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“Definitely,” he said. “I know how this works.” He paused. “Would you be interested in listing my townhome?”

Her smile widened. “I’d love to. We’ll set up a time for me to come look, but let’s get this deal started first.”

“Can I take a few pictures?” Alesha asked. “I want to show my dad… and my friends and my mom when I get back to Oregon.”

“Of course,” Harlow said. “I’ll step outside and give you a few minutes.”

As soon as she left, Alesha began snapping photos, moving from room to room while Reece followed behind her.

There wasn’t much he’d need to change, but there were a few things he could already see himself tweaking to make it theirs. He could picture it without even trying—her books stacked on the coffee table, a throw blanket draped over the arm of the couch, soft music drifting through the rooms. And a small dog curled up at her feet.

It wouldn’t just be a house; it would be a home.

When she finished, she walked over and kissed him softly. “If this is a dream,” she murmured, “I don’t want to wake up.”

He brushed his thumb along her cheek. “You’re not dreaming,” he said quietly. “We’re building something real. And this is just the beginning.”

He kissed her again, slower this time.

“Come on,” he said. “Harlow’s waiting.”

At the front door, they both paused, taking in the space one last time.

“See you soon, house,” Alesha whispered.

Then they stepped out onto the porch, closing the door behind them.

fifteen

“I can’t believe New Year’s Eve is basically an all-day event.”

They’d arrived at the resort hours earlier and had already been to a pre-dinner cocktail party in the owner’s suite with Walker and Harlow, Axel and Maisie, Connor and Lexi, Milo and Nora—fresh from their honeymoon—Slater and Evie, and a handful of other close friends and family.

Alesha had loved every minute of it. Being included in something so intimate, so celebratory… it meant more than she’d expected. And everyone had been so genuinely excited about her moving back to Harbortown that it just confirmed that this was where she belonged. From there, they’d gone to dinner, and now they were heading out for the evening’s outdoor festivities.

“Well, to be fair, there’s a lot going on,” Reece said as they stepped out of the lodge and made their way down toward the lake. “It wouldn’t fit into just a few hours. I tried to get us a cabin, but they were all booked.”

“Ooh, that would’ve been nice,” she admitted. “But I love our room. Fireplace, Christmas tree… I’m not complaining.”

“A cabin would’ve given us lake views—and a great spot for the fireworks.”

She waved that off. “We’re going to be outside with everyone anyway. Then dessert and dancing afterwards? It’s going to be perfect.”

Luminaries lined the walkway, casting a soft golden glow across the snow. Their flickering light reflected gently, turning the entire setting into something quietly magical. Overhead, strands of white lights wound through the trees, illuminating small clusters of guests bundled against the cold. Laughter drifted through the winter air, blending with soft music playing somewhere in the distance.

But it was the tree that drew her in.

It stood near the path to the amphitheater—tall and glowing, every branch wrapped in lights and dotted with small tags that swayed gently in the breeze.

“A wish tree,” she murmured.

Reece stepped up beside her. “Looks like it.”

At the base sat a small wooden table with a sign: Write your wish for the New Year.

Of course they had something like this. The Lakeview Harbor Resort thought of everything.

Guests moved quietly around them—some laughing as they wrote, others more thoughtful as they tied their wishes to the branches.