Stars Over Alaska (Wild River #4) - Jennifer Snow Page 0,112
her with every look of desire and love.
She closed her eyes, enjoying the moment. She wanted it to last forever. She wanted this second chance at a forever love...with him. She’d been blessed to find love in the past and she refused to take this new shot for granted. Loving Dawson had taught her so much, but loving Levi was her future.
He held her close as he made her feel every ounce of love he’d always had for her. The respect and admiration and longing all revealed itself in his desperate, loving kiss.
And when she pulled away and caught the photo of Dawson out of the corner of her eye, she knew somewhere, somehow, he was giving them his blessing.
And finally she opened herself up completely to the new chapter waiting for her in Levi’s arms.
EPILOGUE
Three months later...
THE LATE SUMMER SUN was high in the sky and the light breeze blowing through the Alaskan wilderness was mild and smelled of sweet honeysuckle.
A flatbed truck backed slowly down the recently widened road toward the cleared lot where Leslie’s family cabin used to be. On the back, there was several thousand dollars’ worth of lumber and building materials. Courtesy of Selena Hudson.
A tornado of emotions swirled through Leslie’s heart.
They were rebuilding the family cabin. After so many years, they’d all decided that it was time to have a new place to help them hold on to the memories of the past, but also make new ones. They were all moving on, moving forward... The mistakes of the past forgiven and opening up to new life adventures...wherever they may lead.
Her mother, grandmother, Eddie, Montana, Katherine and Levi were all there, ready to get to work. They were doing this together.
Leslie glanced at Levi, who was guiding the truck to a stop in front of the lot. She’d once thought her heart could never be mended, that the love she’d once had was as strong as love could get and there was no such thing as second chances... She’d been wrong.
Levi was not Dawson, but she loved him just as fiercely. In a different way...a more mature, steady kind of way. A love that she felt in her entire being, one that was solid. One that would last.
The last three months together, their connection had only grown stronger and she wanted to spend the rest of her life growing even closer, opening herself up to everything a life with him had to offer. She’d let her walls come crumbling down faster than she’d ever thought possible and being with him, she felt safer and more secure than she ever had in her life.
Returning to work as a state trooper, she felt like she was back where she belonged and she and her mother were working through things at a weekly brunch. Somehow, Montana had talked her into becoming a freelance photographer for SnowTrek Tours and truly, it hadn’t taken much convincing. Spending time behind the camera again helped to balance the stress of her job. For the first time, she was optimistic about what the future would hold for all of them.
Levi turned to look at her now and his wink had her heart racing. Dressed in old ripped jeans, a tight white T-shirt and work boots, his muscles on full display, Leslie knew she was going to struggle with focusing on the job ahead of her. They’d barely been able to keep their hands and lips...and all other body parts off one another for months.
“Do you have the original plans?” Katherine asked, coming up behind her in full contractor gear. Hard hat, tool belt and work boots—her older sister was taking this very seriously.
Leslie almost laughed. Between the eight of them, there was zero knowledge of how to build a cabin, but they were going to make a mess of it together. “Yes.” She handed the original cabin building plans to her sister, and Katherine headed toward the others to start implementing a game plan as Levi approached.
He wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her gently. She’d never felt so content, safe and at ease in her entire life. “Okay. We have the wood. Now what?” he asked.
“I have no idea,” she said, glancing at her family members, who looked equally lost about where to start, but they were eager.
“Well, I do have something that might help us get started,” he said with a mischievous grin.