FIFTEEN YEARS LATER.
After a long day at the bakery in Shadow Ridge, I finally return home.
The scent of pine and wildflowers greets me as I step onto the patio, the last light of day stretching golden across the compound.
I sink into my favorite wooden bench and exhale, my shoulders softening for the first time all day.
Out in the field, I watch our kids, Emily and Ethan, sparring under the fading sun. Their movements swift and deliberate.
Ezra watches them closely, cane in hand, barking gentle corrections.
“Welcome home, my Luna.” Lucian’s voice rumbles from behind me and I feel a familiar warmth wrap around my waist as his arms encircle me.
I lean back into him, his lips brushing my cheek before settling into a kiss, and he hands me a glass of red wine.
“How was work today?” he squeezes my hand gently, his voice soft.
“Busy,” I sigh, smiling into my glass. “But I’ve got a solid team now, that’s why I was able to leave early for once.”
“Good. I missed you.” He hums, sipping his whis
