“Cody, I’m not—” He silenced her with a kiss. The sudden brush of his lips took her by surprise, instantly making her knees weaker. She scooped a hand around his neck and held on for dear life as he deepened the kiss she was experiencing on a soul-deep level. It felt like jumping off a cliff and soaring through the air just realizing you can fly.
They were both breathless when they finally came up for air. Graham paced on the bed behind Cody, desperate for his attention. Cody wrapped his arms around the pup in a big bear hug and squeezed. “You want a kiss too, buddy?”
“Does your family know you’re back?”
“No. Thought we could tell them together.”
Jenna narrowed her eyes at him. “You need someone to pull your car out of a snowbank.”
Cody cupped her cheek, caressing her skin with his thumb. “And I don’t feel like kayaking back to town. It’s cold out there!”
Her gaze dropped to his lips once more, her body already tingling in anticipation of another toe-curling kiss. “Have you figured out what you’re going to do all winter?”
“Besides loving on you?”
Jenna rolled her eyes at him playfully, secretly thrilled by his response.
“I have all winter to figure it out. Maybe I’ll try writing a book.” He drew her in for another kiss that caused Graham to groan and drop onto the bed with a dramatic thud. Her heart was filled to the brim with love.
Epilogue
Sadie
Sadie Evans stepped out of the bush plane and onto the rocky shore near Bear Glacier. A chilly spring breeze cut through her lightweight sweater, but she wasn’t going to curse Cody and Jenna for picking this remote spot exposed to glacial gusts of wind for their wedding. Oh, no. She was becoming a better person. Better people didn’t complain about trivial things.
“What a beautiful day for a wedding. Sun’s shining, skies are clear, the water’s pristine,” Mom gushed as she came up beside Sadie, tears pricking the corners of her eyes. There hadn’t been a wedding among the Evans clan since Laurel and Chase married almost six years ago, despite Mom’s not-so-subtle hints that the recently reunited couple have a vow renewal. She loved an excuse to throw a party.
“That mascara isn’t waterproof,” Sadie warned lightheartedly. “At least wait untilafterpictures to cry.”
“I’m just so happy.” She tucked herself into the crook of Dad’s arm when he made it around the side of the plane, and he kissed the top of her head. Sadie felt her heart swell with hope that someday she’d find the same kind of love her parents had. Not that she would openly admit that since she was on a dating hiatus for the foreseeable future, advice courtesy of Cody’s tough love.
Between all the drama with Aaron that led to an explosive, final breakup and embarrassingly throwing herself at her former boss at an office party for the whole company to witness, Sadie needed to steer clear of men until she got her own head on straight. She wasn’t foolish enough to believe a measly seven months was long enough to fix everything inside her that was broken.
The three stepped a safe distance from the plane, allowing Liam to take off to pick up the next round of Evanses. The bride-to-be would be dropped off last.
She spotted Cody on the shore, arms folded over his chest, deep in conversation with Marc. The photographer stood off to the side, snapping pictures. She was the only non-family member allowed at the small, private ceremony.
Since Cody made the decision to call Sunset Ridge home permanently, his relationship with Marc had vastly improved. So much so that Marc was officiating the wedding today. If Sadie was being honest, she was jealous at how effortlessly things amended between them. If it killed her, she’d prove to Marc that she was responsible, trustworthy, and most importantly, mature.
“I’m going to go talk to Cody,” she told Mom and Dad. She twisted her curled hair into a ponytail and held on as she crossed the white rock beach, stepping over stray branches as she went. There wasn’t enough hairspray in the world to protect her efforts from glacial winds.
But this was Sadie’s chance to right a wrong that’d haunted her for months. It was now or never.
“That’s great news,” she heard Cody say to Marc. “I had no idea how you were going to run the clinic by yourself.” Sadie suspected they were talking about the vet clinic. Marc’s partner was retiring next month, leaving Marc as the sole veterinarian in town. He already worked long hours and most weekends as it was. Alone, he’d be completely swamped. Her eldest brother never turned away an animal he thought he could help.
“Great news?” Sadie repeated, using her sweetest smile.
Marc frowned, but she didn’t take it personally since it was his go-to expression in most situations.
“Is it top secret?” Sadie teased, refusing to accept defeat. She’d already made tremendous progress with Haylee and Laurel these past few months. Sticking around for more than a couple of weeks at a time had its benefits. That and keeping her mouth shut instead of snapping defensively at every jab. If she could retrain herself to think before she spoke, she could andwouldbreak through Marc’s walls one of these days.
“I found another partner to take Doc Baker’s place,” Marc finally answered.
“His buddy from vet school,” Cody added. “Conner Michaelson, did you say?’
Marc nodded.
“Wow, that’s great news,” Sadie agreed. It took some effort, but she set aside her own needs to talk to focus on how this would benefit Marc. She was a work in progress, but at least she was headed in the right direction. “You found someone who’s willing to uproot everything and move to Alaska?”
