Page 20 of Snowed in with the Mountain Man

"I can write anywhere. Better here, maybe. Real stories about real things, like I wanted."

"You'd really stay?" There's still disbelief in his voice. "For me?"

"For us," I correct. "For the chance to build something real. I've spent my whole life playing it safe, following the expected path. Look where that got me." I gesture around the cabin. "Maybe it's time to try something crazy."

"Like falling for someone after two days in a blizzard?" His smile grows more confident.

"Exactly like that." I rise on tiptoes, pressing my lips to his. "I think I'm falling in love with you, Aiden Calloway. It's completely insane, and I don't care."

He kisses me then, deep and thorough, pulling me tight against him as if afraid I might disappear. When we finally break apart, he rests his forehead against mine.

"I love you," he says simply. "Have since you walked into my store and started ordering me around."

I laugh. "I did not order you around!"

"You kind of did." His expression grows serious again. "Stay. Please. Not just for now. For good."

The enormity of what he's asking—what I'm considering—should terrify me. Abandoning my familiar life for a mountain town and a man I've known less than a week. It's reckless, impulsive, possibly foolish.

And yet, it feels more right than anything has in years.

"Yes," I whisper. "I'll stay."

The joy that transforms his face is worth any risk. He kisses me again, lifting me off my feet in his enthusiasm.

A knock at the door interrupts us. "Uh, guys?" Jake's voice calls. "Not to rush the moment or anything, but it's supposed to snow again tonight. We should probably head out while the roads are clear."

Aiden sets me down, but keeps an arm around my waist. "Ready to face civilization?" he asks.

I look around at the battered cabin that brought us together, the scene of our unexpected love story. It needs work—a lot of work—but I can see its potential now. Just like I see the potential in us.

"Let's go," I say. "We have supplies to buy."

He raises an eyebrow. "We do?"

"Definitely." I grab my coat, suddenly energized. "This place isn't going to renovate itself. And I've decided to stay, so I want it to be perfect."

The smile that spreads across his face is like sunrise breaking over the mountains—slow, warm, and full of promise.

Outside, Jake is leaning against his truck, trying to look like he hasn't been eavesdropping. He straightens when we emerge, eyebrows rising at our clasped hands.

"So," he says, a knowing grin spreading across his face. "Should I tell Mom to set an extra place for Sunday dinner?"

Aiden shoots him a warning look, but I just laugh. "I'd love to meet your mother."

As we climb into Aiden's truck, I take one last look at the cabin. Two days ago, I saw it as a disaster, a mistake, maybe even a burden. Now I see it as the beginning of something I never expected to find.

Sometimes you have to get lost to find where you're supposed to be. Sometimes a wrong turn leads to the right place. And sometimes, a freak April blizzard can change your life in the most wonderful way possible.

Aiden

One Year Later...

Oneyear.Sometimesitfeels like a lifetime, other times like the blink of an eye.

The familiar chaos of Sunday dinner at Mom's house swirls around me—laughter, overlapping conversations, the scent of roast beef and potatoes. Jake arguing with our cousin Thomas about some fishing spot they both claim to have discovered. Mom fussing over Phoebe, insisting she take the most comfortable chair despite Phoebe's protests that being pregnant doesn't make her needy.

And Phoebe. My wife. Six months pregnant with our child. Still the most beautiful thing I've ever seen.

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