Page 35 of A Season of Second Chances
Home.
The word feels like a warm blanket, and I realize that's exactly what Cedar Lodge is. What Pine Ridge is. Not because of the place itself, but because of the people in it. Because of Winter and Alana and the life we're going to build together.
We climb into his truck, and as we drive back toward the lodge, I can't stop smiling.
"What are you thinking about?" Winter asks, glancing over at me as he drives.
"I'm thinking about how different my life is going to be in an hour than it was an hour ago," I tell him honestly. "And how scared I am. And how happy I am. And how strange it is that both things can be true at the same time."
"That's love," he says simply. "It's terrifying and wonderful all at once."
"Yeah," I agree, squeezing his hand. "Yeah, it is."
When we pull up to the lodge, I can see Alana's face pressed against the front window, watching for us. The moment she sees the truck, she disappears, and seconds later she's bursting through the front door, still in her pajamas, running toward us.
"You came back!" she shouts as I open the truck door. "I thought you left, but you came back!"
"I came back," I confirm, kneeling down as she crashes into me for a hug. "I came back because I realized something really important."
"What?" She pulls back to look at my face, her eyes wide and hopeful.
I glance up at Winter, who's standing beside us with his hand on my shoulder, and then back at Alana.
"I realized that everything I want is right here in Pine Ridge," I tell her. "With you and your dad. So I'm not leaving, Alana. I'm staying."
"Staying?" Her mouth drops open. "Like, staying staying? Like, living here?"
"Yes," I laugh, fresh tears streaming down my face. "Like staying staying. If that's okay with you."
"Okay with me?" She throws her arms around my neck again, squeezing so tight I can barely breathe. "It's the best thing ever! Joy's staying, Dad! She's really staying!"
"I know, princess." Winter's voice is thick with emotion as he wraps his arms around both of us. "She's staying."
We stand there in the parking lot, the three of us, holding each other as the sun shines down and the snow melts around us.
"Can I call you Mom?" Alana asks suddenly, pulling back to look at me. "Or is that weird? 'Cause I know you're not my real mom, but I don't have a mom, and I really want one, and I really want it to be you."
My heart feels like it's going to burst. "Oh, sweetheart. That's not weird at all. But maybe we should take it slow? Get to know each other better first? There's no rush."
"Okay," she agrees easily. "But someday I can call you Mom, right? When you're ready too?"
"Someday," I promise, looking up at Winter, who's watching us with so much love in his eyes I can barely stand it. "Someday very soon, I hope."
"Good." Alana grabs my hand and Winter's hand, trying to pull us both toward the lodge. "Come on, let's go tell everyone"
As we walk toward the lodge together, Alana chattering excitedly between us, I feel something contentment settle in my chest. Filling a space that's been unsettled for ten years.
Peace. Contentment. Rightness.
This is where I'm meant to be. This is who I'm meant to be with. This is the life I was always supposed to have, if only I'd been brave enough to choose it.
We reach the door, and I turn back for one last look at my rental car sitting at the end of the road, abandoned. It seems fitting somehow. That car was supposed to take me away from here, back to my old life. Instead, it's sitting empty while I walk into my new life.
"You okay?" Winter asks softly.
"Yeah," I tell him, and I mean it. "I'm better than okay."
He kisses my temple, and we follow Alana inside, where Carol is waiting with knowing eyes.
