Epilogue
JAMES
One Year Later
“ I don’t want to spoil it for you, but James looks like a cupcake.” I threaded a pearl hoop through my ear, my gaze on Zack’s reflection in the mirror. All he was doing was knotting his tie, but geez. The way he looked in that suit, I was tempted to help him right back out of it.
He laughed. “You can’t spoil it for me. I couldn’t care less what James looks like. It’s not my wedding.”
He came and stood next to me, checking his reflection to see if his tie was straight. I watched him for a moment, then took us both in. My breath caught. “Well, we look like it’s our wedding. I can’t believe James is making the bridesmaids wear white.”
His eyes met mine in the mirror and for a split second all I saw was yearning. But just as quickly, it was gone again. He smiled and kissed my cheek. “You look beautiful.”
Summer, with its packed schedule of rodeos and horse shows, was too busy for a wedding, so James and Adam had chosen a day in early December. James had really leaned into the “winter wonderland” theme. Adam, Brax, Zack, Blaine, and Ben were dressed in gray suits—with white cowboy hats, naturally—and James’s bridesmaids wore white gowns.
“It’s not snowing,” I said as we left the cabin. “Dang it. James really wanted a white wedding.”
Zack snorted. “Pretty sure that ship sailed a long time ago.”
I rolled my eyes. “I mean snow . Not virginity.”
He grinned. “Colorado weather can’t be tamed. But those clouds look promising.” He pointed to the gray sky. “She might have her winter wonderland wedding, after all.”
“I hope so. I want it to be perfect for her.” I kissed his cheek lightly, careful not to smudge my pink lipstick. “I need to join the bridesmaids. I’ll see you out there.”
The ceremony was taking place under a large, white tent that had been set up behind the big house. It was gorgeously adorned with fake snow and fairy lights. It looked like something out of the Nutcracker .
I squeezed James’s hand. “You look beautiful.”
She beamed back. “We all do.”
The music started, an instrumental version of an old rock song. Their song. We filed down the aisle, tallest to shortest. Janie went first, then Essie, then me, then Chloe. When James appeared, I looked at Adam, not wanting to miss his reaction. And…goodness. I had never seen him smile like that. His eyes were instantly shrink wrapped.
It was too intimate, the way he looked at her. I felt like I was witnessing something I had no business seeing. I turned away quickly and my gaze landed on Zack.
Zack wasn’t watching the bride like everyone else.
Zack was watching me.
That look was on his face again, the one that nearly made my heart split open. Stark, naked yearning. And I wondered…I wondered if I looked at him like that, too.
Because the way he looked at me…that was how I felt.
Like I couldn’t live another second without making us forever.
The vows went by in a blur, and suddenly they were being pronounced husband and wife. Adam dipped her in a kiss and everyone cheered. They started back down the aisle.
“James!” Ben hollered. “It’s snowing!”
James’s eyes went wide. Then she lifted her enormous, poofy white skirts, revealing her pink cowboy boots she wore underneath, and sprinted out of the tent with Adam right behind her. The rest of us followed a little more sedately.
The snow fell in big, fluffy flakes, the kind that made you think of miracles and magic. I watched Adam pull James—his wife —into his arms for a kiss and my eyes welled with sudden tears. I blinked them back furiously. Of course I was wearing waterproof mascara, but I didn’t want to risk it.
Zack’s arms circled my waist from behind and I leaned back against his warm, broad chest. “Hey,” he said against my temple. “What are you thinking about?”
You. Forever .
“They look so happy.” I turned in his arms to face him. Snowflakes fell between us and I caught one on my index finger. “Oh, I get to make a wish! No, wait, it melted.”
He laughed. “I don’t think you’re supposed to wish on snowflakes, darlin’. They’re too…”
“Ephemeral?” I suggested.
“I was going to say melty.”
I laughed. “That’s the magic of it, I suppose. I just wasn’t quick enough.”
He straightened my glasses for me and smiled. “Tell me what you’d wish for. Maybe I can make it come true.”
“Well.” I hesitated, testing it out. The fear didn’t come. Only love. “You could marry me.”
He stared down at me.
“Zack?”
“Hannah…” His voice came out hoarse. “Don’t tease me. Not about this. Not today.”
“I’m not teasing you, Zack. I’m perfectly serious. I want to spend the rest of our lives together. I know this isn’t the right place to ask you. It’s James’s wedding day, I don’t have a ring to give you, and I’m sorry, but I’m not kneeling on the ground in this dress. But once I realized how much I wanted that to be us, it seemed impossible to wait even another hour without telling you.” I looked up at him, feeling nothing but certainty. “Will you marry me, Zack?”
“Will I?” He touched his forehead to mine. “You tamed this wild cowboy a long time ago, duchess. I’ve been yours since you strutted into the Painted Cat and flashed your ankles at me. I was yours then. I’m yours now. I’m yours forever. Of course I’ll fucking marry you. I thought you’d never ask.”
I pulled back just enough to look at him. “Really? Never?”
He laughed. “Nah, I knew you couldn’t resist me forever. I just thought someday might still be a ways off yet. But, Hannah.” His eyes were bright and shiny, crinkling at the corners in that way I loved. “I’m really glad someday is today.”