Page 10 of Kissing the Wrong Mountain Man

"I just wanted there to be something…traditional about today."

She stares at the mini-cake for a few seconds then lifts those gorgeous eyes to me, her lips curving into a grin. "So you were confident I'd show up?"

"Not at all," I say. "If anything, I was expecting younotto. I'm a complete stranger who doesn't even have a phone."

"Which I actually love."

"You do?"

"Yeah. It's so '90s not to have a cell phone."

"Totally the vibe I was going for."

She laughs, and the sound wafts through the entire house. "Thank you. This is really sweet. I like that even though you weren't sure I'd come, you still bought a cake. Means you're an optimist."

Pressure builds in my chest. "Don't know about that."

She takes the mini-cake out of the box then rounds the counter to stand next to me. "Speaking of traditions…"

"What are you doing?"

She swipes her finger through the icing and smears it down my left cheek. "This."

The tightness inside me dissipates. "Oh." I keep my eyes locked on hers as I run my finger through the icing. "It's like that, is it?" She gives a big, smiling nod, like she knowsexactlywhat's coming, and isn't about to back down. I like that about her. She's confident, fearless. "Well, then…" I glide my icing-tipped finger delicately down her right cheek. "Happy wedding day,wife."

Her blue eyes sparkle. It's the last thing I see before her soft lips land on mine. She lets out a breathy moan as I wrap my other hand around her lower back and bring her body to mine. Sparks flare through my entire body, breathing new life into the shell of a man I've become.

The kiss ends. I cup the soft, round outline of her cheek in my palm, and she leans into the touch. Looking up, she cradles her hand over mine. A palpable energy hums between us, cutting through the noise and static, leaving my radar signal crystal clear.

For the first time in a long time, I know exactly what I want.

"So, does this mean you'll move in?" I ask, my voice husky.

"I was on the fence…" She grins. "But the cake tipped me over the edge. So, yeah. Let's do this,husband."

5

Schapelle

I know. I know. I'm taking crazy, adding several more cupfuls of crazy, and mixing it all into my already overflowing bowl…filled with crazy.

I've just married a guy I met a week ago, and now I've agreed to live with him. This is wild, even for me. But when I go all in, I goall in.

Including kissing him once at the ceremony and then at his place after he bought me a mini wedding cake. I was really touched by that, especially since he had no way of knowing if I'd even show up. He seemed uncomfortable when I called him an optimist, and maybe I was off the mark about that, but now that I've had some time to think about it, I think he might actually be a closet romantic…and not even know it.

"So," I say, clapping my hands once I've finished unpacking my stuff in the guest bedroom. "What would you like to do now?"

After telling Brock I'd stay, I drove back to my parents', packed a suitcase, assured them for the millionth time that I knew what I was doing and that Brock wasn't a serial killer, gave them his address, and returned to his cabin.

"I don't know." Brock looks me up and down. I've changed out of my wedding dress into high-waisted, black leggings and an oversized, soft-knit sweater, while he's treating me to my first proper glimpse of him in full mountain-man mode. Yep, the flannel is out and on full display, rolled up to just beneath his elbows, paired with dark denim jeans that accentuate his tree-trunk legs. "What would you like to do?"

The view draws my attention.

Uh, theotherview.

The one of the mountains stretching out in a sweeping sea of yellow, gold, and dusty-brown, beneath a clear sky.

"You like hiking, right?" I ask, remembering our conversation from the party.

---