★。\|/。★VANESSA DAVIS★。/|\。★/One Year Later/I’d never seen the farm look like this.Silver Ridge had always been beautiful—rolling pastures, wide skies, that big oak tree out near the lake that had witnessed more confessions and heartbreaks than most churches—but today?Today, it looked like something out of a dream I hadn’t let myself have until Colton Hayes fell into my life like a damn wildfire.White tents fluttered in the breeze, soft and elegant without losing the grit of who we were. Twinkling lights looped through the trees and along the fences. The path to the barn—newly painted and now more a community gathering hall than a place for tools—was lined with wildflowers in mason jars. Long wooden tables waited under a massive canopy, strung with greenery and glowing lanterns. And off in the distance, the lake shimmered like it had been summoned by a fairytale.The entire town of Dusty Creek had shown up. Our whole pack was here too—every loud, loyal, curious, nosy one of them
★。\|/。★VANESSA DAVIS★。/|\。★Two months.Two whole months since I said he could propose, and the man hadn’t done a damn thing. Not a suspicious picnic. Not a nervous twitch. Not even a glint of guilt when I stared him down like a hawk trying to read his soul.Colton Hayes, for all his flannel-wrapped goodness and gentle cowboy ways, had learned to be sneaky.And I was losing my mind. Who the hell taught to be so clever? There are no clues anywhere in the house or on his phone. It’s like this proposal, if he’d actually started planning it, is through his mind or word of mouth.Every Sunday dinner. Every sunset ride. Every time he came home from the forge with soot on his cheeks and that little box nowhere in sight—I felt myself sink into that odd space between anticipation and quiet disappointment.I didn’t need the ring.But I wanted it.And I wanted him to want to give it to me. But now, after a week-long stakeout in a town that smelled like moldy truck seats and desperation, I was
▄︻デ══━一 COLTON HAYES💥 Dinner had progressed greatly, and after that fulfilling conversation that shoved my worries away, it was time for the next part of the meal. The more sweet part of our thanksgiving tradition.The sounds of dessert drifted around the house—forks scraping plates, the faint clatter of coffee cups, laughter mingling with the smell of cinnamon and pecans. It was warm in the dining room, the kind of warmth that settled deep into the bones, layered with sugar and nostalgia.Vanessa was still at the table with Benny and Catia, helping the little guy pick the crust off his pie like it was a treasure hunt. Abel was animatedly telling a story to Ezra and Lionel, while Macey listened wide-eyed and smiling. The room had mellowed into a cozy hum, like the golden light filtering through the windows had seeped into every soul seated around that table.And I… I needed a breath.Not from stress. Not anymore.But from weight.Hopeful weight. Heavy in a good way.I stepped out on
▄︻デ══━一 COLTON HAYES💥 Dinner was ready by the time i finally psyched myself up to go into the house. Vanessa had introduced my family to hers and vice versa. I don’t want to point out how that’s not a good look for me. Why did i spend so much time outside trying to give myself a pep talk?The turkey had been carved, the casseroles browned to perfection, and Catia’s pecan pie—which she’d sworn three times wasn’t “that good” and then spent an hour fussing over—sat like a crown jewel at the center of the dessert spread. Everything smelled like tradition: cinnamon, brown sugar, roasted meat, and warm bread.It smelled like our tradition and i was happy the Davis’s are getting to experience it.But I couldn’t taste a damn thing. Not yet. Not until I got through the first fifteen minutes of this dinner without doing something dumb like dropping a gravy boat or calling her dad “sir” one too many times. The latter I’m pretty sure is the more likely thing to happen.The long table I’d spent
▄︻デ══━一 COLTON HAYES💥 I had the turkey sweating in one oven, a honey-glazed ham in another, three casseroles waiting to be browned, and still—still—the only thing I could think about was whether or not Vanessa’s family was going to like me.I’d battled rogue wolves. I’d taken down traitors in my pack. I’d done a lot of scary things in my life, i was responsible for my mother’s death. Which means i basically cost my father his mate. One of the worst things a person could ever do.None of that compared to the nerves I felt today.I adjusted the collar of my flannel shirt again and checked the dining room for the fifth time in ten minutes. The space looked damn good, if I said so myself. I’d renovated the house last year—tore out walls, expanded the dining area, added massive windows that looked out over the beautiful pastures and the barn just beyond. The long mahogany table was dressed up for the season, complete with hand-cut pine cones, candles, and a centerpiece Catia and Vanessa
★。\|/。★VANESSA DAVIS★。/|\。★There are a lot of changes I’ve had to make since moving here. I’ve had to try things with animals... not in a gross way... actually yeah, in a gross way. Have you seen a horse give birth right next to you? That is horrifying. Milking cows... not horrifying but not fun either. The animals are usually the best and worst thing about being on the farm. But that isn’t the only big change I’ve had to make. I’ve also had to deal with certain views that I was sure I strongly stood on—only to realize life has a way of challenging even your most unshakable beliefs. One of those views is on marriage and what i thought was a devastating trap no one could escape from. I thought it would always lead to cheating, but when you’re with someone like colton.... well you start to feel like being Mrs Hayes.... isn’t the worst thing in the world. He loves too hard, it’s got me convinced.I never pictured myself as the kind of woman who’d type “wolf wedding traditions” int