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A gust of wind snapped against her, and her boarding pass flew from her gloved hand and began blowing toward the backyard.
“Shit!” Her eyes on the paper, tracking it, trying not to lose sight of it, she started down the front steps, and felt her feet go out from under her. She yelped as she scrabbled for the banister, bracing herself for the hard impact, her stomach sloshing into her throat as the world tilted. But the impact didn’t come. Instead, strong arms wrapped securely around her waist. She froze, her heart pounding furiously against her ribs as she stared up into her favorite pair of blue eyes.
Matt arched an eyebrow, a smile tilting up the corner of his mouth. “That’s three.”
She swallowed thickly as he righted her. “I . . . what are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be in Seattle?”
He kept his arms around her. “Never made it. I got as far as Boise, and then I turned around.”
“Why?” She had to remind herself to breathe.
“Because I want to be with you. I want what we have to keep going. I can’t walk away from it. Ellie, I can’t walk away from you.” He reached up and pushed a lock of hair from her forehead. “I know it’s crazy, but come with me.”
She chewed her lip, her eyes searching his face. This couldn’t be real. Matt standing here, in front of her, holding her and asking her to come with him? She had to fight the urge to pinch herself.
His eyes darted to the suitcase on her porch and he dropped his arms from around her. “I’m sorry. You have your own life, and we barely know each other. I shouldn’t have assumed . . .” He trailed off, scrubbing a hand over his face. “I’m an idiot.”
She laid a hand on his arm. “You’re not. Matt . . .” His blue eyes held hers, beautiful hope shining in them. “I was coming to find you. In Seattle. My boarding pass blew away, and then you caught me.”
His arms were around her again. “God, Ellie, if you’ll let me, I’ll always catch you. I think I love you.”
Happiness unlike any she’d ever felt burst through her. She laughed, and she felt tears stinging her eyes. “You’re crazy.”
“I know. Come be crazy with me.”
“In Seattle?”
“Yeah.”
“With you?”
“Yeah.” He smiled so wide that she could see his back teeth.
Her pulse pounded in her ears as she grabbed his face and kissed him, and even though the wind was cold and the snow was really starting to come down, there was no place she’d have rather been than in Matt’s arms, exactly where she was.
“I think I love you too,” she said, not caring that her tears were probably making a mess of her mascara. She had no idea how long they stood in the snow, kissing like teenagers. She was so full of joy that she wasn’t sure how her feet were even still on the ground.
Matt pulled away, his cheeks pink with cold and happiness. “If you’d asked me last week if I believed in love at first sight, I would’ve told you it wasn’t real. That it was impossible to love someone almost instantly.”
“And now?” She looked up at him, and she knew she’d follow him to Seattle. Hell, she’d follow him into the depths of Mordor if need be.
“Now I know better.”
He picked her up and kissed her, and she knew that the year of Ellie was going to be awesome.
Chapter 1
Dean Grayson pulled his truck up to the curb in front of his cousin Luke’s house, a curious sense of apprehension tightening his shoulders. Luke’s big navy blue truck—emblazoned with “Grayson Carpentry” on the side in white letters—was parked in the driveway. A silver and blue bicycle sat near the front porch, likely tossed down and forgotten when Luke’s ten-year-old son Ethan had come home from school. A breeze stirred the leaves of the birch tree in the front yard, sending warm spring air drifting in through the open windows of Dean’s truck. Afternoon sunshine dappled the leaves.
He cut the ignition and pulled his phone out of his pocket, pulling up Luke’s text and reading it again.
Can you swing by later? Something I need to ask you re: wedding.
Dean had replied with a simple “sure,” knowing he could stop by before heading in to work at the Tipsy Bison. He’d squashed the urge to text Luke back and ask for details. Besides the fact that he would be a guest, Dean had nothing to do with Luke’s upcoming destination wedding in Mexico, which was why Luke’s text had him both curious and just a little on edge.
He hopped out of his truck and strode up the path to Luke’s front door, ringing the bell. There was movement behind the mottled glass windows and then Luke answered.
“Hey, thanks for coming over. This won’t take long,” he said, shaking Dean’s hand. He tipped his head, indicating that Dean should follow him into the house, and Dean could feel his pulse creep up, mounting in time with his curiosity. He moved to follow Luke and almost ate it when his foot caught a skateboard lying in the middle of the floor. He managed to stay on his feet, but just barely.
