“Yeah, his family’s still here. Mrs. Sheffield from the deli counter practically faints every time he visits. But that’s just a few weeks a year. The rest of the time, you’re our claim to fame.”
She laughs. “I better not let it go to my head.”
“Too late. I saw you signing autographs at Summit Sweets yesterday with a big smile on your face while I was ordering our cinnamon rolls.”
She blushes. “That was different. Those were tourists who recognized me from the book jacket photo.”
“I’m just messing with you, Peyton. You’re the most modest woman I know, but remember, it’s totally okay to show the world how amazing you are.”
“You always know exactly what to say,” she says with a grin.
We reach the alpine meadow below the summit, and I can’t help but think about what’s above us. The spot where everything changed between us, where Peyton threw herself into my arms without hesitation after conquering Mount Hartley, and gave me the best kiss of my entire life.
“What are you thinking about?” she asks.
“What happened up there last year,” I say, nodding toward the summit. “Our first kiss. Best moment of my life.”
“No regrets, right?”
“None,” I say immediately. “You?”
Instead of answering, she steps closer and kisses me, soft and sweet and full of love.
“No regrets,” she whispers against my lips.
We make the summit in record time and find a spot to catch our breath before we descend again.
“One year ago, you were convinced you were going to die on this mountain,” I remind her.
“That’s true.”
“And now?”
She looks around at the peaks stretching in every direction with a contented smile. “Now it feels like home. You feel like home too. I love you, Knox.”
“I love you, Peyton. More than you’ll ever know.”
She leans against me, and I wrap my arms around her.
Tomorrow we’ll hike back down to our real life, to her book deadlines and my guiding schedule and all the beautiful, ordinary moments that make up a life together.
But today, we’re back where it all started, celebrating our first year as a couple.
There isn’t a happier man alive than me.
