Ch 01 - A Happy Life
Growing up in a loving, hardworking family that genuinely enjoyed the life we’d built together felt perfectly normal to me.
My parents always encouraged each other. They faced every challenge with a smile, despite the sacrifices that come with caring for living things on a large sheep farm and egg operation.
Providing high-quality food mattered to them. It was their way of giving back to Rivière-du-Loup, a close-knit town nestled along the St. Lawrence River.
My father, Alexandre. As strong as he was gentle.
My mother, Lili. A ray of sunshine every single day.
And Maxime, my younger brother by two years. Dad’s shadow, always right behind him.
I took my role as the big brother seriously. I wanted to protect him, sure, but even more than that, I wanted to set the right example.
My parents taught me that worthwhile dreams are built through hard work. Before long, I was helping out on the farm, but my playground quickly stretched beyond our fences.
I loved watching, lending a hand, fixing things. First around the farm. Then for the neighbors.
Then wherever someone needed help.
I made it a point to work every summer to help pay for my construction engineering degree.
Meeting people had always come naturally to me. I listen.
I take a genuine interest in people.
I always have.
It was also how I met Amy, an interior design student.
Before long, we were spending every spare minute dreaming up the places we’d one day build together for the people we loved. That genuine friendship grew slowly, naturally, until it became everything.
With Amy, every first was marked by the same quiet certainty that we’d found our soulmate.
It simply felt right.
After graduation, we moved into the very first house I ever built. It stood just outside town, halfway between my family’s farm and her parents’ home.
A few years later, once I’d launched my own construction company, I asked her to marry me. It felt like the obvious next step for both of us.
We’d taken the time to build a solid foundation before thinking about what came next.
Our families naturally grew close.
Amy’s parents, Mathilda and Nathan, made a habit of visiting us at least once a month, spending time with my parents, Alexandre and Lili, and with Maxime.
We shared so many quiet, happy moments together.
My chest tightens every time I think about them.
Everything kept growing.
Maxime stepped into the family business, preparing to take over the farm from our father. At the same time, he started a motorcycle club with the friends he’d grown up with. Local guys. Loyal. Tight-knit.
The White Ash came together naturally, built on friendship long before patches.
Amy landed a position with a luxury real estate company, designing their model homes and showrooms. She loved every minute of it.
As for me, I won my first major contract after bidding on a residential development featuring solid timber-frame homes.
We saw each other less often, but it was enough to make every moment together count. Amy liked to say we’d finally become real adults.
I felt like I owned the world the day she told me she was pregnant. Our child would grow up surrounded by love, right at the heart of our family.
And judging by how excited our parents already were, spoiling their first grandchild was about to become a very competitive sport.
Still...
I had a feeling.
Everything was just too good.
Too perfect.
