Page 170 of Flirty Fall Fling

“All of it.”

Morning eventually comes. The snow stands past the second porch step, and we don’t have cell service to call anyone. We eat toast and eggs for breakfast on the couch. He taps his mug against mine like we’re making a toast. The mountain has decided the world can wait.

“This is our secret,” I say, and the thought delights me. “The best news of my life, and I can’t tell anyone.”

“The best?” he asks.

I twist the diamond with my thumb. “No competition.”

“Did you think you’d be engaged before the end of the year?”

“I hoped.”

He refills our coffee and catches me staring. “What?” he asks.

“Just looking at my future,” I say.

He kisses me.

His mouth is soft at first, and then it isn’t. I climb onto his lap, and his warm hands slide under my sweater.

“I have a question for you,” he murmurs against my throat.

“Yes?”

“What does my fiancée want to do with a snowed-in day?”

I pull back far enough to see his face. “Say that part again.”

“Fiancée.” His grin turns wicked. “My fiancée.”

“I could listen to that all day, fiancé.”

“Mmm. Me fucking too. Girlfriend. Fiancée. Next up, wifey.”

He lifts my sweater over my head, and we take our time because we have it. We undress each other between kisses. The fire warms one side of me, and he takes the other. Every man before him taught me to keep some of myself hidden. There’s no reason for me to do that. He loves me for me.

Jamie finds my left hand and interlocks his fingers with mine.

“The hand where a wedding ring will one day go,” he says.

“All or nothing,” I whisper.

EPILOGUE

WINTER

Zane drives me home over the pass with the heat on high. Autumn is in the passenger seat, chatting about ski season. I’m sharing the back seat with leftovers from my parents’ house that nobody needed. My mother wouldn’t accept no, per usual.

Thanksgiving number one was at my parents’ place in Cozy Creek. We ate turkey at two, and my mom asked me twice if I’d thought about getting licensed in Colorado. My parents love Blaire, but they don’t like me not using my degree. Working at the apothecary is seen as a waste of smarts. My sister, Autumn, acted as a referee most of the afternoon. Zane charmed everyone but could talk himself out of any situation.

By four, we were hugging goodbye at the front door with foil pans pressed into our arms like party favors. Now, I’m in the back seat, heading to Pine Haven, where we’ll eat even more food. Snow falls across the headlights, and it makes me happy.

“Mom was in a mood,” Autumn says.

“Yeah, you can say that again,” I tell her.

When we’re back in Pine Haven, I relax.