Epilogue

Callie

Seven months later

 “It’s breathtaking up here,” I murmured in awe. Dallas’s parents’ skate shop was just down the street. We wanted to surprise them with a visit.

There was snow everywhere, nineteen inches to be exact. I missed the clean, cool air and the way the snow sounded as it crunched beneath my feet. The little town Dallas grew up in was quaint and old-fashioned, almost like it was from a movie. Trees lined the streets, and in the fall, I could just imagine the leaves blowing in the wind, blanketing the ground with their red and gold colors.

Dallas squeezed my hand and chuckled. “I miss it up here. You should see it at Christmas.” He pointed to the trees. “Everyone helps decorate the trees with lights and ornaments. I used to do it as a kid.”

“Maybe next Christmas we can come up here and spend it with your parents. I’m sure they’d love that.”

Dallas looked down at me, a smile lighting up his face. “Really? You’d want to do that?”

“Of course.” I laughed. “I’ll spend Christmas wherever you want . . . as long as there’s snow.”

He nodded. “That can be arranged.”

We had an amazing holiday staying in Charlotte. Both of our parents flew down and stayed with us. However, it wasn’t the same spending it in sixty-degree weather. I missed waking up on Christmas morning to see nothing but snow on the ground.

There was a park nearby with a group of boys throwing snowballs at each other. One of them looked over at us and screamed, “It’s Dallas Easton.”

The kids swarmed around us, jumping with excitement. They had to be between eight and ten years old. One of them grabbed Dallas’s arm, his red hat a little too big for his head. His two front teeth were missing and he was so tiny compared to Dallas. “Can you come to our game tomorrow? Our parents won’t believe this.”

The other boys nodded frantically. “Please,” they all shouted. “We want pictures with you.”

Dallas took off the kid’s red hat and ruffled his hair. “We’ll be there. I promise. Is it at Ferry’s Rink?”

Their little faces lit up. “Yes,” the boy with the red hat said, sliding it back down on his head.

Dallas shook all of their hands. “Sounds good, boys. Make sure to play hard.”

They ran off and shouted, “We will.”

“You’re a local celebrity around here,” I teased, linking my arm with his.

He shrugged and glanced back at the boys. “Around here, I don’t see it like that. These people are my family. It’s a tight-knit community. I think that’s one of the main things I miss.”

We arrived at the skate shop and walked in. Sweeping the floors, Theresa lifted her head and gasped in surprise, dropping the broom. “Oh my goodness, what are you two doing here?” She rushed over and hugged us.

“We wanted a weekend winter vacation,” Dallas told her. “I figured this would be the best place.”

Tears filled her eyes. “That’s right. And don’t you forget it. Your dad went to the store to get us some coffee, but he’ll be back soon.” A couple of customers walked through the door. “Why don’t you two take a look around? I’ll be with you shortly.”

Dallas took my hand and led me to the back room of the shop. “While she’s doing that, I have something else in mind.”

The room was full of old skates and some new. Dallas pulled out two pairs and handed me a set. “Up for some pond skating?” He nodded toward the window at a small frozen pond, protected by a ring of trees.

I grabbed his hand. “Let’s go.” We walked outside and the snow started to fall. There was no one else around, only us. “Does no one skate out here?”

He shook his head. “My parents own this property. This is where I skated as a boy.”

“It reminds me of the pond I used to skate on,” I told him. I sat down on a fallen tree and put on the skates. “Just don’t laugh if I fall on my ass.” I hadn’t skated on a pond in a long time. The ice was different than it was at a manicured rink. It wasn’t as smooth and you couldn’t control the temperature of it, making it unpredictable as far as skating. Pond ice can be very choppy, making your skate blades duller quicker, but if the ice is hard from the frigid environment, you could actually skate faster. 

Chuckling, Dallas took my hand and we stepped onto the pond. “I won’t let you fall, angel.”

Hand in hand, we skated around the pond. My phone beeped and I stopped so I could pull it out. Kristen had sent a picture of her baby girl, showing off her first tooth coming through her gums. Addison was dressed all in pink with a head full of red curls. “I swear this little girl is so precious.”

Dallas smiled when I showed him the picture. “She is. It’s a good thing she looks like her momma.” I tucked the phone back into my pocket and he swung me around, catching me in his arms. “Told you I wouldn’t let you fall.”

“I’m a pro on the ice. Or did you forget?”

Setting me down, he rested his forehead against mine. “I didn’t forget. I just want you to know I can keep you safe.”

I placed my hand on his cheek, the stubble tickling my fingers as I slid my hand down his face. “I have no doubt. It feels like so much has happened the past few months. We moved in with each other, got engaged and are about to be married, our friends had a baby, my brother’s fiancée is about to give birth, and Justin became a show sensation.”

Dallas snorted. “Sensation, really? The show screwed him over.”

I couldn’t argue with him there. “I’m not surprised it didn’t work out with Miranda. I knew she was fake from the very beginning. I hate he has to pretend they’re together for the next year.”

Dallas tapped my chin. “And to think that was going to be me if I hadn’t met you.” Grasping my hand, he pulled me around the pond. The snow started falling harder and I loved it. “Are you ready to marry me?” he asked, sliding to a stop. He held me close and I gazed up at him.

“More than anything. Just four more months.” It was going to be at the botanical gardens not far from our house. The flowers would be in bloom, decorating every square inch of the place with vibrant colors.

He cleared his throat. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to ask your brother and Maddox to be groomsmen. I know you needed me to find two more.”

“Really?” I squealed. “That’d be awesome. Especially now that you’ve been getting along better with Maddox. I guess you have Justin to thank for that.”

“We’re working on it. Maddox still likes to test my limits.” He was going to test his limits a lot more once Lacey’s secret came out. We’d deal with that later.

“What do you think we’ll be doing in ten years?” I asked, moving the subject away from Maddox.

Dallas stared down at me and then glanced over at the shop; he looked so happy. “That’s kind of what I wanted to talk to you about this weekend. If you’re okay with it, I thought about taking over the business after I retire.”

“Seriously? You want to move here?” Excitement coursed through my veins. I loved new adventures.

Wrapping his arms around my waist, he pulled me close. “It’s all up to you, angel. I know you’d have to leave your brothers and your job, but—”

I pressed a finger to his lips and slid it away. “I love you, Dallas. Soon, you will be my family. I want what makes you happy. Besides,” I said, glancing around at the snow-covered land. “Your home is beautiful. I’d love to live here.”

Releasing a heavy sigh, he cupped my cheeks and kissed me, his lips urgent against mine. I breathed him in and melted in his arms. There was nothing I wouldn’t do for him. “I’m ready for the day you say, ‘I do.’ You’ll finally be mine.”

I kissed him again. “I already am. Always.”