Page 17 of Lonely in Misty Mountain

Kaiden chuckled, the sound low and deep in his throat. “Impossible.”

“You two kids behave! And have a good night.” Miss Lila said as she pushed us out of the shop, wanting to close and lock the door so she could go home.

“I don’t know about the behaving part, but we’ll definitely have a good night.” Kaiden said before waving goodbye.

“Night, Miss Lila. See you in a couple of days.” I thread my arm through Kaiden’s, excited to be around him again. “Where did you want to take me?” I asked as he held the truck door open for me.

“You’ll see.” He said before closing the door and hurrying around to the other side. “You’re going to love it.”

“Okay.” I rubbed my hands together in hopes of warming them up. The arm rest between us was up and when I looked down, I noticed a blanket and picnic basket. I wanted to ask questions, but I swallowed them down, not wanting to ruin the surprise or hurt his feelings. He planned something and that in itself was beyond sweet.

We drove for about ten minutes, filling each other in on our time apart, when Kaiden pulled into an empty lot. A sign next to the start of a pathway leading into the woods readWhispering Falls Trailhead.

Kaiden parked his truck where there was a clearing in the woods, a scenic view of trees and mountains off in the distance. “If you hike up the trail some, there’s a beautiful waterfall but unfortunately, it’s too cold right now. So, I thought we could park here, have a picnic in the warmth of my truck, and watch the sunset over the mountains.”

“That sounds perfect to me. You’re so thoughtful, Kaiden.”

“Only the best for my girl.” Kaiden shut the headlights off, keeping the engine running for the heat, and lifted the picnic basket onto the dash so he could spread the blanket out over our laps.

“Does that mean we’re official?”

“Baby, we’ve been official since the moment you walked through my doorstep.” He leaned over and kissed me gently at first, but then deeper, until passion exploded between us.

When he backed away, my lips tingled. I watched as he unpacked the dinner he made, admiring his cooking skills and planning skills. “You did an amazing job with this, Kaiden.”

“Thank you, sweetheart.” Last to leave the basket was a box of chocolates and single red rose. “Both for you, gorgeous.”

“How? How did I get so lucky to find you?”

“I’d say we’re both pretty damn lucky to have found each other.”

I leaned closer to him, my heart beating fast, my blood rushing through my ears. The words fell from my lips before I could contemplate stopping them. “I think I’m falling in love with you.”

“Good. Because I think I’m falling in love with you too.”

We kissed and kissed until our stomachs protested with hunger. We ate the delicious meal of cheese and crackers, chicken salad sandwiches, and grapes while watching the sun set in the sky.

And after we finished, we cuddled until the stars lit up the sky, a perfect finish to a perfect evening.

CHAPTER TEN

Kaiden

“I don’t wantyou anywhere else than my bed every night, Harper.” I declared as I headed to her place. She thought I was dropping her off, but I wanted to spend the night with her, and every night going forward.

Now that I had her in my life, I wasn’t ever letting go.

“We’ll stop by your place, grab a few more things of yours, along with your cat, and you can spend the night with me.”

“Wait a second, my cat? I thought we agreed it would be better to keep him at my place.”

I pulled into her driveway and parked. I killed the engine, looked over at her, and took one of her hands in mine. “I don’t want to be apart from you anymore than I have to.”

“I don’t want too either.”

“Then move in with me Harper. I know it’s crazy and it’s fast, but I already know I want you. You’re it for me. There’s no one else.” My heart pounded in my chest, afraid she’d run, afraid it was all too fast, but why deny what was happening? Whydeny ourselves of the love and happiness we felt when we were together?

“Kaiden…I?—”

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