Epilogue
Instrumental Christmas music provided a cheery backdrop to the conversation around the dinner table as everyone finished the delicious holiday meal. The entire Hart family had gathered at the house, filling it with love and laughter, and Katie couldn’t be happier. She’d never experienced such a lovely Christmas before. All the kids had already dashed off to play with the gifts they had opened this morning while the adults lingered at the table to visit.
She sat back with a contented sigh. Ethan had draped his arm over the back of her chair as he and Joel animatedly told a story from one of their childhood Christmases, drawing laughter from everyone. It was the sort of evening Katie would have loved to last forever. But, if she looked back, the last few months had been full of times like this, and she was thankful for every one of them. She knew she would face hard times again. It was an inevitable part of life here on earth, but she cherished the peace she had found. Peace and love.
She watched the way Ethan interacted with his family and how his eyes sparkled when he smiled. So many times in her life, she’d despaired of ever truly finding happiness, but she could see now how God had used the hard years to bring her to this point—to bring her and Ethan together—and she thanked Him for it.
After a while, Ethan must have noticed her watching him. He turned to look at her, his eyes full of love. For that moment, it was just the two of them, the ongoing conversation around them fading. Then he leaned toward her and murmured, “Do you want to go for a walk with me?”
She nodded, and they excused themselves from the table. After bundling up in their warm winter clothes, Ethan opened the door, and they stepped outside. The crisp, frozen air met them, prickling on Katie’s cheeks, but it was refreshing after the large meal and warmth from the fireplace.
Ethan reached for her hand, and together, they set off along the path he and his dad maintained from the porch to the cottage. They walked down to the lake and onto the area they’d cleared for skating. Here, they paused to look up at the stars. Not a cloud marred the sky, giving them a breathtaking view of the Milky Way. A little over a week ago, they had enjoyed a rare sighting of the northern lights from here.
Katie leaned into Ethan. Smiling, he shifted to put his arm around her and pulled her closer as they talked quietly about the day and the upcoming year. For once, she looked forward to what a new year would bring.
Eventually, the warmth from the house faded, and she shivered. He tightened his hold on her.
“Cold?”
“A little.”
He turned them back toward the house, and they retraced their steps until they reached the fire pit. Here, Ethan stopped, tugging off his gloves. Katie frowned as he reached into his coat and pulled out his phone.
“What are you doing?”
He fiddled with the screen and then held up a finger. “Wait for it.”
A moment later, music started playing, and Katie recognized it instantly. I Swear, just like they danced to at Abby’s wedding.
She grinned. “Is this our song?”
“Of course. This is the song that changed everything. You might still be with Drew if not for this song.”
“Well, I think I would have realized before too long that you’ve always had my heart.”
He held out his hand to her. When she took it, he drew her close and wrapped his arm around her. Katie leaned into him as they swayed with the music. Her heart swelled with each line of the lyrics, knowing how well they fit Ethan. If only she could tell Grandma she’d found the one. But then, maybe Grandma had seen it all along.
As the last notes of music died away, Katie smiled up at Ethan, ready to tell him what she’d been thinking, but the intense way he gazed at her stalled her thoughts.
“I know we were apart for fifteen years and have only been back together for a few months, but I meant what I told you here at the fire. I loved you back then, and I have never stopped loving you. I never want to be apart like that again.” He drew back enough to drop down on one knee, and she gasped, her heart leaping. “Katie, will you marry me?”
He lifted a small red box, and Katie had to blink rapidly to see the ruby ring sparkling inside. A cross between a laugh and a sob bubbled out of her chest.
“Yes!”
He pushed back to his feet and hooked his arm around her to draw her in for a kiss. She grasped his coat, kissing him back even as tears warmed her cold cheeks. Never had she dreamed of being as happy as she was in this moment.
When they parted, Ethan took the ring from the box, and Katie pulled off her mitten so he could slip it onto her finger. The Christmas lights along the house glittered on the polished red gem.
“It’s beautiful,” she breathed, sniffing back tears. And perfect. Never had she known anyone who knew her so well.
Then Joel’s voice shouted from the house. “Well?”
Ethan chuckled and called back over his shoulder. “She said yes.”
Cheers and screams rang out into the crisp night air, echoing out across the frozen expanse of the lake. Both Katie and Ethan laughed.
He drew her close again. “Are you ready to marry into this crazy family?”
Katie couldn’t think of a better kind of craziness. She didn’t know how she would have survived her childhood without it. “I’ve always been ready.”