Epilogue
OLENA
One year later
The sound of the river burbles along in front of me as I sit cross-legged with a book in my lap, swaying gently in the new swing.
Jude installed it a few weeks ago under the arbutus tree and I can’t get enough of sitting down here.
The light is fading, and I reach over to the switch nearby, flicking on the fairy lights above me.
I look up and smile at the twinkling of stars above my head—our own private little slice of Starscape Manor.
I stretch out my limbs; my bare legs and feet are tanned from working outside in the summer sun, my sandals discarded on the rocks below me.
I twist around when I hear footsteps on the stairs.
Jude descends the zig-zag of steps that connect our house to this place, smiling as he approaches me. “I’m never gonna get tired of you wearing those,” he says, grinning, as I pull my reading glasses up to rest in my hair.
A light breeze catches wisps of my hair from my messy bun, drawing them over my face. I brush them back and grin at Jude, scooting over on the bench swing to make room for him.
“Hey.” I press a kiss to his cheek as he sits down beside me, slipping my arm under his.
“I have a surprise for you.” He puts his hand in his pocket and pulls out a small white card, handing it to me.
I turn over the business card, pulling my glasses back down to read it in the dim light. I catch Jude’s arched eyebrow as he watches me. The card reads “MacMillan & Sharpe Landscape Services” in a classy modern script.
My eyes snap up to his. “Jude!”
“What do you think?” He smiles at me. “The truck goes in for a new decal next week.”
I look back down at the card in my hand, running my fingers over the embossed lettering. My eyes well up as I meet Jude’s gaze once more, pulling off my glasses and placing them on the bench beside me.
“It’s perfect,” I breathe, holding the card to my chest. “Are you sure?”
“Yes, I’m sure.” He chuckles and kisses me.
“You won’t miss the old name?” I search his expression.
“No, not at all,” he says quickly. “Sharpe Blades sounded kind of badass when I was twenty-five. But it’s time for an upgrade.”
I smile at him.
“And time to make this working together thing official,” he says, running a hand along my thigh. “The card’s just a sample. The name isn’t final if you want to change it.”
I lean in and kiss him softly. “No, I love it,” I say, beaming as I look at the card once more before tucking it into my book before turning to him again. “And I love you.”
“I love you too.” He grins at me. “Oh, shoot, that reminds me,” he says, snapping his fingers. “I wanted to ask you something else too.”
I furrow my brow and look at him quizzically, as he reaches into his pocket again.
“Marry me?” He holds the ring out in front of me.
My eyes widen and my jaw drops. The book slides from my lap, fluttering to the rocks below us. My heart is beating a mile a minute as I look between the ring and the man I love.
“Olena?” He chuckles at my stunned expression. “Oh boy, she’s speechless…” He grimaces, then laughs again. “Come on. You gonna give me an answer, or—”
“Yes! Oh my God, yes. Yes!” A tear runs down my cheek as I throw my arms around his neck, pulling him in and kissing him hard. I draw back, searching his eyes, then furrow my brow. “I can’t believe you led with the business card!” I swat his arm and he flinches, laughing. I’m still in shock.
“Gotta keep you on your toes.” He kisses my forehead, then slides the ring onto my finger.
The ring is beautiful and simple, the gold band hugging a bright green emerald. I move it around and watch it glitter under the twinkling lights.
“It’s beautiful.”
“It was my grandmother’s,” he explains. “Then my mother’s. She loved it because it matched her green eyes.”
I look up into Jude’s own green eyes and kiss him again. I could do this forever. And then I realize, as he pulls me closer, that I get to do this forever. I get to have him forever. And it feels… perfect.