Epilogue
Daria
Three months later
Spring has transformed Evergreen Lakes into something from a postcard—wildflowers dotting the meadows, snow melting into rushing streams, everything green and alive and new.
Kind of like me.
I stand in front of the mirror in our bedroom—our bedroom, in our house—and barely recognize the woman looking back. She's wearing a sundress that shows off curves instead of hiding them. Her hair is loose and unselfconscious. She's smiling.
She looks happy.
She looks visible.
"You almost ready?" Nick calls from the kitchen.
"Two minutes!"
I moved to Evergreen Lakes six weeks ago.
Broke my lease, quit my job, packed everything I owned into a U-Haul and drove eleven hours north to a town I'd only visited once with my dream man by my side.
My friends thought I was crazy. Shayne cheered me on.
My parents were worried. Everyone had opinions about moving in with a man I'd only known a week.
But here's what they didn't understand: I knew Nick in ways that had nothing to do with time. I knew his kindness, his patience, his fierce protectiveness. I knew how he looked at me, like I was the most important person in the world. I knew he made me braver.
And I wanted to be brave.
Now I work remotely for a medical clinic out of Reno. The pay is good, the work is interesting, and I get to do it from our sunny home office with mountain views.
Nick still teaches ski lessons in winter, but he also leads summer hiking expeditions, and is a certified mountain guide. He lights up when he talks about it. My man is made for the mountains.
We're building a life. Together.
I grab my purse and head to the kitchen where Nick is pouring coffee into travel mugs. He's wearing jeans and a gray t-shirt that makes his shoulders look impossibly broad, and when he sees me, his entire face softens.
"Hey, beautiful."
I believe him when he says it now.
He hands me coffee and kisses my forehead. "Ready for the farmer’s market?"
"Ready."
We walk hand-in-hand down Main Street, and I wave at Maggie from the diner, at the woman who runs the bookstore, at Nick's friend Devon and his wife Emma, who are setting up a booth for the resort. People know me here. Know my name. Ask about my work and mean it.
I'm not invisible in Evergreen Lakes. I'm part of the community.
"You know what I was thinking?" Nick says, pulling me close as we browse handmade jewelry.
"What?"
"We should go back. To the warming hut."
Heat floods my face. "Nick."
"What? It's our spot. We should celebrate our anniversary there."
"Our anniversary isn't for six months."
"So? We can have a practice anniversary." He grins, wicked and warm. "I want to make love to you there again. Remind you how this all started."
"You're incorrigible."
"You love it."
I do. I love him. Love this life. Love the woman I'm becoming in the safety of his love.
We spend the morning wandering the market, buying fresh bread and local honey and flowers for our kitchen table. When we get home, I cook lunch while Nick works in the garden, and it's so beautifully domestic it makes my chest ache.
After lunch, we curl up on the couch together. Nick is reading trail maps, and I’m reading a romance novel in which Nick keeps popping up as the hero in my mind. But mostly we're just existing in the same space, comfortable and content.
"Hey," Nick says softly.
I look up. "Yeah?"
"I'm glad you chose this. Chose us."
"Me too."
"Any regrets?"
"Not a single one." And I mean it. "This is everything I never knew I wanted."
He pulls me closer, pressing a kiss to my temple. "This is everything I was too afraid to ask for."
I nestle into his side, and relish the love we have found with each other.
My phone buzzes with a text.
Madison: How's mountain life? Still deliriously happy?
Me: Ridiculously happy. Like, annoyingly happy.
Madison: Good. You deserve it. Tell Nick we said hi.
I show Nick the text, and he smiles. "Your retreat friends miss you."
"They're coming to visit next month. I promised to take them hiking."
"I'll give them a tour. Family discount."
"We're not family."
He looks at me, something serious in his eyes. "Not yet."
My heart skips. "Nick—"
"I'm not proposing right now. But I'm saying... I want that. With you. When you're ready."
I kiss him. "I want that too. When we're ready."
"Together?"
"Always together."
***
Thank you for reading.