Happily Ever After
260 Words
Three years later.
The morning light spilt into the kitchen of their lakeside home, painting the marble countertops gold. Noah stood at the stove, flipping pancakes while Isabella leaned against the doorway, a mug of coffee in hand. She wore one of his shirts, sleeves rolled up, hair tousled from sleep.
“Those smell amazing,” she said.
“They’re for our little critic,” Noah replied, nodding toward the tiny figure padding into the room. Their daughter, Lily, climbed onto a chair at the breakfast bar, her hazel eyes Isabella’s eyes lighting up at the sight of pancakes.
“Extra syrup?” she asked hopefully.
Noah chuckled. “Only if you promise to tell me I’m the best pancake chef in the world.”
“Best in the universe,” she said solemnly, making them both laugh.
After breakfast, Noah stepped outside to the patio. The lake shimmered under the sun, a private dock stretching into the still water. Isabella joined him, slipping her hand into his.
“Remember the night you left?” she asked softly.
“Every second,” he said. “I told you I’d come back for you.”
“And you did,” she said, smiling. “You came back for both of us.”
Noah kissed her forehead. “No starting points. No limits. Just us.”
Lily’s giggles drifted from inside, and Noah knew this wasn’t just the life he’d dreamed of; it was better.
Because in the end, they didn’t just live happily ever after.
They built it, every single day.
- Writer
