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Logan swallows hard, his shoulders relaxing as he nods slowly. “Okay. Same goes for you, yeah? If someone makes you laugh or treats you like the best damn thing in the world… don’t shut them out because of me. I'll always be here.”

I give him a watery smile. “I won’t, but they’ll have to compete with Sitka.”

That earns me a shaky laugh, and he tugs me tight against his chest. “God, I love you.”

“I love you, too.” I press one last lingering kiss to his lips. “See you soon.”

And then I turn away, carrying our past, our maybe, and our what-ifs in my bag as I make my way to my terminal without looking back. Behind me, I know he’s still standing there, watching until I vanish from view.

I let the weight of his gaze carry me onto the plane, those papers feeling less like an ending and more like an intermission.

An opportunity to begin again, if we’re only brave enough to try.

Epilogue One

Logan - Six Months Later

“Stop twitching, everything's going to be fine.”

“I'm not twitching.”

I'm totally twitching. I’ve been sitting at this table inside The Prospector for thirty minutes, spinning my water glass in slow circles. There’s a weird chill clinging to my skin, and it has nothing to do with the Spring rain outside.

Salem wanted to meet here instead of the airport. Said it would be easier, less pressure. Something about neutral ground. Which is fair, but part of me still wanted to be waiting at that gate, scanning every face until hers came into view.

Instead, I’m here waiting with an anxious flutter in my chest.

Owen's knee bumps mine under the table as he sips his drink calmly. Dark waves fall over his soft brown eyes when he smiles at me. “Breathe, baby. I doubt she's going to bite you.”

I huff out a nervous laugh, grateful for him yet still nervous at the same time. “She might. Just for fun. Depends on her mood.”

He smiles and leans back in his chair, casual as ever, like this isn’t a huge moment in my easy little life. Like this isn’t Salem, the woman who's lived in the back of my head every damn day for six months, even while I’ve been building something real and soft with my boyfriend sitting across from me.

Yeah, boyfriend.

God, it still feels strange to say it, but it also feels right—and terrifying as hell.

This is the moment I bring two parts of my life together and hope they don’t burst into flames.

I didn't expect things to happen with him; they just did. I'd only met the guy once years ago at Matty and Xed’s old townhouse, when they'd thrown a going-away party. Arya re-introduced us a few months ago at a local gay bar, and we just clicked.

Salem's known about it since day one. We video chat a few times a month, and she says she's happy for us. Owen knows about her too—they’ve been friends for years.

The truth is, I love them both in different ways. They’re like fire and ash, two halves of my heart. Now they’re about to meet again as my partners.

I glance toward the door again, heart thumping wildly in my chest. “You sure you’re okay with all of this?”

He shrugs, unfazed as he touches my fidgeting fingers. “She’s important to you, and so am I. That’s all I need.”

Fuck, how did I get so lucky?

I'd told him about her on our first date, how she and I were still married but it was complicated. Owen hadn't batted an eye. He told me that normal was boring and then dropped to his knees beneath the restaurant table to suck me off. I never let him go after that.

The bell over the door jingles, and I know it's her before I even look. It’s not just instinct, it’s her gravity, pulling me in. My pulse kicks up as I shift my attention and sure enough, there she is.

Her red hair is windblown, cut short beneath the jaw and held away from her face by a pair of aviators. The second our eyes meet, she smiles wide, rushing across the room with that same fierce stride she’s always had. I stand so quickly that I almost knock my chair over.

“Heya, stranger,” she says, reaching for me.