“No.” He pulls back just enough to look into my eyes. “You won the competition. You won the scholarship. And you won me. You’ve had me all along, Kiera. From the very beginning.”
My throat tightens with emotion—the good kind this time. “I don’t deserve you.”
“Yes, you do.” His thumb traces my cheekbone. “And I’m going to spend however long it takes proving that to you.”
I kiss him again because I can, because he’s here, because somehow, against all odds and despite all my mistakes, he still wants me.
“I’m sorry,” I murmur against his lips. “For pushing you away. For being too scared.”
“You’re here now,” he says simply. “That’s all that matters.”
We stand there in his entryway, wrapped up in each other, and for the first time in longer than I can remember, I let myself believe that maybe—just maybe—I’m allowed to have this. To have him. To have happiness.
And when River kisses me again, slow and sweet and full of promise, I finally let the last of my walls crumble completely.
EPILOGUE
RiverStone
August 14
The chapel is packedfor Noah and Savannah’s wedding, but somehow the only person I can focus on is the woman sitting beside me. Kiera’s hand rests in mine, our fingers intertwined on the wooden pew between us, and my heart feels too big for my chest. Like it might burst right out of me and announce to everyone here what I’ve known for months now—that I’m completely, hopelessly, wonderfully in love with this woman.
She looks beautiful in a soft blue dress that matches her eyes, her pink-streaked hair swept up with a few loose strands framing her face. When she turns to look at me, her eyes shine with happiness, and my breath catches.
“You okay?” she whispers, leaning close enough that I catch the scent of her shampoo—coconut and something sweet.
“Perfect,” I whisper back. “Just happy.”
She squeezes my hand, and the smile she gives me is genuine, unguarded. It’s the smile I’ve worked so hard to earn, the onethat says she trusts me now. That she knows I’m not going anywhere.
I’m so proud of her. She starts culinary school in just two weeks, and she’s excited in a way I’ve never seen before. She called me last night, practically vibrating through the phone, talking about the classes she’ll take and the equipment she’ll get to use. She’s nervous too—I could hear it underneath the excitement—but I know she’s ready. Will it challenge her? Absolutely. But Kiera Emmerson can meet any challenge. She’s the strongest person I know.
Up at the front of the chapel, Noah stands beside the pastor, and even from here I can see the emotion on his face. He’s wearing a dark gray suit, his hands clasped in front of him, and he looks... complete. Like he’s been waiting his whole life for this moment.
And maybe he has been.
The wedding march begins, and everyone stands. I rise with Kiera, still holding her hand, and we turn toward the back of the chapel.
Savannah appears in the doorway on her father’s arm, and even from here, she glows with happiness. Her dress is simple and elegant, flowing around her like something from a fairy tale, and her honey-colored hair is swept up with small flowers tucked into the style. But it’s her face that makes my throat tight—pure joy radiating from her as her eyes find Noah.
Noah’s expression transforms. His shoulders drop, his jaw relaxes, and his eyes fill with tears he doesn’t try to hide. He mouths something to her—I can’t tell what—but Savannah’s smile grows even brighter.
Kiera leans against me slightly, and I put my arm around her shoulders, pulling her close. She fits perfectly there, like she was made to stand beside me.
Savannah walks down the aisle with measured steps, her father’s hand steady on her arm, but her eyes never leave Noah. When they reach the front, her father kisses her cheek and shakes Noah’s hand before stepping back.
The ceremony proceeds, familiar and beautiful, until the pastor says, “Noah and Savannah have prepared their own vows. Noah, would you like to begin?”
Noah takes both of Savannah’s hands in his, and the chapel goes quiet. He takes a deep breath.
“Savannah.” His voice is thick with emotion. “I was seventeen when I first told you I loved you. We were in Centennial Park, and you’d just jumped off a swing and crashed into me, and we were lying there in the grass laughing, and I looked at you and just... knew.”
He swallows hard. “For years, I carried around the weight of my reputation. Bad boy. Troublemaker. The Barrett brother people warned their daughters about. And I believed it. I believed that’s all I was. All I could be.”
A tear rolls down Savannah’s cheek, but she’s smiling.
“But you—you looked past all of that. You saw something in me I couldn’t see in myself. You saw the man I could become instead of the boy who made mistakes. You gave me a chance when I didn’t deserve it. And I promise you, Savannah, I’m going to spend the rest of my life being the man you see when you look at me. I’m going to love you with everything I have. I’m going to make you laugh when you’re sad, hold you when you need comfort, and stand beside you through whatever life throws at us. You’re my second chance at everything, and I’m never letting you go again.”
