He didn’t rush. He held it there in his palm, steady, the firelight catching in the softness of the velvet.
“I’ve had this for a while,” he said quietly. “Since before the fire. Before everything fell apart. I didn’t know when the right moment would be. And I sure as hell didn’t want it to be out of pressure or chaos.”
Natalie couldn’t speak. Her hands trembled slightly in her lap. He opened the box slowly.
Inside was a simple diamond ring, elegant, understated, the kind of beauty that didn’t need to shout. The center stone was oval, set in a delicate band that shimmered faintly in the firelight.
“I love you,” Mason said. “Not just the woman that stands strong in front of everyone, or the one who heals animals better than I ever could. I love the woman who came here broken and never let the cracks stop her from building something new. I love the woman who sits beside me right now, for good or bad, in sickness and childbirth and whatever life throws at us.”
She covered her mouth, eyes filled to the brim.
“I don’t want to wait for perfect,” he continued. “I don’t care about a big wedding or a timeline that makes sense to anyone else. I just want you. And this baby. And a life we build with both hands.”
He held the ring toward her. “Natalie Carrington… will you marry me?”
Her tears spilled over, slow and soundless. But her smile was radiant.
“Yes,” she whispered. Then louder: “Yes. Of course, yes.”
He slipped the ring onto her finger, and it fit perfectly. Like ithad always been waiting there. Then he pulled her into his arms, and she kissed him through laughter and tears, through the smoke of the fire and the fading ache of everything they’d overcome.
Outside, the snow continued to fall. Inside, two hearts beat against one another in a rhythm that had finally found its home.
26
The next morning, the mountains woke slowly. The sky glowed a soft, winter blue. A hush blanketed the sanctuary, not from snow but from stillness. Natalie stood barefoot on the porch of her cabin, a wool blanket wrapped around her shoulders, one hand resting instinctively over her belly. Her body felt different already, tender and glowing. Her other hand twisted the diamond on her finger, the ring still so new it felt like a secret. Inside, Mason was finishing breakfast, the smell of cinnamon and coffee drifting toward her in slow ribbons.
She had imagined moments like this before, quiet, content, filled with small routines but never believed she would reach one. Stillness used to scare her. Stillness meant something was missing. But now? It felt like safety.
The sound of boots on gravel made her turn. Mason stepped out, two mugs in hand, his eyes immediately finding hers. She took a deep breath, steadying herself in the calmness of his gaze.
“Still real?” he asked with a crooked smile.
“Still real,” she said, accepting the coffee. Their fingers brushed as she took the mug, and the warmth of his skin settled her more than the drink ever could.
She watched him, quietly memorizing the curve of his jaw, the morning scruff on his cheeks, the way his smile softened everything in her. That this man, the one she had once met with a frown and a wolf on a stretcher, was now her home, still astounded her.
“Ready to tell them?” he asked.
She nodded. “Let’s tell them.”
An hour later, they stood at Olivia’s kitchen table. The room smelled like orange peels and tea. A kettle whistled softly behind them. Davey was peeling an orange with slow precision, his expression focused but neutral. Natalie could never quite tell if he was deep in thought or simply avoiding eye contact.
Olivia was thumbing through a stack of papers, budgets, schedules, scribbled grant applications. She looked up when Mason cleared his throat.
Natalie’s heart beat harder. She could hear it. Like a drum in a distant canyon.
“We wanted to share something,” she began, her voice gentle but firm.
Davey’s eyes flicked upward. Olivia’s hand stilled on the page.
Natalie lifted her hand, letting the ring catch the morning light.
“We’re engaged,” Mason said simply.
Olivia stared for half a second before it sank in.
Then she stood so abruptly the chair scraped the floor. “You’re engaged?”
