“I wanted the house to smell like Christmas.” We toed off our boots, removing our outerwear. I’d installed a bench, a place for our shoes, and hooks for our jackets.
Then I took Tori’s hand and led her into the kitchen. I’d cleaned until everything was sparkling, and Noelle helped me decorate for Christmas. In the living room, a tree stood by the window, and there was a fire crackling in the hearth.
I’d strung white lights on the tree but left the ornaments in the boxes. I pulled Tori against my body. “I thought we could decorate the tree together.”
A small smile played on her lips. “I can’t think of a better way to spend our evening.”
The snow continued to come down, and I knew we’d be truly snowed in for the night. There was holiday music playing in the background, a meal waiting to be warmed up in the oven, and plenty of treats on the counter.
“This is the start of our life together. I loved asking you to marry me in front of our friends and family, but this is for us. I wanted to celebrate together, where no one else could intrude.”
Tori blinked away tears. “It’s perfect.”
I kissed her, knowing I had one more surprise for her. I couldn’t wait until she saw it.
I hope you loved Tori and Xander’s story! To read about Xander’s surprise, download the bonus epilogue .
Walker and Addison’s story is next in Wild Hearts . After years of serving in the military, I find out that I have a teenage daughter. Her mother died, and I've been named her guardian. I have no idea what I'm doing with a teenager. I need all the help I can get, but her social worker is my high school sweetheart, the one I left behind.