Jamie
When I first met Eric, I thought he’d found me. Rescued me from a life I’d already decided would be small and contained. I’d convinced myself I was destined for quiet sacrifice, raising Hunter alone, preparing for the day he’d outgrow me.
But truth was, we found each other.
We’d both been wandering. Both terrified of who we were, and what we were doing. Fear had been our compass, pointing us toward safety instead of happiness.
Even now, dancing in his arms at our wedding reception, doubt still whispered. Did we really know where we were headed? Would old instincts resurface when things got difficult?
Maybe they would. Life had a way of humbling even the best plans. Eric had always said that. Control was never guaranteed.
The difference now was that we weren’t drifting. We were choosing.
Dad’s business had been my lifeline, even if some clients still looked twice when they realized their contractor had breasts. Ridiculous, but I was building something, piece by piece.
Eric never treated my ambition like an inconvenience or a threat. He stood behind it fully, offering support without making it about himself. There was strength in that, in the quiet way he made space for me to grow.
And he’d grown too.
Watching him step into his role at Copper Ridge Resort changed the way I saw him.
The resort carried his family’s name, but the marketing position hadn’t been handed over out of obligation.
They’d recognized what I’d always known.
He had creative vision, and discipline. The ability to lead without overpowering.
He earned it the way he earned everything else, with focus and follow-through.
Hunter’s preteen sarcasm could cut glass now, but he was thriving here in Copper Ridge. He lived for architecture how-to videos, skateboard tricks, and the ridiculous dog we’d caved and bought him.
Best of all, he had two father figures who actually showed up. Even Dylan was trying, though Eric still had to nudge him sometimes.
And Caleb. Sweet, fierce Caleb, who’d stared down cancer and taught us what it meant to truly live. Without him, without Dad, Eric and I might never have collided at all.
Two lost souls, finding home in each other.
As Eric spun me slowly, I closed my eyes and let gratitude flood through me. We’d found love in our darkest moment, when everything was falling apart. That love had become our map, showing us not just tomorrow, but how to treasure today.
We still took life one day at a time, only now it was to savor each precious moment.
Together.