But my focus is all on Lila, her warmth pressed against me, her laughter weaving into the chorus of voices. She’s settled in here so easily, her presence slipping into the spaces between us like she’s always been meant to be here. Her thumb traces lazy circles over my thigh, a simple touch that sends heat spiraling through me. She probably doesn’t even realize she’s doing it, but every small brush of her fingers drives me crazy, setting my pulse to a faster rhythm.
I shift, glancing down at her, watching the way the sunset catches in her hair, turning the dark strands into something almost golden. There’s a softness in her expression, a quiet joy that makes my chest feel tight. And it hits me, all over again, just how much I want this—how much I want her, right here, every day.
“Why are you staring at me like that?” she asks, a teasing note in her voice as she lifts her head, catching my gaze with a smile that’s half curious, half amused. She leans closer, her breath brushing against my ear, her voice dropping to a whisper that’s just for me. “Do I have something on my face, mountain man?”
I can’t help but smirk, letting the warmth of her closeness seep into me. “Maybe I just like looking at you, city girl,” I murmur, my lips barely brushing the shell of her ear. Her breath catches, and I steal a quick kiss, savoring the taste of her, the faint hint of salt from the mountain air and something sweeter that’s all her.
She narrows her eyes, trying to look stern, but the smile tugging at her lips gives her away. “Or maybe you’ve got something up your sleeve,” she shoots back, raising an eyebrow, a challenge flashing in her gaze.
I chuckle, letting the moment stretch, feeling the weight of the ring box in my pocket like a burning flame. My hand tightens around it for a second, nerves tightening low in my gut, but I force myself to keep my voice steady. “Maybe,” I say, pulling back just enough to catch her gaze head-on, “I’m about to do something that’ll knock you off your feet.”
She blinks, her smile faltering as confusion flickers across her face, and I can see the exact moment realization dawns. Her eyes widen, and she sits up straighter, her hand stilling against my leg. The banter around us fades, my brothers falling silent as they catch on, every eye turning toward us. The air thickens,charged with a sudden anticipation that makes my heart kick up a notch.
I take a breath, then shift, sliding my hand into my pocket and pulling out the small, velvet box. Lila’s hand flies to her mouth, her eyes going round, and I feel the tremor in my own hands as I drop down to one knee on the wooden porch, the motion rough but sure. The world narrows to just her—her wide, tear-filled eyes, the way her lips part in a breathless gasp, and the way everything I’ve ever wanted is wrapped up in the woman sitting right in front of me.
“Lila,” I say, and my voice is rougher than I mean it to be, cracking with all the things I can’t seem to put into words. I clear my throat, trying to steady myself, but the emotion won’t be contained. “You changed everything. You made me remember what it feels like to want more than just the next mountain, the next thrill. You made me want... this. Us. Every damn day.”
Her tears spill over, and she laughs—a shaky, beautiful sound that hits me right in the chest. She shakes her head like she can’t believe what’s happening, her hand reaching out to clutch mine, her fingers trembling against my skin.
I manage a grin, letting my thumb brush over the diamond in the open box, letting the light catch on it and throw shards of brilliance across the porch. “So, I guess what I’m saying is... stay with me, Lila. For good. Marry me, and I promise, I’ll spend every day making you glad you took a chance on a stubborn, mountain-loving bastard like me.”
For a moment, she just stares at me, her expression open and raw in a way that makes my breath catch, makes me feel like I’m the one whose balance is teetering. And then, all at once, she’s moving—dropping to her knees in front of me, her hands clutching my shoulders, her mouth crashing against mine in a kiss that’s messy and desperate and filled with laughter.
“Yes, Holt. Yes, I’ll marry you,” she says, the words breaking on another laugh as she pulls back just enough to press her forehead to mine. “God, you make me so damn happy.”
The porch erupts around us—cheers, clapping, my brothers shouting half-teasing, half-approving jabs, and my mother wiping at her eyes with a proud smile. Lila pulls back, wiping her own tears away with the back of her hand, and I take her hand in mine, slipping the ring onto her finger. It fits perfectly—just like she fits in my arms, in my life, in every plan I never thought I’d have.
Lila glances down at the diamond, then back up at me, her expression softening with something deeper, more serious. “You know, my parents are going to insist on a big, traditional Catholic wedding. White dress, church bells, the whole nine yards,” she says, a wry note creeping into her voice, but I catch the thread of worry beneath it.
I cup her face, my thumb tracing the line of her jaw, feeling the rapid pulse beneath her skin. “Is that what you want?”
She hesitates, her eyes searching mine, then shakes her head, a small smile tugging at her lips. “Not really. I want something that’s just...us. Something that’s real.”
My grin sharpens, a flash of possessive pride warming my chest as I pull her closer, leaning in until my lips brush her ear, the words a promise against her skin. “Then we’ll do it our way, right here. Just you, me, and the place where we fell in love.”
She smiles up at me, her expression as warm and golden as the sunset behind her, and I know—deep down in a place I’ve kept locked away for so long—that I’ve found everything I didn’t know I was searching for. And as I kiss her again, with the sun sinking behind the mountains and the future unfolding before us, I make a silent vow to myself.
To hold on, to fight for her, to build the kind of life I never thought I deserved.
And this time, I know she’ll be right there with me, every step of the way.
Epilogue
Lila–one week later
The crisp mountain air fills my lungs as I stand at the edge of the secluded ledge, the warm glow of the setting sun casting long, golden shadows over Devil’s Peak. The world stretches out below us—endless shades of green and blue, the valley dipping and rising like it’s breathing along with me. The sky shifts from deep pink to violet, the stars just beginning to twinkle overhead, and yet all I can focus on is Holt.
His gaze is locked on me, darker than the twilight settling around us, filled with a tension that sends a shiver down my spine. The air between us is charged, the kind of heat that never fully fades, no matter how many times we’ve touched, kissed, and whispered secrets under the stars.
I turn toward him, catching that serious look in his eyes. My pulse races, my heart quickening as I sense that something is coming. He steps closer, and I can feel the weight of his presence. The same rugged mountain man who had once seemed so distant, so unreachable, now looks at me like I’m the only thing that matters in his world.
He’s quiet for a moment, the kind of silence that hangs in the air, thick with anticipation. Then his rough, steady voice breaksthrough the stillness. “Do you remember the last time we were here? That night under the stars?”
A smile tugs at the corners of my mouth, the memory of that night flooding my mind—how it felt to be with him, open and raw, both of us fighting the pull and giving in all at once. “How could I forget?” I say, my voice playful, though my heart is pounding so hard I’m surprised he can’t hear it.
Holt reaches for my hand, his touch grounding me, his thumb brushing over my skin with a tenderness that makes my breath hitch. “That night... I knew I wanted more than just a fling. More than just this place, this mountain. I wanted you. And I’m ready to take any risk, make any promise, if it means having you by my side. Always.”
My throat tightens, my breath catching. I search his face, my heart swelling with a love so deep it feels like it might drown me. But before I can respond, I hear footsteps behind us. I turn, confusion flashing through me as I see Zane stepping out from behind a cluster of trees, a grin on his face and a small book in his hands—the kind that officiants carry.
