Epilogue
Nora knew the party wouldn’t be a surprise.
Maris couldn’t keep her mouth shut on a bet.
But she had her camera ready for their private celebration, which would come first. She’d planned this special gift for weeks, and no one, not Mae or Hal or even Ranger Upshaw, who were all coming back to celebrate Fallon’s promotion-birthday, knew about it.
Fallon came into the cabin they’d been sharing for the last nine months.
Nora loved it that Fallon’s face still lit up when they saw each other, and she willingly admitted that hers did too.
Tyler hadn’t been too sad when she’d moved out, and Caden had helped her pack.
No shocker there. But right now, it was all she could do to hold on to the carefully packaged surprise that filled her arms. “Here,” she said, setting it on the floor. “Open it. Quickly.”
“What is…it’s…is it moving?” Fallon looked up at her. The box was indeed beginning to wiggle.
“Hurry up,” Nora ordered, using her strict voice.
It was close to the one Fallon liked her to use in the bedroom sometimes, which meant Fallon did as she was told.
When the lid came off in her hands, she jumped back, apparently suspecting some kind of gag.
Nora knew her older brothers were to blame for that.
They’d become involved in some advanced mitigation training and were regular visitors to Firecamp—usually staying for dinner—while constantly slipping rubber flies into the food or hiding fake snakes in the barracks or placing whoopie cushions on Ranger Lou’s chair.
A faint yip came from the box, and Fallon’s eyes widened. “What was that?”
Nora watched her through the lens. God, she got more beautiful every day. It just wasn’t fair. “You’d better take a closer look.”
Fallon knelt and inched toward the edge of the gift. There was a louder bark this time. “Oh God, Nora. Did you—”
Before she could finish, a puppy rolled out of the box, sliding headfirst into Fallon’s waiting arms. “You remembered,” she said through tears. “You got me my first dog.”
“I remember everything,” Nora said, lowering the camera and moving to join them on the floor. She got a sweet kiss and a tentative lick. She hoped she knew who did what. “What are you going to call her?”
The puppy whined and burrowed into Fallon’s chest. “Chickenshit?” Fallon suggested teasingly.
“Oh no.” Nora laughed. “I think we can come up with something better.”
Fallon’s brow creased. “You know, I just finished a book where I learned that lilac is the symbol for first love. Maybe we should name her Lilac.”
Nora eyed her. “I think you should find out what symbolizes second love. First love is my place.”
Fallon kissed her again. “Of course it is.” She looked into Nora’s eyes and smiled as she touched her face. “And I love you so much.”
This was the gift that they gave each other every day, and those simple words had made them each other’s North Star. Their love, freely given and willingly accepted, remained their perfect focal point, even as it continued to grow, encompassing friends and family and home.