“I like that idea. I don’t want to make you leave the city. I like it there and I need to be there for my work.”
“You could travel up here with me when I come for camp business, and we could tack on a couple days. And maybe we try a couple extended work-from-home visits.”
Avery nodded and looked out at the lake. She couldn’t wait to find out if she, a “from away” as Mainers called out-of-staters, could handle the winter here. It could be harsh or a winter wonderland. She envisioned drinking hot cocoa in the little red A-frame and finding out if people really ventured into the woods and chopped down their Christmas trees like they did in the movies.
“Pepper, I see wheels turning in your pretty head.” He took both her hands. “Tell me your worries.”
“I’m imagining it all.” She let out a laugh. “Would we chop down our own Christmas tree?”
He smoothed his hands over her knuckles and laughed. “We don’t have to figure everything out tonight. There’s plenty of time to make a final decision. And, yes, we can chop down a tree or buy one in a lot. Whatever makes you happy. My only request is you wear one of those knitted caps with a pompom on top.”
“Ooh, I want to see you wearing a flannel and wielding an axe. Maybe don’t shave for a day or two before?” She wiggled in her seat.
“I like this plan.” He rolled his lower lip through his teeth and smiled.
Miles ran his hand through his hair and messed it up. This time, a piece stuck out to the side. She reached up and put it back in place.Miles was so gorgeous, with his dark eyes and tan face. Some days she couldn’t believe he was her boyfriend. Over the last year, he’d continued his therapy. He still had panic attacks but a few weeks ago, he’d told her that he’d come to the realization they were temporary and he knew how to utilize his various tools to manage them until they’d passed.
They’d worked together on his flight instinct. He now asked for time and space to think instead of running away. Avery had learned to let him process their issues on his own before they addressed them together. She now trusted he’d return to the discussion when he was ready. Giving a problem space to breathe helped them resolve disagreements rationally. Seeing him struggle and try so hard made loving him easy.
“So the next year is figured out.” He laced his fingers through hers and rocked their hands back and forth. “What about the rest of your life?”
“The rest of my life?”
“Yeah, what are you doing for the rest of your life?” Miles smirked.
Out on the lake, a fish jumped and flipped midair. Avery’s stomach did the same.
“Miles, we just figured out the next year, how far do you expect us to go?”
“The thing is, I’ve lost count of how many dates we’ve been on. And that feels monumental,” he said. “I love you, Avery. You sit with me in my rain and share your sunshine. I never want to hear your laugh or giggle and know you aren’t mine. From the day I met you, from that hug on the beach, I knew you possessed the truest heart of anyone I had ever met and would ever meet again. I can’t imagine a day without you and your lost lip balms and your lists. I wanted to know if you’d like to maintain this love, this kismet, for the rest of our lives.”
Avery swallowed and tried to keep her tears at bay. Was this really happening right now? She’d imagined this moment a million ways but never expected it tonight.
“I’d love to spend the rest of my life with you.” She let the joy burst outof her. A wide smile, followed by a tear or two, wiped away by her perfectly manicured hands. “You know that, right? I used to think I would never find someone who loved me the way I loved them. It turns out I found him. At nineteen. And again a decade later. I never want to let that go.”
Everything fell very still. Avery caught her breath and sunk into the feeling that this, being with Miles, felt right.
“You’re my kis-mate,” he said with a half-smile. Miles had come so far. He used to think he couldn’t love someone at all. And look at him now, lit in a pinkish haze and getting all gushy.
“And you’ll always be mine.”
Miles cleared his throat. He cupped her jaw with both hands and ran his thumbs along her cheekbones before clasping both of her hands again. His gaze was so intense, he might not have noticed the sunset. Avery sure hadn’t.
“Avery, will you marry me?”
Time, the lake, Miles, Tabasco. They all stood still.
“Miles,” she croaked as another, even wider smile burst out of her. “Yes. Of course I’ll marry you.”
Miles’s shoulders relaxed. She ran her hand along his smooth jaw. Miles had shaved sometime this afternoon. He’d planned this. She leaned forward and kissed him. One of those deep ethereal kisses where she could’ve sworn she and Miles stood still while the sky and lake spun around them.
“Do you want me to get on one knee?” he asked sheepishly. “I will, but I wasn’t sure you’d want that.”
It dawned on Avery why he’d asked her while they were doing something they did all the time, in a place she felt comfortable. He’d ensured she’d have the freedom to say no if that was what she wanted. Sweet Miles. He was trying to keep this as unlike her first engagement as he could. Truth was, she would’ve said yes if he’d asked her on a jumbotron.
“I don’t need a knee,” she said.
“How about a ring?”
