Epilogue One - Seraphine
Fifteen Months Later
Morning light streamed through the cabin windows, lighting up the five completed canvases lined up against the wall. Each painting told a story of my love for my sorority sisters.
Over a year ago, I couldn’t have painted my friends without drowning in unbelievable grief. Now, their beautiful faces smiled back at me, filling me with peace.
I was more than ready for my first gallery show; it was opening in Manhattan next week. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous, but I was ready for the world to see me. Really see me this time.
The sound of power tools echoed from somewhere beyond the trees where Valen was working on our expansion. With his settlement money, he’d bought over two hundred acres of land and was building us a proper home. Even in the dead of winter, he wouldn’t take a break.
Not that I minded our little love cabin—it was where everything had begun—but he wanted me to have space to create something bigger. Plus he needed an actual workshop for his furniture business, and enough space for whatever future we wanted to create together.
I was adding some final touches to Courtney’s portrait when my phone buzzed with a FaceTime call from Emmeline.
“There’s my famous artist friend,” she said when I answered. “How are you feeling about next week?”
“Terrified.” I chuckled. “And excited.” I propped the phone against a stack of books. “I can’t believe people actually want to buy my paintings.”
“Believe it, babe. They’re incredible.” The phone blurred slightly as the connection faltered. “I’ll be there a little late, but I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
“Where are you exactly?” I studied her face through the screen, noticing the dark circles under her eyes. She’d been off for months, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t worried about her.
“Just following a story.” She forced a smile. I could tell something wasn’t right, but I’d learned not to push when she wasn’t ready to talk.
“OK, well, if you need anything, like a place to hide a body, just let me know.”
She laughed, the tension leaving her face. “That’s exactly why I love you. Speaking of, where’s the Viking overlord?”
“Building our future home with his bare hands.” I smiled, glancing out the window toward the construction site. “He’s been ultra-secretive about the plans lately. Won’t let me see anything until it’s finished.”
“Sounds suspicious, but good suspicious.”
We talked for a little while longer before she had to run out. After hanging up, I sat back and admired my paintings. They weren’t just tributes to my friends; they were proof that I could honor the memory of them without drowning in guilt.
I was cleaning my paintbrushes a little while later when I heard Valen’s footsteps on the front porch.
“Little lamb?” he called, “I have a surprise for you.”
I grinned when he walked in, looking as sexy as ever with his disheveled hair and flannel shirt. “OK, but this better not be like last time you had a surprise for me. I ended up handcuffed to the bed for five hours.”
His grin turned wicked as he came closer. “That wasn’t a surprise. That was a reward for good behavior.”
“Good behavior?” I chuckled. “I distinctly remember being very bad that day.”
“Exactly.” He pulled a silk blindfold from behind his back and held it up. “Trust me?”
“With my life.” I turned so he could tie the blindfold over my eyes.
I squealed when he picked me up and carried me outside.
I clung to his neck as he crunched through the remnants of snow.
I had no idea where we were going, but it seemed in a direction I’d never been in before.
The air smelled of fresh-cut cedar and pine, so I hoped he was finally allowing me to see the expansion.
“Where are we going?” I snuggled into him as he carried me.
“Patience, little lamb.”
After what seemed like forever, we finally stopped, and Valen set me down on a flat surface.
“Ready?” he whispered against my ear.
I nodded, and he pulled the blindfold off.
I gasped at the sight in front of me. We stood in a clearing I’d never seen before, where a small creek flowed over black stones like something out of a dream. But it wasn’t the setting that stole my breath; it was what he’d built near it.
A studio sat at the edge of the creek, its glass walls and hand-carved wooden frame giving me a clear view of the forest beyond.
Intricate vines and roses had been carved into the beams, and fairy lights strung between them cast a warm glow over shelves lined with brushes and paint supplies.
The polished wooden floor reflected the light as I stepped inside.
In the center of the room, a table held a giant box.
Blank canvases were stacked against the far wall, waiting for me.
“Valen…” I breathed, at a loss for words.
“It’s your studio,” he murmured. “I know you love painting in the cabin, but I thought you’d like a space that’s just yours. And look.” He pulled a little remote out of his pocket and pressed a button. “This will block out the windows so nobody can see inside.”
“It’s perfect!” I threw my arms around him, planting little kisses all over his face.
He chuckled and ushered me toward the table. “Open it.”
My fingers trembled as I tugged on the satin ribbon. Inside was another black box, and I laughed as I pulled it out. My gaze met his as I pulled off the cover. Tears immediately sprang to my eyes at the bracelet inside.
“You found it,” I breathed. Nestled delicately in tissue paper was the bracelet I’d lost when my car fell through the ice. It looked like it had been cleaned, the silver sparkling.
“I’ve been looking for it every week since the ice melted.” He smiled as he took the bracelet from my fingers and fastened it around my wrist.
The silver was warm against my skin, and I trailed my fingers over each of the charms. “Valen… I don’t know how to thank you.”
“How about spending the rest of your life being my wife?” He dropped to one knee and opened a small velvet box.
“Seraphine Ashford,” he said, his voice rough with emotion.
“A year ago, you crashed into my mountain and turned my world upside down. You taught me how to forgive, to be strong, to love. I owe my life to you, little lamb. Will you be mine forever?” He opened the box and inside was a beautiful diamond ring.
I dropped to my knees in front of him, cupping his face with my hands. “Yes. Yes, of course, my Viking overlord.”
He slipped the ring onto my finger with shaking hands, then pulled me to him. “I love you,” he whispered against my lips as he kissed me.
“I love you too,” I whispered back.
We stayed there for a long time holding each other in the studio he’d built with his own hands, surrounded by the woods that had brought us together. When we finally walked back toward the cabin, Valen stopped and gave me that wicked look that I’d grown very familiar with.
“You know, I bought all this land for a reason.”
“To build a house?” I quirked my brow, smiling up at him.
“Well, that too.” His smile turned predatory. “But mainly now because I have two hundred acres where no one can hear you scream when I chase you through the woods.”
Heat shot through me at his words, the familiar thrill of anticipation running through me. “Is that a threat?”
“It’s a promise.” He stepped closer, backing me into a tree. “I’ll give you a sixty-second head start.”
“What happens when you catch me?” I breathed, my adrenaline already spiking.
“Let’s just say you’re going to remember why you fell in love with a dangerous man.”
“And if you don’t catch me?”
His laugh was dark and full of promise. “Little lamb, I’ll always catch you.”
I kissed him hard, then pulled away with a grin. “We’ll see about that.”
I took off running into the woods, his laughter chasing behind me like a wicked promise.
He would catch me. He always did.
Because no matter how far I ran, Valen Creed always found me.
And God help me, I’d never want it any other way.