Page 32 of Liam James
“You ready?” he asked, his voice low.
I nodded toward the valley where chairs and white ribbons waited, where Forest and Fraiser had set up an archway overlooking the ridge. “It’s beautiful.”
“Not as beautiful as the bride,” he said with that slow smile that made my knees weak.
Poppy ran up the steps, breathless, cheeks flushed. “Can we start now?” she asked.
Liam laughed. “Are you sure you’re ready? I thought you were the flower girl.”
She grinned. “I can do that! I don’t care if I’m too big for this I will still do it.”
The guests were already gathering—Forest and Fraiser in their cleanest boots, with half the town carrying food for the reception. The mountains wrapped around us like a promise.
Liam turned to me, his hand finding mine. “You sure about this?” he teased softly, but there was a flicker in his eyes, like he still couldn’t quite believe it was real.
I squeezed his fingers. “I’m more sure than I’ve ever been about anything.”
When the music started—simple, just a guitar and a fiddle—I walked toward him with the wind in my hair and the whole world in front of us.
And when Liam kissed me under that archway, with Poppy throwing petals like confetti and everyone cheering, it didn’t feel like an ending at all.
It felt like the start of everything.
Bonus Scene — Liam
The guests had gone home hours ago. The last of the lanterns still flickered outside, fireflies dancing in the dark like they’d come to celebrate too.
Inside the cabin, Poppy had gone to bed.
Jenny stood by the window, her wedding dress traded for a soft T-shirt of mine that hit mid-thigh. Her hair was loose now, tumbling down her back a golden blonde as she watched the moonlight spill across the hills.
I came up behind her, sliding my arms around her waist. She leaned back into me like she belonged there—and hell, she did.
“Long day,” I murmured against her hair.
“Perfect day,” she corrected softly.
We watched the valley for a long moment, the quiet wrapping around us like a blanket.
“I was thinking,” she said finally, her voice slow, careful. “About the cabin down by the river. The one Forest said was for sale.”
“Yeah?”
She turned in my arms, looking up at me with eyes that still stole my breath. “What if we bought it? Made this home for real?”
Home.
The word landed deep, right where everything in me had already decided she and Poppy belonged.
“Yeah,” I said. “I like the sound of that.”
Her smile was soft, the kind that lit something warm in my chest.
Behind us, Poppy stirred in her sleep, mumbling something about flowers and cake before settling again. Jenny glanced over at her, then back at me.
“She’s happy here on Fraiser mountain,” Jenny whispered.
“So are you,” I said.
