Page 27 of Should I Fall
“I want to start building somethingwithsomeone else,” he continues. “And in case I haven’t made it clear by now, that someone is you. I love you, Stormi. I know it’s fast. But I’ve never been more certain about anything in my life. You’re it for me.”
“And Blaze?”
“That dog fell for you three seconds after meeting you.” He lifts my chin until our gazes lock. “I fell in two seconds.”
“Okay,” I say, feeling tears prick the corners of my eyes. But for the first time since I arrived in Cinnamon Creek, they’re happy tears. “I’ll live with you. On one condition.”
“What’s that?”
“Webothsleep in the bed.”
He draws my lips to his, kissing me so thoroughly I feel it in my toes. Nothing has ever felt more right in my entire life.
When his lips break apart from mine, he asks, “What if there’s not much sleeping?”
“Even better.”
Epilogue
About a year later…
Stormi
The sun warms my face as I stand on the balcony of the fire watch tower, admiring the mountain view I now call home. Blaze sits at my side, happy for the gentle head scratches as he watches the first chopper touch down.
This day couldn’t be any more perfect.
Today, I marry the man who swept me off my feet a year ago—literally.
We don’t come out to the tower as often since Dash took over as the local fire chief and I opened my crystal shop in town. But he has an arrangement with his buddy who took over the seasonal job—we can boot him out and stay whenever we like. Which we’ve done for the next few days so we can enjoy our honeymoon without interruption.
As long as Brutus accepts my cupcake offering and leaves us alone, that is. It’s worked so far, so maybe Winnie is onto something after all.
“You look so beautiful,” Erin says, combing a stray hair behind my ear. Because of the wind this high up, I opted to wear it in a long braid over my shoulder—a gold streak woven in.
“You think?” I say, glancing down at my yellow dress. “It’s not traditional?—”
“You’renot traditional,” Erin insists, squeezing my hand. “And that’s what I love most about you. Plus, Dash is going to lose his mind when he sees you in that dress. Guaranteed.”
A year ago, I made the decision to stay in Cinnamon Creek. To move in with a man I’d met exactly two days prior. My parents both lost their minds when they heard I quit my stable day job to move to the middle of nowhere in Montana. Neither cared to hearwhyI quit that toxic job. Dad lost his shit, but that was in part because our stepmom had a fit about the whole Gwen situation. I’ve gone no contact since, which though hard, has been incredible for my sense of peace.
Zero regrets.
“I’m so proud of you, Stormi,” Mom says, joining us.
“Proud of your whimsical, witchy daughter?”
“Of course I am. And I’m sorry if I ever made you feel any other way.” Over time, Mom came around. She admitted she’d only been worried about me having a roof over my head. This was in part because Dad left her penniless after the divorce. Erin and I were both out of the house when the divorce happened, so we’d never known the full extent of what Mom had gone through in the aftermath.
But now, she has the cutest cabin two blocks from downtown Cinnamon Creek. She’s best friends with Dash’s Mom, Martha. She helps me run my crystal shop, and she loves any excuse to steal Blaze for anovernight with Nanaspoiling.
“I’m so glad you’re here,” I say, giving her a hug.
“Don’t you dare cry,” Alanna scolds, approaching us on the balcony. Though she’s Erin’s best friend, we’ve grown closer in the past year. I couldn’t imagine getting married today without the four women I first came here with. They are my tribe, through and through.
“Your makeup job is intact,” I tell her. “I swear it.”
“Good. But I’m on standby, just in case.”
