Epilogue

AIDEN

Four years later…

The tree farm still felt like home. Snow covered the ground in a thick, soft blanket, and the trees outside the chalets glistened under the evening light. Everything seemed quieter now, more peaceful, yet there was an energy beneath the surface—a hum of people arriving, coming and going from the chalets. A kind of quiet that only follows after something big has happened.

The chalets, finished and thriving, had become something of a legend around Juniper Hollow. It wasn’t just the views, or the beautiful woodwork, or even the warmth of the fires inside. It was the hospitality—the way the Kincaids had poured themselves into this place. Then a famous movie star stayed here, posted a glowing review, and it went viral. Suddenly, the Kincaids had people booking years in advance, all wanting a piece of what we built.

I stood at the window, watching as a new group of guests arrived. Some faces I recognized, some I didn’t. But all of them were here for the same thing—a retreat, an escape, a slice of peace that only Juniper Hollow could offer. We’d done it.

Levi had done it. And with me and the rest of the family by his side, we’d made it happen.

Levi’s cousins, Brandon and Cody, had stepped up to help with the farm. We weren’t as small as we used to be—new hands on the team meant Levi could finally join me for more of my travels. He had never been one to clip my wings, and that had always meant so much to me. Even though it was hard for him to leave the farm behind, I knew he wanted to be with me. He made it work. Sometimes, we’d have to rush back to Juniper Hollow, but we always made it a priority to be here for the winter, for the holidays.

Everything had changed in ways I hadn’t imagined. The farm, now thriving with more trees and guests than I could count, was just one piece of it. Levi had found his own way back to writing. He’d started a blog about our travels, and somehow it had grown—more than either of us expected. The freedom to write, to see the world, and to share it with anyone who cared enough to read—it was everything he’d dreamed of before life pulled him in a different direction.

Paige was finishing her third year of college. Grandpa was doing great, always sharing stories and never short of jokes. And then there was Beverly, one of the residents at the elder care facility where Nicholas and Markus worked. Grandpa mentioned her often, but not nearly as much as Nicholas did—she was his favorite resident, and he never ran out of stories about her sass and charm. It was easy to see why Grandpa and Beverly got along so well. After years of being alone, it seemed like Grandpa had found a kindred spirit. And then there was Levi’s mom, dating again after all these years. Levi once told me he’d never imagined he’d see her with anyone, but I knew she was happy.

Markus and Nicholas were married now, with plans to adopt a daughter. Years ago, Nicholas had stayed here for me, for my sake, when we both lost our mother. Now, he had a family of his own, and I was happy for him.

As for me? I had become the kind of person I never thought I could be. Successful. Whole. With Levi beside me. I had my business—my graphic design company that allowed me to be a digital nomad, traveling wherever we wanted. And through it all, I saw my therapist online, working through the past, through the trauma of losing my mom. I’d finally found a way to deal with it, to let it go without letting it define me.

But despite all the places Levi and I had been together, my favorite time to be with him was far simpler. It was when I was in my little space—coloring, reading, or napping—and Levi would quietly come and sit or lie with me. He never made a big deal about it; he simply joined me in whatever I was doing. Whether it was shading in a picture, reading aloud from a silly storybook, or just resting in his arms, those moments were everything to me. It wasn’t about where we were or what we were doing. It was about us .

And then there was the treehouse. It had taken three years of work, between our travels, between everything else we had to do. But we’d finally finished it. It was everything I’d imagined—and more. It wasn’t just a treehouse; it was the embodiment of everything we had built together. It was Levi’s promise to me, that we would make the coolest treehouse in Juniper Hollow. And, standing there, with the treehouse in front of us, I realized that it wasn’t just the place itself that mattered. It was everything we had gone through to get there.

I turned to Levi, his hand brushing against mine. We had come so far from where we started. From the moment he walked into my life and into my heart, everything had shifted. I couldn’t imagine a world without him in it.

Levi smiled softly at me, his eyes full of love, but it made my heart race every time. We hadn’t said a word, but we both knew this moment was coming. We both knew it was the moment that would change everything again.

I looked up at him, a laugh bubbling up from deep inside me. “We really did it, huh?” I asked, voice thick with emotion.

Levi nodded, his smile widening. “Yeah, we did.”

And that was it. That was when everything fell into place. I didn’t need to say anything else. We didn’t need any more words. We had each other, and that was enough.

Levi, looking more perfect than I ever could have imagined, reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box. My heart skipped a beat as he knelt down, the snow beneath us soft, the moment so surreal that I thought maybe I was dreaming.

“Aiden Perry,” he said, his voice low, trembling just enough to reveal the emotion beneath the surface, “I’ve spent years showing you how much I love you, in every way I know how. But now, I’m not just showing—I’m asking. Will you marry me?”

I was rendered speechless, but only for a moment. Because I did have something to say.

I didn’t even hesitate. Without thinking, I pulled him up to his feet and into my arms, kissing him fiercely, unable to believe this was real. The proposal, the treehouse, the life we’d built together—it was all too much to process, but it was happening.

“Yes,” I whispered, still shaking from the rush of everything. “Yes, I’ll marry you.”

And that was how I knew—this was only the beginning. We had built our future, our love, our everything. And there was no way I’d ever let go of it.