Epilogue

One year later…

Theo made good on his promise. He brought me to Banff, my dream travel destination. The problem? He all but dragged me out of bed to go on a fucking hike at four in the morning. It's called the Big Beehive. Of course, he'd do that, he loves hiking. But damn, it is four in the morning in the middle of April in Canada. Do the math; it's still freezing.

Not only are we hiking almost seven miles round trip—fuck my life—we are also gaining over twenty-five hundred feet of elevation. All of this just to watch the sunrise. I'm sure it'll be worth it, but right now, as he tells me to hurry up and catch up to him, all I want to do is let myself fall back down the hill, and maybe if I'm unconscious, he will take me back to the hotel.

I huff, using my hiking pole to help me up the hill a little better. My shins are sore already from the angle at which we're hiking, and my chest is burning, but we're almost there, according to Theo. I can literally see absolutely nothing, and if it weren't for both our headlamps and a massive flashlight, we'd be submerged in complete darkness. I guess I should thank my lucky stars that we haven't run into a bear or mountain lion yet.

"This sucks dick, Theo," I groan as I ignore the pain in my shins the higher we climb. I'm sure I'll have blisters on my heels by the end of this. "We couldn't hike something less…high?"

Theo chuckles, "Don't be such a baby." Okay, so maybe I'm being one, but can he blame me? I don't love hiking, so this better be worth it. Now that I think about it, what the hell else is there to do here? Hiking seems like the only option. Why was Banff my dream travel destination again? "It's almost over, Bailey. Just another quarter mile."

"I need a break," I whine. "Please?"

"You'll get a break when we get to the top, baby." I can't see his face, but I can hear the smile in his voice. "We're almost there."

I press my lips together in a tight line and don't reply, focusing on my steps and not the pain I feel with every one of them. Let's just hope the climb is worse than the descent, because if I struggle at all to get off this damn mountain, I might just let myself free-fall. Going downhill is less of an exertion, but I think it will be scarier for me to see how far down we have to go. And since he wants to see the sunrise, I doubt I'll have darkness as my friend to keep me from being scared.

Crap.

"Ready?" he asks me, reaching for my hand just as I see the top of some huge boulders. The sun is not quite out, but there's some light. "Close your eyes."

"You want me to close my eyes, Theo? These rocks are huge. What if I?—"

Theo laughs, grabbing my hand and squeezing it once. "You're not going to fall, baby."

"Fine," I reply, closing my eyes.

With a tight grip on my hand, he guides me to the top. The back of my lids has turned orange, and I can tell the sun is rising even without opening my eyes. Now I wonder if I'm going to throw up from the altitude or if it's going to be the most beautiful thing I've ever seen in my life. Or maybe both, knowing me.

"Open those pretty green eyes, baby," he whispers in my ear. "Look at this beauty."

My eyes flutter open slowly, and I blink back from the sunlight. Gasping, I cover my mouth as I sweep my eyes over the sight in front of me. Theo stays behind me, and I seek comfort in knowing he's here if I'm scared. "Wow," I murmur.

Rocky mountains span the entire space in front of us, and we get the best panoramic view of them. There's snow on the peaks, shining against the rising sun, and I let my hand fall as I peer down. The bluest, brightest lake I've ever seen is nestled between the mountains, and pine trees surround it as well. It's beautiful. Breathtaking.

"Theo—" I gasp again, "This is beautiful."

When he doesn't reply, I turn around, just to find him on one knee holding a glistening diamond ring between his thumb and forefinger. Tears well in my eyes, dancing to the beat of my heart and spilling over. This can't be real?—

"Bailey." Theo smiles, and when I gaze into his blue eyes, all I see is love—and tears. "From the moment I saw you, I knew you'd be the most important person in my life. I don't know what it was about you, maybe your stubbornness—" I chuckle, and he grins. "Or maybe that I knew in my bones you and I were made for each other. Baby, I love you more than anyone in this entire world, and if you give me the chance, I'll spend the rest of our lives proving it to you. I know I'm not perfect—and I never will be, but I'll try really hard to be for you." He pauses briefly and searches my eyes. "Will you marry me?"

Tears stream down both of our cheeks, and I reach down to wipe his. With a shaky smile, I reply, "It's always been you, Theo." I sniffle and grin. "It will always be you. So yes, a million times yes, I'll marry you."

Before I can blink, Theo is up and pulling me into the tightest hug of my life, lifting me off my feet and burying his face in my hair. "I love you so much, my Bailey." He says against my neck. "Forever and ever."

Putting me down on my feet, Theo takes a step back, grabbing my hand. I hold my breath as he slips the ring on, a perfect fit. I've never been a flashy girl, and I think he got that memo because it's a dainty diamond solitaire—absolutely perfect and breathtaking.

"I love you, Theo." I sniffle, and he grins. "I guess this stupid hike was worth it after all."

"Did I do good, then?" He chuckles, taking my hand in his and looking at the ring on my finger. "I love how it looks on you."

"You did amazing," I reply honestly. "I love it so much."

And I do, but mostly, I just love him more.

After everything that happened with Robert, I never imagined I'd find love again. I thought I'd never find the strength to let go of my pain, to start over from scratch.

New beginnings are scary, but now I'm ready to face them head-on—with him.