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I shook my head. “Don’t think so.”
She swore under her breath, but when I glanced back, she appeared to be in one piece. “So, the story goes that when this town was a mining village, one of the miners fell in love with a woman from a higher class who was engaged to someone else through an arranged marriage her parents had set up. Supposedly, the night before her wedding, the woman and her forbidden lover came up to the waterfall and married in secret. They eloped, and rumor has it, they lived a full and happy life somewhere far away.”
“That’s romantic.” I wondered what it would feel like to love someone so deeply that you’d run away from everything you’d ever known to be with them. I’d like to feel that kind of love someday.
We continued up the trail, stopping occasionally to catch our breaths, and once when London slipped in a patch of mud and landed on her butt. Finally, I could hear rushing water.
“We must be getting near,” I said.
London checked her phone. “According to the map, it’s just around the corner.”
As the waterfall came into view, stunning, with several tiers spilling bluish water, surrounded by emerald green moss, so too did something else. Or rather, someone. Two someones. I blinked and rubbed my eyes, but they were still there. Warren and Ruby, each wearing shorts and T-shirts and holding a banner with big block letters that read: ‘Please Stay.’
My hand flew to my mouth.
“Go!” I felt a hand on my shoulder, pushing me toward them.
I moved forward on shaky legs, my eyes darting from Warren’s rugged face to the banner and up to Ruby’s massive smile, then back again. “What’s going on?”
Warren handed his corner of the banner to Ruby and strode to me, stopping a couple of feet away.
“We want you to take the teaching job and stay with us in Destiny Falls,” he said.
Emotion tightened my throat. “You do?”
He nodded. “Ruby and I talked last night, and there’s nothing that would make us happier.” He took another step forward and grasped my hands in his. “I’m falling for you, Hannah. I know it’s early days, and I don’t want to push you, but it’s important for you to know how I feel—howwefeel—and the fact that we want you here.” He raised one of my hands and kissed the back of it. “Say you’ll stay?”
Joy overflowed in my heart, and a solitary tear trailed down my cheek. He wanted me to stay. He cared enough to ask for it. And based on the way Ruby was beaming behind us, she did too.
“You’re both so amazing,” I cried, flinging myself into his arms. “Yes, I’ll stay. Nothing would make me happier.”
I buried my face in his chest and sank into him. I could happily have remained there forever because, for the first time I could remember, I felt like I belonged. I drew back and gestured for Ruby to join us. With a shy smile, she piled onto the group hug.
“I’m so glad I met you,” Warren said, brushing a kiss over my cheek and then planting another on the top of Ruby’s head.
“I’m glad I met both of you,” I said, meaning it. Perhaps this wasn’t what I’d envisioned for myself when I moved to Destiny Falls, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
“I’m your favorite though, right?” Ruby asked, and we all laughed.
EPILOGUE – NEW YEAR’S EVE
WARREN
“Not long to go now,” Sam said, from where he and my father, Jimmy, sat side by side on the sofa in our living room. A game of rugby was on TV, but it was an old one and I didn’t think either of them was paying much attention to it. They were too busy talking motorbikes. This was the first time we’d introduced our in-laws to each other, and it was going better than I could have hoped. Sam and Jimmy had a lot in common, and Mum seemed to like Hannah’s dad well enough, although she’d spent most of the evening with Ruby, showing her how to use the lip gloss and concealer she’d gotten for Christmas.
It still felt strange seeing my little girl with makeup, but she was fourteen now, and it made her happy. As Hannah had pointed out, it was better to introduce things like makeup in small quantities in a supportive environment so she could experiment and figure out what she liked rather than banning her from using it and risking her feeling like she had to keep secrets from us. There were definitely benefits to co-parenting with my now live-in girlfriend, who was far more familiar with the world of teenage girls than I’d ever be.
“Five minutes until the new year,” Hannah said, slipping an arm around my waist.
I exchanged a glance with Ruby, who knew exactly what I was planning in five minutes. The past year with Hannah had been the best of my life. I was so glad I’d gotten my head out of my ass and opened my heart to her after she turned up in Destiny Falls. I hated to think of a life without her, and hopefully, soon, I wouldn’t ever have to again. I held Hannah tight to my side and kissed her forehead. Across the room, Ruby gave me a subtle thumbs up.
We’d opted to spend New Year’s Eve at our place rather than going to either the local event at Drunken Destiny or the fancy party at the ski resort, which would cater mostly to tourists. It was nice to get to know each other better in this setting.
“I’m starting a countdown,” Ruby said, tapping away on her phone.
I checked my watch. Two minutes to go.
“Thank you all for coming,” I said to our family. “It means a lot to have you here.”
