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My answer is simple. “I thought you were in there, Capri. Your car was there so I just went. I didn’t even think about it.” That’s the truth. “How’s Thora?”

Carpi laughs. “She’s okay. She’s with your parents. You saved her.”

“You saved me,” I counter.

She shakes her head. “We saved each other.”

Maybe, she’s right. I’ll always say she saved me, but maybe this beautiful woman needed a little saving, too. I’m more than glad to be the one to do that for her. Something else happened though. When I rushed into those crackling flames, I found the part of myself I thought I had lost. In one night, I thought I had lost everything and at that time I had, but I’ve rebuilt something now and this version of me has finally found himself again, in large part because of the angel with the bright eyes I’m currently holding in my arms.

EPILOGUE

Capri

As I wake up freezing, I curl into Jayse. I swear, he’s like my own personal space heater. I love it. Autumn has given way to winter, and the first snow has hit the ground. It was coming down heavily last night as we climbed into bed. We haven’t had time to get the heat fixed in the house since we’ve only been here a couple of weeks. After Jayse was released from the hospital, it became obvious I didn’t have much to go back home to. I had Thora and my car, most of everything inside my apartment had been severely smoke damaged, but that was okay. Jayse and Thora had survived and that’s all that matters. Although, I hated that Jayse never got to see his picture.

We loaded up into his truck and I drove him to his house. He had looked over at me with those stormy gray eyes. “I think you should move in with me.”

I remember not breathing and my mouth going instantly dry. “What?”

“You don’t have a place now. Stay with me and we’ll start looking for a place together.” Jayse made it sound so easy. A part of me was hesitant, but the larger part of me knew that I didn’t want to spend any more time away from him than necessary now. I was no longer concerned about breaking the promise to myself. Warbee had been right. I needed it at the time when I made it, but I didn’t need it now. I took a deep breath and looked over at Jayse.

“Okay, sounds like a plan.”

That’s exactly what we did. We found a place pretty quickly. An older home with all the classic charm I love but it did need some fixing up. Thankfully, Jayse was perfect for that. However, getting around to all the stuff had been a challenge between the bakery, Warbee and Rocker’s wedding, Teaganne and Keefer’s engagement, holidays, and getting settled into our place. I also can’t forget to mention that I’m preparing for my first art showing in Atlanta later this month, and that Jayse is officially a firefighter again. He is still the town's handyman, but only when he’s not at the station. Things have been a whirlwind, but every time I get to take a minute and watch Jayse, I do. Coming so close to losing him was overwhelming and eye opening. Capri Owens will run no more.

I really need to pull myself out of this warm bed and move towards the art room that Jayse was working on for me yesterday. Teaganne and Warbee hired me right after the fire to do a couple of custom pieces for Lillie, the owner of Skyscape Spa. Well, it turned out that one of her clients owns a pretty popular art museum in Atlanta and she loved my pieces. Next thing I knew I had a show scheduled and an actual deadline. Then Warbee and Teaganne signed me onto their event and design planning business as their top artist for painted art pieces. My life here has come full circle I feel like.

Luckily, Jayse’s family welcomed me with open arms. I can only imagine what they were thinking. For years, I had been the odd girl out in Blue Ridge with my crazy colored hair and band t-shirts. I was a loner and didn’t get out much except to work. I’m sure they were hesitant about Jayse and I, but they never once said anything. They let it play out as it needed to. After Jayse got released from the hospital, we went to his childhood home and picked up Thora. It was then that I actually felt like I belonged in this little family. Whitney had become one of my best friends. Warbee, Teaganne, Whitney and I all do a girls movie night once a week (when schedules and kids allow it). That’s probably going to change with Warbee and Rocker getting their baby soon.

I smile to myself as I take a deep breath. Carefully, I slip out of the bed, bundle up the best I can in the ice-cold house and make my way to the art room. The room sits on the back half giving me the picture-perfect view of mountains as well as every sunrise and sunset. The windows cover the majority of the room. As I open the door, I take a deep breath because this is one of my dreams. When I open the door, a slight scream escapes me before I pull it back in. Sitting there on the easel in the middle of the room is my picture of Jayse, my Phoenix.

“I’m sure it’s still smoke damaged, but I couldn’t let them toss it.” Jayse’s voice comes from behind me.

I turn around. “Were you awake the whole time?”

He shakes his head. His long hair is gone now. “No, I woke up as you left the bed then realized where you were heading. I wanted to witness your reaction.”

“How did you get it?” I ask. Letting go of that painting was one of the hardest things I had ever done. I had wanted Jayse to see it so badly.

“Liam, one of my old buddies from the station, got it for me. That picture made me realize so much that night. It helped get me out of your apartment. I couldn’t let go.”

I don’t even fight the smile that pulls on my mouth. “I wanted you to see it so badly. I didn’t know you saw it.”

Jayse nods his head. “I saw it. It’s actually the last thing I saw before everything went black.”

I walk into his arms, and they wrap around me like a warm blanket. My protection, that odd sense washing over me. Jayse holds me like I’m treasured, as if I’m valuable and that’s something I’ve never had before. He protects me with every fiber of his being. Jayse is one of the good ones. He’s one of the ones I had been searching for. I pull back and look at him. “I love you.” Those three words roll off my tongue so easily because it’s right. There are no expectations on my love for him. It’s unconditional and it’s real.

Jayse smiles. “I love you, Bright Eyes.” His lips find mine in the middle of the room. A dream come true; the main one I was always running from place to place trying to find.

Blue Ridge wasn’t my destination. It was meant to be a stop on the journey, but it snuck into my heart slowly and quietly. The people became important and made me feel like I mattered. Traditions the town held made me feel like I was a part of the community. Blue Ridge was the place I never knew I needed, and it held the one thing I was always looking for...love. Love for myself, for someone else, and for a place that makes you feel like you belong.