Epilogue
RIANN
I swallow a shaky breath as Skylar veers the car off the main road onto a narrow gravel drive. We’re surrounded by trees on both sides, and I can tell from the GPS above the radio that we've been driving alongside a huge lake for the past ten minutes.
She hasn’t told me anything specific about her house—she wants it to be a surprise.
My breath catches as the dense forest breaks and opens up into a clearing that looks out across a lake, glittering like crystal shards in the bright sun.
The cold air makes everything feel more crisp, and the water is so blue it almost looks like something off a postcard.
The gentle waves lapping at the little strip of sand that turns into a wide, perfectly-manicured yard are the only moving parts of the picturesque scene.
Gravel crunches under the tires as Skylar pulls up to an elegant two-story house. Its wood and stone exterior looks like it was plucked straight from a movie.
She parks in the driveway between an enormous four-door pickup truck and a red Corvette.
“This is your house?” My eyes widen as they bounce between Skylar and the gorgeous building in front of us.
“It's yours, too,” she says, leaning across the console to kiss my cheek.
The slate roof is pointed to fit perfectly with the huge triangular walls, and there’s a large balcony overlooking the water.
I know without asking that it must lead to her bedroom, and I can already imagine myself standing up there with my hands wrapped around a warm mug of coffee, watching the sunrise fall over the water with her every day.
Huge windows spread across the front of the house, and through the pane to the right of the front door, I catch a glimpse of a dining room and a plush sectional sofa.
There’s a hammock strung up between two trees in the yard to the left; we can definitely cuddle up there with tons of blankets to keep ourselves warm. Two canoes are stacked right next to a small boat, and I’m already picturing summer picnics out in the middle of the lake.
“What do you think?” she asks, watching me with a mix of trepidation and expectation.
This is better than anything I could have dreamed.
“It’s beautiful, Skylar. I really get to live here?” I ask, knowing it’s a silly question, but still trying to accept the fact that this is my new life.
“You’re my mate,” she says, love beating in her voice. “Anything that's mine is yours.”
She takes my hand, entwining our fingers as the midday sun streams through the car and lights up the house. “One day, I’ll tell you how much it means that you’re here with me. But, for now, I just want you to see the house. Then we can get started unpacking all of your stuff.”
After Skylar claimed me and my heat subsided, we packed up most of my things together.
It really was something to have my alpha take every single piece of my nest and handle them with love and care as we organized things into boxes.
She arranged to have all my things delivered to her house while we took a detour trip to the beach, and they should be waiting for us inside.
She offered to pay for the rest of my tuition and let me graduate, but there was no way I was spending months away from her. Two weeks apart was difficult enough, and now that we’re bonded? Living in different states definitely isn’t an option.
She opens her car door, and I follow suit, but before I can even step out, she's racing around the front of the BMW. She eases my door open, puffing out her chest, and half bows as she offers me her hand.
“Miss Saunders,” she says with a purr that gives me shivers. Heat sparks in my core as she helps me out of the car. The moment I'm standing in front of her, she lifts the back of my hand to her lips.
“Hmm… how does Riann Morales sound?” I cock my head, loving the blush that spreads across her cheeks.
“You’d take my last name?” she asks, surprise evident in her tone.
“I’ve taken everything else, haven’t I?” I grin wide. “What’s one more thing?”
She bends down to take my lips, and a sense of peace settles around me like I've never felt before.
“I could get used to this,” I say, grinning as she guides me toward the front steps, lacing her fingers with mine.
“I hope you do.” The way she looks at me makes me feel like the most special omega in the world. “Now, you better get ready… Because I'm going to spoil you every single day until you're sick of me.”
I grin and squeeze her hand reassuringly. “There's no way I could ever be sick of you.”
“You say that now…” She laughs and leads the way up the front steps, letting go of my hand at the top. “Here, this is for you.”
She plunges her hand into the pocket of her jeans and pulls out a key tied with a red ribbon. It has a small silver heart keychain hanging from it.
“Aw, really?” My heart swells as she drops it into my palm.
“Like I said, preciosa, everything I have is yours. You can have this entire house, or I can buy us another somewhere else if you prefer.” Her fingers trail along my jaw, her thumb brushing over my bottom lip.
“I'll give you anything in the world you could ever need. All I want in return is to be your alpha.”
My breath sits heavy in my chest, and I don't even know if I can speak with these feelings clogging my throat.
“If this is too overwhelming, you can tell me,” she says suddenly, her eyebrows pinching together. “I'm not sure how I can help, but I’ll try.”
“It’s a lot, but it’s perfect.” I grin as I lift up the key. “I think I’m just in shock, to be honest. This place is incredible.”
“It's my dream house,” she confesses, her eyes drifting toward the front door. “Even before I presented, I knew I wanted a big house on the water where I could live with my mate. Somewhere peaceful and perfect, like our own little slice of paradise.”
“Try it out, see what you think,” she urges, and my hand shakes so badly, I can barely get it into the keyhole.
When the door clicks open, she smiles. “Welcome home.”
A tiny gasp leaves my parted lips as Skylar leads us into a large entryway that spills into an open-concept living room.
A high white ceiling feeds down to sage green walls that are covered in bright paintings and photos of people smiling and laughing.
Some look like her, others don’t, but they hug Skylar close in the photos, so they must be her friends and family.
The sectional sofa is dark brown with an array of colorful throw pillows.
The whole room seems alive, and my heart instantly soars at how vibrant it is.
Judging by the outside, I expected the interior to be neat and expensive, like it belonged in one of those fancy realtor magazines. But color explodes from every corner. I feel like I’m caught in a rainbow whirlwind as I spin around, drinking it all in.
“Come on, preciosa.” She laughs as she drags me by the hand, guiding me to the end of the room. We pass under a thick wooden spiral staircase that leads to the second floor.
“That goes up to the bedrooms,” she explains. “There’s an office down the hall, and my gym is in the basement. Maybe you can work out with me sometimes.”
I scrunch my nose at her, the motion making her laugh. “We’ll see. Baby steps, right?”
“Baby steps,” she agrees.
I stare around in amazement. The place I grew up in was small, but it was filled with love and a passion for life. My parents always tried to make the most out of everything, and it was that energy I wanted to bring into wherever I settled down.
And there is something about this room that tells me the rest of the house is going to be filled with the same kind of love.
“We still have to christen the house,” she says as she walks me through the kitchen. “And the only way to do that is by making you come in every room. What do you say?”
I blink up at her, my face warming. “How many rooms are there?”
She pauses to count. “Twelve, unless we’re counting the balcony. That could be thirteen.”
My face flushes as marshmallows bloom up around me. “That sounds perfect. Should we start at the top or the bottom?”
A happy growl rumbles from Skylar as she bends down to kiss me. “I don’t know, the thought of fucking you in front of all those mirrors downstairs has me wet already.”
A shiver works through me.
That makes two of us.
“Take me however you want me.” I fist the front of her hoodie and drag her closer. “I’m yours.”
A groan falls from her as she wraps her arms around me. “I love you, preciosa.”
My ear presses against her chest to hear her racing heart, and a wave of peace washes over me at the happy rhythm that beats in time with my own.
“And I love you, Skylar.” I lean back, looking up at her perfect smile and the love in her eyes.
The house and lake are incredible, but right here, secure in her arms, is where it really feels like home.