Chapter 43
JIYA
Iwas grateful for the weekend escape.
The past few weeks had been relentless. Between managing the cafés, checking in on the restaurant, and caring for Lucas and Emma, my days had blurred into one long stretch of responsibility.
By the time Friday arrived each week, my body often felt heavy with exhaustion, and my mind was cluttered with unfinished lists.
This trip felt like a deep breath I had forgotten to take.
The luxury of the resort, the calm of the forest surrounding us, and the rare stillness without the usual rush of work or the joyful chaos of the children had slowly begun to restore a sense of Zen inside me.
I had felt the tension leave my body under the gentle pressure of the masseur’s hands earlier that afternoon. By the time I returned to the villa to get ready for dinner, I felt lighter and refreshed.
I changed into a dark-cherry cocktail dress, excited for date night with Cole. It had been too long since we had time that belonged only to the two of us.
When I walked into the bar, my eyes immediately found him.
Cole stood near the counter waiting for me, a glass of Coke in his hand—his favourite non-alcoholic drink. The soft lighting of the room caught the edges of his profile.
He looked handsome.
When he noticed me, he placed his drink down and walked toward me. Without saying a word, he reached for my hand. His fingers wrapped gently around mine as he led me outside along a path that curved through the trees.
As we walked, twilight slowly descended around us. The sky deepened into shades of violet and blue.
When we reached the clearing, I stopped in my tracks.
The view took my breath away.
Mountains rose quietly in the distance, their dark silhouettes reflected in the calm water below. Near the shore stood a delicate floral frame wrapped with strands of soft fairy lights that glowed warmly against the gathering dusk.
A small table had been set close to the water. A bottle of champagne rested in an ice bucket. Nearby, a blanket lay spread across the grass, surrounded by glowing candles and lanterns that flickered softly in the evening breeze.
It felt magical and intimate.
Beautiful in a way that made my heart swell quietly in my chest.
Cole turned toward me and took both my hands in his.
His fingers were warm.
When our eyes met, my pulse quickened.
“Jiya,” he said. His voice was full of emotion. “I’ve known you for a little over two years now.”
I watched him carefully, sensing the seriousness in his tone.
“I was a broken and hopeless man,” he continued. He paused briefly and licked his lips before speaking again. “You barged into my house and came into my life… and you saved me.”
A small smile touched my lips as the memory returned.
That moment had changed both of our lives.
“You’ve been through so much in your life. And you deserve the very best. Someone who will back you up without limits, let you grow without borders, and love you without end.”
Emotion tightened my chest as I listened.
“The story of my love for you is just beginning, but I want to write my happy ending… and I want to write and live it with you.”
Then he slowly lowered himself onto one knee.
My breath caught in my throat.
In his hand was a small velvet box, and inside it rested the most beautiful ring I had ever seen.
“Will you marry me, Jiya?”
My lips parted as my hand instinctively rose to cover my mouth.
The diamond was a round, brilliant centre stone—about two carats—surrounded by smaller diamonds along the band, each one catching the candlelight and scattering it into tiny shimmering reflections.
My mind raced. Were we ready for this? Was I ready?
But when I looked up at him, the answer rose quietly inside my heart.
No one could ever love me the way Cole did. With him, I felt safe. Seen. Understood. He had been there for me through everything—for me and for my children. He supported me, believed in me, and loved us without hesitation. How could I even question it?
“Yes,” I said, agreeing with all my heart, mind, and soul.
Even as I spoke, however, I couldn’t understand why, at that precise moment, Caleb’s face flashed before my eyes. The image startled me, but it disappeared just as quickly.
Cole slipped the ring onto my finger and rose to his feet. His hands gently cupped my face.
I leaned instinctively into his touch as our lips met softly with the promise of everything that lay ahead.
Happiness rushed through me.
I wanted to call Elle.
I wanted to tell the children.
I wanted to shout the news to the world.
But in that moment, none of that mattered as much as the man standing in front of me.
Right then, I simply wanted him.
When we returned to the villa, Cole’s lips brushed against my neck as he pulled me close, scattering kisses along my skin as we stepped through the doorway. Moments later, he lifted me easily into his arms and carried me toward the bedroom while laughter bubbled softly from my chest.
The night stretched around us as we made love under the stars.
Later, wrapped in his arms beneath the open sky beyond the bedroom windows, I felt completely carefree and deeply desired.
It was a feeling I cherished every time I was with him.
A feeling I held close in my heart long after the night faded into memory.
After our wonderful weekend at the resort, Cole and I returned to Cowichan Bay and shared the news with family and friends.
Even now, every time I looked down at the ring on my finger, it was a gentle reminder that something extraordinary had happened in my life.
I was engaged… to Cole.
The thought still seemed surreal.
Elle was so excited when she heard the news that she immediately decided to come down the following week for a girls’ weekend. The moment she walked through the door, she practically demanded to see everything.
I pulled out my phone and showed her the pictures of the proposal.
Cole had arranged for a photographer to discreetly capture the moment without me noticing. I had been so overwhelmed in the moment that I never even realized someone else had been there, quietly documenting one of the most important moments of my life.
The photographer had done an incredible job.
In the photos, the soft glow of the candles and fairy lights surrounded us while the mountains and water formed a breathtaking backdrop. One image showed Cole on one knee, looking up at me. Another captured the exact moment I said yes.
“So,” Elle said, leaning closer as she scrolled through the pictures with me, her excitement practically vibrating through her voice. “When do you plan to get married? Have you guys talked about it?”
“Not yet,” I replied.
Even saying the words out loud still felt strange. I was still in shock. I could not quite believe that I was engaged. The idea that someone had asked me to spend the rest of my life with them—and that I had said yes—felt like a dream.
For so long, I had never imagined a future like this for myself.
In my past relationships, I had often been forced to hide pieces of who I was. I had kept walls around my heart because getting too close to someone always carried the risk of everything falling apart.
Then I had met Caleb.
I had believed things might finally work out, that perhaps I could build a life with him.
But that dream had shattered too.
I had been forced to run again, leaving behind everything I had hoped for and starting over once more.
Building trust again after that had not been easy.
Even when I met Cole, there had been a fear inside me about how much of my past I should reveal and when. I had worried that if he knew everything, he might walk away the same way others had.
But with Cole, I no longer felt the need to hide or run.
I trusted him completely… with my life, my children, and the pieces of myself that I had once believed were too broken for anyone to accept.
Cole had taken my past without hesitation. He had accepted Lucas and Emma as if they had always been his own children. He had embraced my life and blended it seamlessly with his.
“It is your turn to be happy now,” Elle said, placing both hands on my shoulders and giving them a gentle squeeze. “Enjoy this moment and cherish it. Cole loves you immensely. You are a lucky woman. Don’t overthink it.”
Her words settled into my heart.
She was right.
I had spent so much of my life worrying about what could go wrong that sometimes it felt hard to allow myself to be happy.
“By the way,” I said after a moment, hesitating slightly before speaking again, “would you be my maid of honour whenever we decide on the wedding?”
Elle looked at me for half a second before bursting into laughter. “Hell yeah!” she said immediately. “You didn’t even have to ask. I thought I already was.”
I laughed along with her.
With that decided, I did my best to follow Elle’s advice.
For the rest of the weekend, I let myself relax, laugh, and enjoy the moment instead of worrying about what the future might bring.
“What do you think about a fall wedding?” Cole asked, sitting at the dining table.
I turned slightly from the stove and looked at him over my shoulder, my eyebrows lifting in surprise. “This fall?” I asked.
“Yes,” he replied easily, as if the idea had already been made up in his mind.
A small knot formed in my chest. “Don’t you think it’s too soon?
” I asked, trying not to meet his eyes as I stirred the curry slowly in the pot in front of me.
The wooden spoon moved in slow circles while the rich scent of spices rose with the steam.
I focused on the motion, pretending that the curry required my full attention.
Behind me, I heard his chair scrape softly against the floor.
Then his footsteps.
“Is something bothering you?” he asked as he reached me and turned me around to face him.
My eyes dropped to the cool tiles beneath our feet.
The kitchen suddenly felt too quiet.
Geeta had taken Lucas and Emma to the park, leaving the house still and almost eerily silent.
Cole lifted my face gently with his finger. “What’s wrong, sweetheart?”
I forced myself to look into his eyes, even though tears blurred my vision.
“There’s an awful feeling in the pit of my stomach,” I admitted quietly. “And I can’t seem to get rid of it.”
I did not fully understand the feeling myself, but it had been building inside me for days.
Without saying anything else, he pulled me into his arms.
My cheek pressed against his chest, and I breathed in the familiar scent of his aftershave—that warm, woody, peppery fragrance that always reminded me of him.
“Baby, nothing is going to happen,” he said. “Your past does not determine your future. I’m right here, and I will always be here.”
His arms tightened around me slightly.
“I’m not going anywhere,” he continued. “I’m not going to let anything happen to you or our children. I’ll keep you safe, and you’ll be the only one living in my heart.”
His words wrapped around me like a promise.
I clung to him, my fingers gripping the fabric of his shirt.
“Promise?” I asked softly, lifting my head to look at him again.
“I promise,” he said, kissing my forehead.
A small smile tugged at the corners of my lips despite the growing unease in my chest.
“Now,” he added gently, his voice lightening, “can we talk about how I would like to adopt our children after we get married?”
The words made my heart swell.
Our children!
Cole and I decided that the wedding would take place in the fall, in October.
We both wanted the same thing—a small, intimate ceremony surrounded by family and friends.
Nothing extravagant.
Nothing overwhelming.
Just the people who truly mattered to us standing nearby as we promised to spend our lives together.
When Elle heard the date, she insisted on coming down immediately.
A few days later, the two of us headed to Downtown Victoria to start the search for my wedding dress.
The bridal boutique smelled faintly of fabric starch and delicate perfume. Soft music played quietly in the background while rows of white gowns hung like clouds around the room. Each dress seemed more beautiful than the last, yet somehow none of them felt like mine.
“What do you think about this one?” I asked, stepping out of the fitting room and turning slowly so Elle could see.
The dress I wore was floral and bohemian in style, with flowing sleeves and delicate embroidery along the bodice.
Elle tilted her head thoughtfully, tapping her finger against her lip.
“Um…” she said after a moment. “It’s not you. Why don’t you try another one?”
I sighed softly and nodded before heading back into the fitting room.
My heart thudded in my chest as I continued trying on dress after dress. Each time I stepped out, Elle studied me carefully before shaking her head.
I don’t think I’m ever going to find the dress, I thought miserably.
After what felt like the hundredth attempt, I pulled on another gown.
The moment I looked at myself in the mirror, I knew it was the one.
The dress was fitted and elegant. It featured an off-the-shoulder neckline that framed my collarbones beautifully.
The back of the gown had a delicate illusion panel with intricate lace appliqués that flowed down the fabric like tiny blossoms. The sheer lace train drifted behind me softly when I moved.
This is it. I smoothed my hands over the fabric before stepping out of the fitting room.
When Elle looked up and saw me, her jaw dropped.
For a whole ten seconds, she did not say anything at all.
Then her eyes filled with tears.
“This is the one, Jiji… this one,” she said as a tear rolled down her cheek.
“I think so too,” I said.
I stepped forward and wrapped my arms around her, hugging her tightly.
As we stood there, I could already picture the moment.
Walking down the aisle.
Walking toward Cole.
Jack was going to walk me down. I had asked him the previous week, and he had struggled to hold back his emotions when I told him how much it meant to me.
Lucas would be the ring bearer.
Emma and Cole’s niece were going to be the flower girls.
Warmth flooded my chest.
Another thought slipped into my mind.
My mother.
It would have been nice if she had been there. If we had shared the kind of relationship where she could stand beside me on my wedding day.
I shook my head gently, pushing the thought away. I did not want anything to dampen the happiness of this moment.
The uneasy feeling that had stirred low in my chest for weeks was still there, faint but persistent. But I chose not to dwell on it.
Things were finally moving forward in my life.
And I believed everything would be alright.