Page 162 of Now and Then

My chest tightens. I open it slowly, and my breath catches. “I can’t believe you,” I say. Inside are a pair of purple rain boots.

He helps me slip them onto my feet. I kick them slightly, laughing through tears, and he tugs me into a hug.

He leans closer, brushing a curl from my face. “Come on, let’s see if they work.”

We run into the drizzle, ignoring the freezing weather, and splash in the puddles, laughing until our stomachs ache. My hands find his, our fingers lace tight, and I can’t help the smile that splits my face.

“C’mon, babe,” Hunter says, “we better get under cover before we both catch colds.” He drags me back under the patio.

“Just a few more minutes,” I say.

Hunter nods and says, “I’ll be right back.” He heads inside, hair plastered to his forehead, his grin wide and unrestrained, and my heart melts all over again.

When he returns, he leans against the doorframe with a blanket and two matching coffee mugs.

“You know,” he says, “I don’t know if it’s the view or you. But now that I’ve got both, I can’t imagine my life without this”—he gestures to the sky in the distance—“watching the sun come up with you.”

My chest tightens—a heavy feeling that I feel everywhere.

I think about the long, winding road that brought us here.

The pain, the near misses, the hope.

And I know, with absolute certainty, that this is the life I’ve always wanted.

Hunter sits next to me and hands me a coffee mug. He wraps the blanket around me and pulls my head against his chest. The first crystals of winter drift from the sky, the wind whispering through the trees. I close my eyes and sink into his warmth, completely at peace.

Hunter presses a kiss into my hair. “You good, babe?”

I smile. I’ve never been better.

For so long, I believed that if I loosened my grip on life, everything I loved would slip through my fingers.

But sitting here with Hunter—watching the snow fall over the home we built together—I finally understand something.

Every now and then, it’s okay to let go.

Because sometimes . . .

Everything falls into place.

The End

Epilogue: Sutton

Hunter’s hand is steady in mine as he leads me to our backyard. The grass squelches under my sneakers. The soft rustle of spring leaves and the occasional chirp of a bird punctuate the quiet. Aside from those sounds, the world is suspended.

“Keep your eyes closed.” Hunter murmurs against my ear.

He pulls me to his side and wraps his arm around me, but it does nothing to ease the butterflies in my stomach. Every nerve in my body hums with hopeful anticipation.

His hands sweep up my bare arms, leaving goosebumps in their wake. The silk blindfold falls gently from my eyes, but, like the good girl I am, I keep them closed.

A sweet giggle reaches me from somewhere behind me, unmistakably Rowan.

“What are you doing?” I ask.

“Open your eyes and find out,” Hunter replies.