Page 20 of Merry'd to the Mountain Man
The words hit like a hammer to the chest.
He’s right.
I love her.
Before I can second-guess it, I bolt for the hallway, pushing through the door and sprinting toward the elevators. The doors are closing, and I catch a glimpse of her inside.
“Frankie!”
She looks up, startled.
I lunge forward, sliding into the elevator just as the doors shut behind me.
It’s just the two of us.
I hit the emergency stop button. The car jolts to a halt, and silence fills the space between us.
Her eyes are wide, lips parted in surprise. My heart’s pounding so hard I can feel it in my throat.
“Cole,” she whispers, “what are you—”
But I don’t let her finish.
CHAPTER 16
My heart is still racing when the elevator jolts to a stop.
The sudden silence hums between us, thick and electric. I stare at him, stunned that he’s here—that hefollowed me.
“Cole,” I breathe, my voice barely more than a whisper. “What are you doing?”
He takes a step closer, closing the distance between us until I can feel the warmth of him. His hand slides up, fingers threading gently into my hair as he cradles my face in his palms. The calluses on his hands are rough and familiar.
The moment his thumb brushes against my cheek, I swear my knees forget how to work.
I melt.
He doesn’t say anything at first—just looks at me with that quiet, stormy intensity that’s always unraveled me. His eyes search mine, and for once, I can’t read him.
“I thought all this ended on December 31st,” I whisper.
“It doesn’t have to,” he says, voice low and steady. “I don’t want it to.”
My breath catches. “Cole—”
He shakes his head, eyes never leaving mine. “This started out as something fake—for both of us. But somewhere along the way, it stopped feeling that way. I don’t even know when it happened. All I know is I’ve felt more with you in the last month than I have about anything in my entire life.”
The elevator feels impossibly small now. Every word he says presses closer, filling the air between us until there’s no room for doubt.
He keeps going, voice rough but certain. “If you’d give me the chance, I want to spend the rest of my life trying to make you happy, Frankie. Every damn day. Because you’re it for me. You always were.”
Tears prick at my eyes.
I glance down and see the red scarf I made him tucked beneath his jacket. It’s looped around his neck, worn and warm, and for a heartbeat, the whole world feels right again.
I look back up into those blue-gray eyes—the ones that always see straight through me—and step closer until I can feel his breath against my lips.
Then I pull him down and kiss him.
