“That’s true.” He nuzzles the hair at my temple.
I nestle into his warmth, remembering that long-ago day when Andrew pretended to throw me into a hole at his job site.
We stand in silence for a few minutes, taking in the view. His hand is warm around mine. I think about the rest of our day with pleasure. We’ll linger in front of a fire and read our books, stopping once in a while to share something that made us laugh, then we’ll make dinner together, drink wine, and watch a movie. The idea feels cozy and warm and perfect.
“I wish we could stay here forever,” I say.
“Maybe we can.”
I look at him. “What do you mean?”
“After Sophie goes to school we could move out to the lake. You could find work around here, go back to school. Whatever you want.”
I’m pleased and surprised by the suggestion. I hadn’t realized he was thinking about our future already. “What will you be doing while I work?” I tease. “Fishing every day?”
“Writing my book and then selling it for a million bucks, of course.”
“I like the sounds of that.” I cock my head. “You getting serious about me, Doctor? I thought I was just a fling.”
He laughs. “I wouldn’t have brought you up here if I wasn’t serious about you, but you just moved to your new place. You needed time. I didn’t want to scare you off by getting too serious and moaning about how much I missed you and Sophie at my house.”
I smile at him, feeling a swell of affection. Of course he understood exactly what I needed back then—and what I need to hear now. He’s Marcus.
He cups the side of my face, his thumb caressing my face. “So? Do you need more convincing?” For a moment I wonder if he’s going to tell me he loves me. We haven’t said the words yet, but I’ve been so close so many times. Then Angus nudges Marcus’s hip with his nose and he looks down with a laugh and pats his head. I glare at Angus. Thanks a lot, buddy.
I watch Marcus for a moment, his natural easy way, his handsome smile. Could I move to the lake and let go of my house and business and everything? Do I really want to start over? I look out at the mountains, breathe in the sweet air. Marcus is right. This place is special.
“Yes,” I say. “Let’s do it.”
“Really?”
“I’m already in love with you. I might as well jump in with both feet.”
He’s staring at me in a stunned sort of silence, and now my face is hot and I wish I could take back the words. What was I thinking? I watch him mutely. The seconds tick past until it feels like we’ve been standing there forever. He still hasn’t said it back. He’s just looking at me.
“Well, we should probably head back,” I say, and begin to walk away.
“Lindsey, come here.” He grabs my hand, pulls me around. “I love you too—but I have to admit it scared the hell out of me at first. I tried to fight it for a long time.”
I lean my body against his chest. “You tried to fight it? Really? Tell me more.”
“You’re not going to stop until you get every last detail, huh?”
I rub my cold nose against his collarbone. “I’ll torture it out of you.”
He laughs. “Okay. True confession time. When I walked into that first meeting and saw you sitting under those fluorescent lights, your hair glowing like you were some sort of Swedish goddess, I thought, Wow, she is one beautiful woman, I better stay away from her. She’ll break my heart. It didn’t matter how kind, or loving, and funny, you were, I wasn’t going to risk getting hurt again, but I lost the battle.” He smiles. “Is that all right? Think you can handle me?”
I give him a cheeky grin. “I’ll give it a shot.”
He presses his mouth against mine. The rain is hitting hard now, trickling down our faces and over our lips, but we don’t stop. I’m going to kiss this man for the rest of my life.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
SOPHIE
Mom’s hair is plastered onto her head and her eyelashes are all spiky, but she’s laughing as she pulls off her boots and says, “Don’t believe Marcus if he tells you he’s taking you on a short hike. I feel like we climbed Mount Everest.” Marcus is also laughing as he helps her take off her wet coat. She pretends to shake her hair like a dog and he jumps back.
“Hey! Stop that or I’ll leave you outside with Angus!”
I’m glad someone is having a nice time. I spent all morning scrolling through my saved text messages on my phone, thinking about Jared.
“Can you grab some towels, Sophie?” Mom says.
“There are some old ones under the sink for Angus,” Marcus says.