I snuck home two days early to surprise my wife, only to freeze in our pitch-black, empty bedroom while she breathed into the phone that she was curled up fast asleep right next to me.

Six months after I moved into the cottage, Lila moved in with me.

It was easy.

Natural.

Like she’d always been there.

Her books on the shelves.

Her favorite mug in the cabinet.

Her clothes in the closet next to mine.

We fell into a rhythm.

I’d get up at 6 a.m., make coffee, work in the workshop until 2 p.m.

She’d get up at 7, grade papers, then come out to the workshop to keep me company, reading or writing while I worked.

We’d have lunch together on the porch, watching the ducks swim by.

In the evenings, we’d cook together, take walks, sit by the fire when it was cold.

It was quiet.

Simple.

Perfect.

One afternoon in early April, I got a call from Clara.

“Hey, Austin. I have some news. Julian is getting out early. Good behavior. He’s being released next week.”

My stomach dropped.

I’d almost forgotten about him.

“Really?”

“Yeah. Two years early. He’s moving back to town. To his parents’ old house on the west side. He’s on probation. Can’t leave the county. Has to check in with his PO every week.”

I gripped the phone tighter.

“Is he gonna come after me? After you?”

Clara sighed.

“I don’t think so. His lawyer said he’s broken. Lost everything. Has to work at a car wash 60 hours a week to pay his fines and child support. He has nothing left to fight with. But I wanted you to know. Just in case.”

“Thanks, Clara. I appreciate it.”

I hung up, my hands shaking a little.

Lila walked in from the porch, saw my face, and sat down next to me, taking my hand.

“What’s wrong?”

I told her about Julian.

About him getting out.

About him moving back to town.

She didn’t panic.

She didn’t get scared.

She just squeezed my hand.

“We’ll be okay. You have me. You have your family. If he so much as steps foot on this property, we call the police. We have a restraining order drawn up first thing tomorrow, just in case. He’s not gonna hurt us. I promise.”

She was so calm.

So sure.

I believed her.

The next day, we went to my lawyer and got a restraining order against both Julian and Brianna.

If either of them came within 500 feet of me, Lila, the cottage, or my workshop, they’d go straight to jail.

I felt better after that.

Protected.

Safe.

Julian got out three days later.

I didn’t see him.

Didn’t hear from him.

Life went on.

Business got even better.

I hired two part-time guys to help me in the workshop.

We started taking custom orders from all over the state.

Lila got a promotion at school, head of the third-grade team.

Her dad’s health got better.

He came to visit every Sunday, bringing his famous ribs, telling stories about Lila when she was a kid.

Everything was perfect.

Too perfect, almost.

I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop.

For something bad to happen.

But it didn’t.

One Saturday in late May, we were having a cookout at the cottage.

My mom and dad.

Emma and her fiancé, Jake.

Lila’s dad and her sister, Zoe.

Everyone was laughing, eating, drinking beer, playing cornhole in the yard.

I was standing at the grill, flipping burgers, watching Lila laugh as she chased Emma around the yard.

She looked happy.

Glowing.

I’d never seen anything more beautiful.

I knew right then.

I was gonna marry her.

I’d been thinking about it for months.

I’d had the ring hidden in my workshop for two weeks.

A simple platinum band with a small, perfect diamond.

Nothing flashy.

Just honest.

Like us.

I waited until everyone was gone, until it was just the two of us, sitting on the porch, watching the sunset over the lake.

The sky was pink and purple and gold.

The water was calm.

The air smelled like jasmine and cut grass.

I took her hand.

“Lila?”

She turned to me, smiling.

“Yeah, baby?”

I took a deep breath.

I pulled the ring box out of my pocket and opened it.

Her eyes went wide.

Her hand flew to her mouth.

“Lila Carter, from the first day you walked onto this porch, you made me feel things I thought I’d never feel again. You made me feel safe. You made me feel loved. You made me believe in happy endings again. I love you more than words can say. Will you marry me?”

Tears spilled down her cheeks.

She nodded, fast, so fast her hair flew.

“Yes. Yes, a thousand times yes.”

I slipped the ring on her finger.

It fit perfect.

I pulled her into my arms and kissed her, slow and soft, as the last of the sun dipped below the horizon.

For the first time in my life, I knew.

This was forever.

No lies.

No secrets.