Chapter 25 #2
I catch Sophie watching me past Harper’s shoulder.
Her green eyes are soft and content, and my heart still kicks every time she looks at me like that.
Last year at this same festival, she could barely maintain eye contact and when she did, she looked perpetually braced for disappointment.
Now she observes me with quiet happiness as I handle the puppies, discuss adoptions with potential families, and banter with her friends who’ve gradually become mine too.
“Mr. Blackwell!” The mayor approaches our booth, hand extended. “Just the man I wanted to see.”
I shake his hand firmly, catching Sophie’s smile as Harper’s wedding talk gets temporarily derailed. “Mayor. Enjoying the festival?”
“Absolutely. That municipal code revision you handled for the town council? Outstanding work. Allows us to develop responsibly while preserving Bellrose’s character.
” He claps my shoulder like we’re old friends.
“Can you make Friday’s planning commission meeting?
They’ve got some questions about implementation. ”
“I’ll be there,” I confirm, feeling Sophie’s hand settle on my lower back—her subtle way of showing pride, which means more than any work compliment ever could.
The mayor departs, then Mrs. Granger from the library wants to discuss their digital lending program and potential copyright concerns.
After her, the Johnsons thank me for keeping their son’s minor legal troubles out of the local paper.
Each person who stops by reminds me of something amazing—I’m not just residing in Bellrose anymore; I’m really part of it.
“Well, look who it is, my favorite legal team,” Dr. Martinez says warmly, cutting off Harper’s return to wedding talk. She approaches with coffee in one hand and a leash in the other, attached to her ancient beagle who walks slower than molasses.
“Dr. Martinez,” I greet her, genuinely pleased to see the woman who gave Sophie her partnership.
“Elena, please,” she corrects me, like she has every single time for months. “We’re not in a courtroom.” She regards Sophie and me with a friendly smile. “The clinic acquired four new clients this morning from festival attendees. The new addition is already paying off.”
Sophie practically glows. “We’re completely booked for surgeries next week.”
“We couldn’t have managed it without your legal expertise,” Dr. Martinez tells me. “Cooper actually called yesterday asking if I’d sell him the parking lot for his new development.”
“What did you tell him?” I ask, though her expression already answers.
“I told him to contact my intimidating attorney with all the tattoos.” She winks at Sophie. “Who just happens to be engaged to my business partner.”
Satisfaction floods through me—partly professional pride, but mostly because she talked about Sophie and me like we belong together.
A year ago, people called me “that lawyer who moved back” or “Reed’s friend” or worse, “Sophie’s ex-boyfriend.
” Now I’m just myself, with my own standing in this community and my own network.
As Dr. Martinez walks away promising to return with adoption paperwork for the border collie pup she’s fallen for, I notice Harper studying me.
“What?” I ask, suddenly self-conscious.
“Nothing,” she shrugs with a slight smirk. “Just reflecting on how much I used to despise you.”
“Harper!” Sophie says, sounding shocked, but I laugh.
“I earned it,” I admit without defensiveness.
“Yeah, you did.” Harper nods, then her expression softens unexpectedly. “But not anymore. You proved me wrong, Blackwell. Don’t screw this up and make me regret saying that.”
It’s the closest thing to full approval Harper’s ever offered, and I nod seriously while feeling genuinely grateful. “Never.”
The afternoon continues in a blur of adoptions and conversations.
So many people know my name now, ask about cases I’m handling, or just shoot the breeze about town politics.
Each interaction that treats me like I belong here adds another brick to this new life I’m building—something I couldn’t even imagine when I first returned to Bellrose desperately hoping for a second chance.
A little girl approaches our booth and presents Sophie with a wild rose she’s picked from one of the festival displays. “For the pretty animal doctor,” she whispers shyly.
“Thank you so much,” Sophie responds just as seriously, tucking the flower behind her ear.
Watching her there—Sophie with a rose in her hair, surrounded by rescue puppies, in the town we both call home now—makes my chest tighten. I belong here. Not just in Bellrose, but in this life, with this woman, building something neither of us could have predicted a year ago.
“Earth to Zayn?” Harper waves her hand in front of my face. “You’re staring at Sophie like she’s the eighth wonder of the world. Again.”
“Because she is,” I say without apology or embarrassment.
Harper rolls her eyes dramatically, but she’s smiling. “You two are so disgustingly perfect together it’s almost offensive to the rest of us.”
Sophie laughs, and I still love that sound more than anything. “Don’t you have wedding cakes to harass someone about?”
“Fine, fine. I know when I’m the third wheel.” Harper grabs her clipboard and backs away. “But we’re not finished with this conversation. Lemon or chocolate, people! These are crucial life decisions!”
As she disappears back into the crowd, Sophie leans her shoulder against mine. “You’re thinking pretty loudly over there,” she murmurs.
I smile and meet those green eyes that still undo me. “Just appreciating the view.”
The festival thrums with families devouring cotton candy in the afternoon sunshine. Kids with face paint sprint between booths while the rose naming contest reaches its climax. I can barely register any of it. The ring box in my pocket burns against my thigh like a brand, impossible to ignore.
When our replacement volunteers arrive right on time, I attempt casual when I ask Sophie, “Want to take a break? Walk down to the harbor?” I think I sound relaxed, but Sophie raises an eyebrow like she’s already onto me. Even after five years of separation, she reads me better than anyone ever has.
“Everything okay?” she asks, those green eyes searching my face.
“Perfect,” I say, taking her hand. “Just need some fresh air. And time alone with you. Away from the puppy chaos.”
She smiles in that way that still stops my heart mid-beat. “Lead the way, counselor.”
We navigate through the crowd, past the band and food vendors, toward the quieter waterfront path.
The sun sinks lower, bathing everything in gold.
Sophie’s hand fits perfectly in mine, and I notice her engagement ring catching the light.
I trace my thumb over it, still occasionally stunned that she’s actually going to marry me.
Sophie glances at me as we reach the harbor walkway. The breeze carries salt and the perfume of roses from the festival behind us.
“What’s going on in that head of yours?” she asks.
“You,” I tell her honestly. “Us. How drastically everything’s changed since last year.”
She bumps my shoulder with hers. “Good changes?”
“The best.” I guide us off the main path toward the trail ascending to Cliffside. My pulse accelerates. I wonder if she’ll deduce what’s waiting for her up there.
Sophie immediately registers our direction. “We’re hiking up to Cliffside? In these shoes?” She doesn’t sound annoyed though, just intrigued. We’ve experienced so many pivotal moments on that trail.
“Trust me,” I say, squeezing her hand.
“I do.” Those two simple words carry more weight than any legal contract I’ve ever drafted. A year ago, she couldn’t have spoken them.
The trail gets steeper than I recalled, but I barely notice it in my boots. Each step brings us closer to the overlook, to what I’ve set up there, to the future I’ve been working for since I realized what a huge mistake I made leaving her.
The trail curves one final time before opening onto the overlook. I slow, suddenly anxious in a way I haven’t been since I proposed. What if she doesn’t want this? What if it’s too much or too rushed or too—
Sophie stops dead. Her hand tightens around mine. “Zayn,” she breathes, voice trembling. “What is this?”
A wooden arch stands near the cliff edge, completely enveloped in roses—dusty pinks and deep violets.
Glass mason jars with candles line the path, waiting to be lit at dusk.
Four chairs sits in a semicircle—designated for Reed, Harper, Sara, and Dr. Martinez.
A bottle of champagne chills in ice beside a small table draped with white linen.
“This,” I say, turning to face her completely, “is where I thought we could get married. Today. If you want to.”
Her eyes widen, darting between my setup and my face. “Today? But we haven’t planned—we don’t have—”
I pull a small velvet box from my pocket.
Inside rests a delicate gold band designed to nestle perfectly against her engagement ring.
“We have what actually matters. Each other. The people who love us most. This place that’s ours.
” I reveal a folded document in my other hand. “And a marriage license, all signed.”
“You planned all this?” She sounds awed rather than overwhelmed, which settles my nerves.
I nod, suddenly vulnerable. “I wanted to give you something intimate without the stress and planning pressure. But if you’d prefer to wait and have a traditional wedding—”
“No,” she interrupts, stepping closer. “This is absolutely perfect. Exactly what I want.”
Relief floods through me. “Everyone’s arriving at sunset. Judge Reynolds will officiate. Small, private, just our inner circle.”
Sophie runs her fingers over the arch, touching the roses like they’re sacred. “You planted these. Back when I wouldn’t even speak to you.”
“I planted them hoping we’d eventually stand under them together someday.” I wrap my arms around her waist from behind as we face the ocean. “I knew it was a long shot. Maybe even delusional.”
She leans back against my chest, her head tucking perfectly under my chin. “You never did know when to give up.”
The wind carries sounds from town—music and laughter drifting up. But here, it’s just us with the roses and the vast ocean stretching toward infinity like our future.
“A year ago,” I murmur into her hair, “I genuinely believed I’d lost you forever. And I would have deserved it.”
She turns in my arms to face me directly. “A year ago, I read romance novels every night because I was too terrified to believe I could experience that kind of happiness myself.”
“And now?”
Her smile is radiant and unguarded in a way that still amazes me. “Now I understand better. Real happiness requires work, patience, and healing.” Her hands frame my face, thumbs tracing along my jaw. “You became the man I always knew you could be.”
“And you,” I whisper roughly, “learned to trust again when every instinct told you to run.”
The sunset transforms everything to liquid gold, making Sophie look ethereal in my arms. She’s always beautiful, but here, in this light, with that expression of complete love and trust—she’s devastating.
“You know,” she says quietly, “when I was angriest, what hurt most wasn’t you leaving. It was you breaking your promise.” Her finger traces my lower lip gently. “You said ‘always’, then vanished.”
That word hangs between us—our word, weighted with history and meaning. I capture her hand and press a kiss to her palm. “Always, you,” I say against her skin. “I meant it then. I didn’t comprehend what it would cost, what I’d need to sacrifice.”
“Always, us,” she corrects softly. “Not just you choosing me or me choosing you. Us choosing this, every single day.”
Her words hit me with unexpected force. She’s absolutely right. What we’ve built isn’t just my effort or her forgiveness. It’s what we build daily, together. These roses aren’t thriving simply because I planted them—they need this specific location, this soil, this climate to flourish.
Exactly like us.
I pull her close and kiss her as the sun descends. Her arms wind around my neck, her body warm and soft against mine. We fit flawlessly—her curves against my angles, her gentleness smoothing my rough edges, her hope washing away my regrets.
When we finally break apart, breathless, I keep my forehead pressed to hers.
“For five years, I pursued what I thought was success—money, prestige, professional achievements.” My voice roughens.
“But I was completely wrong about what home actually means. It was never a location. Not even this town I love.”
“No?” she whispers, eyes luminous in the fading light.
“It was always you,” I tell her, knowing nothing has ever been more fundamentally true. “Since the day we met, home has been wherever you are.”
The roses sway in the breeze, releasing their perfume to mingle with ocean salt. Below us, Bellrose looks like something from a storybook—lights flickering on in the square, boats rocking in the harbor, the veterinary clinic where Sophie works standing proud after we fought to save it together.
But nothing compares to Sophie in my arms right now. Her hair catches the last golden rays, and her eyes reflect complete trust. She gave me another chance when I didn’t deserve one. She showed me what genuinely matters. She made me better simply by loving me despite how badly I hurt her.
I hear our friends approaching up the path—arriving exactly on time for our intimate ceremony.
Soon we’ll stand beneath these roses, exchange our vows, and officially begin our married life.
But truthfully, we’ve already started. We’ve been building something solid since the day I returned to town determined to prove I could be the man she deserved.
“Ready?” I ask as the voices grow closer.
Sophie looks up at me, her green eyes bright with unshed tears, her smile so radiant it could outshine the sunset behind us. She doesn’t hesitate for even a heartbeat.
“Always.”