Epilogue
Sophie
Three Months Later
When I got Kian’s note, I thought we might be headed for a romantic weekend away, but now as I stared at the empty parking lot, I was confused. Maybe I misunderstood his note.
I pushed open the heavy timber door of the Valbona River Hotel and stepped inside. The massive stone fireplace was dark, the long wooden desk empty, the chandeliers dimmed to a soft, golden glow that kissed the polished floors.
The lobby was silent and empty. No doorman. No guests. Just the distant rush of the river outside and the steady beat of my heart.
I paused just inside the doorway, breathing in pine, wood, and memory. Months ago, I’d left this place somewhat lost. I’d run into the man who would change my life—and me—so I’d never be alone.
Now, I was back as a new woman. I was loved, cherished, and protected.
“Kian?” I called softly, my voice echoing down deserted hallways.
“In here,” came his reply. “Dining room.”
My heartbeat sped up in excitement and I wound around the corner to where the dining room was.
My steps were slow, almost as if moving too quickly might shatter the moment. The hotel felt suspended in time, preserved exactly as it had been the day I’d left. Except this time, the weight in my chest wasn’t fear, but love.
I loved the man more than life itself.
The doors to the dining room stood open, moonlight pouring through the tall windows and spilling across a single table set for two. Candles flickered gently, their reflections dancing against crystal glasses and white linen. Beyond the glass, the Albanian Alps loomed tall and mighty.
And there he was.
Kian stood near the windows, hands clasped behind his back. He wore his usual tailored suit, the silver threaded through his dark hair visible in the candlelight. He looked impossibly handsome, and I felt a thrill that this was my man.
When he turned and saw me, something softened in his eyes. “There she is.”
“Hello, babe,” I murmured, closing the distance between us. “I missed you today.”
My breath caught as he stopped in front of me, close enough that I could feel the warmth of him, the grounding presence that had once steadied me in a moment of panic.
“Ditto.” He pressed his lips on mine and kissed me deeply. It wasn’t until I was out of breath that he pulled away and said, “I’ve waited my whole life for you.”
“I’m glad you did, because I can’t imagine this life without you.” I smiled, hooking my arms around his neck while glancing around us. “Funny, I came here trying to disappear,” I said, “and somehow I found my way back to myself. I found you—the love of my life.”
“I’m happy to hear that,” he replied, pulling me even closer to him. “This place,” he continued quietly, gesturing around us, “was where everything shifted. You didn’t see me at first, but I saw you. And when you jumped into my arms in the parking lot, deep down, I already knew you were mine.”
He reached for an item wrapped in a white cloth.
My chest tightened as he lowered himself to one knee, not even wincing when he came into contact with the marble floor.
He carefully unfolded the white cloth and I stared in bewilderment at the sandal I’d lost that day. It was cleaned, preserved.
“You saved it?” I breathed. “All this time?”
“I’ll always treasure everything about you, zemra ime,” he rasped, easing back. He lifted my foot, took off my shoe and slipped on the sandal with a tenderness that made my knees weak.
“Perfect fit,” he murmured.
“I feel like Cinderella meeting her Prince Charming,” I teased.
“I’m happy you think of me that way.”
“How could I not? You saved me from a snake at our first encounter. Remember, I climbed you like a tree?”
“You climbed me like a lifeline,” he said, voice steady but thick with emotion. “And you became mine. You, Sophie Baldwin, are my peace, my heart, and my soul. I might not love you perfectly, but I vow to love you endlessly.”
Tears blurred my vision as he looked up at me, his dark eyes full of love and reverence. He always made me feel like I was the center of his universe. And God knew, he was definitely the center of mine.
He reached into his jacket, pulled out a velvet box and opened it, revealing a timeless, diamond ring that caught the light.
“I want to be the man who walks beside you, and I want you to walk beside me as my wife. Just the two of us. You’re my woman, and you own every single one of my thoughts, every breath, and every heartbeat. I’m all yours, only yours.”
I released a shuddering breath, my eyes burning with happy tears. “And I’m all yours. Forever.”
“Marry me, Sophie,” he rasped, his voice thick with all the emotions I was feeling.
The mountains bore witness. The river rushed on. The hotel remained still, as if the world had narrowed to this single moment.
“Yes,” I breathed, a laugh breaking through my tears. “Yes.”
He slid the ring onto my finger, his hand warm and steady, then rose and pulled me into his arms. He held me like I was his diamond. The sandal and my other shoe slipped off my feet and fell forgotten to the floor while I clung to him.
“There you go losing your shoes again,” he teased.
“Don’t need them,” I whispered, half laughing, half crying, my words muffled against his chest. “I don’t need anything, but you.”
I’d found my home in his arms with happy tears on my cheeks. I’d found the man who loved and cherished me above all else.
Kian Cortes was my country and my home. He was my safe haven, the soul who made me whole, the love I would choose in every lifetime and every scenario.
THE END