Page 30 of Climb Me Maybe
"What?I'm flipping pancakes."
"You're also getting me all worked up before breakfast."
"Good."I bite gently at the spot where her neck meets her shoulder, and she shivers."I like you worked up."
She turns in my arms, her hands sliding up my bare chest."Keep that up and these pancakes are going to burn while I climb you like a tree."
"I'm okay with that."
She laughs and pushes me away."Food first.Thenclimbing."
Six months of living with Imogen, and I'm still amazed that this is my life—that this incredible, young, sexy woman chose me.That every morning I wake up next to her and every night I fall asleep with her curled against my body.
The transition wasn't seamless.Her moving into my cabin, learning each other's habits, figuring out how to share space; it all took adjustment.But the foundation we built during that first week at camp has only gotten stronger.
“I have news,” she says, as she settles onto my lap at our small kitchen table.
"Good news or bad news?"
"Good news.”
I take a bite of my pancakes.
“The spa's been so successful that they want me to hire three more therapists.And because I’ve done such a great job bringing in business from the camp, they’re giving me a raise.”
Pride swells in my chest."That's awesome, babe.You deserve it."
"I know, right?"Her smile is brilliant."It seems like just yesterday I was a freelancer without steady income or any kind of benefits, and now I'm building something real."
"You've always been building something real.Now you just have the recognition you deserve."
She kisses me softly, and it tastes like maple syrup and coffee ."I love how you see me."
"I love everything about you."
It's true.Even the things that drive me crazy—like how she leaves wet towels on the bathroom floor, or how she steals the covers every single night—I adore because they're part of her.
"What are you thinking about?"she asks, studying my face with those perceptive eyes.
"Just...this.Us.How different everything is now."
"Different how?"
I consider how to put it into words."Before you, I thought my life was shrinking.Getting smaller as I got older.But now..."I shrug."Everything feels bigger.Like there are more possibilities instead of fewer."
Her expression softens."That's the sweetest thing you've ever said to me."
"I was just...existing.Going through the motions.Now I feel like I'm actuallylivingmy life."
She slides her arms around my neck."You were living before.You just needed someone to remind you that life doesn't end at forty-three, you silly man."
"Little did I know it actually gets better."
She smiles up at me, like I’m serenading her with my words.Me.The quiet one.
We finish breakfast and get ready for the day.Imogen has appointments at the spa, and I've got a climbing demo for a group of outdoor education instructors.But before we leave, she corners me in the bathroom while I'm brushing my teeth.
"I've been thinking about something," she says, leaning against the doorframe.
