Page 52 of It’s Me, but Different

“Why are you still in Denver?” I ask. “After everything that happened between us… After everything I said to you. Why are you still here? It's been three months now.”

“Because I still have hope that you'll let me explain what happened with... with that conversation you heard. And because these kids are becoming my family. I shouldn't tell you this, but sometimes, I take them for ice cream when they get out of school. That way, that babysitter you hire can spend some time with her boyfriend.”

“Fuck,” I sigh, rolling my eyes.

“Esme, maybe you don't want to know anything about me, maybe you don't even want to give me a chance to explain what happened, but those kids... I'm starting to love those kids as much as if they were mine.”

“Sloane…”

“Just let me explain. Then, if you want, I'll leave, but let me explain,” she interrupts me, raising a hand. “The conversation you heard that day was about a hotel in Switzerland. A business acquisition. Nothing to do with you.”

“Is that true?” I ask, confused.

“I came all the way to Denver to explain it to you, even so, you didn't even give me a chance to do it.”

We stay silent for a moment. Theo moves in the bed, whispers something about adventures before going back to sleep.

“Have you been here for three months, just waiting to see if one day you could talk to me?”

“Yes. Well, I work at a sports store and give ski lessons on weekends,” she explains.

“You left Silver Peaks, and now you work like a normal person?”

“Yes, if you want to stay here, if you're happy in your job, I'm willing to stay with you. I don't need the Silver Peaks life, there are ski slopes here too. Even if there weren't, there's you and the kids, and that's what's important,” she assures me with a wink.

“Fuck, I think I've been an asshole,” I whisper.

“No more than I was eleven years ago. I let a unique woman slip away and I'm not going to do it again. I'm willing to do whatever it takes to prove I truly love you,” she sighs, leaning toward me to hug me.

“Do you think we could… try again?” I propose with some fear. “Start slowly. See little by little if it could work.”

“I'd love that,” she admits, moving closer to kiss my lips.

Just at that moment, Ana Sofia opens her eyes and looks at us with a smile.

“Is Sloane going to stay with us?” she asks with a yawn.

“Yes, honey,” I respond. “Sloane is staying.”

Chapter 22

Esme — A few Months Later.

There are places that wait for you, that stay silent while you find what you really need somewhere else. Later, they welcome you with open arms once you're ready to return.

And coming back to Silver Peaks is almost like reading the last chapter of a book you thought would end badly, only to discover it was just the beginning of something much better.

River looks beautiful in her wedding dress, though to be honest, that woman could dress in a flour sack and still be stunning. Anika hasn't stopped crying, and the wedding ceremony has been perfect: intimate, moving, with tears of happiness and lots of laughter.

“You know? When I left here six months ago, I was so angry I swore on my children that I'd never return to this place,” I confess, resting my head on Sloane's shoulder.

“Do you regret it?”

“Not at all. Some oaths can be broken if it's for a good cause,” I confess with a wink.

The last months have been a slow process of rebuilding. In every sense. After Theo's scare, something changed in me. I submitted my resignation. I needed to spend more time with my children.

And with Sloane.