“First.” He finally removes his finger from my lips only to hold it up in front of my face like I don’t understand what the number one is, making me giggle. “I’m going to let you down.”
My brows furrow, and my heart plummets. That is not what I expect. My thoughts run on a loop, trying to figure out what he’d done wrong.
“Not every day,” he continues, “but that’s life, and it’s going to happen.”
The pit of my stomach feels as if it’s about to flip upside down. I have no idea where this is coming from.What did he do?
“That leads me to number two.” He tacks up another finger. I’m not even close to laughing now.I’m afraid. “I won't give up. I’ll do the work, not because I’m desperate, but because we’re worth it.”
Relief floods my veins when I realize something terrible hasn’t happened. He’s saying something incredibly sweet, which makes tears prick the backs of my eyes.
“Number three.” His voice is softer, and languid, pulling on all my heartstrings. “I’ll protect you. That doesn’t need any other explanation. And finally . . . because I’m an overachiever, there needs to be an extra point.” I’m quiet, but his hand finds my cheek again and he drops his face so close to mine I feel the warmth of his skin over mine. His eyes hood, and I assume number four is a kiss, so I close my eyes and lean in.
Instead of finding his lips, I hear his words hot on my skin. “I’ll love you. Not flawlessly as I’m not without my faults, but I’ll give you my everything.”
My upper lip is literally sweating.
We’ve never used theL wordbefore. I’ve wanted to, but I waited for him, and now that he finally slips it out, I’m dying.
“I love you, too.” I don’t have a speech like that. I’ve never heard anything so beautiful in my life, and my lips nearly quiver. I can’t handle being this close to him for another second. “Can you just kiss me already?”
“Pucker up.”
And I did.
Bonus Epilogue
Some time later . . .
“Let’s stop here,” I huff out right as we round another bend in our trail. We’re staying at a mountain cabin in the Alps, trying to make progress on Axl’s goal ofhiking all the trails. I don’t mind hiking, but I’m rethinking our strategy for his bucket list. “I think next time we start with swimming in all the oceans first.” I brace my hands above my knees and continue with my deep breathing.
His chuckle is airy. “Sorry, I forget that not everyone trains four to six hours a day.”
“Nope, I sure don’t do that.” I debate stretching my hands over my head to try to loosen my back, but I’m wholeheartedly concerned I might get stuck. I settle on rubbing my side ache.
“It’s a good thing I came prepared.” Axl drops his backpack to the ground, and my gaze follows his every move as my interest piques. He pulls out something that looks like a ball of fabric, and his lips pinch in secret as he unrolls the ball.
“A hammock,” I exclaim, already moving my legs toward it as it sounds wonderful. “I knew there was a reason I love you so much.” I arch my neck, pretending to peek in his bag. “Now, do you have any dark chocolate in that thing?”
“No, sorry. I opted for healthier trail mix to keep up our energy.” He walks to a tree and leans on it, testing it for safety. He must have been pleased with what he discovered because he gets busy hanging the hammock, and within minutes, it’s ready for business. He holds his hand out, inviting me over. “Try it.”
“Is that a dare?” He doesn’t have to ask me twice. I drop my backpack and ease myself down onto the hammock. My whole body seems to contract from the release of pressure, and I sigh in contentment. “It’s amazing. Hop in.”
Axl follows my lead, carefully balancing the hammock with me in it, as he adds his weight. With one of his hands behind his head and the other under me, we fit together quite perfectly.
A stillness comes over us, and we take in the view while the hammock sways gently in the breeze. The sun is beginning its descent, casting a warm golden glow over the valley. I close my eyes to the sound of the wind playing with the leaves, feeling completely at peace. “This is what I’m talking about,” I tease with my eyes still closed as I try to soak up the last of the summer rays before they disappear for the night.
“We should maybe change our goals to sleep in all the trees instead of hiking all the trails.” Axl’s voice moves close to my ear before he drops a kiss on my cheek.
“Yes, we should. Jot that down.”
“Hey.” Axl’s voice grows softer. “Do you want to open your eyes for a minute before you fall asleep?”
“Want to?” I tease, still keeping them shut. “No. But will I?” I pull one eye open, ready to compromise, but then instantly follow with the other eye all the while my breath gets locked in my chest. I look at Axl—the love of my life—who is holding outa beautiful princess-cut diamond ring. Tears well in my eyes as I have dreamed of this moment so many times, and I sit up. “What is that?”
“Let me do this properly.” Axl’s voice fills with sincerity as he slides off the hammock and drops down on one knee. When his eyes lock on me, we sync like the last piece of a thousand-piece puzzle is finally getting clicked into place. “I made you three promises, and what you didn’t know at the time was in my heart I already knew you were the one. I want to add one more promise to that list. I promise if you marry me, I will spend the rest of my life putting you first.” For a fleeting moment, even the wind stills, and I gaze into his eyes as his lips appear to move in slow motion. “Will you marry me?”
I don’t need to think, but I want to savor the moment. I pause, burning the image into my brain. “Yes, I will.” His usually strong hand—that was trained to perfectly steady a hockey stick—visibly trembles when he slips the ring on my finger. It fits perfectly.
