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“Yeah, it has only been a minute, but…will you marry me? I’ll get you a ring later.”
“Are you kidding me?” Brad yelled beside us. “Petunia, I have your ring, and you’re going to marry me.”
I ignored him. So did Pete as she looked up at me. “My Flower, in all my life, I’ve never met anyone like you. It’s like…Iknow.I knew it the moment I saw you. You’re my girl. The woman I want to be my wife. My light. My bear fighter.”
I thought that might bring a chuckle from her, but her happiness seeped from her face, instead. “But kids…”
My hand cupped her cheek, and I couldn’t help but kiss her pale lips. “I’m sure there are plenty of kids around who’d love to have parents to take them on adventures. Heck, kids who just want parents.”
“Mikaly…” She sagged into me, pulling me down to kiss her again.
“Petunia!” Brad yelled.
“Geez, dude, take the hint. She’s not marrying you, even if you’ve been spreading around that crap like manure,” a guy I didn’t know said. Judging from his firefighter uniform, I had to guess it was Jory. Not far from him stood Elvin, his arms crossed while he watched us.
Crap. Was there a rule against fraternization here?
“I’ll quit if I have to,” I blurted.
“What?” Pete asked, unaware of what I saw. She didn’t even seem to notice Jory hustling away an arguing Brad. I was sure we’d have to deal with that man later, though hopefully, we’d be married by then.
“You’re amazing at your job. If we can’t be together and still both work here, then I’ll quit.”
“Uh, let’s not jump the track here,” Elvin said, coming over to us. “Why would you quit? You just started.”
“I still need an assistant outdoorsman. And the lodge will still need a ski instructor,” Pete added.
“Is Pete that difficult?” my boss teased.
“I mean, I do want to kiss her all the time.” I glanced down at her, drawn once more but fighting the urge while I talked to Elvin.
“I can think of worse things,” Pete murmured.
“She’s amazing, though,” I continued. “The lodge is lucky to have her. You could get another head ski instructor, but she’s irreplaceable.”
“I guess I’m not following,” Elvin said.
“Me, either,” Pete added. “Thanks for the compliment, though.”
I kissed her cheek, unwilling to hide my affection for her. “I don’t know the lodge’s policy for coworkers being together.”
“Trust me when I say, I’d find myself in one of the many bedrooms that’snotmine if my wife even thought I’d try to break up two people in love. As long as your relationship doesn’t impact our guests, it’s fine with me.”
Disentangling myself from Pete, I stepped toward Elvin and held out my hand to him. “Thank you. We’ll be professional.”
He nodded, shaking my hand, then looked from one of us to the other, grinning. “Congratulations.”
Before either of us could say anything, he strode away. I didn’t doubt he was headed inside to find his wife.
I turned to Pete. “Will you? Marry me? If you need time to think about it—a few days. Months—I guess, I’m not going anywhere.”
She smiled, closing the space between us and wrapping her arms around me. “Yeah, I’m not going anywhere, either. Yes…” She took a deep breath. “I’ll marry you. Are we crazy?”
I shrugged. “Maybe. Or maybe, we just know. Why wait when it’s right? We can have a long engagement, if you’re worried what people think, though.”
“Around here? You have no idea how many times we’re going to hear about Sweetville magic.”
Magic. Just knowing. Finding my soul mate. I didn’t care how people put it, as long as My Flower was mine. “How about late summer? Do you think that will be long enough?”
