Jake thought about it. "Less. Every day, a little less. You're showing me you're here for real. And I'm learning to trust that."
"Good. Because I'm not going anywhere. You're stuck with me."
"Best kind of stuck."
They spent the evening at Jake's apartment, and Lucy felt the comfortable domesticity of it all. This was what she'd been searching for in Paris—not excitement or adventure, but this. Coming home to someone who loved her. Building a life together, one quiet evening at a time.
Around midnight, Lucy's phone buzzed. A text from Amelie in Paris:How's Timber Falls? Do you miss us?
Lucy:Miss you guys. But I'm happy here. Really happy.
Amelie:Good. That's what matters. Send photos when the restaurant opens!
Lucy:Will do. How's Le Bernardin?
Amelie:Exhausting as always. But I'm learning so much. James says hello. Yuki misses your muffins.
Lucy:Tell them I miss them too. But I made the right choice coming home.
Amelie:I know you did. Love always knows where home is.
Lucy set down her phone and looked at Jake, who was half-asleep on the couch.
"Come on," she said, pulling him up. "Bed."
"Your bed or mine?"
"Yours. We're already here."
They fell asleep tangled together, and Lucy dreamed of restaurants and recipes and a future full of possibility.
She'd made her choice. She'd come home. She'd chosen love and community and the life she actually wanted.
And she'd never been happier.
Christmas arrived with a foot of snow and the Wolves' best record in franchise history.
They were 18-6, comfortably in first place, playing like a team that believed they could win every game. Jake's coaching had transformed them from scrappy underdogs to legitimate contenders.
"This is your year," Tommy said after a particularly dominant win. "You're taking them to the championship. I can feel it."
"Let's not jinx it."
"Not jinxing. Just observing. You're a hell of a coach, Jake."
On Christmas Eve, Jake hosted dinner at his apartment—Lucy, Uncle Walter, Rei, and Marcus. His place was tiny, but they made it work, crowding around his table with plates balanced on laps.
"Next year, we're doing this at my house," Uncle Walter said. "Jake's apartment is lovely, but it's not designed for six people."
"Five people," Marcus corrected. "Owen wanted to come but his family had plans."
"Owen considers himself part of this family?" Lucy asked.
"Absolutely. Kid follows Jake around like a puppy. It's adorable and also slightly concerning."
They exchanged gifts—small, meaningful things. Rei gave Lucy a journal for restaurant recipe testing. Marcus gave Jake a coaching whistle engraved with "Best Coach" (Jake rolled his eyes but was secretly touched). Uncle Walter gave Lucy a framed photo of her grandmother in the original Bread Basket kitchen.
"I thought you'd want this for Margaret's," Uncle Walter explained. "To remember where you came from."
