Page 81 of Saving it with My Best Friend's Brother

“The contractors—”

“Not about that.” His fingers twined with mine, tugging gently. “Come on.”

We wound through Pine Haven’s halls past Claire orchestrating social media updates, past Taylor bandaging a volunteer while Van’s baseball tricks drew children’s laughter. Everyone’s eyes followed us with barely concealed excitement, hidden smiles playing on their lips.

“Hunter—”

“Almost there.”

The deck where everything began had transformed. Soft blues and greens echoed the mountain view in new furnishings. Flowering plants spilled over railings, their sweetness mixing with pine-scented air. Overhead, lights hung like captured stars waiting for dusk.

My hand flew to my mouth. “When did you—”

“Last night, after you fell asleep at your desk.” He rubbed his neck, a gesture that always betrayed his nerves. “Had help. Mom’s quite the gardener.” Pride colored the word ‘Mom’.

Tears pricked at the image of Hunter and Katherine working in darkness, creating beauty together.

“The thing is,” he guided me to the railing where valley colors painted the morning, “we never got that proper first date. And I thought, maybe...”

A table waited, set with bear claws from Marie’s bakery. Cinnamon and sugar rode the mountain breeze.

“You remembered.”

“I remember everything about you.” His voice dropped low, intimate. “How you scrunch your nose when you’re thinking. The way you grip your coffee cup on hard mornings. Your courage that first night when everything fell apart.”

“Hunter—”

“Let me finish?” His hands found mine, thumbs tracing my knuckles. “We did everything backward—crisis and confessions and ‘I love yous’ while facing down madmen. But you deserveromance too. Real dates. Quiet moments. A chance to just be us.”

“I love you.” The words came soft as morning light, carrying everything my heart held. “Backwards and forwards and every way in between.”

His kiss tasted of coffee.

A delighted squeal broke the moment—Claire trying to hustle a grinning Taylor away, their whispered argument carrying clear in the mountain air.

“Sorry!” Taylor’s eyes danced with joy. “Just checking if you need anything!”

“Besides privacy?” Hunter laughed against my hair, arms still warm around me.

“Good luck with that.” Van appeared with Chad, who babbled a happy greeting. “Pretty sure your mom’s watching from the lobby.”

Sure enough, Katherine stood with Dad and Michael, all pretending to be absorbed in paperwork while stealing glances our way.

“Our families are ridiculous.” But happiness bubbled up like spring water in me.

“They’re ours though.” Hunter held my chair with old-world courtesy. “Now, about that first date...”

The afternoon wrapped around us in gentle conversation. Mountain air warmed as Hunter described youth programs, his eyes lighting with each detail. I shared environmental education dreams, carrying Mom’s work forward. Our visions twined like Katherine’s flowering vines.

“I used to dream about this,” he said, reaching for my hand and drawing patterns on my skin.

“Lunch on the deck?”

“Just being with you. No crisis. No deadlines. Just us.”

Katherine’s flowers perfumed the breeze while Claire directed photography below, making chaos seem orchestrated.

My fingers found the photograph I’d discovered that morning. Two teenage girls smiled from the science fair victory, youthful faces bright with determination and friendship.

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