Hope blooms in my chest. "Are you saying—"
"I'm saying, let's try. Really try. Not long distance—I want to be here. With you."
"You don't have to decide now—"
"I'm deciding now." She's certain. Strong. "You taught me to be brave, Nick. Now I'm choosing bravery. I'm choosing you."
I kiss her breathless there on the overlook with the valley spread below us.
"Move in with me," I say. "I know it's fast, but I have a house with space for a home office. You can work remotely, being a transcriptionist. We'll figure it out together."
"Yes." No hesitation. "Yes, to all of it."
That night at the farewell dinner, I don't hide. I sit next to Daria, arm around her shoulders, and when Kelly raises an eyebrow, I meet her gaze.
This is happening. And I'm not apologizing for it.
Later, walking Daria to her suite for the last time, she stops me outside the door.
"Thank you," she whispers.
"For what?"
"For seeing me, and making me believe I'm worth being seen."
"Daria." I tip her chin up. "You've always been worth it. You just needed someone to show you."
"Well, you showed me."
"You did the hard part and chose to be visible."
She kisses me, soft and sweet. "I love you."
"I love you too."
Tomorrow she'll pack. We'll make plans, figure out logistics. Tomorrow the retreat ends and real life begins.
But tonight, I'm holding the woman I love, and she's choosing me.
And that's everything.
Epilogue
Daria
Three months later
Spring has transformed Evergreen Lakes into something from a postcard—wildflowers dotting the meadows, snow melting into rushing streams, everything green and alive and new.
Kind of like me.
I stand in front of the mirror in our bedroom—our bedroom, in our house—and barely recognize the woman looking back. She's wearing a sundress that shows off curves instead of hiding them. Her hair is loose and unselfconscious. She's smiling.
She looks happy.
She looks visible.
"You almost ready?" Nick calls from the kitchen.
