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“Seriously.” He chuckled.

“Maxwell Jefferson Sullivan, I accept your proposal and your pledge. I love you more than I ever thought possible, and I can’t think of anything better than spending the rest of my life at your side.”

He tugged the ring from its velvet nest and slipped it onto her finger. Then he lifted Eryn to her feet and twirled her around. She clung to his shoulders as they spun.

When he finally set her down, she took his beloved face between her hands and looked deeply into his eyes. “I love you, Maxwell. I’ll do my best to be worthy of you.”

He shook his head slowly. “You are worthy. You don’t need to try. Just be yourself. If we keep close to God, keep our focus on Him and then each other, we’ll be okay.”

“We need to fill our minds with His word. With positive things.” Not dwell on negatives like she’d been so prone to doing.

From back in the great room, an air horn sounded. “Ten, nine, eight…”

“I love you, Eryn.”

It was a good thing he’d said her name, because when his lips brushed hers again, she all but forgot who she was. The sweet, tender caress slowly deepened until Eryn was lost in this moment with her beloved.

The air horn blasted again, long and loud.

“Happy New Year, Eryn,” Maxwell whispered into the sudden silence.

“Happy New Year, Maxwell.”

She was going to marry her greatest love and pledge her life to his in this most precious of new years.

Cheers, whistles, and cat calls came from the great room.

They’d figure out the details later.

Epilogue

Bryce Sullivan stood beside the fireplace, watching the crowd mill around the lodge’s great room. Aunt Nadine had married Keith Ralston an hour or so ago, and the party was still in full swing. His gaze caught on a redhead, standing with her back to him, across the room.

His heart stopped abruptly. What on earth was Madison Woodrow doing in Montana, at Bryce’s aunt’s wedding?

He edged around the crowd, drawn, as always, to her like a magnet. What was he going to say when he got her attention? It wasn’t like he wanted to rekindle anything with her. She’d leave after the reception, right? He didn’t need to say anything at all.

She’d cut her hair by a few inches and curled it. Maybe lightened it a little, but why would she do that? She’d always been so proud of the natural red and made sure people knew the color wasn’t out of a bottle.

The woman turned, her gaze meeting Bryce’s from a few feet away. She smiled.

She was not Madison.

That was good, right? He could breathe again. Because Madison didn’t belong in Montana. She was a Chicago girl. She didn’t belong with Bryce’s family.

The woman held eye contact as she said something to her companion. Now two women were smiling and watching him.

“Hey, there. I’m Bryce. Nadine’s nephew.” He stuck out his hand. “I didn’t mean to stare. It’s just you reminded me of someone I used to know.”

“Or someone you want to know, maybe? I’m Daniella Evans, Reggie’s daughter.”

Reggie was Aunt Nadine’s stepbrother. Relief swarmed Bryce. “We’re practically cousins.”

Daniella touched his arm. “But not quite. There’s no blood between us.” She waggled her eyebrows.

She offered the kind of invitation the old Bryce would have gone for, but nope. Not with someone who reminded him of Madison. Not with someone who was practically related. That would just get messy, since Bryce wasn’t into commitment.

Ask Madison about that.