Epilogue

ONE YEAR LATER

Jessa pushed off the slope and sped down the mountain.

“Oh shit,” she yelled.

“Pizza! Do the pizza!” Megan yelled once she caught up to Jessa.

“This pizza bullshit doesn’t work!” Jessa yelled back, attempting to turn her skis inward to slow down.

“Carve!”

“I’m gonna die!”

“Carve, bitch. Carve!”

Jessa took a deep breath and attempted to carve her skis. Snow sprayed up from beneath her as she significantly slowed down, but was still going much faster than she was comfortable with. When she attempted to carve back the other direction, she caught her ski on its edge and flew into a snowbank.

“Ow,” she muttered.

“Are you okay?” Megan asked as she came to a stop right beside Jessa.

Jessa groaned and pushed herself up. “Ugh. That was terrible.”

Megan held a hand out for Jessa to take and pulled her up. “I don’t know how you still suck at this when your fiancé is the head of the ski patrol.”

Jessa rolled her eyes. “Just because he’s athletic doesn’t mean I am.”

Noah had proposed to Jessa a week earlier on their one-year dating anniversary over a plate of nachos in the resort bar. She screamed “yes” so loud that everyone turned to look at them. Noah had planned it so all their close friends and family were in the bar that night. Jessa had noticed a few members of Noah’s family, but brushed it off since they all worked at the resort. What she didn’t know was that her parents and Megan were also there, a few tables away, in disguises.

When they took off their hats and coats, Jessa screamed again in excitement. It was the first time she had seen her parents since before they started their world cruise. They had met Noah over video call when he had sneakily called them to get permission to ask Jessa to marry him. Her parents were ecstatic that she was settling down and found a place she loved so much. They were even looking for a house there themselves and planned to scale back on the amount of traveling they did.

Jessa didn’t want to get her hopes up her parents might settle down too, but she hoped this meant they would all see each other a lot more.

Jessa and Megan still worked for the same company and had flexibility with their jobs to go anywhere. Megan still traveled frequently, and Jessa would join her occasionally when the resort would get busy and Noah was working extra hours. Megan also made it a habit to return to Wintervale every few months so they could spend time together.

“Yeah, but I figured you would have at least improved a tiny bit since the last time we skied,” Megan said.

“Psh. But then I won’t have a hunky ski patrol man come save me.”

As if on cue, Noah skied up and came to a stop beside them.

“You ladies all right?”

“We’re great!” Jessa said. “I’ve gotten better.”

Megan snorted.

Noah eyed Jessa skeptically before reaching over and brushing snow off her coat.

“Mm-hmm. I can see that.”

“I think we’ve had enough skiing for the day. Don’t you agree, Megan?” Jessa asked.

Megan laughed. “We’ve done one run.” Then she looked around. “Or half of one, anyway.”

“Which is one half of a run too many.”

Noah laughed. “Jessa, why don’t you head back down to the resort and get yourself a plate of nachos?”

She pursed her lips and looked at Megan. “I don’t want to ditch her up here.”

Megan laughed. “Honestly, Jessa, I’ll have a lot more fun not having to chase you screaming down the mountain.”

Jessa rolled her eyes. “Okay. Okay. I see when I’m not wanted.”

Noah moved closer to her and put his arm around her waist. “Think of it this way. You can get off the mountain and eat nachos. Megan can get a few runs in. And I can do my job without worrying about you dying in a ditch. Win, win, win!”

Jessa giggled. “Well, when you put it that way, fine. Have fun, Megan. Noah, be my escort?”

“My pleasure.”

“Don’t go fucking in the woods, you two,” Megan said.

“We already have,” Jessa called back as they moved to ski down the mountain at a slower pace.

Noah laughed beside her. “It’s too bad Megan doesn’t settle down here. She’s fun.”

Jessa glanced back at her friend, who was just getting ready to ski again.

“Maybe someday.”