Epilogue One

* Six Months Later *

My life has been turned upside down and inside out, and I"m loving every single minute of it.

Staring out at the glorious forest on Wolfe Mountain, I deeply breathe in the clear, crisp air and the fragrance of pine.

Spending most of our time in Charlotte is amazing – Riggs is gone several days a week, but I"m super busy with school and do most of my work when he"s away. Our apartment is fairly minimalist, and that"s fine. Every other weekend or so, Riggs drives us out to Old Hemlock Valley to stay at this unbelievable house in the forest.

As we pull into the driveway, I still can"t believe that he didn"t want to settle down here from the beginning. His mountain place is so beautiful.

I jump slightly at the sound of a motorcycle, turning to see someone coasting toward the truck.

"Hey," Riggs calls out. "Cutting it kinda close there, buddy."

The big man pulls off his helmet, and I wave to Riggs" old friend Jace Wolfe, who lives around here. He"s part of the family who owns a lot of land across this mountain. I don"t know much more than that since he doesn"t open up on the rare occasions when I run into him.

Jace ignores Riggs" scowl, since my sweetie"s eyes are twinkling. "Sorry, man. I was hoping to be gone already."

"That"s fine. Thanks a lot."

"No problem. Have a good one." They fist bump through the open window, then Jace yanks on his helmet and careens off as if he"s in a hurry.

"What was he doing here?" I ask as we get out of the truck, and Riggs grabs our bags.

He tosses them onto the front porch bench, then takes my hand. "Nothing." His poker face slips as the corner of his lip curls up while he tries to hide a smile behind one of his trademark scowls. By now, I can see right through him. He"s amused about something.

Riggs leads me around to the back of the porch, where a row of candles are lit. There"s also a silver dish in front of them. "What"s that?"

He chuckles. "Why don"t you go take a look."

I step forward, noticing the ice bucket of champagne and two glasses on the bench.

Inside the dish, its reflections sparkling around the silver curves, is a diamond and emerald ring. My hand is trembling as I pick it up, then I spin to see Riggs on his knees behind me.

He takes my shaking hands and slips the ring onto my finger.

"I love you, Olivia. You make me a better man in every way. More grounded. Way less grouchy. More open-minded, too." His deep eyes are filled with such warmth. "Since this house is too far from your school and my work, I think it"s time to buy a house in Charlotte. Will you marry me, so that we"re not shacking up anymore?"

My high-pitched squeak isn"t a proper answer, so I clear my throat as I nod madly. "Yes!"

Riggs leaps to his feet, hauling me to his chest as he spins me around. Then he plops onto the porch bench, sitting me on his lap as I lift my hand to stare at the ring.

"I noticed most of your artwork has a lot of green in it," he murmurs. "And I know you love the forest."

"It"s beautiful. It"s so me. No, so us."

He squeezes me tightly, nuzzling at my throat. "We"re going to be us forever, baby."

My hand runs through his hair. "And you won"t mind being tied down? Living in one place?"

"As long as I"m with my sweet girl, I"ll be wherever you want, gorgeous…and I won"t mind it at all."