Page 105 of Falling For You

As the conversation around me picked up again, I found myself drifting toward the lodge's back door. I needed a moment to gather my thoughts. The frigid evening air hit me as I stepped outside, and I let out a shaky breath, staring up at the sky as the stars began to twinkle overhead.

Soon, snow would cover the ground, and temperatures would be below freezing. The seasons would come and go, and I hoped that Owen would be here for them all.

He’d already become a part of my heart. But this? This was something else entirely. How could I ever begin to understand what it meant for someone to do what he’d done? To put everything on the line for me and my family?

The door creaked open behind me, and I didn’t need to turn around to know it was Owen.

“Hey,” he said softly, stepping up beside me. “Are you okay?”

I nodded, still staring at the stars. “Yeah. I just… I needed a minute.”

“I didn’t want to make a big deal out of it,” he said after a moment. “I just wanted to ensure you could keep the land. That’s all.”

I turned to face him, my heart pounding in my chest. “But you didn’t have to do that. You didn’t have to risk so much for us.”

Owen’s eyes softened, and he reached out to take my hand. “I didn’t have to. But I wanted to. Because you—and your family—you mean everything to me.”

Tears welled in my eyes, and I blinked them back, trying to find the words to express my feelings. But all I could manage was a whisper. “Thank you.”

Owen smiled, his thumb brushing gently over my knuckles. “You don’t need to thank me, Violet. I did it because I love you.”

Those three words hit me like a wave, washing over me and filling me with a warmth I hadn’t felt in a long time. He loved me. And in that moment, I realized that I loved him too.

“I love you, too,” I whispered, the words slipping out before I could stop them. But as soon as I said them, I knew they were true.

Owen’s smile widened, and he pulled me into his arms, holding me close as the cool breeze rustled the leaves around us.

We stood there for what felt like forever, wrapped in each other’s warmth, the weight of everything we’d been through lifting, leaving only the promise of what lay ahead. And for the first time in a long time, I felt like the future was something I could look forward to—because I wasn’t facing it alone.

Back inside, the sound of my family’s laughter filtered through the open window, and I knew that this—this moment, this love, this life—was more than I could ever dream of.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Violet

It was freezing outside, and I felt like I’d lost my fingers along the trail to my cabin. The soft crunch of gravel beneath our feet wasthe only sound breaking the silence. Thanksgiving dinner at the lodge had been warm and full of laughter, but now that the day’s festivities were over, I was left alone with my thoughts—and Owen.

We hadn’t said much after Vern had dropped that bombshell about Owen paying the difference to save the land. My family had been too shocked, grateful, and stunned to ask many questions. And to be honest, I didn’t know how to process it myself.

He had risked everything for us—quietly, without asking for anything in return—and the weight of that revelation had left me feeling like I’d been standing on shifting ground all night.

I was thankful, of course. But there was something more behind that gratitude, something I hadn’t been able to put into words yet.

As we reached the porch of my cabin, the soft glow of the lights inside spilling onto the steps, I realized I was alone with him again. The realization sent a shiver of anticipation down my spine.

Owen stopped beside me, his hand brushing against mine, and for a moment, neither of us spoke. The tension betweenus was palpable, the chemistry that had always been there simmering just beneath the surface.

“So,” I said, breaking the silence, “are you going to come inside, or are you planning to freeze out here on the porch?”

Owen’s lips curved into a slow, teasing smile. “I don’t know. Are you sure you’re ready to be alone with me in that cabin of yours? You might not be able to handle it.”

I rolled my eyes but couldn’t suppress the smile tugging at my lips. “Oh, please. If anyone’s going to be overwhelmed, it’s you. I mean, have you seen my throw pillows? They’re pretty intimidating. And I could always wear my llama costume to liven things up.”

Owen laughed, a deep, rich sound that warmed me from the inside out. “I can handle a few throw pillows. But I’ll admit, I’m a little nervous about what you’re hiding in that costume.”

I pushed open the door, shaking my head as we stepped inside.

As we walked into my cabin, the warmth from the woodstove greeted us, and the familiar scents of pine and cedar filled the air.

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