Page 22 of It’s Me, but Different (Merriweather Sisters #3)

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.

I found work at a small firm in Denver with flexible hours and fewer hours.

Sloane moved into our house two weeks after Theo got out of the hospital. It wasn't a dramatic or premeditated decision. Simply, one night she was having dinner with us and Ana Sofia asked why she didn't stay to sleep. And after that night, none of us wanted her to leave.

“They look so happy,” I sigh, nodding toward my children.

They're sitting with Lumi, who has become the older sister they never had. Especially for Ana Sofia, who adores her.

“What are you thinking about?” Sloane murmurs, following my gaze.

“How different everything is. How different I am,” I confess, letting out a sigh while shifting my gaze to the mountains surrounding the hotel.

“You're still the same brave Esme I met. You just know now that you don't have to carry all the burden alone.”

“Can I talk to you for a moment?” Harper interrupts, approaching with a strange smile.

“It's our sister's wedding,” Sloane reminds her.

“Business doesn't rest,” she defends herself, shrugging naturally. “I just wanted to remind you that the job offer is still on the table. The Utah project has been definitively approved, and we need a lawyer who knows what she's doing.”

Sloane and I look at each other. We've talked about this many times in recent months. The possibility of returning to Silver Peaks, of building a life here, of the kids growing up surrounded by these mountains.

“And you, Sloane Merriweather,” she continues, now pointing at her sister with her index finger. “Technically, you're still the director of our ski school, and you've been absent from work for six months. Don't make me fire you.”

Then she winks at us and walks away to dance with Julie.

“What do you think the kids would say?” I ask, feeling my eyes fill with tears of joy.

“Something tells me they wouldn't hesitate to stay here,” I confess, taking her by the waist to kiss her lips.

River and Anika keep spinning on the dance floor as if they were the only people in the world. Harper dances with an older man, possibly some important investor. And we're here, watching in our little bubble of happiness.

“Sorry to interrupt,” Ivy cuts in, taking her twin sister aside by the arm for a moment.

I watch them from afar. Ivy gesticulates dramatically, she's had more champagne than would be appropriate. Sloane laughs, shaking her head and rolling her eyes.

Five minutes later, Sloane returns to my side, laughing.

“What happened?”

“Ivy says we're disgusting with how in love we are,” she confesses through laughter.

“She said that?” I ask, raising my eyebrows.

“Yes, and the comment includes all the sisters, but she's had a bit too much to drink. I wish she'd start having better luck. She deserves it. Lately her relationships don't last at all.”

We kiss again, and Sloane takes me out to dance. Soon, Theo and Ana Sofia join us, and the four of us spin around the dance floor, bothering the other couples a little.

And in that moment, I understand that I'm completely happy.

Because in the end, after all the mistakes and misunderstandings, I've learned that happiness is something you build. Day by day, decision by decision, with a person who's willing to stay in the worst moments, in those when everything gets complicated.

And Sloane stayed. When I couldn't be there, when my children needed me, when the world became too complicated to handle alone. She stayed.

And as I watch my children laugh happily, as I feel Sloane's fingers intertwined with mine, I understand that some love stories aren't meant to be easy from the beginning.

Some must break first, must get lost among misunderstandings and fear to grow stronger.

They have to go through darkness to find light.

But when they finally do, they shine with an intensity that justifies every tear, every sleepless night, every moment of desperation.

Because in the end, the best relationships aren't the ones that never have problems, but the ones that face them.

And now I know that if the world shakes, Sloane won't let go of my hand.