EPILOGUE
SLOANE
The town square glows with the same festive lights as last year, strung between buildings in loops of white and gold, but this year, the celebration feels exactly as it should.
Children race between adult shoppers carrying cookies and cocoa and avoiding the piles of snow and ice that hit last night.
And their cheerful voices remind me that life's perfectly ordinary and non-exciting moments can be invigorating and healing.
Dane walks beside me with his hand in mine and I lean on his shoulder as I listen to the cacophony—children's happy shrieks, the chatter of people surrounding us, and the same tinny music on the same outdated PA system. It's perfect and I don't even miss the city this year.
Some habits never die completely.
"This is incredible," Erin says from my other side where she walks in step with me. "I mean, you described it in your emails, but seeing it in person is totally different. It's so cozy and festive. Very Hallmark movie vibes."
I laugh and elbow her in the ribs jokingly.
She drove up from the city three days ago to attempt a recreation of our Christmas tradition of Time's Square and Rockefeller Center, but I'm sure Sutter's Gap falls short, even with all the decorations and holiday cheer.
But it's nice to see her and I've missed her, heading back to NYC only once in mid-March to move my things out here and terminate my lease.
"Wait until you try Ellie's hot chocolate," I tell her. "Or Mira's holiday mud slide."
"Sheesh," Dane grunts, giving me a wry grin. He knows from last year's New Year's Eve party just how much those mud slides affect me. I wink at him and turn as Erin starts to respond.
"Speaking of Ellie," Erin says, pointing toward the diner's outdoor booth. "Is that her?"
Ellie stands behind the counter, pouring steaming mugs of cocoa and chatting with customers.
Her blonde hair is braided over one shoulder, and she's wearing a red sweater with a reindeer stitched across the front, barely visible as her coat flops in the breeze.
And beside her stands the second-most handsome man on the mountain.
If I weren't smitten with Dane, I'd have given Ellie a run for her money on that man.
"That's her," I confirm. "And the guy with her is Darren. He came up here for a hunting trip back in October and never left."
Erin grins. "Aw… A hunting trip romance? That's adorable." Her sing-songy voice makes me chuckle. But it is quite the story. I'm really happy for Ellie. We thought she was never going to find "The One".
We make our way over to the booth, and Ellie's face lights up when she sees us.
"Sloane! Dane!" She sets down the thermos and comes around the counter to pull me into a hug.
"I'm so glad you made it. And you must be Erin," she says, opening her arms to embrace her.
Seeing my two best friends together at once is magical all on its own, but at Christmas it feels all the more special.
"That's me," Erin says, accepting her own hug with enthusiasm. "Thank you for letting me crash your town's celebration."
"Crash? Please. The more, the merrier." Ellie gestures to the man beside her. "This is Darren."
He extends his hand, first to me, then to Erin, and finally to Dane. His handshake is firm but friendly. He's really settled in around here, and now and then, he comes around to help Dane with work around the cabin.
"Nice to meet you, Erin," Darren says. "Dane, Sloane. Ellie was just talking about you."
"All good things, I hope," I say.
"Mostly." Ellie winks. "I may have mentioned that time you tried to make dinner at the diner and nearly set the stove on fire."
I groan. "That was one time, and the burner was broken." A lot has happened in the past year, and the friendships I've established are ones I know will be lifelong. And Dane's finally managed to come out of his shell a little too.
"Sure it was." Ellie laughs and pours four mugs of hot chocolate, handing them out. "Here. This'll warm you up. It's freezing tonight."
The cocoa is rich and creamy, topped with whipped cream and a dusting of cinnamon.
I take a sip and feel the warmth spread through me immediately.
We chat for a few more minutes and listen as Darren tells us about his first hunting trip in the Adirondacks, how he got turned around on the trails and ended up stumbling into town half-frozen and completely lost. Ellie found him at the diner, fed him soup, and gave him directions back to his campsite.
He came back the next day to thank her, and the rest, as they say, is history.
"That's so romantic," Erin says, her eyes practically sparkling. "Meeting in a small mountain town during hunting season. It's perfect."
Ellie blushes. "It wasn't quite as cinematic as it sounds. He showed up covered in mud and smelling like the woods."
"Hey, I cleaned up," Darren protests, and he tickles Ellie's side playfully.
Erin turns to Dane and me with a mischievous expression. "You two should have a winter wedding. Can you imagine? Mountains in the background, snow on the ground, pine sprigs everywhere. It'd be so romantic." She's practically swooning as she hugs her cocoa and gives me a starry-eyed look.
Dane's jaw tightens slightly, and I feel him shift beside me.
He's not a fan of being the center of attention, and the idea of a wedding—especially one with all the trappings Erin's describing—probably makes him want to disappear into the woods.
We haven't talked about marriage other than to say that we are committed to each other, and I'm not sure what he's even thinking about it.
"That does sound beautiful," I say diplomatically, trying to steer the conversation away before Dane gets too uncomfortable.
But Erin's on a roll now. "And you could do it right here in the square.
String up more lights, set up an arch covered in evergreen branches, maybe some candles.
Oh, and the reception could be at the diner!
Ellie, you'd cater, right?" It's like Erin planned this entire conversation and wants to make sure she drops every hint.
I can feel Dane growing more distant by the second, pulling away.
"Absolutely," Ellie says, clearly delighted by the idea. "I'd make it a feast."
Dane clears his throat. "We should keep moving. Lots to see." He starts moving, and I feel trapped between the man I love and my best friend for life.
Erin giggles, clearly picking up on his discomfort. "Okay, okay. I'll stop planning your hypothetical wedding—for now."
She loops her arm through mine and pulls me toward the next booth, leaving Dane to follow her rapid footsteps, and when she sees a holiday wreath she absolutely has to have, she darts off. He catches up quickly, his hand finding mine again, and I glance up at him.
"You okay?" I ask quietly.
"Fine," he mutters. "Your friend has a lot of opinions."
"She's excited. She hasn't seen me this happy in years."
His expression softens. "Are you? Happy?"
"Yes." I lean into him as we walk and again rest my head on his shoulder. "Happier than I've ever been."
We wander through the celebration, stopping at booths to admire handmade ornaments and sample Becky Albright's roasted chestnuts.
Erin buys a carved wooden reindeer from Gideon, who's recovered fully from the gunshot wound he took last year.
His leg still gives him trouble in the cold, but he's back to running his booth with the same gruff charm.
Mira waves at us from the bar setup, where she's serving mulled wine to a crowd of locals.
Varen stands nearby, talking to Travis Boone, both of them dressed warmly and looking far more relaxed than they did this time last year.
And when Wade struts out with his chest puffed out, everyone nods at him.
It took him a while to get back on his feet, but the entire town stands in agreement. It wouldn't be the same without him.
The square is full of people—families with children, couples holding hands, groups of friends laughing over drinks.
And even the Santa display is up and running.
Erin wanders off toward the mistletoe swags, most likely assuming she'll be buying some to stash around the cabin to force me and Dane to kiss, and I just chuckle.
"She really is relentless, isn't she?" I ask him, and he doesn’t even answer.
Instead, he takes my hand and leads me toward the center of the square, near the massive Christmas tree. The lights strung through its branches cast a soft glow over the snow-covered ground that's pure white this year. No blood in sight.
When we reach the base of the tree, he stops and turns to face me.
His expression is serious now, the faint hint of nervousness in his eyes that I rarely see.
"What?" I say, smiling at him, and he clears his throat but doesn't speak.
His brow furrows in a deep crevice and it's almost like pain in his eyes, not the happiness that was just there a moment ago.
"Dane?" I ask, my heart starting to race.
I think for a moment he's going to give me some bad news or break up with me, but then he reaches into his coat pocket and pulls out a small black box.
My breath catches. "Oh, my God," I whisper, not able to take my eyes off his face as he lowers onto one knee and grips my hand.
"Your friend almost ruined this," he says, and I already feel the tears welling up. "She's talking about weddings and futures and all these things I've been too much of a coward to bring up."
"You're not a coward," I say softly.
"I am when it comes to this." He opens the box, revealing a simple gold band with a single diamond set into the metal.
It's elegant and understated, exactly the kind of ring I would've chosen for myself.
"I've been carrying this around for two weeks, waiting for the right moment.
But there's never going to be a perfect time, is there? "
My eyes sting with tears. "Dane."
He kisses my frigid fingers and then looks me in the eye again. Everything else vanishes around me. It's like it's just the two of us, no Erin, no town celebration. And the air crystallizes between us.
"Sloane Grady," he says so quietly I almost miss it. "You came into my life when I thought I didn't deserve anything good and saw who I really am—the worst parts of me, the parts I tried to bury—and you stayed anyway. I thought you'd run away and be afraid of me, but you helped me accept myself."
A tear slips down my cheek, and I don't bother wiping it away.
"I don't have much to offer you," he continues. "I'm a man with a dark past and a future I'm still figuring out. But what I do have, I want to give to you. My time, my loyalty, my heart—all of it. For as long as you'll have me."
He looks up at me and I see the sparkle of the Christmas lights on the tree behind me reflected in his eyes.
"Will you marry me?" he asks.
I don't hesitate. "Oh my God, yes," I whimper. The word comes out choked with tears, but it's the easiest answer I've ever given. Dane stands, pulling the ring from the box and sliding it onto my finger. Then he pulls me into his arms and kisses me.
The square erupts into applause around us, people cheering and whistling, but I barely hear them. All I can focus on is Dane's hands cradling my face, his lips warm against mine.
For a man who likes to be private and secretive about things, this was probably the most outrageous thing he's ever done. A proposal on the town square on the night before Christmas Eve?
"I can't believe you just did that," I say, laughing through my tears as I swipe across my cheeks with my bare fingers.
"I figured if I didn't, your friend was going to keep harassing me about it," Dane says, but there's a smile tugging at his lips now. "And I didn't want her to think I was doing this because she pressured me."
"Oh, no," I jab, "we can't have that." He kisses me again harder and then picks me up in his strong arms and spins me around, setting me back on the snow just as Erin rushes over, throwing her arms around both of us.
"Oh my God, that was perfect! I'm so happy for you!"
"Thank you," I say, hugging her back, and my mind is already reeling.
"Anytime." She pulls back and looks at Dane. "See? Winter weddings are romantic."
He rolls his eyes, but he's still smiling.
Ellie appears with Darren, carrying a sprig of mistletoe. "You have to kiss under this. It's tradition."
She holds it over our heads, and Dane doesn't argue. He leans down and kisses me again, slower this time, and I hear a few snickers as people walk up to us to congratulate us.
These people—Ellie, Varen, Mira, Gideon, all of them—have become my family over the past year. They welcomed me when I had nowhere else to go, protected me when danger came calling, and celebrated with me when the storm finally passed.
This is home now, this life I've built with Dane. The mornings waking up beside him, the evenings spent by the fire, the quiet moments where we don't have to say anything because we already understand each other completely.
"I love you," I tell him, my hand resting over his heart.
"I love you too," he says, his voice low enough that only I can hear it, because God forbid he ever let anyone see him being vulnerable, but I like it that way. It makes it special that I'm the only one who gets to see him that way.
And it's special that this moment is shared with people I care about more than anything in the world. They're my family now, and it's fitting that they're all here to be a part of this moment. And next year, when wedding bells are ringing, they'll be here to celebrate with us then too.
"Let's get some eggnog," Dane says, pulling me away from the tree and the crowd, and I go willingly.
I'd follow this man anywhere he goes because home is where your heart is, and he stole mine.