“I’m falling in love with you.”
The words land with more impact than anything else I’ve ever carried.
“I don’t know exactly what that means for me yet,” I admit. “I’ve never been here before. Not like this.”
Her brows lift slightly. “How can you even say that?”
A breath of a laugh escapes me, a little disbelieving.
“Because nothing prepared me for this,” I say. “For how it feels. Like I’ve been shot out of a cannon and caught in a feather bed at the same time.” I shake my head, searching for it. “Like everything is loud and quiet all at once, and I’m right here—with you—and it…fits.”
The corners of her mouth lift gently.
I step closer, my voice dropping. “You’re someone I respect. Someone I want to see win. And I know…” I pause, letting it settle. “I know if we do this together, we’re going to move through this world and leave something behind. Something that matters.”
She lets out a small laugh at that, shaking her head.
“Okay, that part was very you,” she murmurs.
“Yeah?” I step in closer. “Good.”
She’s still smiling when my hand comes up to her cheek. She closes her eyes for a second, leaning into my palm before she looks back at me.
“You know,” she says softly, “ever since I was a little girl, people always talked about wishes like they were attached to things. Birthday candles. Four-leaf clovers. Shooting stars. Rainbows after storms.” A small laugh slips out of her. “Like the universe hid them inside moments and hoped we’d notice.”
Her eyes lock on mine then, impossibly green and open.
“But you…” Her voice catches slightly. “You feel like the epitome of every wish I’ve ever made without even realizing I was making it.”
My heart stumbles so hard I forget how to breathe.
“I love you, Ty McCade,” she whispers, her fingers curling around my wrist where it rests against her cheek. “So much I think it hurts sometimes.”
The feeling that moves through me is bigger than anything I’ve ever experienced. Not even getting drafted could compare to this.
I don’t hesitate. I pull her tighter into my arms, holding her there—solid and real—like that’s the only thing that matters. Because right now, it is.
I don’t want anything else.
Just this.
Just her.
This moment, back where it all began. Outside my place, where it was nothing more than a simple Monday morning.
And now, everything’s different.
I dip my head, brushing another kiss against her lips, softer this time. Certain.
And for once, I don’t feel like I’m chasing the next step or trying to figure out how to get there.
For the first time in a very long time, I know I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be.
EPILOGUE ONE: (LATE-SEPTEMBER)
VIVIAN
September in Alexandria feels like running into an old friend you haven’t seen in a while, yet somehow you pick right back up where you left off. The air still carries warmth from summer, but there’s a nostalgic crispness underneath it now too. The leaves along the streets in Old Town are just starting to turn, storefronts are swapping flowers for pumpkins, and the entire city feels like it’s bracing itself for something.
