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I smiled. “It’s one of my favorite places to come and think. Or just enjoy being alive.”
I sat on a rock positioned several yards back from the edge and patted the neighboring one, indicating for her to join me. She lowered herself onto it, wincing, presumably as her sore muscles twinged. She slid the day pack off her shoulders and dug around for a banana, then passed me a protein bar. I sipped from my water bottle before taking a bite, and we stayed silent while we caught our breath. It had been quite a hike up to the lookout.
“I can see why you were so concerned with making sure the sky was clear when we came here,” she said, shielding her eyes with her hand as she looked out. “It’s amazing.”
Happiness fizzed in my gut and went to my head, making me feel light as air. “I’m happy you like it. My favorite thing about being here is that I can look out over pretty much everything and everyone I care about.” Below, in the distance, the streets of Destiny Falls township formed thin ribbons, and I imagined my parents walking along Centennial Street, hand in hand, or Asher playing cards with Igor and Zone in the fire station. The pub. The school. The home where I’d learned to walk, ride a bike, and tie my shoes. “This view reminds me of why I love Destiny Falls so much. I could never be happy anywhere else.”
I glanced over at Kennedy and saw emotion sparkling in her vibrant eyes.
“Destiny Falls is kinda great.” Her voice shook a little. “I’ve been thinking more about moving here after my one-year contract with the resort is done.” She caught her lower lip between her teeth. “But I don’t want to put any pressure on you or our relationship. I haven’t made a final decision yet. I just want you to know I’m seriously considering it.”
I wanted so badly to tell her I hoped she would move here that I practically vibrated out of my skin, but I managed to keep my mouth shut. She needed to make the decision herself, and she needed all the facts. I wouldn’t be able to stand it if she moved here and then left again a few months later. She’d still only been in town for six months. She might have a rosy view of the limitations of living in a small mountain community.
“Just remember that we’re isolated out here,” I said. “There are no clubs, not many shops, and only a couple of places you can buy food.” All things Zoe had complained about. “There’s no hospital and not a lot of people our own age. Not to mention there aren’t a heap of things to do.”
Kennedy’s expression wavered. “If you don’t want me to move here, just say it.”
“No,” I exclaimed, horrified she could think that. “That’s not it at all. I just want you to know what you’ll be missing out on.”
“Liam.” She gave me a meaningful look. “I come from L.A. Even the biggest city in New Zealand is smaller than my hometown. I know exactly what the differences are between here and somewhere urban. Trust me.”
“Okay, when you put it like that, I feel like an idiot. I’m sorry.”
“It’s all right.” She leaned over to kiss me. “My fully informed opinion so far is that the benefits of Destiny Falls more than make up for its shortcomings.”
Joy sang in my veins as I finally allowed myself to believe her.
Kennedy loved me, and she loved my home. Everything was shaping up exactly how I wanted it to. My mouth stretched so wide my jaw ached, but I couldn’t stop smiling.
Kennedy pulled out her camera and snapped a photo of me. She wandered to the edge of the cliff and took several pictures of the view. Then she perched on the rock beside me again and shifted as close as possible, fitting us both into the camera frame. At the last moment, before the flash went off, she turned and brushed her lips against my cheek.
I couldn’t imagine a more perfect moment.
April
ChapterTen
LIAM
“I can’t believe you’ve been in Destiny Falls for nearly a year and haven’t actually visited the waterfall,” I said to Kennedy as we paced the well-worn track that started at an unpaved parking area behind Destiny Fibers, the shop Grace’s aunt Desdemona owned. Further up, the trail would branch out, with the falls in one direction and the tarn further along.
Kennedy shrugged. “I’ve heard the mythology of the falls. It seemed wrong to go alone.”
I was silently pleased because that would make it more special for us to go together. “Tell me what you’ve heard about the background story.”
I watched her ass as we walked, trying to distract myself from what was to come. My heart had been racing all day, and now that we were less than half an hour from the big moment, my palms were sweating, and I could hardly catch my breath. Fortunately, if Kennedy asked, I could blame it on the invigorating hike.
She glanced over her shoulder. “Just that a pair of star-crossed lovers secretly got married there, having eloped. Supposedly she was engaged to marry someone else because her parents didn’t approve of her beau?”
I nodded. “Rumor has it, they lived a long and happy life somewhere far away from here. But their epic love story started with the illicit wedding at the falls. The minister who performed the ceremony was later shunned by local society.”
“Wow.”
“Right?” I wasn’t sure if the story was historically accurate. It had probably been embellished with each retelling, but Destiny Falls was the place everybody wanted to come to pledge their love, so it hadn’t done the township any harm. Truth be told, I kind of liked it. I was a romantic at heart. “Shh. Listen.” We were close enough to the falls to hear the rush of water. “We’re nearly there.”
Kennedy unfastened her camera from a sling around her neck and held it as we came around a bend in the path. My breath hitched. No matter how many times I saw it, the view never got old. A pool of blue-tinged water surrounded the base of the waterfall. In summer, many people swam here, but it was too cold for that now. At the end of the pool, water cascaded down a moss-covered rockface. The waterfall was like something from an Irish faerie glen. It had a dreamlike quality. Lush and ethereal at the same time. Above the rockface, the fall was tiered, with three small steps carved by nature.
“Oh my God.”
