Page 112 of Wrecked on the Mountain
"Hey! You just called me a moron!" He points an accusatory finger at me while simultaneously trying to navigate an automated phone system. "Which, by the way, is incredibly hurtful considering I was making a grand romantic gesture."
"A grand romantic gesture would be flowers, not career suicide!" I throw my hands up, unable to stop the laughter fumbling out. "What kind of lunatic quits their job without talking to the person they're supposedly making the gesture for?"
"The kind who panicked when the woman he's falling for announced she was leaving for Chicago!"
"Well, the woman you're falling for just turned down her dream job, so maybe we're both idiots!"
The absurdity of it all hits me at once.
Here I am, having just delivered the most dramatic declaration of my life, and we're both scrambling to undo life-altering decisions we made in the same morning without consulting each other.
I start laughing. Deep, belly-shaking laughter that makes Jamie pause mid-sentence.
"What's so funny?" he demands, covering the phone again.
"We really are both idiots," I gasp between giggles. "But we're idiots together."
The office door flies open, and Beau, Knox, Chase, Travis, and Martha burst in like they're responding to a five-alarm fire.
"Everything okay in here?" Knox asks stroking his beard, his grin suggesting he's hoping for gossip material.
"We heard shouting," Chase adds helpfully.
"Everything okay, Strike?" Beau asks gruffly, ever the serious one.
Jamie drops the phone entirely, letting it clatter to the floor as he moves around the desk.
"Screw the phone calls."
Before I can respond, his strong arms sweep me up and dip me backward like we're in some romantic movie. My hair spills toward the floor as his mouth crashes against mine.
This kiss isn't the desperate, hungry claiming from our first encounter in this room. This is pure love. Tender and fierce and absolutely certain of everything we've just committed to.
Jamie's lips move against mine like he's memorizing every curve, every breath, every heartbeat all over again. And every piece of it belongs to him now.
When he finally pulls back, his blue eyes are blazing with emotion.
"I love you, Brooke Shields."
"I love you too, Mountain Daddy."
"Well, at least I'm not your boss anymore," he teases breathlessly. "Martha, can you handle the phone calls and get me my job back? Right now, all I care about is her."
The chaos around the station erupts immediately.
Knox appears from nowhere with champagne, while Travis produces craft beers from a secret stash behind the emergency medical supplies.
"To Dr. Shields!" Knox raises his champagne flute. "For having the good sense to stay where she belongs!"
"Here, here!" Martha chimes in, somehow having produced proper glassware from thin air.
Chase bounces on his feet, practically vibrating with excitement. "And to me, for accidentally hitting send on that resignation email!"
Everyone turns to stare at him.
"Chase," Beau says slowly, "that email went out at seven this morning. You weren't even awake yet."
Chase waves a hand dismissively. "The important thing is I take full credit for this romantic reunion!"
