After signing release forms and gearing up, our group of ten people meet the tour guide outside before stopping to put on our rented snowshoes and moving toward the starting point of the glacier trail.
As we begin our trek, the air is filled with the crunch of snow under our feet and the sounds of the wilderness around us.
Red walks next to me, never leaving my side. I can’t help but steal glances at him when I think he’s not looking, admiring the rugged lines of his face, the way his eyes crinkle at the corners when he smiles, and the strength in his every step.
Now and then, he reaches out to offer me a hand whenever we come to a tricky spot on the trail. Every touch has my heart soaring, and now that I've decided to lean into the changing landscape of our friendship—relationship—whatever the future holds for us, there’s no denying the anticipation building up inside of me.
Up ahead, the glacier looms large, the ice glistening in the scattered sunlight even though there’s snow all around us. The sheer size and beauty of it all is breathtaking.
Getting closer, the tour guide begins to explain its formation and history, but my attention is solely on Red.Glacier, what glacier.We’re then invited to explore the area and take photos but are firmly reminded to ‘only leave footprints’ wherever we go.
Red looks over at me, his eyes bright. “Are you ready to get up close and personal with this beauty?”
“Yeah…” My voice is gentle and wispy, but it’s undetermined whether it’s because of him or the altitude.Maybe it’s a little bit of both.
His deepening dimples leave me a little dazed but thankfully I get a reprieve when Red leads the way, finding us a spot away from the rest of the group.
"God knew what he was doin' when he made this place.” There’s no missing my awe.
“It’s unreal, that’s for sure,” he says, looking out over the huge frozen river of ice. “Did you bring your camera, darlin’? We need to memorialize this moment right here, the two of us surrounded by nature’s beauty.”
Letting go of his hand for a moment, I swing my backpack around to the front of my body and reach inside to grab my camera before handing it over to him. I eye him up and down, earning an amused quirked brow.
“What are youdoin’?” he asks with a laugh.
“Checkin’ you out. You’ve got longer arms than me. They’re perfect for selfies.”
His lips quirk up. “Glad you’ve noticed. I was beginnin’ to think theseselfiearms weren’t bein’ appreciated.” To prove his point, he lifts said arm and flexes.
Giggling, I shake my head. “Let’s just take a photo already before I decide to push you into that pile of snow over there for being ridiculous.”
“Hmm,” he says, rubbing his chin and running his gaze down to my boots and snowshoes before slowly lifting them back to my face. “If you push me,Margaret, I’ll take you with me. Remember that.”
I purse my lips to bite back a smile before Red holds his arm out for me to get in close. Then, he lifts the camera in the air as far as he can go. “Saycheeessseee,” he says before snapping photo after photo of the two of us. First, I’m laughing, then smiling, then the last one has Red and I looking at each other, my breath hitching at the raw emotion in his gaze.
Before my brain has reengaged and I have had a chance to get my body under control, Red brings the camera back in close again and starts to flips through the images he just took.
“Beautiful,” he murmurs. I look from the display screen on the camera back up to Red, meeting a soft hooded gaze that sends those butterflies fluttering inside of me. You’d think I’d be getting used to that feeling, but it still catches me by surprise every single time.
He nods to the camera again. “Look at us, Mags.”
When I do, my lips part with a silent gasp. Because while I was smiling at the camera, Red was staring at me with a look on his face that I know I’ll nevereverforget–adoration, desire…love…
“Red…” I whisper as I meet his eyes.
Breathing is all but forgotten as he hooks the camera strap over his shoulder without watching what he’s doing, all ofhis attention on me like he can’t tear himself away. Without realizing what I’m doing, I lean in close, the pull between us so great there’s no fighting it even if I wanted to.
I stop thinking altogether when his hands frame my cheeks, his gloves soft against my skin but incomparable to the warm expression on his face.
“I can’t hold back anymore, Maggie. I can’t hold this in. But more than that, I don’t want to anymore. Please tell me you feel this between us too,” he whispers. “Tell me I’m not crazy.”
I shake my head. “I feel it.”
Leaning down, he touches his forehead to mine. He’s all I can see, and if I thought the glacier was beautiful, it's gotnothingon this man.
“Kiss me, Mags. I need to know I’m not dreamin’. That you’re my One and I’m–”
I kiss him, unable to wait a second longer and not wanting to either. I tilt my head and brush my lips against his once, then again, the next time I do it, his fingertips flex against my skin as he holds me in place so he can claim my mouth, capturing every unspoken word and emotion swirling between us.
