Epilogue
ASPEN
Three months later
Aspen chuckled, her breath puffing up in little clouds in front of her as she watched the small boy wobble and tip over, his tiny body imprinting into the snow as he waved his arms up and down to make a snow angel before popping back up again.
“Look, Miss Sterling! It’s you!” The boy’s voice made Aspen cover her mouth, a soft “awe” escaping her lips. These kids really were the sweetest.
“Stop flirting with my girl, Damian. You’re way more handsome than me. She won’t even be able to stop herself from falling for you.” Cole’s voice rang out behind her, and the boy laughed as he tried—and failed—going down the bunny hill again.
“Good morning, fiancée.” He whispered as he wrapped an arm around her back and pressed a quick kiss to her cheek before running over to help Damian stand once more. The boy was so small but so full of determination, and Aspen couldn’t help but want to see him succeed.
“Try again, but don’t lean forward or back so much. Just stay centered.” She cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted to the boy as Cole helped position him at the top of the hill once more.
He started down, and Aspen held her breath as he made it to the bottom successfully. He pumped his tiny fist in the air. “Woohoo!! I did it! Did you see that, Miss Sterling? Did ya?”
She ran over and gave him a high five, grinning, before he snatched up his board and headed back to the magic carpet, ready to try again.
“You’ve been working with him a lot,” Cole said as he approached. “And it shows.” He gave her a wink, and she couldn’t help her smile from stretching wide.
“He has so much potential, Cole. SO much!” she said, practically bouncing as she held onto his arm.
“Also, fiancé, eh? When did we make that official?” Aspen bit her lip, knowing full well that her silence was driving him mad.
“Well, I was hoping that me saying it out loud to you—but not loud enough for anyone else to hear, yet—would give you the nudge you needed to finally say yes,” he said, pulling her against him.
“Cole. I’ve only been here for three months. Three.” She held her fingers up to him, and he covered her hand with his gloved one.
“I know. But… never mind. You love me. I love you. That’s all that matters.” His shoulders dropped, and she gave him a frowny face before planting a small smooch on him.
“I’ve got another lesson. I love you. See you at 1 for lunch?” he asked, and she nodded, smiling as he turned and made his way to where his lessons were held, his shoulders dramatically slumped, as though it took all his energy just to walk.
“Bye, Damian. Stop showing off, or she’ll never marry me!” he yelled, and Damian waved goodbye.
It was now or never. She had made him wait for an entire month, and it was killing her inside not to give him an answer.
Still, she struggled with the thoughts that maybe—just maybe—something could go wrong, that he could leave, that she could end up alone.
But that was ridiculous. Cole was perfect.
She loved him, and he had shown her just how much life, how much love, she had been missing out on.
“Yes.” She shouted after him, and he turned slowly, his eyes as round as saucers, just standing there, gaping at her.
He marched back to where she stood, his expression still frozen—like a deer in the headlights. “I’m sorry… wh—, wh—what did you just say?” His eyes danced across her face, his gloved hands clenching and unclenching at his sides.
“I said yes, silly.” She gave him a soft smile and bounced on her toes, waiting for his expression to change.
“Y—, y—, you said… yes?” He stuttered, his eyebrows knit together in disbelief. Poor man. He must be in shock.
“Are you okay, Mr. Rivers?” Damian asked, standing beside him, his little face mirroring Cole’s stunned expression. “Do you need hearing aids or something? Because she shouted yes the first time—so we all heard her—and now she just said it to your face, again.”
The kid shook his head, genuinely puzzled. “Miss Sterling, I think your boyfriend is hard of hearing. You might want to get his ears checked.”
Aspen covered her mouth, trying not to laugh as Cole’s confusion finally shifted into a slow smile of understanding.
He moved toward her and lifted her off the ground, spinning her in circles before setting her back down. “She said YES!” He pumped his fist in the air, then kissed her a few times, making her laugh, before turning to give Damian a high five.
“Eew, that’s gross. Please get a handle on your man, Miss Sterling.”
Aspen and Cole chuckled as the kid grabbed his snowboard and headed up the magic carpet for another run.
“I still can’t believe you said yes.” Cole pulled her into his arms again.
“Why is that so hard to believe, Cole? I love you.”
He kissed her then—stealing her breath—until the kids around them groaned dramatically, a few older ones tossing out playful catcalls that made Aspen’s face heat up.
“I can’t wait for you to be my wife. But I’ve gotta go teach my lesson now, Snow. Unless you have anything else to tell me.” Cole smiled, and Aspen shook her head.
“Nope. Nothing else.”
He gave her one last peck before jogging away.
But she couldn’t help herself. There was one more thing, and she knew it would stop him dead in his tracks.
“What would you say if I told you your whole family was here?”
That did the trick.
Cole froze mid-stride, his back still to her, before he slowly turned around.
He walked back toward her, confusion knitting his brows together. “What do you mean my family is here? How are they here? Why are they here? I mean, I love my family, and they visit every so often, but not all at once.”
Aspen smiled up at him and reached for his gloved hand.
“Jack, you can take over now.”
Jack appeared and slapped Cole on the shoulder as Aspen dragged Cole away.
“Where are y—what are y—Aspen, what is going on?” He finally stopped, digging his heels into the snow.
Aspen turned toward him, unable to stop herself from laughing at his stance.
His arms were crossed over his chest, and he looked like a petulant child who hadn’t gotten his piece of candy after a doctor’s visit.
“If you’ll just come with me, I’ll show you.” She grabbed his hand and pulled—but he wouldn’t budge.
“Uh-huh. Nope. I’m not going anywhere until you tell me what’s happening.”
She rolled her eyes, shaking her head.
“Just… come… with… me.” She tugged on his hand again, still laughing at how dramatic he was being.
“Fine,” he huffed. “But if my sisters or my brother jump out at me—or prank me in any way—you’re in trouble.” He wiggled his fingers at her threateningly, and she rolled her eyes once more as she pulled him toward the forest.
Once they reached an open area surrounded by Christmas trees, Cole glanced around warily—his whole body tense, as though bracing for an ambush.
“Well… what do you think?” Aspen asked, twirling in the snow-dusted clearing.
“Think about what?” he started to say—right as a twig snapped to their left… and then another to their right.
Aspen chuckled just as a group of young women—each a little younger than Aspen—burst out from behind a cluster of trees, dogpiling on top of Cole as they attempted (and mostly failed) to take him down.
A heartbeat later, another man—one who looked very much like Cole—launched out from the opposite side and finished the job, knocking Cole to the ground with a loud, dramatic “oof.”
Laughing triumphantly, they all popped back up, exchanging high fives and brushing snow off their coats, while Cole groaned from the ground.
At that moment, his mom and dad stepped out from behind two nearby pines, each wrapping an arm around Aspen as though she had always been part of their family.
Her own dad appeared next, smiling warmly as he watched the joyful chaos—chaos she was more than ready to belong to.
Cole stood, looking a little disheveled and slightly grumpy as he brushed the snow off himself.
“Hi, Mom. Hi, Dad.” He gave them both hugs before turning toward Aspen. “As I was saying before I was brutally attacked… what is this all about?”
Aspen bit her lip, scrunching her nose as she prepared to say her next words.
“Our wedding?” she beamed up at him, and his expression shifted from confusion to dawning understanding.
“Our we– we– wedding? Wait…” He gestured around at his siblings, then his parents, and finally at Aspen’s dad, before shaking his head at her in disbelief.
“You little…” He moved so fast that there was no way Aspen could have dodged in time.
He scooped her up, tossing her over his shoulder, and walked away from the group standing behind them.
Aspen held up a finger, signaling them to stay put, and when they had moved far enough, Cole set her down, crossing his arms over his chest.
“You’re telling me… my entire family, and yours, are here… for our wedding? And I just found out you said yes like, two seconds ago?”
Aspen just smiled at him, letting his brain catch up.
“Wait… that means you wanted to say yes a month ago and planned all of this?” Cole’s hands dropped to his sides in disbelief.
Aspen wagged her eyebrows at him. “Pretty clever, eh?”
Cole moved slowly toward her, his hands cupping the sides of her face. “Aspen… is this for real?”
She nodded. “Mhmm. I have a dress, you still have the tux from the ball, and your sisters were easy to order matching bridesmaid dresses for. Mr. Mynt has even been helping. You probably didn’t notice it earlier—because you were in shock—but that entire space is decorated with lights overhead.
The chairs for the ceremony are being set up as we speak. ”
She gestured toward where they had just been, and Cole spun around. Their family was busily arranging chairs while workers brought in flowers and an archway, all as if on cue.
“I hope that’s all okay. I kinda just planned it all—with help from your mom and sisters.” She motioned around her, and Cole just smiled, shaking his head.
“You are incredible, Snow. And when I said I can’t wait for you to be my wife, I meant it. Being married to you… is about the best thing I can think of.” He kissed her soundly, and when they finally broke away, his family approached.
“You’re not supposed to do that until after you say ‘I do,’” his brother Sawyer said, clapping him on the shoulder with a chuckle. His sisters poked and teased him, and he teased them back, as Aspen looked on.
This—this was what her family would look like from now on, and she couldn’t wait for all the new adventures that awaited them: new memories, new stories, new traditions. As she looked at Cole, and he looked at her, she knew this was exactly where she was meant to be.