Deckard fought to control a hearty laugh so as not to wake the sleeping Ryen on a spare mattress at the foot of their bed. “Evie, it’s mid-autumn. The lakes will be frigid.”
“Are you going to break your promise?” she challenged.
“Do you want to freeze?”
She rolled her eyes at him. “It won’t be that cold.”
Itwasthat cold.
Despite the chill, Deckard taught her to swim, and after half an hour, they became somewhat acclimated to the water’s temperature.
“Was it worth it?” Deckard asked as they treaded water under the cavern of the concealed pool.
With her arms wrapped around his neck, Evylin smiled, even as a shiver ran down her spine. “Yes,” she said. “It was all worth it.”
“All?” he inquired, his eyes shifting to green in the dim light of the rocky outcrop he’d brought her to. “I meant the lesson in the ice we’re swimming in. What are you talking about?”
“The same,” she said with a shrug. “And everything else too.”
Deckard smiled and drew her closer, wrapping her legs around his waist. “Everything else, you say? Referring to the past five years?”
“Referring to us. Deciding to marry a man I had known for just three days. Deciding to love you.”
“Ah, yes.” He tilted his head down. “That ‘everything else.’”
They floated in the water for a while, relishing their closeness, until Deckard eventually decided he’d had enough, claiming the water was too cold for sensible people to swim in. Evylin asserted she wasn’t sensible, yet she followed him out regardless. After drying off and changing into fresh clothes, they strolled to the hillside where their horses awaited. A few miles from the village, they chose to bask in the sun, at its peak in the sky. Though the autumn chill permeated the terrae beneath them, the heat of the day and their additional layers helped them to regain their warmth.
Evylin unraveled her damp braid and toweled off the ends while Deckard looked up at her.
“You know,” he whispered, “you were right.”
“I know,” she said with a smirk. “What was I right about this time?”
“Everything.”
She laughed and tossed the towel aside. Leaning into him, she kissed his lips quickly as his arm encircled her waist. “Referring to the past five years?” she teased.
“Referring to us.”
She nodded. “Referring to us,” she repeated tenderly.
Deckard’s smile softened as she ran her fingers through his hair. It was dark with water, though the sun was quickly dryingit back to its reddish tint. “Thank you for being brave enough to marry me,” he whispered.
“Thank you for being brash enough to marry me.”
“Are you happy, Evylin?”
Tilting her head, Evylin struggled to find the right words to convey her happiness. She had Deckard, their Ryen, her friends, her family, and a life full of adventure. Nothing in her imagination compared to the world she lived in now.
“Beyond my wildest dreams,” she affirmed. “Are you happy, Jonn?”
Deckard entwined his fingers in her hair and drew her nearer. “More than I ever hoped,” he whispered just before kissing her—softly, deeply, and enduringly.
Amid the gentle chirping of birds, the scent of grass beneath them, and the sun’s warm embrace, Evylin could sense the depth of his love through kisses like these. They didn’t need a Bond to tell her how truly happy he felt. Not when he kissed her like this. Not when he held her so tightly.
Evylin paused, grinning too broadly to keep kissing. “Are you ready for your surprise?” she whispered.
Deckard grinned up at her, tracing her jawline with his thumb. “You’re pregnant.”
