Page 29 of Climb Me Maybe
"Imogen..."he starts, then trails off, trying to find the words.“You make me better in so many ways.”
"You’re perfect the way you are.I fell in love with the man you are right now," I finish, pressing a soft kiss to his chest."Even the part that’s a stubborn ass sometimes."
He laughs, holding me close while his fingers scratch patterns on my back.
"I got the job," I tell him eventually.
His hand stills."The spa position?"
"Mm-hmm.I start next month."I lift my head to look at him."You okay with me staying?”
The smile that spreads across his face is adorable."I want you to stay more than I've ever wanted anything."
"Good."I settle back against his chest, content."Because I'm not going anywhere."
"Even when I'm an old man who falls out of trees?"
“You won’t be falling out of trees, so hush.”I chuckle and trace one of his tattoos with my fingertip."Your grandfather was right, you know.About the body telling stories."
"Yeah?"
"Yours tells the story of a man who's dedicated to a full life, loving deeply, and creating new chapters."I press a kiss over his heart."And I want to be part of those new chapters."
His arms tighten around me."All of them?"
"All of them," I confirm."Starting right now."
As the afternoon light fades outside his window, we make love again—slower this time, savoring every touch, every kiss, every whispered endearment.
And when we're finally spent, wrapped around each other, I know I've found something special with this lumbersnack.
Not just great sex or professional fulfillment, but a true partnership.The kind where two people complement each other's strengths and shore up each other's weaknesses.The kind where age becomes an asset rather than an obstacle, where experience trumps youth, and where love grows deeper with understanding.
Brady's breathing evens out as he drifts toward sleep, and I smile against his chest.
Tomorrow I'll start planning my move to Montana.
But tonight, I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be…in the arms of a man who's finally learned that aging doesn't mean losing anything.
It means gaining the wisdom to recognize when the best things in life climb right into your lap.
EPILOGUE - BRADY
SIX MONTHS LATER
I'm standing in the kitchen of our cabin watching Imogen make coffee in nothing but one of my flannel shirts…and I'm positive this is what happiness looks like.
The shirt barely covers her ass, and every time she reaches for something in the upper cabinets, I get a glimpse of pink lace panties that makes my mouth water.She's humming some pop song under her breath, completely unaware that she's giving me the best show on earth.
"Stop staring at my butt and help me with this breakfast," she says without turning around.
"How did you?—?"
"Because you'realwaysstaring at my butt.Not that I'm complaining."She glances over her shoulder with a wicked grin."But I need you to flip the pancakes before they burn."
I move behind her, pressing myself against her back as I reach around to handle the spatula.She melts into me with a soft sigh, and I can't resist nuzzling her neck.
"Brady," she warns, but there's no heat in it.
