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EPILOGUE

SIX MONTHS LATER

Kiera

It had been a week since we got back from Texas, and creativity thrummed in me. I’d been busy meeting with local printers for my card collection and trying to find the right packaging to market it. I recently had a get-together with my friends, who gave me fabulous tips.

Audri offered to help with the marketing campaign. Michelle wanted to promote it on her blog. Natalie wanted to sell some at her store. People often came in to purchase her fashion collection as gifts and needed a card to go with the gift box. Vivian bought a bunch to give to her staff.

Forrest had been occupied the last week with meetings every day and him working in the greenhouse.He’d spent so much time in there, I wondered what enormous project he was working on. Maybe he was trying to find the right plants for another medication he was developing?

But he promised to spend the next few days with me. I wanted to lie low for a few days before rearranging my photo studio and darkroom.

Sitting in the living room, I smiled at the newspaper article I’d brought back from Texas. The media attended the special event at Full Circle Apothecary when I debuted Greetings from the Forrest to the public. The overall reception embraced my heart and validated this endeavor. I made the right decision by listening to my heart.

Several stores around the country had contacted me, wanting to know how they could carry my card collection. Some even asked if I could sell the photos as prints. I was open to everything, but that could start in a month. I needed to hire an assistant to help me.

So much had changed, and I was grateful to be with a man who loved me.My blood aversion had turned into fascination. When I accompanied Forrest to his research center, I couldn’t stop looking at the images and videos about blood. Grandma Morena was coming up to visit next week. She and my mom were like besties now. They talked on the phone often. Mom took an online herbs class taught by Grandma Morena, and it was so informative. I wanted to learn more about this marvelous world of plant-based medicine.

From mylast conversation with Olivia, I’d learned she was dating Levi, Forrest’s friend, and had cut back on modeling to focus on her skincare career. I didn’t blame her.

As I considered which images to send to the printer, a sigh drew my attention away from the images. Forrest leaned against the wall, staring at me with a smile that would sell a lot of GQ magazines. He wore a T-shirt and jeans, looking relaxed and sexy as hell.

“How long have you been standing there, weirdo?”

Chuckling, he pushed himself away from the wall and walked over. “How’s that weird? I’m admiringmywoman inmyhome. I have every right.” He offered me his hand. “Ready to see the greenhouse?”

It was early April, and the trees in the city had just budded. Tiny leaves peeked out as though greeting a new life. I loved this time of year where colors and hope stirred in the air. The bamboos, trees, shrubberies in the greenhouse had already bloomed from the advanced solar light equipment and irrigation system he’d installed. I loved that he’d brought the outdoors inside, where I could enjoy it during winter.

I hadn’t been inside the greenhouse to explore what he’d done. He didn’t want me to see it until everythingwas completed.

“Yes.” I grabbed his hand. The gleam in his eyes had me asking, “What did you do?”

“Everything I do is for you, baby.”

We stepped inside, and the vibrant energy of nature embraced me. We stopped by an area with bamboos and pots of flowers.

A deep inhale invigorated my lungs. “This is like a sanctuary.”

Forrest shifted to stand in front of me. “You’re my sanctuary—my sky, my sea, my mountains. Everything in existence has more meaning because of you.” His sage eyes held mine, and my heart galloped with anticipation. “If a picture says a thousand words, then you’re my entire alphabet. Yourwords, your presence, and the sound of your voice vibrates in my body, my cells.” He grabbed my hands, cupping them in his. “It’s difficult to explain how I feel about you. You connect the dots for me where there are no dots.I only have to look at you, and everything makes sense. When I’m with you, even chaos has clarity.”

My body thrummed with love and appreciation. I didn’t know what to say, and I didn’t have to because he continued.

“I love you not only for your heart, humor, intelligence, and thoughtfulness, but also for what I’ve become because of you. I love you not only for how much you’ve grown, but also for how much you’ve inspired me to grow. I love you for all the wonderful things you bring out in me—I’m a better man because of you.”

Tears flooded my eyes, flowing down my cheeks. I didn’t think I would ever experience profound love, but he gave me that and so much more. His love offered me the freedom to believe in myself and to go after my dreams. He made me acknowledge my self-worth, and that I was perfect.

“I’m a lucky woman.” I kissed him.

“I’m a lucky man.” He brushed my tears away with fingers. “I want to show you how you’ve inspired me.”

* * *

Forrest

I led her down a pebbled path that I’d recently completed. “Like I said earlier, everything I do is for you. From this greenhouse to the holistic medicine that will be available worldwide in a few months.”

She gasped with so much joy and pride on her face. “Really?”