Page 35 of Awakening the Wild
Then he was kissing me—not the desperate claiming of our first kiss, but something deeper. A promise. A declaration. The sealing of a bond that went beyond legal documents or spoken vows.
When we finally broke apart to whoops and applause from our small gathering, Kevin rested his forehead against mine.
"Mrs. Pike," he said, testing out the name.
"I like the sound of that."
"Good. Because you're stuck with it forever."
That evening, after Sam's incredible feast and Neil's heartfelt toast and Shane's quiet blessing, Kevin and I stood on our porchunder emerging stars. I was still wearing my wedding dress, and Kevin had his arms wrapped around me from behind.
"Happy?" he asked.
"More than I knew was possible."
I turned in his arms to face him, looking up at the man who'd become my everything. His dark eyes reflected starlight, and the smile on his face was something I'd never seen before—pure contentment mixed with possessive satisfaction.
"What are you thinking?" I asked.
"That I've been waiting my whole life for this moment." His hand came up to cup my face. "For you. Standing here as my wife, wearing my ring, choosing to stay even when you had every reason to run."
"I'm not running. Not ever."
"Good." He lowered his head until his lips brushed mine. "Because I'm going to spend the rest of my life making sure you never want to."
The promise in his voice sent heat spiraling through me. "Show me."
He swept me up in his arms, carrying me toward the house—our house, with both our names on the deed. As he carried me over the threshold, I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him with everything I had.
This was just the beginning. The first page of a story we'd write together—full of passion and partnership, challenges and triumphs, love that grew stronger with every passing day.
I'd come to this mountain broken and lost, searching for something I couldn't name.
And I'd found him. Found us. Found the kind of love that made everything else fade into insignificance.
As Kevin laid me down on our bed, his body covering mine, his hands claiming every inch of me with reverent possession, Iknew with absolute certainty that this was where every path had been leading.
Not to property or independence or proof of survival.
But to this man. This moment. This love that felt like coming alive for the first time.
"I love you," I whispered against his lips.
"I love you too," he said, his voice dark with promise. "Every day, for the rest of our lives."
And as he proceeded to show me exactly what forever meant, I stopped thinking about the past entirely.
There was only now. Only us. Only the perfect certainty of two souls recognizing they'd finally found what they'd been searching for all along.
Each other.
Epilogue
Tonya
One year later
I stood at my desk in the converted sunroom of our house, laptop open to three different client projects, my phone buzzing with another inquiry. Through the window, I could see Kevin checking the maple lines in preparation for the season's first run, his breath forming clouds in the cold air.
