Page 17 of Trouble with the Mountain Man
"Definitely cake," Maple confirms, laughing through her tears.
"And can I wear a pretty dress?"
"The prettiest dress we can find."
"Awesome." Ally hops up, apparently considering the matter settled. "I'm going to call Uncle Jake and tell him!"
She races inside, leaving Maple and me alone on the steps. In the distance, I can hear her excited chatter as she tells Jake our news.
"Think he'll approve?" I ask.
"Are you kidding? He's been waiting for this since the day you showed up. He'll probably take credit for the whole thing."
"Maybe he should. If he hadn't convinced you to move here..."
"We would have found each other somehow," Maple says firmly. "Some things are just meant to be."
She's right. Sitting here with her, watching the sun set over the mountains that give our town its name, I know this is exactly where I'm supposed to be. Not just in Silver Ridge, but with this woman, in this life we're building together.
Derek can bring his lawyers and his threats and his money. But what we have is stronger than legal maneuvering. It's built on love and choice and the daily commitment to show up for each other.
It's built to last forever.
Flint
Six Months Later...
Theweddingiseverythinglittle Ally dreamed of and more. She walks down the aisle first in her princess dress, scattering rose petals with theatrical flair. When Maple appears in the doorway of the Silver Ridge Community Center, she takes my breath away.
She's beautiful, radiant, and she's chosen me. Chosen this life, this town, this future we're building together.
Jake walks her down the aisle with tears in his eyes, and Torin stands beside me as my best man, grinning like he's personally responsible for my happiness. Maybe he is, in a way. If he hadn't needed looking after, I never would have moved to Silver Ridge. Never would have met the woman who changed everything.
The ceremony is simple, heartfelt, witnessed by the entire town that's embraced us as one of their own. When I slip the ring onto Maple's finger and promise to love her for the rest of my life, I mean every word.
"You may kiss your bride," the officiant announces, and I don't need to be told twice.
The kiss tastes like promises and new beginnings, like the life we're going to build together in the house I helped save. When we break apart, Ally throws her arms around both of us.
"Now we're a real family!" she announces, and the whole room erupts in cheers.
Derek didn't contest the adoption papers in the end. Faced with character witnesses from an entire town, documentation of my stable relationship with both Maple and Ally, and his own limited involvement in his daughter's life, his lawyer advised him to let it go.
Ally is legally my daughter now, and I've never been prouder of anything in my life.
As we dance our first dance as husband and wife, Maple smiles up at me with such love and happiness that I know I'm the luckiest man alive.
"Any regrets?" I ask, spinning her gently.
"Just one," she says, and my heart skips a beat.
"What's that?"
"That it took us so long to find each other."
I laugh, pulling her closer. "We found each other exactly when we were supposed to. Some foundations take time to build properly."
"And some are worth waiting for."
"Definitely worth waiting for."
Around us, Silver Ridge celebrates our beginning. Our friends, our family, our community that's embraced our love story as part of their own history. This is what Derek never understood—that some things matter more than money or status or big city opportunities.
Love matters. Family matters. Home matters.
And we've built all three, strong enough to last forever.
