Epilogue

EIGHT MONTHS LATER

Nathan is leaning against my car when I leave the Summit at the end of the day. After the longest meeting of my life with the brand partners sponsoring the arena for the upcoming season, I honestly didn't expect him to still be around—his practice was over hours ago.

"Hey," I say as I reach him. "What are you still doing here?" I grab the strings of his hoodie and tug him down for a kiss.

"I left, then came back," he says as he wraps his arms around me. "How are you?"

I settle against his chest. "Better now. My brain is so tired."

"Would a donut help?"

I lean back and look at him, eyes wide. "For real?"

He lets me go long enough to open the passenger door of his Bronco, which is parked right next to my sedan, and pull out a box of donuts. I know without having to ask that they're apple cider donuts from my favorite bakery in Harvest Hollow. They're seasonal—you can only get them in the fall during the apple harvesting months—so I've been taking advantage while I can.

Nathan opens the box, sending a wave of apple-cinnamon scented air floating my way, and I almost groan with anticipation.

"You are the best boyfriend in the whole world," I say as I lift a still-warm donut out of the box. "Do you want one?" I say, through a mouthful of donut. "I can't eat the whole box."

He reaches over and wipes a smear of cinnamon-sugar off my cheek. "I bet you could though."

"Okay, true. But that doesn't mean I should."

Nathan grins. "You want to stop at one and have some dinner?"

I pick up a second donut. "I will stop at two. But can we just get takeout and eat at your place? I'm too tired to deal with fans."

He motions to his car. "I had a feeling you might say that. There's already Thai food in the Bronco."

I eye him curiously. "Okay, what's happening right now? Why are you wining and dining me with all of my favorite things?"

He smirks, then leans down and kisses my sugar-dusted lips. "Meet me at my place? I promise I'll answer all of your questions there."

It's a good thing the drive from the Summit to Nathan's condo is so short because I manage to eat my second donut, plus a third one before I arrive.

It's possible I'm stress-eating. But I'm not sure why I'm stressed. The fact that Nathan picked up my favorite dinner and surprised me with donuts isn't really out of the norm. We've only been together eight months, but he hasn't wasted a single moment. He is an epically good boyfriend. Patient, attentive, loyal, protective without being oppressive. He does stuff like this all the time.

But something about the way his blue eyes sparkled when he kissed me that last time—he's definitely up to something.

I might suspect a proposal, but it's only been eight months. That's too soon for a proposal, isn't it?

Even just the possibility sends a wave of hopeful anticipation washing over me. I would really, really love it if Nathan were to propose.

I lick the sugar from the third donut off my fingers as I climb Nathan's porch steps. He beat me here because I drive like a normal person and he drives like he is five minutes late to his entire life, but he left the front door open, so I let myself inside, closing it behind me.

Nathan must be in the kitchen fixing the food because I don't see him, but I do see a vase of lilies sitting on the coffee table.

Lilies. My favorite.

I sit down on the chair opposite the couch, my purse still looped over my shoulder, and will my heart to slow.

Something is definitely happening.

Just breathe, Summer.

I'm still sitting there, stone-still, when Nathan comes out of the kitchen, a dish towel thrown over his shoulder. "You ready to eat?" he asks, looking over at me.

I shake my head no, and he moves over, sitting on the coffee table in front of me so he's close. "What's going on?"

I swallow against the knot in my throat. "You promised you would answer my questions."

"I did."

"Can I ask them right now?"

He chuckles. "I would expect nothing less."

This man really does know me so well. "Why did you bring me donuts and pick up my favorite dinner and also put lilies on your coffee table?" I blurt out.

"Because I love you," he says without even flinching.

I bite my lip, both loving his answer and also finding it completely unsatisfying. "Is that the only reason?"

He holds my gaze for a long moment before his lips lift into one of those rare, beautiful smiles I've come to love so much. "It is…not the only reason. I have something to ask you, and I thought it might help to remind you how much I love you before I ask."

I close my eyes and take a stuttering breath. "Something to ask me?"

He reaches over and takes my hands, holding them in his. "Do you want me to ask right now?"

I barely manage a nod for all the energy coursing through me.

"So, I told you about my college roommate, Jordan, right?" Nathan says.

I lift my eyebrows, then clear my throat. That is not what I was expecting him to say. "The Catan-playing wizard?"

Nathan nods. "Turns out, he's getting married in December. Normally, I wouldn't make such a big deal about this, but the wedding is on Christmas Eve. I know how important your family is to you, so I know it's a lot to ask, but would you be willing to be my date?"

Hope fizzles in my chest, but I do my best to rally. It was only my silly expectations that turned this into something it wasn't. I can't blame that on Nathan. "Of course I'll be your date," I say, giving his hands a quick squeeze. "I would love to."

"It's possible the wedding will be Lord of the Rings themed," he says. "And I will not be surprised if we're required to wear costumes while in attendance."

My eyes widen the slightest bit, but I shouldn't be surprised. From what I've learned about Jordan, this feels entirely on brand. "I'm not opposed, but only if you dress up as Aragorn and not Gimli."

Nathan grins. "And here I was really hoping for an excuse to grow out my beard."

I roll my eyes and stand up, wanting a second to recenter my thoughts before we eat.

Honestly, it's probably stupid my brain went so quickly to a proposal. I blame it on Audrey, who casually mentioned that she and Flint would be home from May to June next summer if we happened to need their house for any big, important events.

I would love a May wedding in Silver Creek, and it would work perfectly with the hockey season ending in April. We could finish the season, get married, then have all summer together without any traveling.

But Nathan and I have only been together eight months. I love him, I absolutely want to marry him, and I'm positive he feels the same way, but that doesn't mean we should rush into things.

Nathan has done a complete one-eighty when it comes to relationships, and he's been amazing. But it might take him a little longer to get used to the idea of marriage.

"Summer," Nathan says, but I don't turn around.

My cheeks are flaming hot, and he knows me well enough that if he sees me right now, he'll know something is up.

"Hey," he says, gently catching my arm. "Look at me."

I turn, but I lift my hands to my face. "I can't look at you," I say into my palms.

He loosely wraps his hands around my wrists. "Why not?"

"Because I'm embarrassed."

"Why are you embarrassed?"

I part my fingers and peek at Nathan with one eye. "Admitting why will only make it worse. Please just let me go eat my Thai food."

"I can't do that. Not until you tell me what's wrong."

I huff and drop my hands. "Nathan, I thought you were going to propose."

His eyes widen, but then his expression shifts, his eyes closing as his head drops. "Of course you did. I'm such an idiot."

"No, no, it was all me. I read into things, but only because Audrey called last week and maybe mentioned that she and Flint would be home in May and June next summer just in case we wanted to plan something, and then she talked about a backyard wedding at their house and my brain just…ran away with stuff. But I don't want to put any pressure on you. This is still relatively new, even more for you because this is your first big relationship. So it's fine. I'm fine, and I have zero expectations that we?—"

Nathan silences my rambling rant with a kiss, his hands cradling my face. "Don't move," he says as soon as he pulls away.

Without another word, he disappears into his bedroom, then comes back out seconds later, his hand gripping a tiny black box. He picks up my hand and flips it over, dropping the box into the center of my palm.

"I've had it since June," he says. "Three months after we started dating for real." He shakes his head and lets out a little laugh. "The guys said I should wait until we'd been dating a year, but that felt way too long, so I was trying to make myself wait until Christmas."

"You've had it since June?" I ask with a trembling voice.

Five months. He's been sitting on an engagement ring for five months.

"I know it's crazy."

I shake my head. "It is. But I would have said yes if you'd asked me."

He leans down and kisses me, then he picks up the box, slowly opening it before dropping to one knee. "What if I ask you right now?"

I shake my head in disbelief, lifting my palm and pressing it against my forehead as I steady my breathing. The ring is stunning. A pale blue stone on a gold band, encircled with tiny diamonds. "Is this a…?"

"Sapphire," Nathan answers. "It is."

"You had help," I say as he lifts the ring out of the box. There's only one person who knows how I feel about diamond engagement rings, only one who knows I would much prefer a sapphire—my birthstone. "I can't believe Lucy didn't tell me."

Nathan slides the ring onto my finger.

It fits perfectly—but of course it does. If he asked for Lucy's input, she would have told him exactly what size to buy.

"You remember when I told you I had jury duty?" he asks through a sheepish smile.

I narrow my gaze as I think back, finally remembering the day he had to skip practice so he could be at the courthouse first thing in the morning. "I do remember that."

"I was actually shopping with Lucy that day."

"You little sneak."

"I just wanted to get something you would love," he says. "I wanted it to be perfect."

"It is perfect," I say through a sniff, tears forming in my eyes. "I love it."

Nathan holds my hand, his thumb brushing over the ring like he can't quite believe it's there. Then he lifts his gaze to mine, his eyes turning serious. "Summer, there are a lot of things that I owe to you. You taught me what it means to be a partner—to love and to be loved. You've made me a better friend, a better brother, a better son. You've made me more patient and more forgiving. I know it's only been eight months, but I feel like I've done more living in those eight months than I did in the eight years before. You woke me up, Sum"—he grins here—"both literally and figuratively, and I would love to spend the rest of my life making you happy. Will you marry me?"

I tug on his hands, pulling him to his feet, and wrap my arms around his neck. "Of course I'll marry you. Yes, yes, yes!"

He hugs me against his chest, lifting me off the floor and spinning me around until we're both laughing.

"In May?" he asks as he lowers me back down. "In Silver Creek?"

"Their backyard really is beautiful," I say. "Perfect for a wedding."

He nods. "Anything will be perfect as long as you're there."

I purse my lips to the side. "Anything? Okay, then maybe I'll dress up as Gimli for our wedding. Armor. A beard. Braided sideburns. I think I could pull it off."

Nathan grins. "If anyone could, it's you."

Years later, long after our springtime wedding in which I was decidedly not dressed like a dwarf from middle earth, my husband is still a terrible grump.

He was a grump when he finally left the Appies to play four seasons with the Hurricanes, winning his own Stanley Cup ring the last day he was on the ice before his retirement.

He was a grump when we moved back to Harvest Hollow so he could accept a coaching position with the Appies, when our oldest started high school, when we finally sent our youngest off to kindergarten.

He is, and always has been prone to grumble. Slow to smile. Impossible to wake up in the morning.

But he is also a thoughtful, passionate lover.

A patient father to our three girls.

A devoted husband.

A brilliant hockey coach.

And he's mine.

I don't know if I truly believe in soulmates, no matter how sure I was, when I first laid eyes on Nathan Sanders, that having him in my life would matter more than anything else.

Maybe I would have found someone else had I never moved to Harvest Hollow. Maybe I could have been happy.

But I'd put money on it.

I couldn't have been happy like this.

Thanks so much for reading!

I hope you enjoyed Nathan and Summer's story.