Page 11 of Blind Date with a #MOUNTAINMAN

“Jace! Please! Wait! Jace!” The vaguely familiar voice yelled again. There was so much commotion around me, I could barely hear, never mind make out who it was.

“Jace!” The voice got closer.

My heart rate tripled, pounding in my chest.

It couldn’t be…

“Jace, please, wait! I love you!”

Iris’s voice was crystal clear now.

I love you.

I love you.

I love you.

I spun on my heel and found Iris standing there, chest heaving as heavily as mine, tears streaming down her cheeks. She shrugged her shoulders and offered a half smile. “I couldn’t let you go without telling you.”

My entire mood lifted at the sight of her standing before me. I blinked a couple of times, but it was real.

She was here.

Chasing me down in an airport.

Telling me she loved me.

“What are we going to do now?”

Iris shrugged again.

“Kiss her, you idiot!” Someone said from beside me. Without bothering to look, I stalked over to her, took her in my arms, bent her backwards, and kissed the living shit out of her.

Cheers erupted around us.

“I love you so much, Jace.” Iris whispered. “I don’t know how or where we go from here. But I couldn’t let you go. The thought of never seeing you again…” She blinked and swallowed hard. “It tore me apart inside.”

“Come with me. To Appleridge.”

“What?” She huffed, her eyes wild.

“Come with me. You can help me with the business or not work at all. Whatever you want. I make plenty to support us both. You said it yourself that you don’t like your job. Why not give us a chance?”

“But Jace it’s not that simple. There’s Mimi and Emily…”

“There’s a lot to figure out, I know. But when it’s right, it’ll always work out.” I echoed Nan’s words from earlier.

Iris searched my eyes, studied my face, and when a huge ear to ear smile stretched across her face, my heart lifted, full of hope.

“Okay, yes, fine, let’s do it.” Iris jumped into my arms, and I spun her around while everyone cheered.

“I love you.” I said.

“And I love you.”

EPILOGUE

Iris

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