Page 94 of Against All Odds

He chuckled, shaking his head like I was being ridiculous. “Yeah, Bambi, that is so.”

By the time the waiter explained the menu and asked us about allergies, I had already had a glass of the beautiful champagne Heath had chosen to celebrate our getting back together.

“Oh crap,” I mumbled when I saw the hostess bring Leslie and her husband and another couple to a table close to us.

She stared at us, her expression disbelieving. I didn’t know why because everyone knew Heath had thrown his heart on the line at the resort party.

“She shouldn’t bother you,” Heath said calmly.

“She doesn’t,” I retorted a tad defensively. “It’s…just, now she’s going to gossip and?—”

“Do you know why I brought you here, besides the fact that they have an excellent wine list, and the food is awesome?”

I licked my lips and waited.

“Because I want everyone to know that I’m the luckiest son of a bitch to have you as my dinner companion.”

I cleared my throat. “So…you…did this on purpose?”

He gave me a small, knowing smile. “I did this because I knew you’d love it. You like good wine and good food. This is one of the best in Aspen.”

“But,” I lowered my voice, “you knew thatpeoplewould be here.”

“Usually, there are people in a restaurant, Bambi.”

I was going to give him a piece of my mind for his flippant behavior, but our server came back to tell us about the wine menu. Then I had another glass of wine and forgot I was annoyed with Heath.

The foodwasexquisite. Five courses of absolutely stunning beauty. We had something calledmasa éclair, which was the most fantastic way to serve corn flour. The duck liver mousse melted in my mouth. The langoustine toast was…well, my first time eating Norwegian lobsters, which were more succulent and creamier than shrimp, which they looked like. The caviar was…also the first time I was eating fish eggs that werenotroe.

“What was your favorite?” I asked Heath after we finished the dessert course, Bolivian chocolate served with nasturtium flower vinegar

“The aged duck molé. You?”

“The scallop umami.”

“Thank you.” I grinned because my soul and stomach had been well-fed. “This was…eye-opening.”

Heath took my hand in his. “I love seeing you happy. I love…you.”

“I….” I took a deep breath and let go. “I love you, too, and not just because we’ve had the best and probably most expensive meal of my life.”

He chuckled. “I knew you’d love the food. But, Bambi, the main, theverymain reason I brought you here is that I’m done pretending that you’re not the most important person in my life, along with Juno. I’m proud to be here with you. I’m proud ofyou.”

The lump in my throat made it impossible to respond.

As we left the restaurant, Heath’s hand resting lightly on the small of my back, I caught Leslie’s wide-eyed stare one last time. And. I. Didn't. Care.

After that big and sumptuous meal, we decided to go for a walk.

Fall had painted Aspen in every shade of gold, red, and orange. Tourists came from around the world to see the beauty and experience the crisp air, which carried the faint scent of pine and the promise of the first snow.

I was glad that I had worn shoes I could walk in because Heath led me to the John Denver Sanctuary, which was a ten-minute walk from Bosq.

“Where are we going?” I asked, holding his hand as we followed the winding trail by the riverbank.

“We’re just walking, Bambi.”

We rounded a bend, and my mind went blank with delight.

---