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Pushing away from him, I take a step back.
Clearing my throat, I ask, “Can you stay? Or do you have to return to Atlanta?”
He brushes a lock of my hair behind my ear, his gaze never deviating from mine.
“Although you’d be in good hands here, I’m not going to abandon you.”
“What about your job? I can’t be responsible for you losing it.”
“I’m not going to lose my job. We’re often on a mission for months on end. This isn’t unusual. I’ve got qualified staff who can do my job while I’m away. I’m not leaving you. Like it or not, you’re stuck with me.”
Well, truth be told, I like it… I like it a lot. Even if it’s against my better judgement.
Ade is going to stay. This is a perfect day.
Long suppressed happiness rushes through me, but also dread.
How on earth will I stick to my resolve to stay away from him? We’re going to share the same space for the next four or five months with nowhere to escape to.
I’m doomed.
Miriam goes to the fridge and pulls it open, taking out a brown bottle without a label.
“This calls for a celebration. I didn’t know what my brother would decide. Believe me, had he said no, he would have had a fight on his hands,” she says, pulling out four glasses from the overhead cabinet and putting them on the kitchen island.
“We don’t have alcohol up here, but we can celebrate with sparkling apple juice. At least it’s bubbly and can remind us of champagne.”
“And it’s safe for pregnant women,” Claudette adds, elbowing me playfully.
Instinctively, my hands cradle my stomach, embracing the life growing within me.
Peanut, we have a place to stay. We’ll be safe here. No more adrenaline cocktails for you and me.
For the first time since finding out about my pregnancy, I feel myself relax.
We each take a glass and clink them together. Miriam makes a toast. “Here is to a wonderful winter together.”
After we finish our drinks, Miriam gives us an official tour of‘Mountain Breath’.
Beside the two buildings we saw yesterday—the main two-story cabin and ours—there are a few others. A yoga studio, the pyramid-roofed healing center which houses Tara and Ralph, and seven other smaller cabins. Two of them are unoccupied and the rest are shared by two residents.
The effort and dedication Ian and his team have shown to build something so impressive in such a short period is remarkable.
Once again, I’m in awe of the attention to detail in every corner of the property, and Miriam eagerly tells us about what other things she has planned.
With winter just around the corner, they appear fully prepared. Dug into the side of the hill are two large root cellars filled to the brim with produce. Small sheds are erected right in front of the entrances to keep the cellars secure and dry.
Ian and a few other keen hunters have spent the last few weeks building up stock for the winter, and everybody else busied themselves to apportion and preserve it.
They’re expecting snow in the next three to four weeks. Every moment until then will be spent to prepare further. Several trips into town have been planned to pick up more supplies and also deliver products to the local shops.
When the tour is over, we agree to meet with Miriam after lunch to go back down the mountain together. Miriam has errands to run. And we need to pick up the rest of our belongings from the RV.
Aiden also wants to get in touch with Carl to let him know we arrived and update him on our plans.
It might be my only chance to get a message to Rhia. But how?
When Miriam shows us her office in the main building, the perfect opportunity presents itself. I spot a box of blank postcards on a shelf. They’re not from the area, not even from Canada, but from places all around the world.
