Page 77 of Reclaimed Roots

"Jas?" Natalie's voice was soft, concerned.

I couldn't look at her. Not yet. I kept my eyes fixed on the wood, tracing the lines of our initials over and over.

I finally lifted my gaze to meet Natalie's, my vision blurry. How could I possibly express what this meant to me?

I stretched out my hand, reaching for hers. Our fingers laced together, and we stood under the tree, cradling this precious fragment of our past. It felt like solid proof. Proof that, in spite of everything, our love survived, like a tiny flame that refused to be snuffed out.

If the roots are strong, the tree will survive.

Papa's old adage echoed through my mind, and I smiled to myself. Perhaps true love was a lot like a tree, a lot like this orchard. Sometimes life brought a storm and a few branches got knocked off, but if the roots were sound, we'd still be standing when everything blew over. There might have been a storm on the horizon then, but Ever Eden could tough it out. And so could we.

"Ask me again," Natalie whispered.

"What?"

"Ask me again," she repeated, more insistent this time.

For a second, I looked at her blankly. And then it clicked.

A question I had asked her seven years ago.

A question she had said no to.

A question I never believed I'd have the chance to ask her again.

"Natalie..."

"Please, Jas," she pleaded, her eyes shining with unshed tears.

"Fuck." I was overwhelmed by the moment, by her. "Natalie Marie Choi, will you... will you marry me?"

"Yes."

She answered without hesitation, and it was the sweetest sound I had ever heard.

My smile stretched my face to the point of pain, and Nat's matched it. We soaked it in, the moment we'd both been waiting seven years for. Because we were each other's home, and no amount of time or space could ever change that.

Epilogue

JASPER

Get out!"my sister shrieked. "You can't see Nat in her dress before the wedding day!"

I slapped a hand over my eyes, feeling like a complete idiot. "Okay, shit. I didn't know she was in her dress!"

Charlie's exasperated sigh filled the room. "What do you think a dress fitting is, you fool?"

"Stop yelling at me!" I snapped back. My cheeks burned with embarrassment. I stood there, hand still firmly pressed against my face, caught between the desire to bolt and the temptation to catch even the smallest glimpse of Natalie.

"Stop standing there like a ding dong with your hand over your eyes!"

Blind and flustered, I spun around, only to smash face-first into the unforgiving door frame. Pain exploded across my forehead. "Ouch, fuck," I muttered, rubbing the spot that would surely bruise.

Suddenly, I felt Natalie's warm hands on my shoulders.They were soft but firm as she steered me out of the room. Her scent washed over me and calmed my racing heart.

"I'll be out in a second," she said, her voice close to my ear.

I sat on the couch in Marie's living room, my knee bouncing with nervous energy as I waited for Natalie. The bedroom door creaked open, and I straightened up. Marie emerged first, followed by Charlie, and then finally, Natalie.

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