“What?” Evan asked. “What’s that little grin for?”
“I’m just—happy,” I said. “For the first time in four years, I feel truly happy and content with where my life is.”
“That’s a good thing to feel,” he said.
“I never would’ve thought that getting stranded in a blizzard would’ve changed my life like this,” I said.
“You saying you’d get stranded all over again?” he asked.
I looked over at Evan and studied him closely. The beard that covered his strong jaw, and the way his eyes twinkled. His broad shoulders and his strong chest. His bulky arms and his hand that wrapped quickly around mine.
My heart thundered with love for him.
“In a heartbeat,” I said.
He brought my hand to his lips to kiss, lingering just a little longer than usual. Goosebumps trickled down my arm as I sighed and leaned back into the seat. Our fingers laced together as we both relaxed for the ride home, and I smiled as I threw my gaze back out the window.
Home, with Evan and the kids.
Home, with the man that I loved.
Home, with the family I thought I’d never have.
EPILOGUE
EVAN
SIX MONTHS LATER
We finally took Melanie’s dad up on his offer to babysit at his house. It took six months for us all to get settled with the new living arrangement and, once we knew the kids were okay, we took advantage of the offer. Melanie and I dropped them off so we could go on a real date. Her father was as thrilled to see the kids as they were to see him. Liam had started to call him Papa Jake, and he loved every minute of it. He greeted us on the porch as Liam scurried inside, in search of the cookies he knew Papa Jake always kept just for him. I handed Hadley over to him and she snuggled happily against his chest.
“You two have a wonderful night,” he said.
“I’m gonna try,” I said, nodding.
“And the two of you take your time. If they fall asleep here, they’re more than welcome to stay,” Jacob said.
“Thanks, Dad,” Melanie said.
I placed my hand on the small of her back and led her back to the truck. I had reservations for us in one of the finest restaurants Bozeman had to offer. I had a table off to the side, settled in a cozy little corner flickering with candlelight. Melanie gasped at how decadent everything was, and soon we were ordering from one of the best menus in town. Her eyes were glowing with happiness while we sipped on the wine I had chilling at the table. Her head was on a swivel, taking everything in as we sat there together in our own little world.
“Evan, you didn’t have to do all of this,” Melanie said as we sat down.
“You’ve been very good to me and the kids. So, I wanted to spoil you a bit,” I said.
“I would’ve been just fine with going back to the cabin to take a bubble bath,” she said.
“Don’t worry. That’s in the plans as well if the kids don’t get restless,” I said.
“Oh, a night of pampering. I like it,” she said, grinning.
The night was filled with talking and laughing. It was one of the rare moments where I had Melanie’s attention without the kids around. We weren’t listening out for them in their beds and we weren’t keeping an ear out in case one of them got hurt. I had her undivided attention, which was rare in our home, and I wanted to make the most of it.
The waiter took our plates away before promptly settling our desserts in front of us, and Melanie crinkled her nose at the plate.
“Did we order dessert?” she asked.
But then her eyes drifted back to the dessert and I knew she’d seen it. Sitting right on top of the chocolate mousse was a thin slice of white chocolate. And sitting on top of the white chocolate was the ring I’d seen in the jewelry store two months ago.
Her eyes filled with tears as she looked up at me.
“Melanie, from the first moment you stepped into my cabin, you had sass. You knew your position, you understood your influence, and you made sure all of us were taken care of. You spotted the fact that I wasn’t eating, and you made sure it happened, even though we were strangers. From that moment on, I knew you were something special. A person to be treasured and cared for.”
I slid from the chair and got down onto one knee before I reached over and plucked the ring from the dessert.
“The change I’ve seen over the past six months has been incredible. You’re more adventurous and you’re less fearful. You’ve started coming into the shed with me to see what I’m working on instead of standing outside and yelling at me from the door. You walk with an inner strength I’d never seen in you until a few months ago. You astound me, Melanie. You leave me breathless every time I see you.”