Page 16 of Romancing the Mountain Man
Mariella badgered me for another half hour before she had to run back to work. I answered a few more emails, ordered another coffee, and fought with myself about what to do next. And while I was talking over the pros and cons in my head, the story I named on a whim, while in the cabin with my very own happy ending, began to come to life.
I always said I’d run only if something was chasing me. Zombies, ghosts, wolves. And if either of those were hot on my heels, I was already doomed.
But this time, I knew I needed a change. So instead of waiting to be chased, I chased after more. I ran toward something.
I didn’t expect my time in the mountains to hold any kind of answer for me. And I certainly didn’t expect him.
He wasn’t in the plan.
But sometimes, the best plans are the ones we dreamed of writing but never got around to. Maybe we just needed the right time, the right place to finally stop running and get it all down on paper.
I’m interrupted when the chair is slid out again, and just when I’m about to chastise whoever it is, I look up and exclaim, “Luke!” All I can do is stare, my heart racing in my chest.
He smiles, a little uncertain, but those eyes I got lost in so quickly lock onto mine like no time has passed. “Hey, Quinn.”
All of a sudden, all the noise around me stops, and he is the only thing I hear. I close my laptop and ask, “What are you doing here?”
“I figured if I waited any longer, you’d write me into a tragic second act.” His lips curl, and his tone is teasing.
I cross my arms, thinking that sounds familiar. “Mariella called Peak Performance, didn't she?”
He nods. “Yes, Audrey received a pretty weird call. And when she explained it to me, about a woman asking for the mountain man and never taking a breath in between sentences, I knew she had to know you somehow.”
I close my eyes and shake my head. “I can’t believe her.”
“I’m glad she called,” he says quietly, almost like he’s testing it out, seeing how it feels to say it and waiting for my response.
“You are?” He nods, and I let out a shaky breath.It’s now or never, Quinn. Tell him how you feel.“I didn’t think you wanted me to stay.”
“I didn’t think I should ask,” he says. “You had this whole world waiting for you here. Books to write, new clients. You said you had all the work you’ve been hoping for waiting for you here.”
I did say all that. But I thought he’d know I could do that anywhere. “Wait. You’re here, in the city. You said you’d never come back.”
“Guess I needed a good reason to venture out of the mountains.”
I soften at his words and hear Mariella’s echo in my head.Take the risk.“Luke, I can have this world anywhere. It doesn’thave to be here in the city. I just need something real.” I swallow hard. “I just need you.”
He leans forward, resting his arms on the table, and intertwines his fingers with mine. “Then let me say it now. Stay. Come back. Or I can come here. Just don’t shut the door all the way on us.”
My heart races. “You would move here?”
His eyes flick around the coffee shop. “Um, well…”
I laugh and squeeze his hand. “I wouldn’t do that to you. It’s a big enough gesture that you’re even here right now.”
We lean in together, and he gives me a sweet kiss. My heart is racing, and tears dare to fall from my eyes. I just can’t believe he’s here. “I was so afraid I’d never see you again.”
He nods slowly. “Me, too.”
And then I chuckle. “You really came all this way to make sure I wasn’t killing you off?”
He stands, putting his hand out, encouraging me to take it while grabbing my laptop with his other. “Well, that and I kind of want to write another sex scene with you.”
I curl into his side. “I’ll let you write every damn chapter for the rest of my life.”
Three Months Later - Quinn
The cabin smells like coffee, pine, and him.
