Epilogue
EPILOGUE
THREE MONTHS LATER
The night sparkled with bright stars, illuminating the Fox Creek campground in an ethereal glow. Lines of fairy lights and garden blooms surround the filled dance floor, burlap-lined tables circling around its edges. It was the ideal backdrop to what had ended up being a perfectly imperfect day. Between the last-minute guests who showed up and a mix-up with their cake, for a moment this morning, it felt like Alex and Cole’s wedding day was cursed.
Thank goodness Theo was by my side, helping me work out all the kinks. As much as I wanted my first planned wedding to go off without any issue, my mentor, Marina, assured me it was never going to happen.
Luckily, all those issues faded away as soon as Alex put on her dress and walked down the aisle. Her groom cried before she even reached him. Cole’s hand shook as he held hers, only having eyes for his new wife. At the end of the day, that was all that mattered—that they got to say their vows and declare their love for each other in front of their friends and families.
After the ceremony ended and the food had been served, the dance floor was packed with friends and family from near and far. While Alex and Cole originally tried to keep the wedding small, almost the entire town of Saint Stephen’s Lake wanted to celebrate with them. Alex and Cole didn’t care, and they were all too happy to welcome every last person who showed up.
I watched from the sidelines as they swayed in each other’s arms, just as they had for most of the night. It was clear how much love passed between Alex and Cole. For a long time, I thought that would never happen to me, that I was too lost to see my way through the fog.
A set of arms wrapped around my waist, pulling me into a broad chest. Theo’s lips tickled the shell of my ear. “What’s the look for, beautiful?”
“Just thinking about how lucky we are.” I turned in his arms, kissing him lightly. “I never thought I’d find someone like you.”
“Same here,” he chuckled, holding me close. He nodded as Adam joined us, letting me turn to face his friend. Theo held out his hand, clasping Adam on the shoulder. “How’s it going?”
Adam nodded, letting out a long breath. "It's good. You were right; being up here full time has been good for my head.”
As much as Theo was dying for Adam to take a role, he still refused to commit to one, claiming that he needed more time. I thought there was more to it than that, but it wasn’t my place to pry. We just made sure that Adam knew our door was always open if he needed to talk.
Since he wasn’t sure how long he’d been staying, Alex and Cole offered to let Adam use one of the cabins for as long as he needed. So far, he’d been up here for almost a month, and it seemed to be working wonders. He wasn’t looking as tired, no longer checking over his shoulder every few minutes. It was nice to see him smile again.
I nudged him in the side. “I met your neighbor earlier.”
He arched his brow. “Who?”
I nodded across the field to a brunette tucked between Marta and Curt. They’d taken the girl under their wing since she showed up, nervous at joining such a tight-knit group. “Victoria.” I turned to Theo. “She’s Cole’s sister. Apparently she’s been up here for a week, and I’m just meeting her now.” Now facing Adam, I asked, “How long is she staying?”
“Not sure,” he answered, but his eyes were still stuck on Victoria. “They gave her an open invitation to stay as long as she likes.”
Theo snorted, “They do know those are supposed to be for paying guests, right?”
I knocked my elbow into Theo’s stomach. “There are ten other cabins, Sunshine. And besides, it’s what we do for family around here.”
But Adam didn’t respond, too busy watching Victoria. When she smiled back at him, he ducked his head and cleared his throat. “You okay over there?” I chuckled.
“Shit…yeah.” He ran his hand over his face. “She just, uh, looks a lot more grown-up now.”
“When was the last time you saw her?”
He shrugged. “Before I left for LA almost ten years ago. Tori… She had to be thirteen, maybe fourteen?”
I chuckled, placing my hand on his arm. “That tends to happen after a decade. Go over and say hi. She’s been quiet all night because she doesn’t know most of these people.”
He nodded, taking another long pull of his drink before walking in Victoria’s direction. Theo chuckled in my ear. “ You sure that was a good idea? From the look in Adam’s eyes, this might not end well.”
“What do you mean?”
“He’s not looking at her like she’s Cole’s little sister, beautiful.”
I shrugged. “They’ll figure it out. Besides,” I reached for his hands then pulled him toward the dance floor, “I want to dance with my husband.”
“Anything for you.” Theo smiled, pulling me into his arms. As we swayed to a slow song, his lips met my forehead, his arms holding me close. “Does this make you regret our wedding?”
“What?” I pulled back to search his eyes. “Why would you ask that?”
He glanced around the field, “This is so much more than ours. I don’t want you to have any regrets, Calla. Even if we’re doing the real thing in the spring?—”
I silenced him with a kiss. “Our wedding was perfect. All I want is to be your wife, Theo. Everything else is extra.”
He smiled brightly back at me. “That’s how I feel too. Every time I get to call you my wife, it feels better than the last.”
“To think,” I chuckled, holding myself tighter in his arms, “all of this started because you took a chance on an assistant with no experience.”
“Best decision I ever made.”